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- Details
- Written by: Alyssa
- Category: Creativity
Another side project I have on the go is finally painting the apartment we've lived in for 4 years. Matt said we should paint when we moved in, and I am finally ready to admit he was right. So we have had a lot of fun together looking at different colours, reading up on interior design, and choosing what to put on our walls.
Of course, people who invent colours can't use the regular names for colours that I learned by reading crayons. If you thought taupe or cyan were weird names, just steer clear of paint stores or websites.
For your pleasure and amusement (as well as my own) I have invented a new system whereby you can choose what colour to paint your room, home, nails or dog. Simply take the word that corresponds with your month of birth and the word that corresponds with what day your birthday falls on - that's your colour! All yours, a personal gift from me to you.
Enjoy.
- Details
- Written by: Alyssa
- Category: Creativity
Over the past several months I have been part of a curriculum-writing team for junior high ministry. The curriculum is now live, and I wanted to spread the word about this great, FREE resource.
Check out the first lessons for junior high and senior high curriculum by clicking the image above or following this link, and the rest of the curriculum should be posted shortly, as the editing process has been completed.
- Details
- Written by: Alyssa
- Category: Missions
Our first week of VBS went so well thanks to all the planning, prayers and dedicated volunteers! It was so encouraging to see kids opening up over the course of the week, and we are excited to build on those relationships with the campers who are returning for week 2. Also, we are celebrating that 7 kids and 1 student leader decided to pray and follow Jesus!
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- Written by: Alyssa
- Category: Thoughts
Tomorrow is the first day of VBS, and it is going to be great! How do I know? Well I saw the curriculum in action on our Bathurst mission trip, and it is honestly just so much fun. I'm excited for another week of singing those songs and watching kids build relationships with each other and their leaders and they experience the different stations and learn about God's love for them.
I also know VBS will be great because it's what God wants us to do. We had staff training on Saturday, and I shared a devo based on Mark 10:13-16. The story comes in the middle of Jesus answering questions from religious leaders, some time after his transfiguration and healing a demon possessed boy (in Mark 9). At this point in his ministry, Jesus was officially a big deal, and his disciples had to do some crowd control, organize his appointments if you will, and let people know when he was ready for an audience. The problem is, they had the wrong idea of who Jesus prioritized seeing, and they were turning away parents who brought their children to be blessed by Jesus.
Can you imagine the scene?
Parent: "We've come to see Jesus."
Disciple: "He's very busy today - is this a religious matter? Do you have questions about applying the law or interpreting the prophets?"
Parent: "Oh, I've brought my children for Jesus to bless."
Disciple: "To bless eh? Well, do they have demons? Are they crippled? Are they dead?"
Parent: [stunned] "No, they are well thank God. We just want his blessing."
Disciple: "It sounds to me like you're already pretty blessed. Trust me, we've seen some crazy stuff go down. Just be grateful for your happy healthy kids and go your way, Jesus has much more important business. Next!"
- Details
- Written by: Alyssa
- Category: Missions
Two weeks after we arrived home, I am finally sitting down to sum up the last few days of our Bathurst mission trip.
It's hard to describe the progress that we made over the course of the week in terms of what we did because the days sound the same on paper - wake up early, pray as a team, eat breakfast and head to the church, run VBS and connect with the kids. True, each day of VBS followed the same pattern, but what happened within each day truly built on the day before, and the whole team was inspired with the progress we saw over the course of a week. 
Most of the kids who started the week by testing limits and challenging our leadership finished the week proudly participating in the different stations and singing the songs we learned together. Some kids brought friends over the course of the week, so we finished with more campers than we started! One huge highlight for me was on the very last day of camp with a boy who came for the first time that day, and when the day was over he said, "This was so much fun, I wish I came all week! Are you coming back next year?"
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- Written by: Alyssa
- Category: Book Reviews
I'm still working on my post to sum up the end of our Bathurst mission trip, but I wanted to jump in with a review for a kids' Bible I received before the trip. The short version is: I love it! The Bible is published by Zondervan, and it's called the Adventure Bible for Early Readers.
The Bible itself is pretty hefty, but the binding is sturdy, and kids will love the 3D cover! (I love the 3D cover.) I think Zondervan has done a great job of presenting God's word in an engaging and accessible format for kids - they recommend this Bible for ages 6-10, which I think is spot on, although depending on the child's reading ability, it probably is too challenging for a 6 year old to sit down and read by themselves, although with that said I think kids could continue to use this Bible past the age of 10. The language is simple and direct, with short sentences and understandable terms used directly in the text (as opposed to in a footnote or at the back of the Bible in a table of ancient weights and measures). I was a bit worried that a kids' Bible might be too dumbed-down to be very useful, but I found that the translation was not dumbed-down at all, just simplified to make it easier to read.
Read more: Book Review: NIrV Adventure Bible for Early Readers
- Details
- Written by: Alyssa
- Category: Missions
By Sunday, the mission trip was already becoming a blur. Sunday morning we enjoyed being part of the service at St. Luke's, helping lead music and listening to my mother-in-law preach! 
After the service it was time to transform the sanctuary into a jungle complete with waterfall for our VBS theme of weird animals. There were lots of final touches to put on the decorations, and the team also made final preparations for the different stations we were leading. 
When everything was just about ready, we all piled in the rental cars to head to Bayview Baptist Church where we met our friends from Chaleur Generation to watch the World Cup final match! That was lots of fun, and for those who weren't so interested in the soccer game there was lots of room to play our own games in the basement! Torre had a really fun time with some of the younger boys who were there and also managed to wander mostly safely through some soccer and hockey games that took place between some team members and local friends.
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- Written by: Alyssa
- Category: Missions
Our second full day in Bathurst was another full and fulfilling one. It was nice to have a flexible day to settle in to our new surroundings and prepare for a busy week of VBS, and it felt a little bit like down time even though it was all very purposeful and important.
Before I can sum up Saturday though, I have to tell you about the rest of Friday. Friday was our first full day in Bathurst, and it concluded with a bonfire at a private beach in the company of about 50 local people from over 8 different churches in the city. Everyone had an amazing time mingling, roasting hot dogs and marshmallows, and just enjoying a beautiful evening on the beach. It was such an amazing experience to see and feel Christian unity across different denominations, generations and languages. 
The bonfire was huge, but it eventually burned down enough that we could form a circle around it, and we closed the evening with prayers for the community of Bathurst, for political and church leaders, and even for the VBS we came to help lead.
- Details
- Written by: Alyssa
- Category: Missions
Our first full day on the ground was packed and a great start to our trip! The team had an orientation tour of the city after breakfast to get the lay of the land and hear some of the community's history and needs.
We at lunch together, had group prayer and devotions, then we had some training and orientation for our main project here: VBS. Everyone learned what role they will play, whether leading a station, acting in skits, or leading a zoo crew of kids (since our theme is "weird animals"). We got our manuals and spent the afternoon reading over scripts, checking supply lists and putting final touches on the decorations that will transform St. Luke's into a lush jungle!
Tonight we're looking forward to a bonfire at the beach and meeting some people from other churches in the area. Hopefully we can encourage them to take the plunge and try running VBS in their own church because it is a great way to share the gospel with kids, a great way to serve families, and a great way to use our creativity and personalities for God's glory!
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- Written by: Alyssa
- Category: Life
A week from today, I’ll be heading to the East Coast of Canada for a mission trip to Bathurst, NB. It is my second year going, and like last year we’ll be driving for two days to get there (I appreciate your prayers that Torre travels well!), but.
Unlike last year, our team will be much smaller: 8 people instead of 17, and our trip will be a few days shorter. I’m really looking forward to going, and I’m excited for what God has in store, but I also have no idea what to expect. I am in a state of hopeful anticipation, confident that God has prepared good works for us to do and that He will take this time we are dedicating to serving him in order to shape us and grow his Kingdom, but.
This is certainly not a mission trip that we are entering into from a position of strength. Planning for the trip has been a bit disorganized, and we have spent very little time together as a team. A lot of the details for how we’ll spend our time in Bathurst are still up in the air, and I foresee some challenges for our team to live up to the expectations of past years, but.