UrbanPromise Toronto's "KUYA" [Episode 9]

UrbanPromise Toronto's "KUYA" [Episode 8]

Capernwray Quebec & Tyndale Leading Edge help...

Let me tell you...these guys were amazing!

Last week, eight female and two male students from Capernwray Quebec helped us out with everything at Camp Freedom: prep, gym, attendance, WordUP, snacks, homework, dishes, games, etc. They looked prepared and were intentional with the kids. The kids loved them, some didn't want to admit it sometimes, they had their ups and downs...but when they were leaving to go back to school...c'mon, you can tell.

They learned a lot from this experience and I did too. It was great teamwork and love for each other...for serving God and His children. I wish these guys were here to help ALL THE TIME!!! If there's anybody out there that wants to help, come talk to me please LOL! Oh, and I got a nice e-mail back from one of the students and it was very encouraging, I was encouraged that they were encouraged y'kno? No language barrier, cultural difference, or age difference was really an obstacle for this team.

I remembered the time when a Leading Edge class from Tyndale University College was here to help us for one night only and that was great. Even better was that one of my kids I used to coach back when I was a Sports Camp Director for my home church was part of that school. Crazy eh? Just seeing the body of Christ come together from different places helping each other out, even for just a little bit, means a lot. Not just to me, mind you, but the ministry and the kids and even the leaders. God is great and I thank God for the help He's given us. He gave the help and I hope the help that came that might be reading this can take that in.

See...what I'm re-learning too (went to another Unashamed Generation youth event with one of my leaders this past Friday and took this in)...no program or leader is perfect. And we are not to use God as an excuse for that but we still push forward and encourage each other to just be willing and obedient to God's will which is perfect and who is perfect...and still putting in some work, God is most definitely not a vending machine. Ask me about that last part if you don't understand, at least I'm trying to make this blog/vlog thing interactive somehow LOL. Also, I know I'm making a lot of unnecessary long sentences with several of "..." in there but ah well, enjoy anyway.

Hey, if you want to help out as an intern, a street leader, a missions team or a volunteer..."lemme know wassup" and/or visit the link below:

http://urbanpromise.com/apply.html

Morningstar Christian Fellowship's continued support...

Wow, today was great...let me explain.

So I'm buying groceries after church today at No Frills and buying a whole bunch of healthy stuff because I finally got back into working out. I haven't done anything physically healthy since I moved...it's been 5 months! I bought a pull up bar, resistance bands, physio/stability ball and still had my past stuff from Ultimate Martial Arts. So with this new workout comes a new diet right? I bought everything from chicken to turkey slices and cutlets, oatmeal, wild salmon, whole wheat bread and bagels, eggs, skim milk, President's Choice Chicken and Turkey Bacon, etc. I say the brand for the last one because...check this out...Morningstar had an adopt-a-missionary thing for Christmas and I got a great email with encouraging words, a love basket and other things. In the love basket though was a $25 President's Choice gift card and I had tons of groceries to stock up on. I don't like going back and forth but yeah, this really helped me out. I was somewhere in $100+ and with this card I got everything for $80+! Amazing eh?

Theeeeeeen...I went to GNC to get protein whey powder and I found out it was buy anything and get the other for half the price. I also became a gold member and got everything for cheaper and will continue to get things cheaper because of that card.

Theeeeeeen...I was also looking to buy this Black & Decker 12-speed Cyclone blender at Wal-Mart for $34+ because it was $70-$80 at Canadian Tire. I went to Scarborough Town Centre but it was all sold out!!! I was ready to give up and maybe go to Canadian Tire but instead...I went to the Wal-Mart on Morningside/401. Yooooooo, there was ONE LEFT! You think that was great?

Check this out...I saw one of the ladies from Morningstar there and she was telling me her problems about her depression and failed sponsoring of one of her relatives. She was very sad but was looking to God in everything regardless of what happened. She was encouraged that she could share this with me and was glad about what I was doing in UrbanPromise Toronto. Plus, she told me she bought the exact same blender not too long ago and that it was working great. We shared a few things then split off. I went the wrong way and turned around to the cashier but she was actually looking for me and guess what?...she paid for my blender!!! Crazy eh? I gave her a ride afterwards and it was all good. I shared with my family's connections group about the blessings and then they started sharing some other ones too.

It all worked out. Gotta give shoutouts to my home church...Morningstar Christian Fellowship! Thank God for you guys, no joke!

My 25th Birthday!

Oh yeah, Happy Birthday to me! LOL

I look forward to what God will do in and through my life for this New Year...25 years old at 2010!

BRING IT!

Gigs...

So I had a gig before New Years at James Evangelista's New Years Bash 2009 and it was the first time I had a booth at the same time as Wear Da Word. (BTW, just wanted to jot this down so I remembered this event while I still do LOL.) It was interesting but it was fun working together. I was able to share a few things with people who randomly came up to the booth but not as much as last time. I didn't get to speak in front of everybody like the last gig but it was fun and I still enjoyed it.

My next gig was actually this past Sunday at Morningstar. Pastor Bob MacGregor was on facebook chat with me asking a few things about his sermon and somehow illustrating it. Sermon points went along the lines of Christian servants and so it made sense. He asked me if I would be around for Sunday morning services and I agreed I would come. Mind you, I was house-sitting at the time and had a weekend sleepover with CJ, Kadeem and Curtis. I brought the last two to both services and it was surprisingly fun. When Pastor Bob interviewed me near the end of his sermons, it didn't feel scripted, timed, fake, pressured with expectations...but instead free, raw and real. Totally different from my past experiences with others on the stage...only at Morningstar.

In the first service, I shared more about the problems and what needed to be done...very short but in the second service it was more what I did and what's been happening. It was funnier the second time because I replied "Warzone?" to his first comment and then while he was finishing up I disturbed him to invite everybody to visit Camp Freedom at Jane and Finch then he jokingly goes, "Visit you?...We'll just pray for you!" and the whole congregation burst out in laughter. As I left the stage I mentioned to everyone to look for one of my boys whose afro is bigger than him and wish him a happy birthday...Kadeem got $50 from three random people and Curtis got $5 'cause someone felt bad for him. I got something too but not as much as Kadeem LOL.

I had encouraging conversations afterwards with a few people, some I knew and some I didn't. Some wanted to partner up, some wanted to visit. I got a nice Facebook message afterwards too. It was encouraging and Pastor Bob wanted to just put my face out there. I'm very thankful, it's probably one of the very few times I actually felt raw support from my home church. It was great!

God does things at the right time...His perfect way and His perfect timing. I'm encouraged others are encouraged. God is at work for sure! So many things I can say but I'll leave it for now and say,

"TO BE CONTINUED..."

UrbanPromise Toronto's "KUYA" [Episode 7]