Turning 21 and More

Hello Friends,

And you thought the last blog took a while to come out. I’m encouraged that some of you find my experiences interesting, so I’ll continue blogging at a more frequent rate. It’s been officially a month since I’ve been back, so naturally you would think I’d be updating more often in Canada than in a country where there is limited access to the internet. Less is more my friend.

I just turned 21 last Friday, but I don’t feel really different because Canada’s 21 is actually 19. Thanks for the birthday wishes if you sent one, I’ll be responding and thanking you all individually shortly (kind of like how I promised this blog shortly after the last one). I think the best present is that I am financially covered for the summer! Thank you all once again; I can’t express how appreciative I am of your support. I spent the 3rd with Steve (the director here) and the other two interns, Mark from Vancouver and Ty from Atlanta. Early in the morning we headed to downtown Calgary to watch the Stampede Parade. Every summer here in Calgary there is a sort of rodeo/cowboy festival called Stampede that lasts for about a week and a half in July. And by rodeo/cowboy festival, I mean you get free prizes when they spot you wearing a cowboy hat because they want the crowds have ‘spirit’. I can only describe it as the Cowboy Olympics. Through this week there are events like horse bucking (like bullriding) and horse-cart racing that draw stadium sized crowds. I’m not that interested, but I’m going tonight to watch some races because I should witness the ultimate pride and joy of local Calgarians.

I’ll remember my birthday dinner for how different it was from my other birthdays. Steve and Barb (his wife, I’m staying at their house) had company over that night and Ty had a camping trip with another family, so it was just me and Mark for the entire evening. Looking back, I’m relieved my birthday happened this late, because I don’t think Mark and I were completely comfortable with each other until pretty recently. Even so, we weren’t very close and spending a notable birthday with a guy I’d met the month before? Never tried it. We decided to watch Transformers 2 simply for the sake of watching it, and it didn’t disappoint because I had no expectations. (To take from Russell Peters, who I saw live the other week, it was “mindblasting”) Anyway, by the time the movie finished, it was past 10 pm and we hadn’t eaten yet. Mark had originally planned to cook something for me and needed to grab some stuff at a local grocery store. It was closed. We’re not too familiar with the area and I wasn’t comfortable wandering around in a borrowed car, so I asked him if there was any food at his place. Now Mark and Ty don’t pay for board, so with my understanding of the college grocery shopping mentality, I wasn’t expecting anything good. Luckily, Mark had made too much Sheppard’s pie the night before, so I was thankful that there was at least something to eat.

There was only about 1/5 of a casserole dish worth of Sheppard’s pie left, and we figured it wouldn’t be enough. Also, we were joking about how we could salvage the meal to make it somewhat special and presentable because the pie lost its integrity and became an amorphous conglomerate of ground beef, peas, and potatoes. So Mark searched his fridge and miraculously found some hot dog wieners! No hot dog buns though, but I was so hungry I was about eating the wiener by itself. Instead, Mark wanted to add some class, so we wrapped it with a slice of sandwich bread. So there you have it. The recipe for my birthday dinner, if you want to experience it. Oven reheated peas. Ground Beef. Potatoes. One wiener. And of course, one slice of bread.

But the moral of the story is, just like the movie, I enjoyed my meal because I had no expectations and I will fondly remember just how simple my 21st birthday was.


I think now would be a good time to show off the office and where I work. When I first got here, I expected to see our office with a nice sign in front, maybe even an office park with glass for walls. Surprise! I guess I forgot to put 2 and 2 together, because it never occurred to me that a ministry organization might not, you know, work in a super nice building because of finances or principle. In eMi’s case, Steve knew a realtor from his church and got a ridiculously good price on this space, and it’s helped them save money over the years so they can move to a nicer place this fall. I didn’t know this when I first came, and although it was a shock, I’m not high maintenance and found it pretty hilarious. Any pokes at this place are all in good fun, because although it is pretty ghetto, I like it and my boss might be reading this blog and kick me out.

Our office is located in a pretty old strip mall with an unpaved parking lot. On the front door of our office is the sign: an 8x11 sheet of paper with our eMi Canada logo. Our office is on the second floor, and is built like an apartment with a kitchen, foyer, offices, and bathroom.


Can you find a brown door? That's our office

I don’t want to brag, but I’m the only intern with a view, and I sit near the microwave so I don’t have to get up to heat my lunch. This is the still-growing-nonprofit-organization life though, and it’s charming in a mold-stains-on-the-wall kind of way. But honestly, the staff has made it really homey in here – there’s a sofa to relax on in our little dining space so we can just sit, eat, talk, or pray. There are pictures everywhere and nice fabrics and posters from the different countries that the eMiC office has traveled to. Outside, when it’s sunny, Mark, Ty, and I go out and enjoy the sun on the roof in the back. There’s a barbeque and an unfinished gazebo and picnic table.


The Interns' Area (Black Laptop is Mine)


That window is my view


The sofa and dining area

Luke 15:11

Switching gears, a very cool God thing happened just last week. Steve and Barb have two sons, Michael and Brad, both who are in their mid 20s, working, and doing school at the same time. They are very cool (I don’t throw that compliment around lightly), live in a bachelor pad, play sports, have girlfriends and look like they both are on track for a great life. The difference between the sons is that Brad is a devout Christian who really grew spiritually from a long term YWAM (Youth with a mission) trip after high school and now is deeply involved in Church and loves God. The older son, Michael, went straight to work after school and hasn’t had the opportunity to get out of his normal routine. He’s never had the time to spend with God and his relationship with God is fragile – he’s always frustrated and confused. For a good while now he’s stopped attending church and is reluctant to attend some church functions. It broke Barb’s heart to see her son so lost and she always prays for him to come back to God and experience the love and grace there.

So a couple weeks ago, the pastor at C3 Calgary announced that he was going to share his testimony. Barb thought this would be a perfect sermon to pique Michael’s interest in God again, but she was uncertain if she could convince him to come. In what seemed to be perfect timing, Steve’s mom had visited Calgary that week but now needed a ride home, approximately 2 hours away by car. Michael volunteered to drive her and asked Barb if she wanted to come along; Barb thought it would be good to go and spend some quality time with him. When she came home that night, she was beyond excited and talked about the wonderful conversation they had together. Recently, Michael didn’t have anyone to talk to about his life and his problems, so the opportunity to get stuff off his chest and talk about his life, his girlfriend, and his thoughts on God was very cathartic. Barb was elated she could connect with her son again and Michael, having experienced the blessing of talking to someone who was willing to listen and care, seemed eager to accept her invitation to come back to church to listen to the pastor’s testimony.

The testimony went something like this: As a teen, the pastor was fed up with his childhood church and just left home, choosing to travel around the world. He proceeded to engage in a lifestyle of debauchery and illegal activities, culminating in some life or death situations (guns to his head) because he was neck deep in his sinful and wicked ways. In the end, he came back home weary of his lifestyle and broken. He was completely enthusiastic about becoming a Christian again, but in his hometown there was an outstanding warrant for his arrest for things he did before he left town. He was arrested and felt betrayed by God – why was he jailed when he was finally doing the right thing? As he spent some time with other prisoners, it was then he tearfully realized that these people live the life he had just stepped out of – crime and drug dealing – and this is where he was headed if there was no grace. Spending time in prison helped him appreciate God’s goodness and love.

The pastor asked for an altar call to those who could relate to his story – the lost son who wants to come home. That’s when it hit me – Michael is the prodigal son. He finally wanted to come home after a season of being lost and alone. But when you don’t understand God’s love, coming back is shameful and awkward. That’s why the prodigal son offered to work as a slave for his dad; he knew he screwed up big-time when he left. But the son’s dad welcomed him with open arms and celebrated the long awaited return. And God welcomes us with open arms and celebrates our impending return. And Michael’s family, oh my God, how his family was ready to embrace him if chose to he come back. Steve, Barb, Brad – they were all so ready to explode with love for Michael if he simply said he wanted to come back to the family and the body of Christ. So as the first several people were slowly moving to the front, I prayed a quick prayer that if Michael so chooses to respond to the altar call and “come home,” that shame be wiped away, that if he wants to come back to God, please God, don’t let embarrassment or awkwardness stand in his way.

Worship continued for another minute or two, and it actually happened. Michael – who is uncomfortable in Christian settings – walked to the front by his own volition and, not knowing nor caring about the people to his left or the right, just lifted his hands and surrendered with nothing to hide. Instantly, I felt the euphoria of a lost son coming home, but as happy as I was for him, I couldn’t imagine how much happier his family was. I just began thanking God, and before I knew it, I felt Steve brush by me to join his son on the altar, soon joined by Barb and Brad. The four of them engaged in a long group hug, and I could see tears running down normally light-hearted Steve’s face and a break in Brad’s suave personality as he gave his brother an emotional bear hug. Barb, the person I would expect to break down crying because she was pleading with God for her son’s heart all these years, was simply beaming. It was a nice, nice, moment as they talked and prayed as a family, all four of them rejoicing in God’s presence together for the first time in a long time, celebrating the return of one of their own.

I hope you don’t interpret this post as a vomit of everything that’s going on up here. I haven’t covered a lot of other events going on around here, but I try to only talk about events that are worth blogging about. The story about Michael may sound cliché and you may notice that it isn’t even my story. But, to use another cliché, it brought scripture to life, and if it helps me understand God a little more, I’m using it in my testimony. Even a missionary family, who I thought would never have to deal with children leaving the faith, can go through extremely trying times of brokenness and despair. But luckily I got to see the healing and mended relationships as well, and the happiness that ensues is contagious and made this summer’s experience worth it right there.

I can drink to that.




Literally.

Until next time,
21 year old Brian