Fall Conference - Thanksgiving Weekend

What can be more fun then an annual Fall Conference over Thanksgiving Weekend with the British Columbia and Anglican Youth Movement? Not a whole lot!!

This year ninety-two youth, youth leaders, and chaperones gathered together in Colwood, BC for a weekend of fun, friendship, games, theme sessions, worship and lots more!

Twenty-eight or so young people from Kamloops and Savona attended the conference this year... we spent about eight hours on the bus together in transit to the event and ten hours on the way back - lots of good times! This is the largest group we've had from the Kamloops area in as long as I can remember... and the largest group BCYAYM has seen from the province in years as well. It was pretty exciting to gather with folks who were all there for the same reason!

If I had to sum up my experience of the weekend with a few numbers it would probably look like this:

Conference: Total of 74 hours
Travel: 18 hours
Emergency Room: 6.5 hours
Sleep: 11 hours
Ferry Adventure: 30 minutes

That's right - I encounter a number of adventures and not a whole lot of sleep! The time in the ER was because we had a young person who got sick, nothing major.... just some time with the IV! Out of though I learned that I am able to stay calm when taking someone who is not part of my family, whose parents are not around, and at times when we don't really know what's going on to the Emergency Room... and be in conversation with parents!! Not something I planned on learning... but nevertheless I did!

The ferry adventure was the result of five of the youth under my supervision getting stuck in the elevator for thirty minutes... of course this would happen this weekend!! We laugh about it a lot now... a lot! And what a great story for them all to have to share! Oh dear.... as a result they got a complimentary desert and hot drink - really they were not hard done by at all!

Other then the lack of sleep (although that did mean I was up and visiting with some wonderful folks!), the weekend was amazing. I think everyone had a great time! This was my last Conference as part of the BCYAYM Council but will still go and take the young people from this area with me in the future... and always support the wonderful work that is taking place here!

I know, it's been awhile!

I know, it's been awhile since I've written. My semester is quickly coming to an end, five more weeks to go. Although that is incredibly exciting there is still the matter of the four tests, four papers, two journals, two oral presentations, and two take-home exams to complete. But once that is all finished, excitement will brew even quicker... then summer!!

So, what have I been up to these last few weeks? I had a BCYAYM Council meeting in Vancouver. It was a great meeting, not too much work to do coming out of it, and it was great to see everyone again. We went skating as our group activity over the weekend, I haven't skated since grade four, but I managed to stay on my feet and had a ton of fun. Next year I'll have to do some youth skating events... its was just that much fun! Who knew it would be so enjoyable?!? The church service we went to was great, there were a few surprises though, like sitting down during the Eucharistic Prayers, I have never done that before. And yet when we noticed that we were the only ones still standing we quickly took our seats. The other thing that got me was that the children never came back for communion, which surprised me. It was an amazing church building though and really nice people, I have totally fell in love with the nursery (we got to sleep in it... yep, air mattresses and sleeping bags...) and the Sunday school rooms had some of the neatest murals on them. 

We had our Annual General Meeting probably about a month ago now at St. Hilda's, it went well. I have landed myself the position of Warden for the parish, not totally sure how that happened, but it is quite an honor to have so many believing that I am capable to carry it out. Other than that there were not too many surprises. Still doing what I normally do, I have a "new" batch of Sunday school teachers which is very exciting for me, I've taught it for seven years and the program needed some fresh minds and ideas. So, now I just coordinate it, make sure there is someone there each week, all the supplies are around, ect... And I love it, it also means I get to sit in the pew for the whole service!!

I was took a course that the Cathedral in Kamloops offered for six weeks, "I'm An Anglican! So What?" I really enjoyed it, and all the speakers were amazing. I learned a lot of the "little things." Those things you always wonder but never ask - yeah some of them actually have answers now!

I also went to my first Ash Wednesday service. We never had them in Savona, or if we did I they were held during the day and I was in school. This year I went to the evening service at the Cathedral, it was very powerful and made me think a lot, which is always good. I was a bit nervous going just because I had no idea what to expect at the service. But it ended up being really great and I'll probably be at all future Ash Wednesday services. That brings up to the topic of Lent. This year I decided to give up television. And not that I watch a whole lot of it, but I often have it on as background noise, or sit between classes and watch something so my brian doesn't need to think much. Well, now my spare time is filled with reading books, which is great, and I'm going to bed much earlier because I'm so exhausted, my brain now never stops comprehending. I can't wait for all the snow to melt and the world to dry so I can go on a few walks in the hills beyond residence. 

I think that is pretty much all that has been going on in my end of the world and in my life. March is looking fruitfully busy. APCI is nominating a new bishop this Saturday, I am still in the reflecting process of who I am voting for, but I'm excited to find out who it will be. March 13-15th I am at Sorrento Centre doing a Lenten Silent Spring Retreat, which I am extremely excited to be apart of, not totally sure what to expect, but I believe it will be a good experience. March 22nd the youth are doing the church service, and I am doing my first service as a Lay Minister of Word and Sacrament, a service of reserved sacrament. It's exciting, not the easiest scripture to have youth reflect on, but I'm sure once I read it all through a few more times some brilliant idea will come to me. Then at the end of the month (March 27-29th) I am in Winnipeg at a meeting of the PWRDF Youth Council. It is amazing how quickly March will go by, I'm afraid that if I blink it will all be gone. :o)