TESTIMONIALS & STORIES
Summer ReflectionI met, talked with, befriended, and lived with a number of other young adult Christians. I'm confident in my desire and need for community (including specifically a community of faith to discuss deeper topics with), am also comfortable insisting that I often need my time alone; in my understanding that the two are not contradictory.
I've learned that I'm allowed (and need to) care about myself, my health, and my well-being before "serving" the world. I've felt very lost in the last few years because I haven't felt called as a big successful, career focused leader — I've wanted to be allowed to not have it all together. The most valuable thing I took away from this summer was a chance to rest. I needed time and space in a healthy community where I had limited responsibilities so that I could focus on myself without overarching stress. I think one main learning was just to not judge people by what I imagine them to be, but to try to find who they really are and in what way they are God's handiwork. This summer really illustrated for me how I have a way of spending so much time in my own thoughts and imagination of who people are that I often miss who they really are, and actually having just open vulnerable conversation with them is what gets you there. My faith is a lot more personal now. I’ve learned more about my views and beliefs on some pretty heavy topics, and in solidifying what I believe it has made me feel closer to God because I was solidifying my beliefs based off of his love and the way that Jesus lived. I met, talked with, befriended, and lived with a number of other young adult Christians. I'm confident in my desire and need for community (including specifically a community of faith to discuss deeper topics with), am also comfortable insisting that I often need my time alone; in my understanding that the two are not contradictory. I've learned that I'm allowed (and need to) care about myself, my health, and my well-being before "serving" the world. I've felt very lost in the last few years because I haven't felt called as a big successful, career focused leader — I've wanted to be allowed to not have it all together. The most valuable thing I took away from this summer was a chance to rest. I needed time and space in a healthy community where I had limited responsibilities so that I could focus on myself without overarching stress. I think one main learning was just to not judge people by what I imagine them to be, but to try to find who they really are and in what way they are God's handiwork. This summer really illustrated for me how I have a way of spending so much time in my own thoughts and imagination of who people are that I often miss who they really are, and actually having just open vulnerable conversation with them is what gets you there. My faith is a lot more personal now. I’ve learned more about my views and beliefs on some pretty heavy topics, and in solidifying what I believe it has made me feel closer to God because I was solidifying my beliefs based off of his love and the way that Jesus lived. Joy & CelebrationAs the summer comes to a close and the question of “what did you learn this summer,” is ever present in conversation, I have spent some time trying to wrap my head around the lessons God has taught me. While I process all the people and experiences that have helped me grow this summer, one idea that encapsulated a lot of what I have learned is how to recognize joy and celebrate well in community.
A great illustration of this is my recent half birthday, which started as a funny joke among the group but turned into something that has taught me a great deal about joy and celebration. As a group we had calculated our half birthdays together one evening after celebrating a few birthdays and anniversaries earlier in the summer. My half birthday fell during the duration of the beach project and to my surprise, after much joking and laughter, the group banded together to surprise me in celebrating my half birthday. This elaborate affair included a funny card, a cheesy balloon and even a half birthday cake. It was a proper celebration! I was absolutely blown away and blessed by the genuine celebration of this hilarious date. I share this story not to make sure that now everyone knows and will celebrate my half birthday (August 6th) but to share what was a very helpful demonstration of the simplicity and joy found in celebration, even celebration of the ordinary. I felt so loved, seen, and appreciated to be celebrated even under the funny circumstance. In many different ways, Covid has made the past year challenging and celebration has been something that has led to a lot of grief. There has been great loss and sadness over how different celebrations have traditionally looked. From weddings, to births, and even funerals, we’ve had to adjust our expectations as each celebration has been affected by Covid restrictions. Yet I feel that this summer we have celebrated well, small though our community was. Celebration has been important to us because it helps us hold each other's successes (such as acceptances to schools and graduations) as well as express gratitude and appreciation for one another while growing deeper together. At the beginning of this summer, John 15 prayed over me and beautifully described my hopes for the summer: abiding in God and learning how to be pruned in order to bear more fruit. As a group, we have lamented and held each other’s grief, but we’ve also experienced and held each other’s joy through intentional celebration. John 15:11 says, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” To abide in God, we must hold both joy and lament. With this knowledge, we end our time together by intentionally celebrating the joy we’ve experienced. Born to be a LeaderThere’s this idea that leaders are individuals who are born with naturally gifted abilities to lead others. We often have this image of leaders only being the vocal person, who is visionary and driven to accomplish goals. However, there is more to leadership than that. This week, we began to reframe our understanding of leadership that invites all of us to participate as leaders for the advancement of God’s kingdom.
God has created every one of his children with unique strengths and needs that bring forth the necessity of unity and leadership. He gifts some with the ability to speak with clarity, while others are master encouragers. He stirs up in some people to make a difference in Canada, while also calling others to serve in Australia. There are needs all around us, locally and globally. The question is are we going to be willing and available to serve God as active leaders that fulfill the needs of our communities? After further reflection on leadership, I have concluded that God is calling us all into leadership opportunities. This does not mean that we need to have everything all together; it just means that we are willing to show up faithfully and trust in God that he will use us to bring about the mending of places and people. This will involve us listening to the Holy Spirit for guidance and communicating frequently with others to truly understand the needs around us. This is what a leader does; they have eyes that see and ears that hear what the world requires. Here are examples of areas in my life that God is calling me to be a leader in. God has placed in my heart to be a leader that empowers men to be how God created them to be and not what culture says they should be. He also calls me to take leadership in being a servant by observing those around me and intentionally supporting their needs as human beings on an emotional and spiritual level. God has continually encouraged me that leadership does not have to be grandiose; it can look small and yet play a significant role in cultivating unity. With that being said, I invite you to reflect on what God is calling you to be a leader in? Discovering Your True IdentityYou are God’s son/daughter, you are deeply loved by Him, and He is well pleased with you. This is our true identity and the good gifts God blesses us with everyday. This is what we discussed and explored this week with Pastor Jeff. We can probably all agree that this can be difficult to accept and hard to live out. So many times, we try to do things or be obedient for this to be true. We often find our identity in what we do, what people think of us, or what we have.
Living in this community has been helping me to discover and believe my true identity. I have been slowing down and first just being in a relationship with God. When we do this first, we can then effectively be obedient to God and serve Him. I have been realizing that it is also important how you treat others knowing their true identity. All of us are God’s children and we are learning to love and support each other well, even when we make mistakes. The more you hear and experience God’s truth, you start to believe and live it. Knowing this, what does it look like to first accept your identity in Christ and the identity of the people around you? We need to see God as our Father and our Friend. I think it is important to remember that God longs for a relationship and in response to our relationship, we can then be obedient. We are still learning what this all means and it's a journey we will be on for our whole life. I am learning especially during the pandemic that when life is going slow, we need to be patient and really lean into God's presence and faithfulness. And just in case you needed another reminder, you are God’s son/daughter, you are loved by Him, and He is well pleased with you! Sharing Our Stories in CommunityHave you thought about your story?
What are the events and Who are the people that have helped to bring you to the moment you are in right now? Where has God been leading and guiding you? Each of us SoCo Beach Project participants were given the opportunity to share our stories through a Post-It-Note timeline following “Purposeful Living” as our guide. We recalled specific events and people, challenges and struggles, as well as growth periods and trends that were impactful during the different time periods of our life from childhood up until now. While this process was hard, it has also been very freeing for me personally to be able to release the burdens of stress, hurt, and grief that I have been feeling. This past year has been a difficult one and it is so important to recognize and listen to each other, sharing together lament, pain, joy, and excitement. It is such a privilege to share and listen to each other’s stories. Sharing with the group was also greatly beneficial as we recognize the uniqueness and life experience that each person brings to this summer. All our stories have value and within each story, God has been and is still at work shaping and forming us to his likeness, the likeness In Christ. When we hear the stories of others, there might be connections and areas of another person’s story that resonate deeply with our own. With sharing in community, you realize and have a deeper understanding that you are not alone. Through stories, we learn about ourselves and from others. Nobody’s story is perfect. We all have areas of our lives that our broken, scarred, bruised and smooth. Every piece of our life is connected to God’s presence. In my story I mention how God is everywhere and in all things. He is in creation, in the ordinary tasks and conversations, in other people and in us. As Ephesians 2:10 says “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus…” (NIV) When we see ourselves and others as In Christ and as Beloved children of God there is so much deep joy living in this truth. Living in Deep Joy is power. It is also with this truth that we can recognize that our lives have pieces that are interwoven and connected. We as people need God, a Community of Believers, Creation, and our Neighbours. When one of these areas is missing, we cannot fully thrive. Take time to notice, reflect, lament, sing, laugh, share, and be fully present with others, because where each of us are in life matters! The first 6 weeks of SoCo 2021It’s been 6 weeks of the SoCo Beach Project already, can you believe it? Because we can’t. It's hard to believe that we even made it here, in Port Dover, amidst a pandemic. God had plans and still has more in store for this group of young adults, the community of Port Dover, and Immanuel CRC. Back on May 9th, 7 SoCo participants arrived in Port Dover and moved into two cottages. We would then spend the next 6 weeks getting to know each other, starting at our full time jobs, joining in bible studies, discussing what the summer means to us, and exploring the community. When Willemina pitched the project and how great living on the beach would be, she was not wrong. Our cottages overlook the water and the breeze is wonderful for keeping us cool.
As a group, we have also been asking the question : what is the South Coast Beach Project? I bring this up because I am sure you've been asking the same thing. As it says on the home page : The South Coast Beach Project is a 4 month spring/summer discipleship and community living experience for young adults. Participants will engage in intentional Christian living with bible study and discussions while engaging with the community through full time work. And I think this does explain the foundations of the SoCo project, but what we wanted to discuss as a group is : what do we actually do? Are we here to simply take in good information or are we here to serve and to be out on the streets sharing the news and do we need to figure out exactly what we are going to do with our life? Taking a step back and seeing ourselves as children of God who need to work our own relationship with Him and others is important before we even think about the rest of our lives. I think as young adults, we get lost in the pressures to find ourself, find a partner, find the perfect job and get started on life as soon as possible. But what I feel that we are learning here, is to take the time to hear closely from God and the people around us before we disappear into the many plans we think the world has in store for us. Our story is actually God's story and we should never want to put that part of our lives down. For me personally, what has made the SoCo and Port Dover experience so meaningful is that this summer is real life. It’s not a camp that I leave in a week or a conference that I get for a weekend and don’t know what to take back into normal life. This summer, I get to intentionally spend time in deep discussions and study about God and Christianity but I also get to see the Spirit working in our every day encounters with each other and the people we work with and meet. As a group, we began watching the video series : Reframe. Reframe is a multiple session course that focuses on connecting your faith and vocation. It takes the story of Scripture and explores how the gospel reframes all of life, not just our church life. We don’t just watch the stories of business people and farmers bringing their faith to their work in the video, we get to put it into practise in our own workplaces each day. On separate nights, we’ve been going through a Spiritual Formations books and learning about the different spiritual practise traditions. Each week we’ve been challenged to learn about and participate in one of the spiritual practises. This has been a great opportunity to take the time to try out many different practises and learn more about ourselves and God through the process. And through the busyness of life, we don’t always follow through, but this lets us be vulnerable and lean on the people around us for encouragement and accountability. This past week, we got to experience our first guest speaker : Jon Berends. In multiple sessions, Jon will be talking to us about : A Theology of Place. It’s a joy to see more of the summer plans come into place and get to learn and grow with the various speakers and each other through discussion. And after all of this, we are tired. There is no doubt about that, but what is different about this summer is that we are tired because we have been given so much life through God, through your prayers, through the community's love. The pandemic has been a difficult year and there has been so much lost, but I believe that this year's SoCo Beach Project and the year's to come will be a beautiful part of God's story for young adults and the people we encounter along the way. |
