Teams are made

At 9am this morning, the list of teammates and assignments was revealed. The moments sitting in the great room just waiting prior to our leader coming in was beyond overwhelming and exciting all at the same time. Last night, for fun, we each made predictions on where we thought everyone was going. It was funny, because, a lot of us not only guessed similar, but we also guessed correctly - not on everyone though. But there were 3 people from each team that were right.

So, the verdict is that I am off to Portugal on November 6 - Lisbon to be exact. We haven't heard anything from the missionaries that are there, but the word on the street is that they do a lot of youth work, which really excites me. I am pumped to be going to Europe (I have always wanted to go) and I get to soak in the culture and the people for 7 1/2 solid months. I'm pumped to say the least.
Over the last few days, I had really been feeling that I was going to Portugal. I would have been extremely excited to go to Thailand too, but I feel God has really placed Portugal on my heart. I just want to love on these people and have a passion for this country, which feels good because I have been doubting if this whole missions thing is really where my heart is. I don't think this will be a long term life choice to be a missionary somewhere, but for the next year and years to come, I think a part of my heart will lie in Portugal and that excites me.

Team Portugal:

 Rachael, Jacob, Kara, Donovan & Aleah

Team Thailand

Alison, Leah, Carla, Bryan & Brad

I have been trying to do better in the picture taking department, so enjoy the pictures (Sabrina - I did this for you :)

Sarah's Birthday Party

 after smearing Sarah with icing from her cake, Jon gets it back.

 Aleah, Rachael & Alison

A Starbucks date with all of the girls.

hanging out in the hot tub with my 3 closest friends here - Carla, Heidi & Rachael.

 Games Night

We play a lot of games - everything from board games, to card games to outdoor games like volleyball (we play lots of volleyball).



The Last 48

I have just come off of the most incredible 48 hours. It was spent in complete silence - no internet, no phones, no books, no talking (easier said than done when you live in community with 13 other people). All I had with me was my bible, my jounal and time with God. Like I said, it was incredible.

I experienced the goodness of God in so many ways. God spoke. I was reminded of who I am - my passions, the things that drain me. God drew me to Psalm 139 and I dove into it. I spent time soaking up every word, listening intently to what God had to say to me. It's a familiar passage - most of us are famaliar with it and can quote most of it for memory. But God uncovered new truths for me. I was reminded of how much God delights in each of us and how God invites us to delight in Him. There is wonderful, beautiful freedom in knowing who you are and being fully alive in the presence of Jesus.

The idea of a silent retreat is something I want to implement in my life when I come home and get back to the grind of everyday life. I don't think I would do another 48 hour one, because

a) 48 hours was a little long - I was running out of steam at about 36 hours and

b) carving 48 hours out of your everyday life is a lot harder than when it is planned into your schedule and something you are forced to do.

But, I do want to adopt the principle of taking time out of the hectic, busy world that has been known as my life to joyfully step into the presence of God - to listen, to soak up and experience Him in a very intentional way.

We celebrated being done our silent retreat, even though it really wasn't that bad, with a Trek alumni BBQ and a girls sleepover. 10 girls all crammed into one room makes for a very hot and short night's sleep, but it was fun making memories with each other and delighting in the present moment.
I apparently really suck at taking pictures, so my goal this week is to do better documenting of life here in BC through pictures.

Stay tuned...



The Latest

In the last few days, it has felt as though days of the week have been melded into one. I no longer have any concept of the day of the week. Thankfully I have a pre-planned schedule that tells me where I need to be and when. My days are full and I find myself no longer getting a nap in during the afternoon (something that was a very regular thing back home).

One day last week, we headed out to Cultus Lake for the day. It was a refreshing time getting to know each other better, enjoying the outdoors (most of last week involved a ton of sitting around listening to lectures), eating good food and having a lot of fun.

my friends Brad & Carla

It turns out that there are a number of people here who love to play volleyball. Over the course of the last week, we have spent many hours playing volleyball in a circle (we have yet to find actual courts to play on). This has been known to occupy us for quite some time - rain or shine. We made good use of the open space at Cultus and enjoyed several rounds of Elimination.

Just a few days ago we embarked on an epic adventure of sorts. I will do my best to paint a picture of this trip, but my words will not do the experience justice. Saturday morning brought with it rain and cool temperatures. Despite the weather, we ventured out of the city where we could do some canoeing and hiking. Prior to leaving we were told that we would canoe approximately 45 min one way, hike for about an hour and then canoe back for another 45 min. That didn't sound so bad. However, add in some stronger winds, an upstream current and a low tide and disaster strikes.
I was in a canoe with my friends Carla and Heidi. The 3 of us are definitely in shape and very competitive. We were psyched about our team and we were positive we were not only going to put the boys' canoes to shame, but we were going to win. We were down right cocky. We were the first group with our canoes in the water and we started paddling with all of our might. We were pumped.

It didn't take us long before the winds got hold of us and we found ourselves going around in circles in the middle of the lake. By the point, all of the other groups were in the water and miraculously going straight in the direction we were supposed to be going in. Eventually, after substantial effort, we made our way into the river area where we were told was sheltered and easy to canoe. Awesome.
Within a few minutes of us being in the river, we ran into trouble. Like I mentioned above, the tide was low, which made paddling difficult as the water was extremely shallow. We bottomed out numerous times in the middle of the river. At this point, we were starting to get frustrated as all the other teams seemed to be doing just fine. We had no clue what our problem was. Due to the mounting frustration in our canoe, Heidi succumbed to finally getting out of the canoe to pull us. Eventually, all 3 of us ended up outside of the canoe, pushing and pulling the canoe with all of our might - in the rain, fully clothed.
After 2 1/2 hours of canoeing, we finally arrived to where everyone else had docked their canoes so that we could continue on to our hike. Heidi, Carla and I were soaked from head to toe and beyond cold. Everything below our knees were numb. I decided to take my socks off to go hiking because I didn't want to squishy feeling in my shoes while I walked, so I went barefoot in my runners. Walking 2 km each way with no socks on results in blisters on both my feet and a lot of discomfort. Note to self, where socks, no matter how wet they may be.

At the end of the 2km hike we found ourselves at a spectacular waterfall where we could just sit and catch our
breath. Eventually we had to get moving again so that we could get a head start back in the canoes. We definitely started out a good 10min before every other group, but it didn't take long before all the other teams passed us. It took us about 2 hrs or so to get back to the docks.

Throughout the course of those 6 hours I have never laughed that hard in a long time. Memories were definitely created with these girls and it was beautiful. The whole experience was extremely humbling in the end as we realized that we in fact sucked at canoeing when we thought we were all that starting out. Funny how that works sometimes. I felt very affirmed in my previous thoughts that I am a city girl through and through.

Unfortunately there are no pictures to document this trip, which was a good thing because it turned out all that we had brought along ended up completely soaked by the time this little excursion was completed. I know some other people who managed to stay substantially dryer than we, had their cameras along, so perhaps I might be able to snag a couple photos down the road. If I do, I will be sure to pass those along.

This week ahead holds more learning as we soak in what it means to hear and discern the voice of God. I'm excited for this week. Thursday afternoon I begin a 48 hr silent retreat where I can put the practices and postures that I have learned in the week to good use. I'm curious and excited to see what God has to say to me and how he will choose to speak. Stay tuned...

Address

Some people have inquired as to where they can reach me during these next 8 weeks. Unfortunately phone is not a great way to get a hold of me but skype is great and so is email. If you want to mail stuff, it can be sent to the following address:

Kara Friesen

c/o MBMSI

302-32025 George Ferguson Way

Abbotsford, MB

V 2T 2K7

Above All

The first few days of Trek have been both overwhelming and exciting all rolled into one. We have hit the ground running. Over the course of these last 3 days I have already heard from some pretty incredible speakers - they are truly insipiring to listen to. Truth be told that I have never felt as though my heart was in missions. I was and at this point still am fairly confident in the choices I have made in my life regarding career, etc. But, my heart has been tugged. Listening to Steve Klassen and Randy Friesen describe their experiences from around the world and how the global church is growing and how these people, despite all odds and opposition against them, they still choose to follow Jesus with reckless abandon and are litterally giving up all they have. That is inspiring and moving stuff.

Looking through the gospel of Mark, we get a picture of what true discipleship should look like - what God truly calls us to do. Not once does he sugar coat a life of following him. There are huge risks for Jesus' disciples to leave all that they know and have in order live a life following the footsteps of Christ. It takes risk taking obedience to be a true disciple. When we are able and willing to give Jesus everything - truly all of ourselves, we allow for the Holy Spirit to truly move and work in our lives.

The cost of discipleship looks very different for every person. I truly have not felt a pull or any sort of conviction, to leave all of my personal belongings and family/friends behind and venture off to a foreign land for an extensive period of time to minister to a certain people. That is not to say that God will not or cannot alter that plan, but for the moment I believe that God is preparing me in such a way to minister and be a disciple to my co-workers and to my life in Winnipeg. This year ahead is going to be completely life changing. It's going to be a very hard year as I allow God to strip me down, to refine me, transform me, stretch me and mold me into the person he has created me to be.

My prayer and hopes for the year ahead is that I would delight in the presence of God. I want to know his voice above all else. I want to be obedient to what he has called me to do and be. I have asked God to instill in me wisdom as I seek him and as I go deeper in the word and as I engage him. I desire that my relationship with my heavenly father would be of utmost importance - that we would have a partnership as we walk and talk together. I believe God speaks and answers the cries and desires of his people, so I am excited and anxious for all that God is going to do in my life this year. It's going to the most incredible adventure I can imagine.

And so it begins

Well, I am officially into day 3 of Trek and already it's been quite the experience. All is fairly overwhelming as I adjust to a busy schedule, new roommates and a new environment. This is not at all what I am accustomed to, but that being said, I am incredibly excited for what God is going to do in my life in the year ahead.

I have already heard some incredible speakers speak. Steve Klassen is a passionate speaker and his enthusiasm for the gospel of Mark and just being a disciple of Jesus makes me pumped up. He is truly inspiring to listen to and it will be a privilege to study with him for the next 2 months.
Worship times have also been incredible. Worship here is simple - 1 accoustic guitar and 14 voices. The incredible part is how the Holy Spirit shows up and moves in ways you can't even begin to imagine. It's exciting to just think about!

Yesterday we all headed out to White Rock for the afternoon to spend time together and to do a photo scavenger hunt. It was a good icebreaker and it was awesome to get to know people better that way. Plus, it's a beautiful place. It was sweet to be able to go into the ocean in September. I'm definitely not in Winnipeg anymore!

All these good things aside, I have also been struggling with missing home. I am a homebody through and through. There have been a few moments of tears when I long for the comforts of my own bed, no roommates and time to myself. The homesickness has been hard. I am so blessed to have Kristy so close by to come and rescue me for cups of coffee and a familiar face. Thank you Kristy!

I have quite a bit of reading to do before my next session in a half hour, so I should probably go do that, but I will leave you with a few pictures of where I am staying and my surroundings.

This is the Mark Centre

It is a beautiful retreat centre situated in the heart of Abbotsford - there are litterally residential houses on either side and a short distance away from the nearest Starbucks - only 0.9km to be exact!

But seriously, this place is beautiful. It is cool that this where I get to live for 2 months.

Hot Tub area.

My room is called Expectancy and I share it with 2 other girls.

It's nothing too fancy, but the beds are surprisingly comfortable.

Thank you to those of you who have been praying for me so far. You have no idea how much I have appreciated your prayers and emails. It's been nice to have a little taste of home. Please continue to pray for me as I make adjustments here on Trek and learn to live in a very intimate community with fellow Trekers. Also pray for peace in the moments of being homesick. Now, I must get onto that reading!

It's Go Time

Well, this morning finally came and I am now in the Edmonton Airport with an Extra Hot Venti Pumpkin Spice Latte killing time before I need to board my next plane to Abbotsford. I can`t believe that this day is here. I`ve already had quite the array of emotions this morning and it`s not even 9:30am yet! I am so thankful that when I get off the next plane, I will be greeted by the lovely Kristy and Norah. I could not be more excited. Kristy and I have the next 6 days together before I begin the formal part of this journey on Trek. This upcoming week will be full of outings and relaxation - just what I need after a crazy couple weeks at home.

It`s Go time. Sweet.