Learning to Live and Breathe

Man, it has been quite the week friends. The weekend was great. I had some really great conversations with kids at Joe's and got to meet some new kids. The kids are definatly hungry for truth and are asking alot of questions about GOd and you can tell that God is stirring their hearts. Please pray for this one guy named Jake. You can just see how hungry he is for truth by the look in his eyes as he asks questions and interacts with his comments about creation, evil and GOd. its so cool.

Sunday morning I woke up and my landladies duaghter was upstairs. i said good morning to her and she didnt even acknowledge my presence. Her name is Whitney and she had been living with her boyfriend. But she has now moved back home because her and her boyfriend broke up. This is really good because it was not a good situation at all for her. but selfishly i was thinking in my head "GOd i dont know if i can survive living with this girl".
Monday I left in the afternoon to hang out with some girls from Joes for the day and was just feeling so overwhelmed with having Whitney in the house cause I am not used to living with someone with this kind of attiude and personality. I came home that night and just poured out to GOd cause I just didnt know how to love her and connect with her when she acted as though she hated me. Her mom had told me that every time Whitney came home she'd asked where I was, but then whenever I saw her she wouldn't even talk to me or she'd be rude to me. I was so confused with what was going on with her. GOd brought me to 1 Corinthians 13 that talks about what love is. It says

1If I speak in the tongues[a] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,[b] but have not love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love never fails...
13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

God reminded me of the first thing he told me months ago when He told me to move to Moose Jaw. He had told me "leanne you need to live incarnate with these kids." I need to live amongst in order to live the love of Christ to them. CHrist was not always treated with respect, kindness, or love but He still loved those he came in contact with perfectly. I know I can't be perfect but I need to strive to love these youth with perfect love that comes from Christ alone. I claimed James 1:5 this week that says "But if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of GOd , who gives to all generously and without reporach, and it will be given to him" I cried out to GOd monday night and just approached him to give me wisdom in how to love not only Whitney but all these youth.

I came home last night and WHitney began talking to me which was amazing in itself. She invited me to sit down and watch tv with her and then she just began sharing with me the reasons why she does drugs and her sense of loneliness and need for love. We made smoothies together (it was 11:30pm haha) and I went outside with her as she had a smoke and she just opened up to me. GOd reminded me I don't need to say anything to love these kids I just need to be with them and let them come with their wounds and baggage and let them release and love them through all the dirt in their lives.

Pease pray that I will continue to seek God's wisdom in how to love youth in where they are at.

Last night before I came home I had a great night connecting with this girl Brittney during our workbee. it was cool how God can use even sorting through recycling as a time to bond and connect with youth. I'm so excited for what God is going to do this summer because I can see him softening youth's hearts and i believe that he wants to transform their lives and give them a hope and a purpose to live.

I named this blog learning to live and breathe, cause I realize that it's more than just living among these youth its learning how to live and breathe scripture. Claiming the truth so that I can live by God's strength and greace. Praise God for his goodness and grace. It is only by his grace that I can love these youth cause on my own I would have no idea what I am doing. Praise GOd that He chooses to use us even in the midst of our insequrities and weaknesses.

Learning to Live

hey everyone, well I thought I should start trying to get back on writing on my blog since I promised a lot of people that I would keep it up more regularly this summer. If you didn't read my last blog you should to get an idea of whats going on with me for the summer.
THe past few weeks have been amazing as GOd has begun to show me how he is blessing me through this act of faith with work at Joe's Place drop in centre this summer. I am working there full time and raising my support and it has been so cool the ways God has provided for me. For example my parents were able to give me their old toyota so that i would have a vehicle while I am out here which is such a blessing especially when the drop in centre doesnt close until 1am on the weekends. secondly GOd has provided me with an amazing roomate to live with this summer. HEr name is Helena and she is a lady who goes to my church. She is letting me live with her for free this summer since I am just raising my income this summer. Already we can both see GOd's hand in leading us to live together as she has really needed a shoulder to lean on this week as a lot of hard things have happened this week. thirdly GOd has raised up half of my income this summer so only another $2000 to go. Praise God for His goodness and faithfulness.
Since my parents were giving me their old car my mom and I drove out here from Ontario last week, which was a lot of fun seeing part of the country that I had never seen before and to get to spend more time with my her. I was happy that she was able to see where I was going to be living and working so she could get a better understanding of what my ministry is here.

Yesterday was an amazing night. On Tuesday nights we've been showing different study videos (ie Quest, Nooma) and last night we started a new one called Gospel Journey which is a group of 7 teenagers hiking in the rockies with this youth pastor guy. The 7 teenagers all come from different back grounds such as wiccen, athiest, prespeterian, jehovah witness,etc and they discuss their faiths and what they believe and the pastor guy shares with them what he believes about God. We normally get anywhere from 25-40 youth out. well last night we had our regulars along with about 20-30 new youth who have never come out before. so we had 65 youth out last night for this video bible study. many of them drawn out because they are wiccen. at the beginning of the night i was feeling discouraged and doubting my capability to relate to these youth cause i feel so different from them.however i kept claiming truth that God has called me to reach out to these youth so he will open opportunities for me to connect with youth. it was so cool though as i then went and listen to this new girl play the piano and through just being there we connected and became freinds. i drove her home at the end of the evening and she invited me into her hosue and showed me all of her art work and told me alot about herself and how she knows there has to be a God out there she just doesnt know who he is. It was cool to talk to her about that and we're going to connect again on saturday and play guitar with some other kids from joes place.
Tonight I got to talk a little bit with a girl who came out for work bee. she is in a foster home right now and is struggling with school. normally this girl never even aacknoledges me when i talk to her and say hello but tonight she really opened up and i offered to help tutor her in english and math (shes only in grade 9 so im hoping i can remember my gr 9 math..haha we'll see). so we're going to hang out friday afternoon and after try and do some tutoring before joes later that night.
I'm so excited for the doors GOd is opening for me to connect with youth and just love them with the love that Christ has given me for them.
Please continue to keep these youth in your prayers and please also pray for me to have wisdom and discernment as I love them and live amongst them.

Leanne

A PLOUFFE REPORT

I hope this letter finds you all well, as it has been several months since I have written to you. The past eight months I have been in Saskatchewan finishing up my third year at Briercrest Bible College, working towards my BA in Christian Ministry. It has been such a remarkable year full of times of challenge, refreshment, refinement and growth. God has been teaching me so much through my classes and my personal time with Him about surrender and dying to myself and seeking Him with an open and soft heart towards His guidance in where He would lead me each day, and more recently where He’d lead me for the summer. I wish I could go out for coffee with all of you and tell you in detail what the Lord has been doing in my heart and my life this year but unfortunately I’m rather far away to do that. However, I would like to tell you briefly about what God is calling me to this summer.

A GROWING BURDEN
One aspect of my journey with God this year has been that He has been developing a burden, a passion and a call to work with the youth in Moose Jaw this summer. Since September, I have been volunteering at a local youth drop in centre that is located in downtown Moose Jaw, called Joe’s Place. The drop in centre is open Friday and Saturday nights as a safe place for youth to go that is alcohol and drug free, and where they can connect and develop friendships with Christian college age students. The majority of the youth that come to Joe’s Place are youth who come from broken and abusive homes. Many of our youth have turned to drugs, alcohol, sex, violence, crime and self-injury as a way to feel fulfillment in their lives. Joe’s Place exists in order to provide hope to youth whose lives are broken and in need of people to show them the love of Christ. This semester I have been studying in depth Isaiah 55 where God calls people who are trying to satisfy their souls with things that are only temporary and calls them to find their satisfaction in Him who can freely pardon their sins. God revealed to me the other day that this is what He is calling me to do this summer. To call out to our youth and help them realize that the things they are trying to satisfy their souls are only leaving them more broken and hurt and that God is the only One who can satisfy their souls forever.

A CALLING CONFIRMED
Ever since I was in high school God has given me Jeremiah 1 as my life verse. The other day, God redirected me to this passage and reminded me of His call on my life. Part of this passage reads,
‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart, I appointed you as a prophet to the nations…’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you."

The other day when God brought me to this verse I was like “Moose Jaw is not another nation God, it’s pretty much right down the road”. God reminded me that the youth that I work with in Moose Jaw however are just as much a different culture as the youth I ministered to the past two summers in Hong Kong. These youth have been raised in a completely different social culture then I have (i.e. the way they’ve been raised, their life experiences, their worldviews, the music they listen to, the activities they participate in, the language they speak). However, one thing God taught me in Hong Kong and has been continually reminding me through the youth I connect with weekly at Joe’s Place, is that there is one language that every culture and subculture speaks and that is one of love.

ENTERING THEIR WORLD
Although these youth are rough and tough on the outside, are desperately longing and crying out for someone to genuinely love them, and love them unconditionally. The majority of the youth that we have regular contact with each week have never experienced unconditional love from a father or from anyone else. God has blessed me with an amazing family and friends in Ontario who have loved and supported me my whole life. God is calling me this summer to leave my safe and comfortable world of living and working in Haliburton and to enter the world of the youth of Moose Jaw and live a life that proclaims and points these youth to the love of God by free falling amongst them.

FREE FALLING

Free Falling was the theme of a youth retreat that we took 40 of our youth to in February. Over the weekend God revealed himself to many of our youth and they made commitments to surrender their lives to God and free fall into His hands. The idea behind the theme is that it is a hard choice to surrender ones life to God. However, when we choose to jump into following after God we are not doing it alone and it’s a life we will never regret jumping out in faith. The logo for weekend was a picture of three people bungee jumping into God’s hands. At the end of the weekend God explicitly told me this is what He was calling me to do this summer. I too had to choose to free-fall into God’s plan for my life by accepting His call to stay in Moose Jaw for the summer. I know God has amazing plans to use me in the lives of the youth in Moose this summer and I just need to continue to trust Him in every step of the way.

THE WORK

I now have the opportunity to join the full time summer team and help mentor these youth as they embark on the journey of seeking God and growing into Christ like maturity. God has been powerfully working in the lives of our youth as we have seen such a transformation over the past four months as God has been softening and opening their hearts to Him. I can see God’s hand in preparing me for this summer since October and I am so excited to see God move in the lives of the youth and their families here in Moose Jaw.

GOD IS AT WORK HERE AND THE KINGDOM IS GROWING
Friends and Family, I’ve shared all this with you because I would like to ask you to partner with me in supporting me this summer. God has given me His heart for the youth here in Moose Jaw and God is at work in their lives. However, I am in need of your prayers and support just as much this summer as I did for the past two in going to Hong Kong. Although I am not travelling to the other side of the world these youth are just as unreached as the youth in Asia. If it wasn’t for Joe’s Place these youth would not know who Jesus is anymore than youth in Asia because they would never on their own darken the doorway of a church or pick up a Bible or talk about spiritual matters. However, through the ministry of Joe’s Place these youth are discussing issues of faith, life and God with our volunteers at Joe’s Place, making commitments to Christ and making positive life choices. Moose Jaw is a very lost city and I truly believe Satan is loosing ground because we are claiming youth for Christ.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

Would you please partner with me over the next four months as I follow God’s leading by living amongst our youth and helping them becoming mature disciples of Jesus. Please pray for me in the following areas this summer 1) Spiritual and physical protection 2) Emotional support and encouragement 3) Softened hearts and a hunger for truth in the lives of the youth 4) Sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit 5) Financial Support to come in. Joe’s Place is a non-profit organization and therefore I need to raise my own support. I would like to ask you to prayerfully consider supporting me this summer, as I need to raise $1000 a month to meet my expenses.
Thank you all for your continued love and support. I thank God for you all often as you are always a great encouragement to me. May you experience the blessing of God as you partner with me in furthering His kingdom.

Choosing to Free Fall,
Leanne Plouffe