amor.

after months of planning it's finally here (almost). on friday a team of 110 people will pile into ten 15-passenger vans and 2 u-haul trucks to drive 2660 km's to tijuana, mexico. for the past couple months a team of us have kept very busy planning and organizing a trip for sr. high youth to build houses for impoverished families in mexico. in only four days we will build 6 houses, eat lots of mexican food and be changed forever by the local mexican familes.

i have been on this trip 9 times before as a student and leader. people often say things like 'wow, you are going to make such a difference in the mexicians lives, good for you' and while that may be true, i have come to realize that they make just as much, if not more, of a difference in my life. i have a lot to be thankful for. i am a rich canadian compared to most of the mexican families that be build for. but these people we meet while down in mexico are rich in community and in love. we have a lot we can learn from them as far as how to priorities things in life and how to care for people.

heres a little itinerary of what we will be doing on the trip so if you are interested you can follow us!

friday (25th) - sunday (27th)
our long 40 hour drive down to mexico. we will be driving 14 (ish) hours a day and sleeping at churches at night on the way down. we will be crossing the border into mexico on sunday afternoon and then setting up camp in mexico on sunday evening.

monday (28) - thursday (31)
the hard work starts, and well finishes too i guess. like i mentioned before, we will be building 6 houses in the four building days.

friday (1st) - monday (4th)

we head back home with a one day stop in L.A. to check out the beach and six flags.

if you think of us please pray for safety while driving, crossing the borders and of course for while we are building in mexico. please also pray for a unity in our team and that we would be touched and influenced by the mexician families we meet.

thank you to those who have made this trip (and others) possible for me for the past 9 years. i wouldn't have been able to do it without your continual love and financial support. it's because of you that i get to do what i am truly passionate about!

check back in a couple weeks for pictures (!!!) and an update on how the trip unfolds!!

mucho amor a usted!!!

forever could never be long enough for me.

tuesdays tune.

train - marry me

a beautiful song....

sexual exploitation awareness week.

fyi, sexual exploitation isn't something that only happens in far away impoverished nations around the world. it's going on here, in canada, in alberta, in calgary. it's a huge problem.

people often think that unless you are standing out on the corner wearing skimpy clothes selling yourself then you aren't being sexually exploited. that's a lie. while that is a form of exploitation, there's a whole lot more to it and a lot of it is secretive, behind closed doors.

when you are starving and have no where to stay for the night and someone offers you a floor to crash on in a warm house and a little bit of food in exchange for sex, that is what sexual exploitation is. it's exchanging things such as money, food, shelter, drugs, for sex.

sometimes it's hard not to think 'well get a job, take care of yourself, you don't have to do these things'. but it's not that easy. when you are being exploited it is usually about taking your power to chose away.

i work at a treatment centre for sexually exploited youth (under 18 years old). every time someone asks me where i work i get a little bit nervous for their reaction. a lot of people just look at me with a blank stare and so 'oh wow' and then quickly change the topic.

i realize that this is not an easy issue to talk about and it usually is rather uncomfortable. however, as cliche as it sounds, you should know that the youth that i work with are just like you and i, just like your daughter or son. they love to play 'crazy eights', paint their nails, watch the little mermaid, and sing karaoke!

i wish sometimes that people could come to work with me and hang out with my youth, they would quickly realize that, yes they do have some issues, but don't we all?

although it may be an awkward topic to talk about, i encourage you to google 'sexual exploitation awareness week', lots of articles will come up as it is, like the the title of this post says, sexual exploitation awareness week. educate yourself in what's going on in your city.

here is a link to a article from CNN. it's from the united states, however i don't think there is a huge difference from us to the them, the issues are one in the same. take a look....

http://hubpages.com/hub/CNN-documentary-Selling-the-girl-next-door

learning to heel.

my friend just got a new puppy and she was telling me all the trials of training her new family member. she explained how no matter how hard they try to slow the dog down and have him listen, it literally is impossible.

as my friend tells me her stories i feel as though i can relate to her furry friend. i feel like a dog on a leash that is running full tilt but it's owner keeps saying 'heel'. i have an eagerness for what is next in life.

i have been given a very vague glimpses of what possibly could be coming my way. i want those things now, not later.

i need to learn how to heel. to be patience and wait on His timing, not mine. this is hard, very hard.

how do you sit in the moment and treasure it for all its worth without always look forward for what is to come?

chicken noodle soup.

home sick from work feeling like death is upon me. laying in bed feeling achy and very ill, longing to be at my parents house so that they could take care of me like they did when i was little. then comes a knock at my door, my roommate walks in carrying a tray with crackers, chicken noodle soup and mango juice (my favorite). how luck am i to have the best roommate ever who will dare to walk into my germ infested room to take care of me. not to mention that today is her birthday and how does she spend it... caring for me. thanks nic.

Sylvia.

meet my darling sylvia.

she is eight years old.

sylvia lives in uganda.

sylvia loves to sing, tell stories, and play with dolls.

she has a mother and a father and two siblings.

her father is sometimes an employed laborer.

sylvia's house hold duties are gather firewood and hauling water.

for the past 2 years i have felt that i should sponsor a child in a far off country. i kept putting it off, thinking i wouldn't be able to afford it. well that is a lie. after keeping track of what i spend a month on dining out i quickly learned that i could in fact afford not one but probably several sponsor children.

so i did it. no more procrastinating. that is how this beautiful little girl from uganda came into my life. i am currently in the process of writing my first letter to her which will include some pictures of my family.

there are plenty of different organizations in which you can sponsor children through but after doing much research i chose to go through compassion. i have also had a few friends who sponsored children through compassion and they have had nothing but good things to say about them. many of my friends have actually had the chance to go visit their sponsor child and have said it was life changing. i hope to someday have the same opportunity to meet little sylvia. this is why i picked child from africa.

if you have ever thought about getting a sponsor child, do it. don't procrastinate like i did. when i signed up it was like a rush of excitement. i can't wait to be able to communicate with this little girl on the other side of the world.

music to my ears.

i have been slacking a lot lately when it comes to this little blog thing i got going here, please forgive me.

listen to this little tune and get carried away in it's heavenliness!