The Road Less Travelled

California Breakaway!

2009-04-23T16:19:00.002-05:00

Hey Everyone,
I just got back early Monday morning from my Youth For Christ trip to California. We took 160 youth and 25 chaperones from across Saskatchewan for a week of intentional and intense fun. We got on the bus Thursday afternoon and arrived at Huntington Beach Saturday morning. The next week was filled with giving the youth a trip of a life time. We spent time at three different beaches, Disney Land, Universal Studios, Six Flags, outdoor shopping centres, Sea World -just to give you an idea of some of the fun we had. In addition to seeing all the hottest sights in California we also had 4 nights where we had big group games and then had Corwin Tiessen speak to us. Corwin is an amazing speaker who the youth related to easily and was able to start them thinking about God and their relationship with Him. After these nights were over we’d go back to our hotel rooms for small group times.

I had 8 amazing girls in my small group all from Moose Jaw and surrounding areas. Each of these girls were at different stages of faith and it was such a privilege to be able to have these small group discussions and later one on one discussions of who they believe Jesus is and how they can grow in knowing Him. Like I always say the life of faith is a journey and it was such a privilege to be apart of these girls journeys of discovering more of who Jesus is- whether it be the first time ever hearing about Jesus or them being Christians for several years and growing deeper in love with Him. Throughout the week I found myself discouraged because the trip wasn’t unfolding how I had expected it would and was questioning I was even there. However, through my bus breaking down in Los Vegas I had a lot of time to reflect and see how God moved in the youths lives and found peace in knowing that God had led me to be on the trip for reasons far greater than I can and will ever comprehend, and I can rest in knowing that God is faithful to continue the work that He has begun in each of them.
Thank you for those of you who prayed for us this trip. We had no hospital trips and God defiantly was at work in our youths lives. Many of their hearts are seeking for truth and it is so exciting to see that hunger in their eyes. Please keep them in your prayers they continue to journey in discovering who Jesus is and the plan He has for their lives.
Thanks again for you love, prayers and support.

Leanne

In for the Long Haul

2009-03-03T19:42:00.004-06:00

Hey Everyone, Thank you for keeping us in your prayers last weekend as we took 48 of our youth to youth quake (several of our boys dropped out at last minute which was too bad). It was an amazing weekend of building unity with our youth and also them growing closer to God. The speaker was a young man named Jared Herd from California, who was also the speaker last year. He has an incredible ability to capture our youth’s attention and keep them attentive (this is a big deal for youth who are not used to going to church and being respectful and quiet for ½ an hour). The theme was ‘Play Your Part’ and he took time over the weekend to share with the youth God’s grand story and God’s desire for them to be apart of it by becoming all that Christ created them to be.

Several of our youth stood up on Saturday night to say they wanted to start getting their lives right with God. This past Wednesday I spoke in Caronport at chapel about what it looks like to do discipleship in the 21st century. I wish I could have given them a 5 point formula of some sort but the truth is there is no formula in discipling new believers. As I prepared and gave this message God reminded me how this journey of faith is in fact just that- a journey. So often we get excited when people make decisions for the Lord but we then leave them alone to figure out how to live out this life of faith on their own. I also am guilty of expecting to see signs of maturity right away. I got home Sunday and felt overwhelmed by the implications of discipling these young people. However, God gently reminded me that this is a life long process for them (for all of us). They are not going to reach perfection this year or next year. This is a life long journey that we are all on together as a family. It takes patience, grace, love and perseverance to see fruit of maturity in all of our lives. At our Bible study on Tuesday I read Philippians 3:7-14 to our youth which says

7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ.[c] For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. 1
12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,[d] but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

God reminded me that this is what I have been called into youth ministry to do. To love, encourage, support youth as they learn what it means to put their past behind them and strive to become all that Christ created them to be. Yes, they will fall and make mistakes a long the way but just as parent raising their children into maturity we need to be gracious, patient and supportive as they grow in becoming all that Christ has created them to be. I have not reached full maturity and I am so grateful for all the people who God has put in my life to support, correct, love and be faithful in my life. Would you please pray for our volunteers and staff as we strive to be the body and support our youth as they grow into Christ like maturity. Our youth have so much going against them. Becoming a Christian for our youth is not easy because they often suffer much persecution from their friends and their families. Please pray that they would not give up because being a Christian is hard and that the Spirit would put a passion and a desire in their hearts to love God and live lives that reflect their love for Him.

Thank you all for all your continued support and prayers! You are such a huge part of this ministry and we know that your prayers are making a lasting difference in our youth’s hearts and lives.
May you be blessed as you continue to love and support each other as we are all on this journey of maturing in our faith and falling deeper in love with Christ!

God bless
Leanne

Act II- Youth Quake

2009-02-17T16:33:00.005-06:00

Youth Quake Last year! Thom (Red shirt) and James (black cap) both became Christians at Youth QUake and have continued to grow in their love for God!

Hey Friends,

I hope your surviving the cold weather! Spring is on the way!! wahoo!

Life continues to be busy here in Moose Jaw. This weekend is Youth Quake which is our annual youth retreat that we take 60 of our youth on each year. I'm so excited for what God is going to do this weekend as we are taking new youth and God has been softening a lot of their hearts through our weekly Bible study Series-Gospel Journey Maui. Two weeks ago we actually ran our Bible study 3 times that week because youth who had missed the week before came to us asking if they could get caught up on what we had talked about. So on the Friday night another staff member and I spent 2 hours with one of our guys who is a muslim and his girl friend talking about what the purpose of life is and how we can know GOd. Please pray for both of them as they come to youth quake this weekend. The next day we ran BIble study again for a Wiccan, His girlfriend, and two other youth. God continually is amazing me the youth he brings into our paths. He has been just showing me so much His heart for His children and how much He wants them to know Him and experience life the way He created it to be lived.

Last week as I read 1 Corinthians 2 God really reminded me that it only by His spirit that any of us are able to understand the things of God and know Him. Would you join us this week in praying for that GOd's spirit would give our youth "the minds of Christ" in order that they can come to an understanding of who CHrist is and the amazing gift of abundant life that He is offering them!
God is doing something new in our midst this winter as we have been seeing God soften so many youth's hearts. Please pray against Satan's schemes of keeping youth from attending youth quake and any other distractions through out the weekend. ALso pray for our staff and volunteers to have wisdom, discernment, love and patience throughout the weekend as we get very little sleep. I appriciate all of your continued love and support. Thanks again for playing such a vital part of this ministry.

May you be blessed as you pray for us and our youth

GOd bless

Leanne

A FRESH START!

2009-01-27T15:04:00.005-06:00

Hey Everyone, I hope your new year has started off well. I got back from Christmas and started work at full speed. With our New Years Eve party we were able to connect with dozens of new youth and have seen many of them out on the weekends. We started a new series for our Tuesday night Bible Studies called Gospel Journey Maui that has drawn out a lot of new youth as well (typically 45-50 youth). It is a series that has 7 young people from across North America with different faith backgrounds discussing deep questions of life such as ‘is there a higher power?” and ‘what is the meaning of life?’. Since New Years we have seen such a softening of hearts in our youth and it is so exciting to have God lead us to be apart of this journey with our youth in discovering who they are and who they were created for. Please continue to pray for our youth and our staff as we join them in this journey.

Also on Saturday nights we have been running the series during our drop in hours for youth who are unable to attend on Tuesdays. This past Saturday we had 16 youth join us in watching and discussing the video. This is so exciting as God has awed us at the youth He draws in. This past week 4 girls who we often catch drinking in our bathrooms joined us for the study and were so focused and captivated by it. God often reminds me to stop limiting God to what youth I think He can change. He has been so gracious to me this month in gently reminding me that He has the power to soften the hardest of hearts.
Another girl who was in my small group on Tuesday talked to one of the other leaders from our group on Friday about how she wants to become a Christian after our discussion on Tuesday. Please pray for her as this leader walks her through what it means to be a Christian.

Some of our amazing youth and staff helping with an annual food drive in October!!!

Another exciting thing that has started since Christmas is creating a new start for our student leadership team (SNL= Service N' Leadership) . The main leader moved after Christmas which was sad to loose him but exciting to be forced to think outside of the box and revamp how we run student leadership. It is just starting up but it has been exciting to approach youth to be apart of the team and to tell them what potential we see in them. God has created our youth with amazing gifts and talents and we believe by teaching them how to lead and serve that God will also draw them into a greater understanding of who God has created them to be and who He is. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about this in a few weeks.
We truly believe God is moving in a fresh and new way this year at Joe’s Place and we are excited for what this year of 2009 holds for us. Since January we have added 3 new full time staff to our team which increases our ability to reach the youth of Moose Jaw. Thank you for your continued love and support and partnering with us in as we are blessed to be apart of God’s work in this city.
Hope to talk to you all again soon
Love Always

Leanne

YAY HEAT!!!!!!!!!!!!GOD IS GOOD!

2008-10-21T12:18:00.003-05:00

For those of you who didn't know, last week our boiler was broken because there was a leak in it. So if was below zero in our building and so very hard to work and keep kids wanting to stay at JOe's Place when it felt like an icebox. Wednesday night we had an emergency prayer meeting that God would glorify His name by healing our boiler becuase we didnt have the jmoney or the time to get a new one.
Well today I walked into work and it was the most amazing feeling to have a rush of hot air hit my body! All last week when we enter the building it was colder inside then it was outside.
God is faithful and sealed the leak that was in our boiler. After our emergency prayer meeting on WEdnesday we returned to Joe's Place on Thursday and our electrician said the leak was gone. Completely a miracle. However, when he went to start up the boiler the motor blew and so it was broken until last night when he got the part in that they needed to fix it. Saturday night we had probably 150 youth in Joe's Place for a coffee house which was such a blessing to have body heat to warm the building.
Thank you all for your prayers and Praise GOd for caring enough about something like a boiler. It is just another reminder that He loves the youth of Moose Jaw and believes in what we do here at JOe's Place!
THanks again
I love you all
Leanne

A White Thanksgiving!

2008-10-20T01:59:00.006-05:00

Me and some youth and volunteers on Thanksgiving Monday

Hey Everyone,
Happy belated thanksgiving! I hope you all had a great weekend being reminded of all the things that we so often take for granted. I thought that this Thanksgiving would be hard because it’s the longest I’ve been away from my family. However, God was so good to me and gave me an amazing weekend with friends. By the end of the weekend I found myself feeling so blessed to have all these people in my life and I know it is by God’s hand that He has placed them all in my life. I am so thankful that God knows all my hearts desires and puts all the people I need in my life in His perfect timing. God has provided me with an amazing church family that I continually find myself loving more each week. I also am now teaching Sunday school once a month which has been a lot of fun getting to know some of the children in my church.

It snowed 8 inches on Thanksgiving Sunday. Our friends got snowed in at our house so we spent hours outside enjoying the first snow dump! (The snow is all melted now and everything is lush and green. Flowers are still blooming...how bizzare!)

This fall has been amazing with watching our volunteer team grow not only in numbers but in unity. Each staff meeting before we open Joe asks a few volunteers to share how they came to know God and who or what was significant in bringing them to God. It has been so amazing to hear the many different ways in which God draws people to Himself. It has been such a reminder to all of us that God is God of creativity and that He draws people from all sorts of walks of life and brings them to Himself in all kinds of ways. It has also been encouraging to hear their testimony of the journey of maturity of faith. It is such a great reminder that we’ve never arrived and we are all on this journey of maturing in Christ. Beginning our weekend nights in this manner has made us all more aware of how powerful God is to draw us to Himself and has given us a new confidence to share what God has done in our lives and share a new urgency and boldness to share the gospel with our youth. Please continue to pray for our volunteers as many of them are fresh out of high school and this kind of ministry is new and challenging for them. Already I have watched them grow in leadership and maturity. It’s so exciting to be a part of a ministry that is intentional in equipping and mentoring young Christian leaders into discovering their gifts and abilities in changing a city for Christ.

Volunteers at Joe's Place dressed up for Pirates of the Carribean Night.

God has not only been drawing out a lot of new volunteers but many new youth have been coming out. I am now apart of leading the student leadership team at Joe’s Place. On Saturday nights these youth help organize events for the other youth to get involved. It has been so amazing to see how God uses something as ridiculous as a Pirates of Caribbean night to draw out new youth and build relationships among youth and staff, and also create a sense of unity amongst all in the building.
Along with weekly events I also help organize service projects for the youth to be apart of. Next week we will be taking a dozen youth to Regina to help serve dinner at a soup kitchen there. Then on Wednesday ½ a dozen of our youth will be helping serve at a seniors banquet. We started doing these service projects last winter and its so amazing to watch our youth continue to grow in leadership and servant hood.
I want to share with you something the Lord has been teaching me over the past month. In September there was a lot of violence in Moose Jaw taking place and there was an evident darkness hovering over the city. Because of this at times I found myself anxious and nervous. 3-4 weeks ago a fellow class mate from Briercrest was killed while being a good Samaritan to a teenager who had hit an elk on a side of the highway. His pregnant wife reacted with such grace and forgiveness to the driver of the vehicle to whom killed him and continually talked about how God is good and has a plan for taking her young husband home. After that news I began to think of how many times the Lord saves me from death and how He has a purpose in saving lives but also in taking them. A few days later I had a bit of an accident where I tripped and fell onto the transCanada high way where there was a transport truck quickly approaching. God was gracious and I only suffered a twisted ankle some scrapes and bruises and was able to get off the highway before the transport truck passed. Four days later my roommate was in a car accident one block from Joe’s Place on her way to volunteer on a Friday night. Her car was totalled but she walked a way with only 1 bruise. In a matter of a week the Lord showed me how quickly life can be taken, and that I can trust that He is a good God who has a plan that is far greater than I can comprehend. I share all this with you because as I talked to a friend this week she asked me how the violence in Moose Jaw has been effecting me? I paused for a moment to think about this and realized that since these three accidents happened my anxiety has disappeared. I am no longer anxious and fearful about the violence in Moose Jaw (although dad, rest assure that I am cautious at night). Through these three accidents God has given me a peace and a renewed knowledge that He is God and I am not. I cannot always understand His ways but I can rest in knowing that He is faithful and good. He will be faithful in the midst of a broken and fallen world. I have been reminded that God has a plan for my life and it is in His hands. It is my prayer for all of you that God would make this truth real to you and that His peace that surpasses all understanding and circumstance will dwell in your hearts.
I have so much more I could write but I will save it for another day.
I love you all and am praying that God’s peace will reign in your hearts.
Love always
Your Prairie Girl
Leanne
Alexina, one of the dear women to my heart from my church. She helps serve dinner every Tuesday night at Bible Study at Joe's Place. She is such a blessing in my life!

September Update

2008-09-22T23:12:00.005-05:00

I've been in denial that summer has officially ended and that the fall has begun. August was crazy busy with a lot of exciting events that we believe God really continued a work in our youths lives. We took 18 of our youth to Cypress Hills for 4 days at the beginning of August. For me this was an amazing few days of really connecting in a new way with several of our youth. I had opportunities to be transparent with them which was stretching but so good to watch how that really opened their hearts to be transparent with me in return. God drew us together in unity in ways we never expected and it was such a refreshing week for all of us.

The following week was super busy with preparations for our first annual 'Old School Party'. Joe's Place has been around since 1993 and by God's grace we were able to throw a party for close to 100 of the old Joe's Place youth (who are no longer youth). This was a great night of youth reconnecting with Joe and other staff. I got the privilege to organize a team of our present youth and leaders to take care of the children of these grown up youth. We are hoping this will be a yearly event that we host in hope to continue to stay connected with these people and remind them of the grace and love of Christ.

I went to Montana for labour day weekend to visit some old college friends. It was so fun to be with them all again and see how God has grown us in the past 5 years. September started with a rush when I came back from my mini holiday. It was exciting to plan preperations to orientating and training our fall volunteers from Briercrest. We were unsure how we were going to recruit new volunteers as our partnership with Briercrest has changed this year. However God is faithful and has raised up about 40 new volunteers to be apart of our team at Joe's Place. It has been so exciting getting to know them slowly. I am so excited for what the Lord has instore for us this year as so many new things are on the rise.

Starting this week we are beginning our drama team. On Saturday evenings an art club has begun. My Friday night girls group is evolving into a new dynamic. Adrienne (my friend who I partnered with in this ministry) has moved to Saskatoon and therefore that in itself has changed the dynamics of our group as we really balanced each other out well. (These pictures in this update are of our girls group on our last night all together). We have new girls who have joined our group and we have begun a new dvd seriese based on the book 'Captivating' by John and Stasi Eldredge. THis is a very powerful book that helps women of all ages rediscover who they were created to be and the freedom that is in Christ.

WOuld you please consider comitting to praying weekly for our girls group? The majority of the girls in our group our very new beleivers and I truly believe God has great things instore for them this year through this series. Please pray that their hearts would be soft and open to God's truth that they will hear each week. Pray that we will grow together in unity and love for each other. And plaese pray against all distractions that would keep them from hearing and applying God's words for them.

I'm so excited for this fall and where God will take us from here. Thank you for being apart of praying for me and the youth here in Moose Jaw.

I would lastly like to ask for your continual prayer and support as I continue to raise my financial support. God has been faithful in raising up 65% ($12,000) of my monthly support. I am still in need of raising the final 35% ($800 per month). If you would like more information on how you could be apart of this aspect of my ministry I'd love to talk to you on the phone or by email.

God has been faithful in providing me an amazing place to live this year as I am living with one of the girls from my Friday small group abd ny quadmate, Lauren, whom I lived with last year just moved in also this past week. We live in a great neighbourhood and have an amazing house that is great for having friends and youth over. My new contact information is as follows.

Leanne Plouffe

1303 Athabasca St W

Moose Jaw SK

S6H 6C8

306-692-2198 (home)

306-693-5637(Joe's Place)

Well, I would love to hear what the fall has instore for many of you. Feel free to drop me a line or a call anytime.

Love and miss you all lots

Leanne

August Update

2008-08-08T14:35:00.004-05:00

Girls Day at the beach!

Wow, where has the summer gone!? On Monday we are taking 18-20 of our youth to Cypress Hills Campgrounds for a 4 days of camping. I can't believe it is that far along in the summer. The kids are so excited about going, many of them have said this is their favorite thing they do with Joe's Place. It's an opportunity for them to get out of Moose Jaw and escape the drama and trials of their life here and focus on positive relationships and growing closer to God. I've been asked to lead the first camp fire on Monday night. I am going to challenge the youth to take time to be still on their own over the week and seek God. Would you please pray that our youth would take me up on this challenge and that God would be faithful and meet them over this week?

Some of the girls dressed up for the 'reopening of Joe's Place'. We were closed for 2 weeks and they were so excited for when we reopened!

The football game a few weeks ago was amazing. I had an amazing day of connecting with girls who I normally don't get to, because they are always running around trying to impress their peers. The day away gave me an opportunity to connect with and watch them take down their masks. Please pray that God would continue to provide opportunities for our staff to connect with the youth in this way and speak into their lives. They are filled with so much potential and it breaks my heart when they put up masks around their friends that are so insecure and fake. They have so much to offer the world and they just need to have their minds transformed by who God desires and has created them to be.

Also on the 21st we are having an old school reunuin. We have invited those who were youth who attended Joe's Place from 1993-2003 to come and be reunited. Please pray for this night as we have the opportunity to remind them of the friendships they had made at Joe's Place but also the God who brought them all together. We are praying and hoping in the fall we can have a monthly event for these old school friends of ours.

I'm getting really excited for our volunteers who have left for the summer to return to us, and also for the freshmen who God will lead to get involved with Joe's Place in the fall. As staff at Joe's Place we strongly feel God is going to do something new this fall and we're excited with anticipation to watch it unfold. There are new ministries beginning within Joe's Place (such as art, drama and student leadership ministries) and we strongly feel God is leading us to start up new mentorship programs for not only our youth but for our younger staff. Please pray for us as we feel like this is too big for us to handle and its so quickly approaching. But nothing is too big for us to handle if GOd is in it. So thankyou for faithfully praying for us.

Thankyou for your continued encouragement and prayers! Every time I hear from you my heart is filled with encouraged to know there are people all over this country praying for me and the youth of Moose Jaw. Thank you again for playing such a vital role in furthering God's kingsdom.

I love you guys

Leanne

July Update!

2008-07-15T15:39:00.008-05:00

Hey Everyone,

I've been back at Joe's Place now for 3 weeks ( it feels like so much longer) and God has continued to move in our youths lives. The first week in July we took 9 youth to camp. This was a great week as there were only 45 campers so there was a contagious unity present throughout the week. I only had four girls in my cabin but it was such a great week to get to know them better and watch them grow in their relationship with Christ. One of the girls just became a Christian in May through our hiphop dance ministry. She experienced a lot of healing at camp in coming to see that Christ understands what it feels like to be abandoned and He promises to never abandon us and she can rest and find peace in Him being her Heavenly father. It's exciting to watch the girls discover biblical truths for themselves and grow in learning to pray and give their burdens to Christ.

One of the guys who wasnt with our group but is from Moose Jaw and we have been praying for the past year for him to come to Christ, on the last evening surrendered his life to Christ. Before chaple that night he prayed with one of the other counselors to recieve Christ as His lord and later that night He went to the alter to say he was done running away from God and he was going to surrender to God's plan for his life. This was the highlight of my week as I have been praying for this boy for a year now and know his mom well and have prayed with her also for his salvation. The transformation that took place in him was amazing. You used to be able to see the hardness of his heart on his face. He was a street fighter and was into a lot of drugs. At the beginning of the week you could tell he didn't want to be there but by Thursday afternoon I could see just by looking at him that his heart was softening to God's spirit. It was sooo amazing on Thursday night to stand beside him and worship God together. The next morning his family came out to camp and he got baptized with a few other campers. Two of the other boys who came with us from Joe's also made comittments to Christ. Please keep these three guys in your prayers as they learn to die to their old past and begin to walk in the new life Christ has for them.

Although our week at camp was amazing, this past week I have found myself overwhelmed a bit at just how big of a task it is for our youth to truly change their lives around and grasp that they have to die to their old selves. It's overwhelming at times the burdens and the bodage that they live in daily.

I've discovered a really nice walking trail by a river that is close to my house so I've been going running in the mornings. One day as I was running and my heart was so burdened for some of the youth specifically. I felt like it was too big for me to handle and I didn't even know how to help them discover their need for GOd. As I was running and wrestling through these things I heard God's gentle and quiet voice in my mind say " Not by might nor by power but by my spirit says the lord..." and "if my people humble myself and pray i will hear them from heaven and heal their land". God is so gentle and compassionate in teaching us and reteaching us his truth. That day God reminded me that its okay for me to be overwhelmed by the burdens of our youth because its not mine to handle. God is big enough to handle it and its only by his spirit that lives are changed. its not about how mighty and strong a youth worker I am. I need to be doing the hard work of fervantly praying for God to change our youths lives and to use me in that process. I'd appriciate your prayers as I try to remind myself of this daily. I can't do this on my own and I need to be fervantly praying for God's spirit to move and transform these youths lives. He is at work and it's exciting watching Him move, but it is also a slow and long process.

I know these two parts of this email don't seem to tie together, but its that quickly that Satan can put fear, doubt and discouragement in our lives when GOd is doing great things.

Thank you for all your prayers and support. They mean so much to me.

God bless

Leanne

ps. we're taking 20 youth to a Saskatchewan Roughrider game on Saturday. We get to meet some of the players after the game and they're going to give their testimony's of how God has changed their lives. Please pray that our youths hearts will be soft and opened to their message. :)

The Next Chapter!!

2008-06-26T15:47:00.004-05:00

Hey Everyone,
I hope you are all enjoying the summer weather and doing well. It was great seeing many of you in Ontario when I was home for a few weeks. As many of you know I have started a new chapter in my life. I’ve graduated from College and am now officially working full time at Joe’s Place Youth Centre in Moose Jaw. I am living with 3 other girls until August and then in August will be house sitting for a family I know for the year.

I left Ontario June 11 and drove to North Dakota to be in a friends wedding and then came back to Moose Jaw early to surprise the youth at Joe’s Place. It has been so great to be back and see how God has continued to move in their lives in the past few weeks that I’ve been gone.

On Sunday, 7 of our youth got baptized at the local Baptist church. We had 30-40 people out to celebrate with them this next step of faith. It was so exciting to see them take this next step of faith and for the example it was to the other youth who were there who have not yet made the decision to follow God. Please keep them in their prayers as they grow in following Jesus and that others will also make the decision to follow God.

Also on Sunday one of our girls rededicated her life to the Lord. The night before she had been telling me how she was considering going to Briercrest in the fall, which was something she had thought of doing a year ago before she fell into a really bad crowd. I asked her what made her start considering it again and she said “it’s not really a choice of schools but a lifestyle choice…If I decide to do hairstyling I’ll keep living life the way I am now but if I choose to go to Briercrest then I’m going to get my life right back on track and start over with God”. The next day at church we were singing about surrendering everything to God and I saw this girl up at the front on her knees. She hasn’t been in church in months and I was blown away to not only see her in church but up at the front crying out to God. So I went up to pray with her and she leaned over to me after I was done and said “Leanne, I’m finally home! I’m a prodigal daughter”. As we stayed on our knees worshiping God her little sister, who I’m really close with because she’s in my Friday Girls small group, came up and joined us and started bawling because we’ve been praying for her sister for a year that she would come back to God. It was beautiful to see God redeem her and call her back to Himself! Praise God for His unconditional love, mercy and grace. Please pray for this girl as she has to die to a lot of things to follow Jesus, but she is wanting to change and I know God will be faithful to give her strength to die to them and live freely in this new life of following God.

This Sunday we are taking 10 youth to Kedelston Bible Camp. Please pray that God will be softening their hearts to His truth and that they will come to know Him deeper.

Thank you all for your continual love, encouragement, support and prayers. I couldn’t do this ministry without you. Thank you for playing your part in furthering God’s kingdom in Moose Jaw.

I love you all lots

Have a great weekend
Leanne

SCHOOLS FOR SCHOOLS NEEDS YOUR HELP!

2008-04-03T19:01:00.005-05:00

Two of the students from Awere school

Hi Friends,
So I want to inform you of something I’ve been doing for the past 3 weeks. My school has been raising money and awareness for the invisible children in Uganda through a campaign called schools for schools. It’s a campaign where a North American school partners with a Northern Uganda school. The school that Briercrest is partnered with is Awere Secondary school. They have 881 students enrolled and the average student walks 7 miles to school each day.

“For the past 21 years, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the Ugandan government have been waging a war that has left nearly two million innocent civilians caught in the middle. The Ugandan government has failed to protect its citizens from this rebel militia that has murdered mothers and buried the young, leaving an entire generation of youth that has never known peace.” A few dozen of us Briercrest students committed to wearing the same t-shirt for a month in order to raise awareness of the injustice that has taken place in Uganda in order that we could bless the students at Awere. I have written this post in order to ask you, my friends, to consider donating $5-10 towards this campaign. I have 427 friends on facebook, so if each of you were to donate $10 we would raise $4,270.00. The money that we raise goes directly to the school to supply them with lumber to reconstruct their classrooms, and dining room, that was destroyed in the war; dormitories (so the kids don‘t have to walk 7 miles a day); desks; science supplies; books; library, etc. The dontation process is easy. All you have to do is go to https://s4s.invisiblechildren.com/donate and put in your donating to Briercrest College Fund and then fill out the form and all the money will go to Awere Secondary School. Please consider this seriously. I know I take my education here in Canada for granted and I want us to be able to give the privilege of an education to students who have had it taken away from them and have suffered horrific injustice. Our Briercrest Campaign ends April 10th but make sure you check out their website and get involved. http://www.invisiblechildren.com/
Thanks a lot guys and I pray you will feel blessed by being apart of making a difference in the world.
Leanne

Sping is Here!!

2008-03-15T21:13:00.006-05:00

The Northern lights on the back road of Caronport

Hi Friends!

Spring is finally here after a brutally cold winter. It's so funny how in Saskatchewan that when it gets around -5 people begin to break out the skirts, shorts, and flip flops because it feels like summer in comparison to how cold its been the past 3-4 months.

The weather began to turn around about a week before youth quake which was such a blessing to have warm weather for that weekend. We took 53 youth from Joe's Place to youth quake this year and God moved in amazing ways. The speaker was a young pastor from the US named Jared Herd who challenged kids to choose life over death and live out loud for Christ. God used the main sessions and the workshops and sessions throughout the weekend to speak and challenge our youth. several of our youth made first time committments to Christ and others were taught and challenged in ways to grow in their walks with God. I was reminded once again of how apparent it is that each and every one of us is on a spiritual journey. God works and moves in each of our lives differently and we each have choices to make in responding to Him. I just finished writing a paper this week for my Gospel of John class on how : John makes it evident throughout His gospel that eternal life is a gift of grace but also that it demands a continual response of faith. It was a hard paper to write but it was really great to wrestle through it. As I wrote it I thought of the youth that I love at Joe's Place and thought of how each of them are on a journey and how God has been revealing to each of them in their own way His love and grace. However, they have a choice to make in regards to His grace. Some of them are open to it and believe in their heads but it hasn't quite made it to their hearts yet but they're asking questions and seeking for truth. others are of them have made the transition from believing it in their head and transferring that to their hearts and are now on a journey of learning how to live their faith out and how to remain in Christ (john 15). Lastly there are others who God has been revealing His grace to but they love their sin and therefore harden their hearts towards God and His love (John 3:19-20, Romans 1)

(Pat-marie, Harmony, Rachel (staff), Shannel

Working through this stuff has reminded me how much I need to be comitting to prayer. The Bible tells us that Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy, but Christ came to give life. We're all on a journey of trying to figure out how to live our lives. John 17:3 says "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." Please continue to pray for our youth as they partake on this journey of discovering who Jesus is. Many of our youth on our their way. It has been amazing talking to our youth and them telling me how it wasn't until they started coming to Joe's Place that they even considered that there could be a God out there (they just had never been challenged to think about God). Satan is trying hard to distract and discourage the youth from seeking God so pray that God would protect them from his schemes and attacks.

On Sundays after church we take the youth who came to church out for lunch at McDonalds and then have a Bible study back at Joe's Place. We're starting at the basics because our youth need to be taught theology and doctrine so they know what is truth. So a few of us college students have been leading and been teaching on things like how do we know the bible is trustworthy, how was brought together, what's the importance of Jesus dying, what is the trinity etc.

We've also been continuing to take a dozen youth the first wednesday of the month to Regina to serve at the soup kitchen there for the homeless and poor. GOd has been using that to teach the youth how to serve and have a heart for the people who God loves. It is amazing to see the enthusiasm they have to sign up to come because they just love going and serving. I wish you could all be flies on the wall to watch these kids discover GOd's heart as they serve Him and hear their enthusiasm in the vans back to Moose Jaw.

One of our girls named Robynne has been given an opportunity to go on a mission trip to Mexico next week with a local youth group. God has been growing and stretching her so much in the past year (shes one of the girls in our Friday small group) and I am so excited for what God has in store for her in the 12 days she is there. God has been teaching her so much in particulary the past 2 months as she's had to trust him in so many ways (health concerns, finances) and God has proven to be faithful to her. Please pray for her as she goes that God will teach her new things and that she'd encounter God in a new way as she serves Him there.

Catlan, Adrienne (staff), Robynne

Thank you for all of you who prayed for our youth who went to youthh quake and continue to pray for them. Your prayers are powerful and God is being faithful and is doing amazing work here. May you be encourage to continue in this great work of praying for the youth of Moose Jaw. May God bless you all this week.

With much love

Leanne

50 Below!

2008-02-07T11:40:00.000-06:00

Myself, Jenn, Chastity and Christina singing at Karokee this summer(one of Jen's favorite things to do).

Hello my dear friends,

I'm once again sorry for the lack of updates lately. Second semester profs just throw you right into school work. yikes! But it's been a great semester so far( -the several 50 below days that we've had recently...its a tad chillie out here...springs on the way though). I love all my classes (even poetry) but I'm definatly getting excited to be done so I can go into full time ministry. The first month back was actually a pretty hard month for me. Two girls from Joe's Place passed away at the beginning of January due to lifelong sicknesses. The one girl I had become friends with over the past few years, her name was Jen. She has been really sick for quite a few years now as she had kidney failure and had been on dialysis for years. On THursday January 10 she decided to stop her dialysis as she was going blind and her quality of life was deminishing. I had the opportunity to go Friday night to spend some time with her and her family. Jen had put her trust in Jesus and she was confident in where she was going, and therefore told me she had such peace about her decision of discontinuing her dialysis. I watched her mom tuck her into bed that night and Jen slipped into a comma later that evening. Many of our staff at Joe's Place were very close to Jenn and were able to sit by her bedside Saturday and be a support to the family. Sunday morning Jenn passed into eternity. Her family tells us that as she took her last breath a smile appeared on Jenn's face and then she passed away. When her sister told me this at the funeral Wednesday I got overwhelmed with thinking and imagining "What did Jenn see?? Did she see angels? Did she see her saviour? I don't know but I do know that although we all miss her greatly she is no more pain and that she is in the presence of her God dancing and singing like she loved to do here on earth but without pain. Joe had the opportunity to do the funeral for Jenn and it was such a great opportunity to share with her family who do not know the Lord where Jenn's strength and peace came from and where are hope lies.

Our youth have been thinking a lot about death lately because of Jenns passing and also with this other girl, Hanah passing away. please continue to pray for our staff as we learn how to minister and comfort our youth who have lots of questions and are hurting.

January was a hard month because of Jenn passing but also in just feeling as though I was in a dry time with GOd. Although its been hard and confusing it has been so good because it has caused me to press into God so much more and seek Him out and not give up just because I'm tired and weary and can't feel Him. Love is a choice in times when you feel distant or disconnected from the person you love. I know that GOd is faithful and He has proven Himself to be so much this month as I have learnt to meet with Him even when He is silent and I don't feel HIm.

I'm getting really excited for the end of this month as it is our annual youth conference here at Briercrest called youth quake(Feb 22-24) Last year we were able to take 65 youth from Joe's Place and several of them made life changing decisions to follow Christ and it has been so amazing to watch them grow this year and walk along side them as they have begun this journey of with God.

We have the opportunity to once again bring our youth to Youth Quake and we are in the progress of raising support inorder that we can sponsor kids to go. We have dozens of new youth who have been coming out this year who have never been before who are excited about going and we have dozens of youth who have been in the past and who are also psyched about going again this year . We intereviewed our youth and asked them why they want to go to youth quake and here are some of their responses...

"It sounds like fun!"

"To meet new People and have fun"

"Last year at youth quake was the most powerful experience ever!"- Nadine

"It all started at youth quake for me last year, so I want to go back and learn more about Christ". - James

"I want to learn more about God and spend time with people"-Scott

"I've never been before but it sounds like fun". -Kierra

"I love worshiping GOd. Many go just for the fun, I go for God!" Klea

Please pray for our students who we are taking this year. Please pray for their hearts to be softened by the presence and love of God. If you would like a list of the kids going so you can pray for them by name I can get that past on to you. also if you would consider sponsoring one of youth to go this year that would help make it possible for us to send more youth.

It is $134 per student for the entire weekend. If any of you are interested in sponsoring one of our Joe's Place youth to go this year please contact me mmmgusgus@hotmail.com and I will email you the youths picture, name, age and interests, of the specific youth you will be sponsoring to go. I also email you Joe's Place address so you can send cheques directly to them.

Thanks again for all of your love and support. I love getting letters and emails from all of you and I thank GOd everytime I think of you because your prayers and support are making a difference in the youth in Moose Jaw and it's my hope and prayer that you are experiencing God's presence as you continue to pray for us and our youth .

Learning to Spend Myself....

2007-12-02T08:31:00.000-06:00

"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love.Where there is injury, pardon;Where there is doubt, faith;Where there is despair, hope;Where there is darkness, light;Where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not So much seek to be consoled As to console,To be understood as to understand, To be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, It is in pardoning that we are pardoned, And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life." -Saint Francis of Assisi

I love this quote by St Francis of Assisi because it sums up perfectly what the Lord has been doing on Friday nights in our girls small groups. We have 4 girls who come every Friday night to Adrienne's. We make dinner together, some times make a craft and then do a Bible study together. God has been so faithful during this time and has huge this time together to really build a community where the girls can come and just leave all the burdens of home at the door and just let down their guard and their baggage and be real with each other. Weekly at least one of the girls will tell me that they have just push through the week knowing that Friday night will soon come because it is the only good thing they have in a week. It gives them something to look forward to. THe girls are each at different places in their walk with God and are all very different in personalities and yet God has given us such unity in our group that it is such a blessing to see.

As I wrote in my last blog, God has really used St. Francis of Assisi to challenge me in growing in my understanding of what it means to die to myself and live my life in complete surrender to Him. This previous quote has become my prayer to live out this kind of life of surrender, spending myself on behalf of others in order to let the light and hope of Christ break through in the darkness and dispair of the world in which I live.

I want to share with you one way that myself and some other staff at Joe's Place are trying to physically do this this month. First I want to tell you of a thirteen year old girl that comes to our Friday night girls small group. This girl has had a really hard life and has struggled with addictions such as anorexia and cutting since she was 11 in order to cope with the pain in her life. She's been coming to Joe's Place for a year now and it blows me away to see how much she has changed in this past year. One thing that I was reminded of while reading St. Francis of Assisi's biography was that conversion is a life time process. THe girls I work with at Joe's Place remind me of this every time I'm with them. This girl in particular although she hasn't made a commitment yet I can see GOd transforming her heart and mind each week. this girl told me the other Friday "Leanne, I'm not there yet but I'm on my way". It is so encouraging to hear her recognize that she is on this journey and she is working her way there.

The past month for this girl has been one of the hardest months of her life. Everything in her life has been coming down with a crash and literally her life seems to have no hope. To give you an idea of a little bit thats been going on, her mom has had cancer for a year now but a month ago it spread to her lungs and in just the past 3 weeks it has spread to her throat. 2 weeks ago they told her mom she had probably 5 years to live but on Monday she's going in for ultra sound to revaluate that time line because it appears that the cancer is rapidly spreading. Her stepdad is an alcoholic and has been coping with her moms cancer returning by being drunk everyday for the past 6 weeks. Her mom lost her job because her employer let her go because they felt bad that she was sick and working so hard and that her daughter was skipping school to help her work. Since her stepdad has been too drunk to go to work they have no money for groceries or for their bills.

This girl had a stopped cutting for a couple months until all this began up again. Two Fridays ago she came to Bible study and just sobbed for an hour in my arms and showed me her cutting wounds on her feet. she's like "Leanne I didn't want to start again but I just don't know how else to deal with all this, my mom probably won't even make it to see me graduate from Highschool".

That night I switched what we were going to do for Bible study and we just read through Isaiah 40-44, 55. All the girls had had hard weeks and I just wanted us to refocus on where our hope and trust needs to come from. God promises in these passages to never leave us, that he love us and He will be with us even when our worlds seem to be crashing down. After each chapter I read we'd then share what stood out to us in each of the verses. It was really great to have the girls interact with God's word.

I share all this with you to bring us back to this quote by Francis and to bring us back to Isaiah 58. What is the role of us as the body of Christ when we see a family struggling through a time like this?

"Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD ? 6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? 8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness [a] will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. 9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, 10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. "

The other week my roomate and I were compelled to buy this girl and her family groceries because they had no money to buy anything and their cupards were bare. Today their hydro was going to get cut off because their border who was renting their basement left without paying his rent. so they cant pay their electricity. A few of the staff at Joe's Place chipped in to help pay the bill because its been -35 here which is way too cold to live without heat.

I share all this with you guys because a few of us staff at Joe's Place want to bless this family with a Christmas. They don't have money for groceries and we want to bless them with a turkey meal and also some gifts for this girl, her brother and her mom and stepdad. Some things they need are pants, boots, hygine products, etc.

I wanted to ask you as my friends and brothers and sisters in Christ to one pray for this family as they go through this hard time. Already I can see GOd at work in their lives as this girl is really learning what it means to depend on GOd. Her mom has come to Joe's Place a couple times now just to talk and I've had the privilige to encourage her and pray with her. Please pray that through this hard and trialing time that they will come to find the hope of Christ and find fulfillment in Him. Also would you consider if GOd would want you to help us give this family a Christmas that they will remember that God and His people love and care for them. We feel that by loving them in this way God will make himself known to them. after we bought groceries for them this girls mom came to Joe's Place and just held me for the longest time and cried. she was like "Leanne, no one has ever loved me like this before". I got to tell her that its because of God's love for them that we have compelled our hearts to bless them. He wants to provide for them and that is our role as the church, to be his hands and feet.

I love you guys and am so thanksful for your love and prayers. May you know his goodness in your lives today and during this Christmas season allow GOd to use you as you spend yourselves on behalf of the oppressed and the poor.

"if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. "

Thanksgiving Take 2?!

2007-11-25T19:00:00.000-06:00

MOOSE JAW HALLOWEEN FOOD DRIVE. 38,000 tons of food were collected for the Moose Jaw Food Bank!

Man, you'd think with only two classes I'd have plenty of time to keep up with my blog, but I guess not. I can't believe that last time I wrote was thanksgiving...I titled this post Thanksgiving Take 2, because this weekend is American Thanksgiving and I ate a delicious turkey dinner last night (The bonuses to having friends south of the border).

Well there is definatly much to be thankful for as I reflect on what to share with you in this update. School is going well. I love my Classics of Christian Spirituality class. The other week I got to spend the entire week just doing research for my paper on St. Francis of Assisi. This man was such a remarkable man of God that I just ate up all that I could read on him (I even asked for his biography "Reluctant Saint" by Donald Spoto for Christmas... I know I'm turning into such a nerd). Honestly, studying this man's life has, I believe (and I truly hope), changed my life. Francis (yep we're on first name bases) led a life of such humility and self sacrifice that it has really challenged me in how I view my role as a Christian and our role as the church. Francis led a life that was in full surrender to Christ's call to die to self and take up ones cross to follow Him. Christ did not mean to physically die but to metaphorically speaking die to our desire and put others ahead of ourself and spend ourselves on behalf of furthering GOd's work in the world. Francis immitated Christ's example of poverty and humility of spirit as demonstrated in philippians 2 when Paul writes: "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant.." Francis gave up all of his possessions and status (and he was a rich and successful man) in order to serve the sick, poor and outcasts in society. I don't want to write out my entire paper, because it was like 8 page long, but I have been really challenged by Francis's life to strive to live a life that truly does put those who are less foruntate in our soceity ahead of myself. I want to share with you a quote that really challenged me.

"The true mark of holiness is the character of a life that gives to others, that extends beyond the narrow frontier of itself, its own comfort and concerns - a life that furthers the humanizing process...this is the core: living cloesly to God- a habit of being that is seen concretely in loving service, a hunger for peace and justice and an active longing for concord among nations, groups and individuals."

This is my hearts greatest desire to strive for a life of holiness that reflects these things. My heart literally pounds to live out this kind of life in the city of Moose Jaw. I believe GOd is calling me to reside in Moose Jaw once I graduate from Briercrest in April and work with Joe's Place in doing just this, spending myself in order to extend God's justice and love revolutionize our youths lives.

We've started a new video series with the youth on Tuesday Nights called "The Justice Mission". THey're short videos that have youth who went to Africa for a few weeks talking about injustice and oppression. This has been amazing to watch our youth work through what is injustice and what is God doing about it and how are we part of the answer. It has been so exciting watching our youth, who are pretty self centred, begin to catch the reality that there are people out there who have life a lot harder then they do and they can do something about it. Last week a bunch of the girls I talked to were brainstorming ideas of how we could raise money in order to support an organization that works towards freeing children slaves and putting their opressors in jail. one of our girls came to me last night and told me about a vision/dream she had about a city wide movement that would raise $30,000 which is equivalent of freeing 60 slaves. Pray for us as we seek God in His timing and will for this kind of ministry.

On Wednesday, December 5 we have a dozen youth signed up to go to the inner city of Regina and help out at a soup kitchen there. It is so amazing to watch God begin to change our kids hearts from being self centred to being ones that beat for the things that break God's heart and beginning to learn Christ like humility and service. Their minds are truly being transformed (Rom 12:2).

Well there's so much more I want to write about but I'll put it in another post so its not overwhelming to read.

Some funny things that have happened to me this fall that may make you smirk are

1. the other day we had 55km winds and I was blown into a parked car and the post office because I couldn't walk straight

2. on my way to moose jaw one day I hit a tumble weed and it stuck to my fender all the way to Moose Jaw

3 another day to moose jaw 7 tumble weed blew across highway 1 all at the same time. i thought i was being attacked by tumble weed...they're actually everywhere. before I moved here I thought they were just stage props in bad westerns. nope, they actually do exist.

Thanksgiving 07

2007-10-06T10:35:00.000-05:00

My Quadmates: Laura,Me, and Lauren

Hey Everyone, How is it Thanksgiving already? September just flew by so fast. It started off really slow for me but it definitely sped off once classes started on their way. I'm only taking two classes this semester as I only need to take 4 second semester to graduate. I'm loving the two classes I'm taking and I'm growing a lot already. I'm taking Psychology of Counseling and Classics of Christian Spirituality this semester and I'm loving both of them. You're probably wondering what I do with the rest of my life if I'm just taking 2 classs (oh and I also sit in on a class just cause its with my favorite prof). Well Tuesdays are my busy day cause I have class all day then I leave at 4:15 for a joes place leadership meeting. then at 6pm we have dinner and do bible study with about 2-3 dozen youth who come out each week.

This week was awesome as we talked about self esteem and how we need to find our beauty in God and in inner beauty. I know this is something that we hear all the time but there is power in talking about it because its something that almost everyone struggles with and yet never talks about. Satan definitely uses it as a strong hold in so many peoples lives as He doesn't want us to live in the freedom of who God has created us to be. In our small group we decided to go around the circle and share one thing we would change about our physical appearance and our personality. It was interesting the things people shared. After everyone was done sharing we went around the circle again but this time everyone else got to share things about the person that they loved and saw as beautiful. I feel this was really powerful for a lot of the girls as they realized how many other people see them as beautiful and how the majority of the things people shared were about who they were on the inside. I know for me this week it helped me not to give into the lies Satan tries to convince me are true about myself.
Our Friday night small group with the girls has been going really well. I love these girls more and more each week. All three of the girls who are coming each week are at different stages in their walk with God and God is moving individually in each of their lives. They are hungry and longing to meet with God. Please keep them in your prayers.
Right now I am in Winnipeg visiting my friend Lynnette for the holiday. I drove out here Thursday with 3 other students from Briercrest. The one girls name is Megan and she is blind. I have spent some time with her before as she was my friend Angela's roommate last year. However, I felt so blessed to spend 5 hours with her in the car just really hearing her heart and getting to know her. Some ways she really encouraged and challenged me in was faith. When I am with Megan she really reminds me of the passage where Jesus says that we have to become like little children to enter the kingdom of heaven. Megan has such child-like faith, joy, love and kindness. She has to have faith every morning that the people she meets will lead her with integrity. She loves God with all her heart and her greatest desire is to love and know him more each day. Thursday morning we went to a sunrise service at the edge of Caronport.
Megan can see bright lights and she was telling me how beautiful and amazing the sunrise was that morning and how she is more in love with Jesus today then she was yesterday because she met with him in such a new way. Through talking with Megan she really challenged me to recognize God's faithfulness and grow in my love for Him. She is so passionate when she speaks about her love for God and she just jumps and bounces for joy when she praises Him. I truly feel although her blindness can keep her from a lot of things I truly feel she is blessed in so many ways that seeing people are not. I wish I had the freedom to not care what people think of me when I'm excited and I wouldn't be reserved and keep in my passions in fear of what people will think. Megan just expresses herself freely because she doesn't care if she looks foolish in the eyes of others. Her God is all that matters to her. It is my prayer that the more I become friends with her the more free I will become in expressing my love for God even if the world says I look foolish. I want to become like a child in my Father's presence with each and every passing day!
This time with Megan made me think of 1 Corinthians 12 which says
12 Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.^[a] All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.

Some day Megan will see perfectly the beauty of our God with her physical eyes, but in my heart I feel as though she can see Him better than I can right now, because the eyes of her heart are focused on Him, and she lives so fully in faith that she is not distracted by the things of this world that keep her from keeping her eyes focused on Him.

May we truly learn to live in such a way that is in full abandon to the lover of our souls. May we all grow to be children of faith and live in that freedom so that we are not reserved to love God with all our hearts.

September Update

2007-09-20T12:40:00.000-05:00

Hello my dear friends,

I am sooo sorry that it has been ages since I last updated you on my blog. I'll try and do my best to efficiently update you on the past month without this being too lengthy.

My last week of work this summer I had the privilege to be one of the 8 staff to take 18 of our youth on a camping trip to Cypress Hills. This was an amazing week of being able to connect with our youth outside of Moose Jaw and watch them take off their masks and just let loose and be themselves. We got to enjoy things like playing beach volleyball, mini golfing, swimming, horseback riding, cooking our meals, hiking, star gazing, playing a wide game, and my favorite sharing and worshiping over the campfire.

God used our campfire times to really speak to our youth about His love and faithfulness, and we saw a lot of walls break down in their lives and their hearts open up more to His love.

This summer I have seen God break down walls in our kids lives, softened their hearts and watch their minds and hearts begin to be transformed. I feel so honoured that God has given me the priviliege to be apart of His work and watch Him soften the hearts of His children this summer. So many of our youth have come so far since the spring and winter and I know God is going to continue to soften their hearts and woe them to Himself.

This fall I am back at school at Briercrest for my final year of studies. It has been a challenge for me to be out here and not working full time with our youth. God has given me a passion to disciple and reach out to these youth and it is hard to not be able to give all of myself to this ministry. However, I do know GOd has seasons for everything and right now I need to finish up my school. I am still involved at Joe's Place two days a week as I am a team leader for the volunteers on Friday nights, a small group leader on Tuesday nights and Friday afternoons my friend Adrienne and I have started up a girls discipleship group.

I am really excited for where God is going to lead us in our Friday afternoon group. Originally it was going to be a group of 6 girls who are fairly new believers. However, 4 of the 6 girls have gotten jobs recently and are no longer able to make it. However there are 3 other girls from Joe's Place who are not believers who really want to be apart of the group. I am really excited for what God has instore for us this fall as I have no idea where He is leading us since the dynamics of our group have now changed. Please keep me in your prayers as I seek God on where He would lead us.

Last night I was reminded of Don Miller's book "Searching For God Knows WHat". In the beginning of the book Don talks about how God can not be kept in a fomula. A lot of times we expect God to work a certain way and for there to be structure in our relationship with God. But God is not One to be kept by a formula or a structure. GOd often moves in ways we do not understand and it doesn't always makes sense. But God's ways are not our ways and we need to let HIm lead us in the direction of where He is going.

Friends, God is moving in our youths lives in a way that is bigger than anything we can comprehend or imagine. It is my prayer that this year God would reveal Himself to our youth, our staff, our volunteers and our supporters in a way that leaves us all in complete awe and wonder of how big and awesome our God is.

Nothing is too big for God and I know He can transform our youth into the image of His Son and continue to refine me to that same image.

I love and miss you all greatly. thanks again for all your love and support. I will do my best to keep you posted more regularly on my life and what God is doing. Have a great week!

A Lesson on Real Life Worship!

2007-08-11T00:41:00.000-05:00

Wow, it has been quite a week. I met a girl named Jessica a few months ago at an outreach that we did here at Joe's Place called Torch. She surrendered her life to God and ever since I have been mentoring her as she grows into her relationship with Christ. It has been such a growing and learning experience becoming friends with her. She is 9 months pregnant with her third child and is working towards cleaning up her life free of drugs and alcohol and prostitution.

On Wednesday she asked me if I could drive her to Regina for a doctors appointment. I didn't have much on the go for Wednesday so I took the day off and went with her. It was a trip to Regina that I will never forget. She grew up in the 'hood/gheto' of Regina so that is where her doctor was. As we drove she pointed out to me memories she had in the place we drove by. "That's where I used to live with my kids before they got taken away from me...that's where my boyfriend almost murdered the guy and thats the dumpster he dumped his body...thats the car Brian used to live in...etc." Wow these were stories I hear of on the news or in movies but never have I met and been friends with someone who this was the reality of their life.

After the doctors appointment we went to visit her cousin and her children. My friends, I have never felt my heart break into as many pieces as it did this day. We walked in at 1 in the afternoon to find the children and parents all still sleeping. The three youngest kids had soiled their diapers at least three times and had not been changed. None of the kids had been fed that day including the 5 month old baby. The parents were hung over and so Jessica and I picked up the babies and took them down stairs to get them cleaned up. We looked for food in the house and all we could find were three cans of soup and four pieces of stail bread.

Jessica and I had just come from having lunch at Humpties and had brought our left overs with us. We gave our leftovers to the kids because there were no clean dishes to even make the soup in. I felt the love of God burning in my heart as I held these kids and fed them.

My friends I can't even write into words to the brokeness I felt holding and feeding these kids. You could tell they don't get held a lot and so for the next 3 hours I just hugged them, played with them and told them how precious and beautiful they were and that God loved them.

After an hour and a half of us being there the parents got up and I took the mom to the food bank for her to get food for her family. This was also such an eye opening experience as food that most of us would never think of eating cause it was too bruised or outdated her and her kids were rejoicing at how much great food was there. I usually don't think of myself as rich but I was reminded that I truly am blessed to have been raised in the home that I have been and have the opportunities that I have had.

After we returned from the food bank I looked around the house I didnt see one toy around. I asked one of the older boys what they do all summer and he responded "watch cable". At Humptys Jessica had found a yellow bouncy ball leaning up against my car wheel as we were about to leave and was like "Leanne, look it, we've been blessed". I smiled and was like cool I like balls. She brought it into the car and we had headed to her cousins. So when I noticed these kids had no toys I told charles, the lil two year, "hey budd I have something for you in my car. He ran to look and found the ball. His eyes lit up the size of the moon and was like "for me?" yep. Him and his lil sister and I just played catach for like 20 minutes before i had to go.

The reason I share all this with you is because while all this was going on that day Isaiah 58 continually kept coming to mind and replaying over and over again. I went home and the next morning read this passage. It reads as follows,

5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD ? 6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? 8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness [a] will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. 9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, 10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. "

It broke my heart to see the way these young kids lived in neglect and fear. I felt utterly hopeless at first because I don't have any means to help these kids out of their situation. However, as I read this passage I realized that if I feed them, provide for them, love them and point them to Christ that these good deeds will shine to them and give them hope in the darkness of their reality.

Jessica and I took two of the older kids back with us to Moose Jaw for a few days and took in and cherished every moment that I spent with her and those two precious kids. I loved them, played with them, fed them, taught them about Jesus and at the end of the week I knew that this is what real worship looks like. This is the kingdom of God. These are His precious children and He has placed us to be a light in the world to shine in the darkness and point children and families who are broken and in despair to the love and hope that is found only in Jesus Christ.

May you feel spurred on to feed the hungry, meet the needs of the oppressed and show grace to those who society frowns upon and shake their fingers at; and remember we too don't deserve the grace and blessings of God but He is merciful and loves us and delights over us and we have been called to do the same. May we all learn how to be the hands and feet and mouthpieces of God to a wicked and depraved world and shine like stars in the darkenss.

A Father's Delight Over His Children!

2007-08-06T17:51:00.000-05:00

So the past few weeks I have been house sitting for one of the girls from Joe's Place. Her family is on holidays and God opened the opportunity for me to spend the past two weeks to stay in their house and look after their pets. Although many of you may not know I love dogs because my family dog, Max, is crazy and I very rairly have any praise to give him becaues of his stupidity... the one thing I do love is taking dogs for walks. So it has been so much fun getting to walk Sheba, the family dog. The first day I took her for a walk was just through the back alley to the school field behind their house because I had no leash for her. As I was out there I realized it was going to be a beautiful sunset so after her walk I left her in her house and went for a drive to try and find a field to watch the sunset. (before I left I looked for my camera but couldnt find it anywhere so I just left cause I didnt want to miss it).
I didnt really know where I was going becaues it was my first night in that neighbourhood but when I got to a 4 way stop I felt I should turn left although I was pretty sure that was just another part of the suburb. But I followed my gutt and drove it ended up leading right to a field on the outskirt of town right by the traintracks (I have a new fedish with trains since being out here). I drove down the road for a ways and then turned around as the sunset was past its peak. I thought to myself "well that was nice, but God was there more you wanted to show me?"
As I drove back towards the suburbs I noticed another car had stopped to admire the sunset. I then got to the train bridge and saw two middle aged men standing on to of the bridge with bears in their hands admiring the setting sun. On the cliff of the hill (yes a hill... i know...it was very small but it was still a hill) were two teenage guys also taking in the firey sky. I began to feel as though I was no longer even driving but that I was now sitting in the passengers seat watching through Gods eyes. I passed by a grandmother pushing her grandchild in a stroller and a middle age man gently leaning over and kissing his wife on the cheek on their front porch.

As I continued to drive I felt so close to my heavenly father as He was showing me His heart for His children. It doesnt matter where each of those individuals are in their relatioship with God. They couldbe seeking Him, they could be close to him or they could be running as far away from him as they can get. But that does not change God's heart for them. Each day He gives us gifts and delights over us and finds joy in us. The Bible says that God lets the sunset on the righteous and the evil the same. All of creation is God calling out to His children to take notice of how much He loves them and is wanting them to delight themselves in Him. We all know that when we see a sunset or we look up and see the stars or the northern lights that there is something inside of us all that makes us feel so small and yet so warms and loved inside. Why is it that these things seem so romantic to us and make us feel intimacy inside of our hearts? I truly believe it is the love of God our father, woeing us to himself. God could seperate day fom night by just turning off the sun like we do with light switches. but instead each day He delights in creating a fresh new sunset, one that is new and unique from the rest just so he can display a fresh the care and love He has for His childrnen.

I came home that night and I journaled and just creid with joy that Godloved me and all of us that much. I then was like "where is my camera? thats so weird I cant find it". I looked for the third time in my backpack and found it right where I knew it was all along. I believe God allowed me not to see the other times I looked for it becaues I would have been so busy trying to capture the moment that I would have missed the gift of being still and being in God's presence.

Friends, make sure to take time to be still and intimate with God this week. Go for a walk in a park or in the woods or down a dirt road. and ask God, is there more to this moment you want to speak to me? God can often be silent but if you ask Him questions he often responds in ways you never imagined.

Be blessed this week my friends and seek God while He can be found!

God cares about football Games!

2007-08-06T17:01:00.000-05:00

So last weeks Riders game was amazing. We took 25 youth to Regina for Sakatchewan Rough Riders vs Edmonton Eskimos game. On the way there our old Joe's Place bus began to shake and was crawling at about 30 km 15 minutes outside of Moose Jaw. After a few minutes of this I looked at Adrienne and Amy (other staff) and was like we should pray... I stood up and told the youth that I believed that God had provided us this opportunity to go to the football game and we should pray and ask him to allow the bus to work so we could get there and back becuaes God cares about even this kind of stuff and I believed God woluld fix our bus. I prayed and sat back. for another 5 minutes the bus kept shaking and I went up to talk to Curtis who was driving the bus about what we should do and all of a sudden the bus just kicked in and drove smoothly the rest of theway to Regina. We got to the football stadium and stopped to ask directions to where to park th bus and the bus just turned off and wouldnt turn back on. God got us all the way to the Stadium and not an inch further. wow.

The game was amazing and we won sometime like 46 to 16 or something amazing like that andkids had an amazing time (inspite of the squelching heat) . After the game we got the chance to go out on the field and meet 4 of the key players of the game and they shared with our youth their testimonies of how God has taught them to put him first in every part of their lives and how God has taught them to put their trust and faith in him alone. they challenged the youth to do the same then the youth got to get their pictures taken with them and get their autographs on a little hand out that had the gospel written out for them by one of the players. we returned to the bus after hanging out with the players and prayed that God would allow the bus to start again and get us home. As was before the bus wouldnt start and was just sputtering so Curtis turned it off. then all of sudden the bus just started on its own without the key being turned on. Praise God! We got all the way to Moose Jaw's main street when the bus started shaking again 3 blocks from Joe's Place. we pulled into joe's place and I just sat there amazed at how much God cares about these youth and that he loves them enough to get them to and from a football game in order for them to hear more about his love and that they could see the power of God displayed in even our rusty old bus.

Being Incarnate

2007-07-27T14:48:00.000-05:00

The past few weeks I have really been able to see God's call for me to be here come into fulfillment. When I felt God calling me here to Moose Jaw in February God told me that I had to be incarnate with these kids. meaning to live amongst them in their everyday life and learn how to free fall into trusting the hands of God to catch us. Since I have been back from camp God has opened up amazing opportunities to just love these youth and be apart of their lives in every aspect and through being there in the really hard times God has opened doors for me to speak His truth and love into their lives and God is really beginning to soften their hearts. Here are a few stories to encourage you.

One Friday night one of our girls was having a really hard night and so I invited her and her best friend to come to the lake with us and spend the day just with the girls to get her mind off of things back home. we went and had a great time. the next wednesday she was really sick so I took her to the hospital and spent 3 hours with her there with her best friend to find out she just had the flu. The next day we took a bunch of our youth to go see Evan Almighty. We went back to Joe's Place and talked about what we thought of the movie. This girl perks up and says, Evan reminded me of the staff here at Joe's Place. I asked her what she meant by that. She responded that like Evan in the movie Joe's Place staff have heard God call them to change the world and they give up their weekends and nights off to come and be friends with the youth at Joe's Place because they want to help the youth make better choices and have good lives and know more about God. Wow! I didn't actually realize that the kids realize that we do this because we love God and our being obedient to Him. It was cool to hear her recognize this. She then went on to share how the night before I had taken her to the hospital and it really made her realize how much I loved and cared for her because I was there all night with her even though I could have been doing lots of other things. That night I drove her home and she was sick again so I brought her into her house and after throwing up she felt better and then went on to show me everything in her bedroom and tell me more about her life. Please keep this young girl in your prayers. she is coming to church with us now on Sunday and is really beginning to seek God.

This same girls best friend is a girl who is very obnoxious and loud and is often in need of patience and grace. However the past two months shes been really maturing and God appears to be changing her heart. She comes from an alcoholic home where her mom practices withcraft and her dad is mormon. The other night at Bible study we were talking about what true love is and I was reading 1 Corinthians 13 to them. She began to tell us that she's been reading her grampas old Bible in the places where he's underlined. She began to quote scripture that she's memorized and was like "The Bible has some really great things to say...Do you guys have other verses memorized that are good that I should look up?" Adrienne (the girl I work with) and I just looked at each other and had this excited smile on our faces. We shared with her some of our favorite verses and she frantically was writing them down. It was so exciting to watch her be hungry to read God's word. Please pray for this girl also as she seeks after God. She is also beginning to make better choices about drinking and has gone an entire week now without a drink. This is amazing since the previous two weeks she had gotten drunk every night.

Also pray for us tomorrow (saturday) as we are taking 30 of our youth to a Saskatchewan RoughRiders game (football). The team chaplin goes to Joe's church and has arranged for us to get in free and also have lunch with some of the injured players before the game and then have refreshments after the game with the Christian players who are going to share their testimonies with our youth. Please pray that God will soften the hearts of our youth.

The past couple weeks I've also been connecting with a lot of young and pregnant moms. This has been such an amazing ministry to pour out the grace and love of God. Please pray for us as we minister to these young moms.

The last thing I wanted to share with you is from something I read yesterday in my devotionals. I was reading from Isaiah 26. Verse 12 says

"LORD, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us. "

God reminded me that I can trust him with the ministry that I do here at Joe's Place. sometimes its discouraging at times because we just feel like this is too big of a job for us to do. But God gently reminded me yesterday that our success and our failures are in God's hands because He is the one who does all things. I got a letter from a friend from home a few weeks ago that came at such perfect time. She wrote "Leanne, you aren't called to be successful. You are just called to be obedient." Thanks Michelle. It is so true. All the results of the ministry we do here is not because of how great youth workers and ministers we are. It is because we are faithful and God is powerful and softens hearts and opens minds and draws these youth to the arms of their heavenly father.

Thanks again for all your love and prayers. You guys encouraged me so often and I miss you all greatly.

Have a great week and may God bless you richly as you pray for His work here in Moose Jaw.

A Prayer

2007-07-20T00:54:00.000-05:00

One of my girls emailed me this and I wanted to share this with you in hope that it would bless you and be true in your life as much as mine.

Saint Theresa's Prayer

May today there be peace within.

May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.

May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.

May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.

May you be content knowing you are a child of God.

Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.

It is there for each and every one of us.

Because Eternity Matters....

2007-07-11T15:57:00.000-05:00

So it's been a couple weeks since I wrote a blog cause I've been away. So here it is. For the long weekend my friend Amy G (far right) drove to Calgary to spend the weekend with my friend Lindsey Schmidt (middle). It was a beautiful ride on the way there because we got to watch a distant storm for like an hour and a half. It was distant until an hour till Calgary when we drove into the heart of the storm. It was a little scary cause it was hailing but we finally drove out of it. Lindseys aunt and uncle spoiled us when we stayed at their house with amazing brunches both mornings we were there. Saturday we went to Banff and went in a gondella up a mountain. It was beautiful and we were really greatful that we didnt hike it like we originally had planned(the home of the grizzly bears made Lindsey a bit nervous). Sunday Amy and I left Calgary and went to our friends Ryan and Rachels wedding in Lethbridge. It was so beautiful to be a witness of such a Christ centred wedding. Some of our volunteers were able to bring a dozen of our youth down and it was really great for them to see an example of a godly couple who love God and each other and have saved themselves for their wedding day.

The drive home was beautiful awe watched the sunset till 11:30 at night (thats how flat it is here) and then as soon as it had fully set on the right we began to watch a harvest moon rise. it was soo beautiful. Those of you who have never experienced a prairie sunset you must add to your list of things to do before you die. hehe.

So I got home Sunday night at 2am and then was up the next morning at 9am to get ready to take 10 of our youth to Kedleston Gospel Camp. I was really curious how this week would unfold because we were bringing so many different youth. The van ride there was less than an hour long but by the end of it GOd had already begun to unify the girls in my van through the gong show type events (losing a windshield while driving through a storm, crazy back roads through farmer's fields,etc.) of getting to camp. I was reminded that laughter unites strangers into being friends.

The first couple days were a little rough becuase 1/2 of our kids weren't enjoying camp because we had chaple sessions twice a day and 2 hours each time. They were only there to be on the beach and didn't care at all about listening to the speaker or participating in worshiping GOd through music. Tuesday night I was so broken because the boys especially were being so disresptecful that I just went to the back and wept becuase my heart broke for them. I desired for them to know God's heart for them and know how much God loved them. A support staff women sat beside me and just prayed over me. I couldn;t hear what she was praying but I felt God's peace overflow into my body.

The next day one of our girls, kimmie,ran out of cigarretts and wanted one of the staff to buy her some. they refused to however because they didn't want to promote smoking. This pushed this girl over the edge becaues smoking was the only thing that was allowing her to release her stress of having to sit through chaple. she came into the cabin after lunch just bawling. she told me how she felt so out of place at camp and she had come to the conclusion that she hated camp and wanted to go home. she's been trying to let GOd in but just cant. One of our other girls, Ingrid, who became a Christian at youth quake told her that sometimes GOd takes us to our lowest point inorder for us to have to stop trying on our own strength and cry out to God. I told her she should talk to the director of the camp because she had already connect with him through sailboating and he came from a similar background as her and he'd understand where she was coming from and show her grace. That calmed her down and we went tubing that afternoon to get her mind off all of this. After dinner that night she ran in and told me that Narren (the director) had bought her brand of cigarretts and gave them to her for free. I got to share with her how this is a sign from GOd how much he loves her. He loves her enough that He'd provide someone for her to buy her cigaretts because He wants her to stay at camp so she can hear more about His love for her. She smiled politely and we talked a bit about how Jesus did that even in the Bible through the wedding wine and the disciples and catching fish etc.

That night one of our other girls, Kirstin, wasnt in chaple and I went to find her and I found her by the dock crying and writing. she poured out her fears and insequrities to me and I got to share some scripture with her and pray with her. we went back into the chaple and that night the speaker spoke on facing your giants. at the end he gave an opportunity for campers to get prayed for. I felt so overwhelemed because all 5 of my girls stood up. so we prayed in the back holding hands together and then i took each one out to pray indidividually. after praying with two of the girls i cam in and Ingrid ran up to me and was like "kimmie and Kirstin are on their knees and have prayed to accept Christ into their heart". I looked up and Kimmie was down at the front with one of our other Joes Place volunteers and Kirstin was on her knees with her hands up in the air worshiping God.

In the course of 12 hours God had changed two young girls hearts from hating chaple to being on their knees worshiping God. the rest of the week they rushed to get to chaple and they were both soo sad to leave camp. After one chaple later that week we had been talking about the importance of sharing the love of God by loving others. I asked the girls if they agreed with the speaker that it is important, Kirstin jumped in and was like" its so important because kimmie and i wouldnt have given our hearts to God if you guys hadn't loved us and showed us GOd's love for us".

My friends there is sooooo much I could write to you about this past week but this is already super long (sorry). Please pray for Kirstin and Kimmie as they begin this new journey of following GOd and making Him Lord of their lives. Please pray also for myself and the staff here at Joe's Place as we begin to disciple them. GOd unified our cabin so much this past week and the day after we got back we had dinner and watched movies together because they have become like family to each other. 5 girls, each from different walks of life, have been joined together in unity because of the love and blood of Christ. Pray that this unity will spur them on into maturity.

I love you guys and am so thankful for your prayers and support. I couldn't do any of this without your support or God's grace.

This is a picture of a bunch of us with our youth after church Sunday. We bought McDonalds burgers and had a picnic in the park and talked and shared about the things God did at camp. Continue to pray for us. GOd is sweeping through our kids hearts. The harvest is ready but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest for more workers.

Thanks again friends.

Love always

Leanne

Last June Update

2007-06-29T12:49:00.000-05:00

Sorry Everyone, That I haven't blogged in a while. I've been super busy and on top of that I'm just getting over being really sick the past few days with a head cold.

Well last Wednesday was my birthday and it was amazing. I didn't want a big deal made out of it cause I'm just not like that but a lot of my friends made my day great by dropping me little messages and Helena (the lady I live with) threw me a suprise dinner party with a few freinds. which was so great to celebrate it with a few close friends. I worked that evening and at the end of the night Ryan and Curtis (two guys I work with) suprised me a birthday cake. It was fun to celebrate my day with them and a lot of our kids.

Sunday our church had an outreach family fest in the park downtown moose jaw. we had a church service in the morning then had free bbq and games and performances throughout the afternoon. a lot of our kids who have been coming to church got involved in serving and it was great watching them get involved. i loved the day as i got to connect with a lot of towns people and encourage them and tell them about our church. it was really a great afternoon.

update on living with whitney. It's getting better over time I think. and actually its amazing cause over the past 7 weeks living with her i'm beginning to see GOd move in her life. The first few weeks that I lived here she got drunk and wasted every single weekend. however the past 3-4 weekends shes been coming out to joes place and making better choices of who she hangs out with. Sunday she also came to church without either her mom or I asking her too...she also came on tuesday to bible study and wednesday to this rock gospel musical that was being hosted at joes place. I really believe GOd is softening her heart and working in her. please pray for her however, because satan wont hand her over that easily. We need to be on our knees praying for her to surrender her life to GOd.

Sunday night I went to Saskatoon with my friends Andria and Scott to see a caribbean steel drum concert. Andria and I just danced the entire time and it was soooo much fun. We had a great time together and Andria and I had a great time together monday just catching up and the drive back to moose jaw was beautiful because of the rain storm that we just drove through.

This week has been really busy but really great. My friend Liz from Highschool came to visit me with two of her friends from University. we had fun hanging out for a few days and then they came and helped out at this rock gospel musical on wednesday.

Like I said earlier I am just getting over being sick. If you think of praying for me this coming week I would appriciate it. I am on my way to alberta tonight for a wedding. Then monday Justin (another volunteer) and I are going to camp with 10 of our Joes Place kids. Please pray that God will move in their lives and also prepare Justin and I to lead them. also pray for us to have stregth and energy to minister to these kids.

Well sorry this is a very jumbled update but I just thought I should write this quick before I leave for work.

I love you all so much. Thanks for your continued love and support.

God bless

Leanne

Less of Me and More of Him

2007-06-18T16:43:00.000-05:00

Wow, this week God has continued to floor me with how much of this ministry is all Him and that we as staff as Joe's Place are just honoured that He would even think of using us to be apart of His work. Here are a few stories that have encouraged me this week.
First, on Wednesday I gave a tour to two ladies from Mortlack who have been hired by the government to try and start a youth centre for the youth in Mortlack. As I was giving the tour I began to get a sense that one of the ladies was a Christian. By half way through the tour she told me that she had previously worked at a church as the youth pastor and had volunteered at Joe's Place years ago. Near the end of the tour she told me that they have gone to visit lots of different government runned youth centres and none of them are really working. SHe then asked me what my thoughts were of why Joe's Place has been around for 13 years and has continued to grow and be blessed and make a difference in the city of Moose Jaw. I got the chance to explain that I believe that Joe's Place is a success not because of Joe or the workers or the programs or the building that we have but because it is a ministry that is focused on the heart of God. We don't run Joe's Place because of the phsycial issues and needs of the youth of Moose. We know we can't be these youths saviours. but we know the one who can. THe high violence, pregnancy, and alcohol and drug abuse rates are rampant in our city because their is a spiritual void in their lives that they are trying to fill. we could shake our heads in disappointment of the choices our youth are making but the real issues comes down what is in their heart. Joe's Place I believe is successful because our staff and volunteers are not there to fix the problems of our city but we're here to bring the hope that Christ has to some of the darkest places in our city. We genuinely love and care for our youth. we don't condemn them for the choices they make but we try to point them to the one who can fill that void in their lvies. I've been reminded lately that if Jesus walked around Moose Jaw in 2007 it would have been our youth and their families that He would have been friends with and ministered too. They are not too far gone for the power and love of GOd to reach down and touch them. Youth continue to come to Joe's place because the love of GOd is here in our staff and youth. IT thrives in everything we do and thats why I believe we continue to see little a new sense of hope and purpose in Moose Jaws youth. After I shared all this to these two ladies the other lady who wasn't a Christian just nodded her head and wiped tears from her eyes. I don't know what God is doing in this ladies life but I do believe that GOd used a half hour tour of our building to spread the Gospel of God's grace, love and hope to a lady who may have thought programs is what changes peoples lives. Joe's Place has programs but thats not what is changing kids lives its the relationships that they build with our staff and volunteers that are getting them to realize that there is a God out there who wants to give them abundant life.
That was a really long segmant of this blog sorry, I'll try and make the next two things I want to share with you a bit shorter. GOd isnt just using our staff and volunteers to spread His hope to the youth in Moose Jaw He is also using our youth who are young in their faith to spread the Gospel to their friends.
Friday night we opened and one of our youth who has been a CHristian now for 3 years and is going to Briercrest next year to go into pastoral ministries was out in the smoke pit hanging out with some youth when a girl named Shelby walked right up to him and was like "Shawn your a Christian right? WHat is GOd?". Shawn was floored by the question and began to tell her about who GOd is. an hour and half later Shelby and Shawn come up to the kitchen window where I was working and Shelby is just beaming from ear to ear as she shows me her first Bible. SHe didn't become a Christian Friday night but there was definatly a transformation going on in her heart. I could see a new sense of joy and hope in her eyes that were just beaming off her face. You couldn't help but see that God was changing her heart and doing a work in her. THe next day I saw her in the morning and she had read half the Bible and told me she was going to come to church on SUnday, which she did. Please keep this young girl in your prayers. GOd is moving in her life and is prompting her to seek out truth. Praise GOd that she knows where to find Christians she can trust to ask her questions and to find truth. Another boy, Justin, told one of our volunteers on Saturday that He knows GOd is the truth and wants to get His life on track. Praise GOd.
Lastly, our youth are coming to church and they're inviting their friends. Our youth who have become Christians are not afraid to invite their friends to church and they're friends are actually coming. These are kids who have NEVER in their lives entered the doors of a church and are now being invited to come and hear and be apart of worshiping God. Please pray that their hearts will be soft to recieving Gods word and that the seeds will fall in deep and we will see fruit that lasts for years and transform this city.
It is so cool that we are watching our youth develop into followers of Jesus. Yes, they are young in their faith, but God is using them to bring the hearts of the fatherless back to the Father. I'm starting a discipleship group soon for all our youth who are wanting to grow deeper in their walk with GOd. Please pray for guidance and wisdom for myself and the other volunteers who will be helping us lead this group. We can't do it on our own strength or wisdom, but with GOd all things are possible.
Thanks again for all your love and support. It is always an encouragement to hear from you. May you know the blessing of God this week.

He is Faithful!

2007-06-14T11:09:00.000-05:00

Last week I had a few really hard days as I was just really lacking patience with Whitney and so hard things were going on with some of the girls from the drop in centre. I just felt so alone and unable to do this work that God was calling me to and I honestly just wanted to quit and go home cause I was just so discouraged. Wednesday night I couldnt go to sleep cause I was crying so much and so I turned on my light and opened my Bible. It opened to Isaiah 43. I love that God leads us to the Words He wants to speak into ourlives when we need him most. Isaiah 43 says

He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel:

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;

the flames will not set you ablaze.
3 For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

This encouraged me so much as God used this passage to speak to me that it doesnt matter if I feel like I am just aimlessly treading water, or being surrounded by the fire of hard times or the world around me is crashing in because God is the GOd of Israel. The same way He was faithful to them and led them through the dessert for 40 years and rescued them from their enemies, GOd will see me through the trials I face. He will never leave me. It is also a word that I got to share with some of our youth on Friday night. I felt a lot of them needed to hear that God is always with them through the hard times of life and they can call out to him anytime.

The second part of the chapter also really encouraged me. It reads

"Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made." Lead out those who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf. "You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.
11 I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior.
12 I have revealed and saved and proclaimed— I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "that I am God. "

Wow! This hit me really hard as I was just so discouraged that I wanted to give up. But when I read this God gently reminded me "No Leanne, you can't give up because you are my witness to these youth that I am the God of the Universe who loves these youth. And only I can be their savior. If you quit on them who will tell them?" However, I didn't just feel like this passage is just for me. I'm going to share it at our staff meeting this weekend because as Christians its all of our responsibility to lead those who are spiritually blind and deaf and lead them to discover the truth of who God is.

So out of such a dark night I closed my Bible and fell asleep with such peace that God is God and He knows all the crap that goes on in the lives of these kids and He has put me in their lives to point them to the one who can give them peace and fulfillment.

God is doing amazing things in the lives of our youth this summer. One new guy, Cory, became a Christian last Tuesday at Gospel Journey. 4 other Joe's Place youth were at church on Sunday. Actually heres another story....Sunday after church our church had a meeting so all of our youth went outside and one of our volunteers and I went out to supervise and make sure they didnt get into any trouble. One of the boys whose graduating this year and has been a Christian now for 3 years was like lets do a Bible study on Ephesians while we wait for the meeting to be over. so we sat around in a circle for an hour Sean taught about Ephesians 1 to our kids with Jenn and I throwing in our two cents every now and then. It was so cool to just sit and look around that circle and think of where these youth have been and where GOd has brought them and think where hes going to continue to lead them. Not all of these youth are CHristians yet but theyre hungry for truth.

I drove one of the new girls who has been coming out lately and actually came to church Sunday. She was just like I love coming to Joes place and hanging out with the staff here. Their faith in God is really inspiring and they seem to have such peace and joy in their lives. Its nice to be around people like that. She's now coming out to the girls hip hop team on Wednesday nights too.

Every Sunday we take the kids who come to church out for lunch at Pizza Hut. God is leading us to start a discipleship group after lunch with our youth who want to grow in their walk with God. Please keep this in your prayers as we get this started. I'm not sure how this is going to unfold but I really believe this is where God is leading so I'm stepping out in faith that GOd will use this and He will equip me to lead it.

Thanks again for all your prayers and support.

I love you all

Leanne

A Glimpse of a Girl

2007-06-04T23:33:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd share with you guys a story of one of the girls I've connected with over the past 3 weeks.

So this past Friday night, Tanya * (a girl who has been coming out to Joe's Place and Bible study [Gospel Journey] the past few weeks, and has pink hair) came and found me on my shift in the smoke pit. She was drunk but the doorkeeer let her in because he could tell she needed to talk to me and she's a pretty stable drunk. She found me and told me how she had a horrible week and how everyone treats her horribly at school because she is different and how Joe's Place is the only place she can find acceptance and love for who she truly is. We don't judge her or treat her differently although she is very different from us. She told me that she had never come to Joe's place before a couple weeks ago becuase she thought it would be the last place she would be accepted because she wasn't a Christian or didn't go to church,but its actually the only place she does feel like she belongs. I got to share with her how Jesus didnt hang out with the religious people of his day but with those who were also rejected and shunned by society. she was so shocked by this and was like "REALLY?" and her eyes just lit up with excitement and hope. I am praying I'll get a chance to share with her more about this when she isn't drunk. Last week we were talking in Gospel Journey about how we always miss the mark when it comes to working our way to God.She was furstrated that she didn't get to hear the rest of the story that night and had to wait an entire week to hear what the next part of the Gospel story is.
God has blessed Tanya with an amazing gift of playing the piano, however can only play whenver she sees a piano because she doesn't have one. The other day a man from a local church in town called joe's place and wanted to donate 2 pianos. we actually dont need any pianos but I asked him if we could give one of the pianos to Tanya. He agreed so this Wednesday we are going to bless her with a piano and deliver it to her house.
God is moving in this young girls heart and is wooing her to himself. Please pray for her heart and mind to be opened to the love, grace, and forgiveness of our Lord. He loves her so much and I can see Him moving in her so much. Please also pray for me to have wisdom and discernment as I minister to her.
Thanks again for all your prayers
Leanne

* Her name has been changed for her privacy.

Learning to Live and Breathe

2007-05-24T10:55:00.000-05:00

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

2007-05-16T23:18:00.000-05:00

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

2007-05-16T17:46:00.000-05:00

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

FREE FALLING

2007-02-28T09:41:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone, Thanks for praying for this weekend. It was definatly the best Youth Quake EVER!!! We had about 55 students come with us to YQ this year and God deifnatly showed up and moved in their lives and also in the lives of us "Super Leaders". The theme was free falling and it was such a sweet picture for me as thats how my life always feels like. I feel like GOd always calls me to take leaps of faith where I feel like I'm free falling but the best part about this kind of free fall is that I'm free falling into the hands of God...and it'll be the best jump of my life.

Sunday night GOd clearly spoke to me and confirmed with me what he's been saying all semester long "Leanne you need to trust me by taking this step of faith in staying moose jaw this summer and living as an incarnate representation of me to the youth of Joe's Place!" This is scary for me to trust God with my summer cause I miss you all in Ontario so much but I know God has amazing plans for me and the youth here in Moose Jaw and I'll be missing out of the amazing plans God has for me if I dont surrender all my desires.

Last night we had a pizza celebration party and gave the students opportunities to share what God did in their lives this weekend. It was so encouraging to hear from their own mouths how God has changed their lives. the continual theme of the weekend was "I was really reluctant about this weekend and I didnt really want to go, but Im now so glad God brought me to Youth Quake because it was the best weekend of my life cause it changed my life!" We had some of our hardest youth share how they've been searching their entire lives trying to fill the void that they feel in their hearts and this weekned they finally realized what is that is missing...and that is the love of God. God is so good. One of our youth and I over weekend were joking around and debating if the word I made up, "awesomer" (which i defined to mean "to be more awesome then awesome".) was a legitimate word and a correct definiton. I hadn't convinced him all weekend as he was determined all weekend to get people to disagree with me. Yesterday when he shared what God had done in his life he was like "in the words of Leanne this weekend was definatly awesomer!". He surrendered his life to God this weekend and is now part of His family!I am so excited to see what God is going to do in his life.

One girl who was in my Quest group last week shared also last night. I was so shocked to see her stand up and walk towards the mic as she is probably one of the girls who has the hardest hard towards Christianity. Last week in Quest she told our group while we were discussing Jesus be the only way to heaven something along the lines as "I think its fine if you want to believe this stuff but i personally think you are all naive and stupid to believe this crap". Yesterday she shared how she didnt want to go to YQ at all but once she got there she was reminded that it is with the people at Joe's Place that she feels the most loved and accepted and belonging. She was sharing how she can tell that her friends who are Christians and have faith in God have this joy and happiness in their lives...and maybe "you guys do have something or know something that I don't". WOW! She hasnt made a commitment yet to God but He is definatly softening her heart and working in her life.

I could write a book with all the things God this weekend in the lives of our youth and in my life. But I wont bore you all. Thank you for praying. On Thursday I asked God to teach me how to pray for our youth and he showed me how to pray and then I watched him throughout the weekend break the chains of bondage in their lives, softened their hearts and unveiled their eyes to His love, grace and mercy. He is sooo good and He loves his children!

I love you guys and please keep praying for me as I continue to minister to these youth and I continue to surrender my will to Gods. I know this summer is going to be different and hard but its going to be sooo good too! I cant wait!

love you all

Leanne

Hitchhikers and Auctions!

2007-02-23T11:11:00.000-06:00

Last week was the best week all semester (didn't get much work done at all but it was definatly worth it). My friend Daniel hitched hiked from Calgary to come visit for a few days which was such a blessing getting to know him better and to have numerous battle ship competetions and just give him a lil taste of what life is like in the big town of Caronport. It was so refreshing just having a friend from Ontario here to talk about life back at home and actually him understand what and who I'm talking about. So fun. These are pics that we took on our photo shoot that didnt last very long cause it was flippin cold. the next day was even colder but I didnt realize it until I got from bite on my ears after only being outside for 15 minutes. You guys can't complain about cold till you've been out here. YIKES:P

On Thursday some of the girls in the highschool who I am freinds with came over for Spagetti and catch phrase. afterwards we wen to a dating auction that a girl i work with at Joe's Place was putting on. It started from her joking that she should auction herself off for a date to the highest bidder and donate the money for kids from Joes Place (drop in center i volunteer at in Moose Jaw)to come to Youth Quake (big youth ralley). SO what started as a joke ended up being the best night of the entire year at Briercrest.(I literally had to massage my face cause it hurt so bad from laughing.).Our goal for the auction was to raise $600 but God blew us away by bring out like probably 1/4 of the school and we ended up raising over $3800.00!!! God is sooo good! I think we are taking something like 70 youth this weekend.

Please pray that GOd would reveal himself to these youth. SO many of them are so hungry for truth. These youth are from such broken homes and have had super hard lives. I am praying that God will reveal to them the hope they can find in Him. Please if you think of praying for our youth and for our leaders this weekend (feb 23-25) I know GOd will bless you for it.

I'm so pumped to see what God is going to do. I know He has a purpose for each of these youth to be here this weekend and I am so excited to see how he is going to move and work in this place.

anywho i have tons of work to do before the youth start showing up so ill catch you all later. i hope your all doing well. I love you all tons

Leanne

Febuary Update

2007-02-12T11:59:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone,
Sorry it has taken so long to update you all on life but its been super busy here the past few weeks and its just going to get busier as we're at the half way mark of the semester.
At the end of January I began going on Tuesday nights to help run QUEST for the youth at joes Place (Quest is a youth outreach video minstry and Joe's Place is the drop in center I volunteer at in Moose Jaw). It has been such a blessing to be apart of this every Tuesday as we have about 40 students come out and eat dinner with us and then we watched the videos that address spritual questions youth have in gender specific small groups. I love the girls in my group and GOd is definatly at work in their lives. If you remember please remember to pray for this ministry as GOd is moving powerfully. Next weekend is a big youth retreat at briercrest called youth quake. a lot of our youth want to go and we are trying to raise up the funds so that they can go free (since many of them cant afford it otherwise). Please pray for God to provide the funds, and most importantly for the hearts of the youth who will be going.
My friend Dan is up visiting right now from Ontario, which has been super nice the past few days to hang out with him as I've been missing home a lot lately and its been so refreshing to have a familar face from home around. Some days its hard being way out here and not knowing when the next time I will be home will be. BUt God is good and he comforts me when Im lonely and reminds me that the reason I'm here is because he has plans for me here for this year.
I gues thats all the exciting news for now....well besides all the crazy gong show stories i have about getting stranded in moose jaw two weekends in a row (once getting a flat tire on the transacanada and 2nd car not starting in boston pizza and needing 3 booster cables attached to each other to boost it.) they're stories I'll have to tell you guys in person cause theyre to long that they wouldnt make sense over a blog.
I love and miss you all a ton
hope your all having a sweet february.
LEANNE

Winter in SK

2007-01-12T13:36:00.000-06:00

Well I'm back from Christmas holidays and it was soo great to be home in Ontario for such a long period of time. I got to see pretty much everyone I planned and wanted to see with even a few exceptions of people I didnt expect to see. It was great.
I was loving the warm weather in Ontario (thanks to global warming) although I truly missed having snow to go toboggoning and having snow ball fights .

Im now back at Briercrest and I can tell Im back in Saskatchewan. As I was sitting here procastinating from reading I thought of you few ways I can tell I'm no longer in Ontario.
#1 when you look outside see you dozens of people sprinting from one building to the next not because they are eager to get to class but because if they don't they'll risk getting frost bite.
#2 I got excited today when I checked the weather network and it said it was only -31 outside with the windehield in comparison to it being -42 yesterday (no joke).
#3 I thought I had just chugged a giant slurpy yesterday on 2 minute walk home from the gym yesterday because my brain went into intense brainfreeze within less than a minute of being outside.
#4 I'm considering developing the discipline of fasting as Im trying to decide if it is really worth going outside after classes and chaple in order to eat lunch and dinner.
#5 My quadmate didnt make it back to school on monday becuase she got stranded in some lil saskatchewan town cause the roads were a complete white out and it wasnt even snowing (the beauty of no trees means crazy snowdrifts).

so yah im back and I love it! crazy eh? Sometimes when I go home I forget why I go to school so far away and then it only takes one day of being back to remember that this is where GOd has called me to be and I love it. I love the community of friends I have in this place and how God meets me here. THis is going to be my best semester yet as far as classes go. Im am soo excited about every class I am taking and I cant wait to see what God is going to teach me this year. Already I am being stretched spiritually, mentally, and physically and I know theres going to be a lot of changes in me this semester. God's warned me its going to be hard but I cant wait.

So much I could say but I really need to get back to reading. But I hope you guys have a great new year and Ill catch you all later
LEANNE

A blender filled with emotions!

2006-12-10T17:12:00.000-06:00

Man, this has been a crazy week. Tuesday my dad called me at school and told me that my memere (grandma in french) was rushed to the hospital and the doctors were deciding if they should do surgery because she was really sick from the chemo treatment that she had done the month before. my dad told me he'd keep me posted but she was probably going to be fine. Wednesday morning he called me at 9 and asked me if i could try and postpone my exams and get to ottawa as soon as i could be because she now wasnt going to make it through the day because she had a blood clot. in an hour half i talked to my dad, talked to my registra had at school about exams, booked a flight to toronto, found a ride to regina and packed my bags and was on the road to the airport by 10:30am. my memere passed away at that time but i didnt know till i got to her apartment around 8 that night. the peace i had over that entire day was amazing and i know it only came from God. typically i know i would have been stressed to the max but by GOds grace he kept me calm even when i got to Toronto and foundout that i didnt have a flght to ottawa and then had to try and purchase one there.
Its been such a mix of emotions for many reasons. i got to see my family sooner than i anticipated which has been such a blessing to be with them during this time. however it has also been hard to be with all the relatives and not have my memere there. this happened so quickly that we are all still in so much shock. there were tiems throughout this week that i have just broken down because it has hit me in the most random places (such as changing rooms in walmart and salvation army (looking for funeral clothes cause i forgot to pakc some), while making pancakes because it remnded me of the out of this world brunches she would make us when I was a kid). as linds and i were talking we realized that we have a lot of peace because we know where my memere is. we know that her hope and trust was in christ and we know that she is with her savior. its been hard this week however because the rest of my dads side of the family do not have that same hope, trust and faith. my dad got to share at the funeral on behalf of the plouffe family and he was able to share the gospel with everyone there because that is where my memere found her hope. please pray for my pepere (grampa)as he is already a very bitter man at God and needs God to reveal himself to him in a supernatural way. already i can see God working in his life as he asked me yesterday to continue to pray for him. this is a miracle in itself that he would ask me to pray to God when he says he doesnt believe there is a god and if there is a god out there he isnt't a loveing GOd. I know all things work together for good to those whose trust is in Christ. i believe GOd will use my memeres passing to draw my relatives to himself. please pray for them and pray for my family as we strive to be faithful in praying for them.
Also if you guys could pray for me as I still have to write my 3 exams this week and I am drained from all these emotions this week. its great to be home but i need to study hard the next few days so i am ready to write my exams.
thanks a lot guys for your prayers. for those of you in ontario drop me a line and let me know when your around so maybe we can catch up. for those of you at school, im sorry i didnt get a chance to say goodbye before i left but as you can see this all happened very quickly. ill see you guys in january. id love to hear from you though.
have a great CHristmas everyone!
love ya lots
Leanne

Birthday, Hippies, Stars and MJ

2006-11-13T21:38:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone, so Im super horrible at keeping up to date with these blogs but I really dont feel like theres ever a whole lot to write about that would be interesting to all of you. But oh well heres letting you know whats been going on out here in the west.
Last weekend was my friend/neighbours 21st birthday so we spent wednesday and thursday night celebrating with her. Wednesday we suprised her by having a bunchof her freinds over for cake and a movie. Thursday night 2 of her freinds on the basketball team and my two roomates and her went out for late dinner at boston pizza. we then drove around moose jaw looking for this mansion that laura saw ONCE. after about half an hour driving around teh entire west end of the city we finally found it. It was crazy beautiful and huge (4 car garage..crazy). Brieta, Dorina and I hid Dani's car on her and Laura while they were in 7/11 getting 5cent candies. That was hilarious watching them from across the street being so confused about where the heck the car was, until some creepy moose jaw guys tried picking them up. we got out of there pretty quickly. we then went back to the dorm and lit off sparklers in the parking lot.
Two Saturdays ago was hippie/disco night at Joe's place. that was super fun as a lot of us staff got dressed up and then we had a tickle trunk full of costumes for the kids to wear if they wanted. we played disco music all ngiht and pretty much danced the entire night. I got to know a few new kids through chatting and convincing them to come onto the dance floor and dance. it was a lot of fun.
This past Saturday Tony (xboyfriend) stopped in to say hi to his friends. That was hard at first because I completely it was so unexpected. BUt I think it ended up being really good for me because I was able to talk to him (small talk only but still it was something since we havent talked really since june)and i think it finally gave me some sense of closure. Last night I God revealed to me somethings about why its been hard to move on and it was really good to recognize them and surrender them to Christ. I am so thankful for the love and grace that God shows me through being so gentle in how he refines into becoming more like the daughter he created me to be.
Well last night I was then journalling about all this and getting ready for bed when Dani came in and we decided we were no longer tired and wanted to go for a walk. so we bundled up and went for a walk around caronport. It was so much fun to walk with her again (we havent since the beginning of the year) and to just tell boy stories and laugh till it hurt. We went to lay in the field after like half an hour cause the stars were amazing and we saw 3 shooting stars. I love the sky here in Saskatchewan cause it is just sooooo huge and beautiful. you should all come out here and visit me just for that.
Speaking of which. You guys can pray for me as I am feeling like God is calling me to stay here in Moose Jaw this summer to work and minister to the youth here (through joes place). This has been something God has been placing my heart all year and its been really hard to die to my own desires of wanting to go home to hali and work for the summer. But God has been teaching me soooo much about trusting him, sacrifice, faith, surrender and so much more. Im really excited to see how God is going to open doors and what he has instore for me here. Although its Moose Jaw Saskatchewan and I feel liek Gods calling me to the dessert, I am really excited to see what God has instore for me here. I know GOd has plans that are way bigger than me and that He will work in my life and the youth in Moose Jaws lives in more ways than I could ever hope or imagine. Please keep me in your prayers.
WEll Im off to help set things up for tomorrows day of prayer. I love and miss you all and ill be coming home in 34 DAYS for Christmas! Cant wait to see a lot of you then.
Take care and Ill see you soon
love ya

Christmas in October?!

2006-10-30T11:45:00.001-06:00

Hey Everyone, I had a great mod week last week. I was taking Career Youth min. I loved it as it was a small class of 17 students and my prof was absolutely amazing. I was really sad when it was over on Friday. My friend Shaina came up for that class and so I got to see her a lot which was super sweet cause I miss her like crazy (she was my quadmate my first year here). We definatly had a great time catching up and laughing and even almost crying sometimes. Saturday I went to my friend and mentor's house to help her set up and decorate her Christmas tree. It was so much fun cause I usually dont get to do that now that Im out at schoool. we put 600 lights on her tree. It looks amazing and definatly bright. It was a little weird settingup the tree when there was no snow outside but it looks like the snows coming and winter is right around the corner.
Last Tuesday I got to share a lil bit of my testimony at Joe's place bible study. some of us girl leaders took a bunch of the girls who dont normally come out for dinner then we went to bible study which was great to see these girls want to come.
Last night was a late night as my roomate and I stayed up talking to 3 am. but it was great! I made smoothies in my blender that I got a garage sale. There was definatly a reason why I only paid like $3 for it. It sounded like I was about to take off in a space shuttle or something. oh well. it was good half an hour later when it was finally done blending all the fruit.
well thats about all that is new in my life. nothing too extraordinary but its great.
i love you guys
LEANNE

I'm Alive!

2006-10-19T10:46:00.000-05:00

So I'm sure if anyone even still checks out my blog you probably all think I've fallen off the planet or something, but don't worry Im not dead! Just busy! Life's been going really great since I last wrote. The month of September crawled by so slowly and I thought this year was never going to end up. but we're now at the half way part which means I get to come home soon!! I miss you all so much, although I am loving it here. I'm only taking 3 classes and a modular so it has been super great being able to have tons of time to get involved in different ministries here and also hang out with friends pretty much whenever they have time. Some of the ministries that I am involved in this year have been Saturday night I go to Joe's Place (which is a youth drop in center for inner city youth of moosejaw). Also on Tuesday nights I go to the Bible study for those youth who want to study and grow closer to God. Wednesday nights my friend Andria and I go into Moose Jaw to join some other Briercrest students and we walk and pray around Moose Jaw for God to break down the walls that are keeping the people there in spiritual bondage. (that has been such a blessing in my life and has brought me into a deeper relationship with Christ this year). Saturday mornings I go to a prayer breakfast at this older mans house across the street for me. THis year God has been teaching me so much about dying to myself and learning how to be disciplined in listening and being still before Him. God is defnatly growing me into a more intimate relationship with him and it is so beautiful. i love it. Last year I was definatly distracted from loving GOd with everything because I was placing Tony (xboyfriend) over the place where God was supposed to be. This has been a hard reality to recognize but God has forgiven me of that idolatry and I am so glad that God is so gentle and gracious in bringing us back to where we need to be with Him.
For Thanksgiving I went to WInnipeg with my friend Mel. I spent Friday night at her house in Marden and then Saturday my friend Lynnette came and picked me up and brought me to her house. It was sooo great to see her again (havent seen her since april 2005). We had so much fun getting lost in farmers fields and going out for Greek food in lil Italy and eating till we were about to burst. So much fun. We cooked our own turkey dinner on our own as her parents are in SOuth Korea teaching English. It was actually one of the best (if not the best) turkey dinners Ive ever had. soo good.
This coming week I am taking a youth ministry modular which I am anticipating should be really great. My friend Shaina is coming up for it and spending a night at my place which will be fun to catch up with her again. I wrote my one and only midterm today which I think hopefully went well.
Anyways thats about all the news in the praries. Nothing too exciting but its all good!! I love it here although I miss home a lot too! 2 months today actually and Ill be home!! WOOHOO!! I hope I get to see most of you when Im back for the few weeks of holidays. anyways i love you all and miss like crazy. ill upload some pics soon.
love ya
LEANNE
ps. i had been hearing a mouse for the past few weeks at times in my kitchen and very few ppl believed me and so we set traps to 'ease' my mind and when i came home from class today i went to throw out some garbage and there was dead herbert in the trap...ya..gross. but at least i know and can prove i wasnt going psycho and hullicinating.we're keeping the trap set so if thers more we'll get rid of them.

A MOMMA UPDATE

2006-09-13T12:41:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone
Sorry for being so bad at updating my blog. I am going to try and update it once a week, but we'll see how that goes...hehe..
Well since I last wrote I have been all over the place. I left on August 21 to go to Cardston Alberta to help my friend Lindsey Kiemele get ready for her wedding. It was a ton of fun hanging out with her family and spending time with the other bridesmaids who were old friends from college.The wedding itself was beautiful and a lot of fun. We danced for hours and it made me miss my time in Hong Kong cause we danced to a lot of the same dances that we taught our campers this summer. The day after the wedding the maid of honour and I (her name is also Lindsey)went on a roadtrip across alberta. We were going to go to Montana but neither of us had been to Jasper or Edmonton so we thought that would be a lot more of an adventure. so sunday night we packed up our things and went to Edmonton and bunked with some other freinds from college. We went to the West Edmonton mall in the morning and survived walking through it without buying a thing(pretty impressive). We then went to Jasper and camped out there for a night. I didnt have a very good night sleep that night because there were elk all around or camp ground that were mating. it was very loud and to say the least very disturbing. The next morning we drove to banff stopping on the way to take pictures and to hike the columbia icefields (aka a glacier). It was a beautiful trip but definatly not long enough. I definatly could go back for a week and enjoy it a lot better.we didnt really have time to stop and enjoy the beauty but the drive was definatly amazing.We went to Calgary and met up with some other old college friends. another friend lindsay (i know i have A LOT of frineds named Lindsay. its soo confusing) and her boyfriend then drove me to Caronport which is where I am going to school. On the way we drove for 3 hours through a lightning storm. it was one of the most remarkable storms ive ever watched as i had a prarie view of the whole things which means the ENTIRE sky would light up from the lightning. It was amazing.
I spent the first week in Caronport at my friends Mel and Joels with their lil 7month old baby kariss. I had so much fun hanging out with them and just relaxing. I've now been in school for a week and adjusting well to being back in dorms. It was hard at first being back because the only girl on my hall i knew was my roomate laura and I just felt like I was back at beinig a freshman. But its going really well. I am making a lot of new friends through the dorm and also by being involved in the drop in center in moosejaw (its called Joes Place). I am really excited about volunteering there and seeing how GOd wants to use me and what he wants to teach me this year.
Im still really missing hong kong. I think about my time there several times a day and it often either brings a kiddish smile to my face or it makes my eyes welled up tears. I miss my friends and my team mates so much and its hard at times being here and not having anyone to understand the experiences i went through this summer. Sigh...its all good though. Im glad I have email and the phone so i can stay in touch with many of them.
anywho I need to go make lunch and then read before class. I hope your all doing well. i love and miss you all tons.
Keep it real
LEANNE

Home Sweet Home

2006-08-12T17:53:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone,

I have been back home in Canada now for about 5 days and its been great. As much as I miss my team and my students it has definatly been a breath of fresh air to be home able to relax and rest.

While I was away my family moved into our new home. It is a beautiful house with so much peace and privacy. I love it there. I spent a few days unpacking and organizing my life but the rest of the week has been full of just sitting outside journalling and thinking over my trip.

Yesterday I saw a few my friends before they left on holidays and my friend Pip and my sister Linds and I had a girls night. It was a ton of fun just going to the carnival and getting cotton candy and going back to the house to look at pictures and eat chocolate fudge cake and watch a movie together.

A few days ago I was journaling about ray boltz song Thankyou and really grasped the one verse that says "one by one they came as far as the eye can see each one saw how touch by your generosity. lilttle things that you had done, sacrifices made, went unoticed on this earth in heaven now proclaimed." I finally think I guys understand what Jesus is talking about when he tells us we will be rewarded in heaven for what we do on earth. i used to often think how that it didnt seem right that we get rewarded for what we do if we're doing it for GOd. but now I get it. the more faithful we are as his children the more reward we will reap at his home because the reward is the lives that are changed. thats the only reward i will need.anything else will never equal as great of a reward. sorry if this has always been black and white for you but i just got the other day and thoguht I'd share my revalation.

anyways i am doing well. Im feeling great and im loving being home. i fly out in 8 days to go back out west. im in a friends wedding then the maid of honour and i are roadtripping it around montana and alberta. its going to be a lot of fun but im sad that my time at home is so short.

oh well im out like a fat kid playing dodgeball.
have a great day everyone
love ya
Leanne

SUMMER!

2006-06-28T20:50:00.000-05:00

Wow! I am so sorry everyone that I have sucked at keeping up this blog. I've had a few of you ask about it and I didnt even realize people were checkng it. Sorry about that.
So this year has been absolutely amazing! It amazes me of how much I have grown and learnt this year, and all because of one step of faith led to another step and brought me to this place. Man, I love that God truly does have amazing plans for our lives that are soo much greater then anything we could ever comprehend and we just need to trust him and walk in faith.
This week has been overwhelming since I have been trying to wrap up everything at work and get packed for school, moving and hong kong. Thankfully I am all packed and am just doing my exit interview tomorrow, getting together with friends,and going to a concert with a bunch of the youth in the evening. It'll be a great last day of work. I'm really excited..although sad that its actually coming to an end. God's been reminding me of something I learnt last summer in Hong Kong which is that my work here was for a season and he is now calling me to another field and I need to trust Him with the fruit of the seeds I have planted. It brings me so much peace knowing that everything Ive done this year was only done through GOds strength and power and that He is an amazing GOd who promises to finish the good work that he has begun.
well if you want to stay updated with my life I have another blog for when I'm in Hong Kong and much more faithful at updating that one. www.eternitymatters.blogspot.com I'd love to hear from you guys. have a great summer

2006-04-18T19:00:00.000-05:00

IT FEEL LIKE SUMMER AND I'M SO HAPPY!!! It's so beautiful out and I just wanted to tell you guys!!! hehe...I even got a tan today! Its only April! Maybe I can go swimming next month! Thatd be sweet!

3 MONTHS HONG KONG HERE I COME

2006-03-30T08:33:00.001-06:00

Tonight I am doing a presentation at my church about my time in Hong Kong last summer. I have broncitus so today I stayed home and read through my journal. It was so much fun reading and remembering all the adventures and stories that happened. I have no idea how Im going to present what GOd did over there in an hour tonight. Honestly last summer was the best 6 weeks of my life and I am soooo excited for this summer to see what GOd has instore for me over there again. THis week $300 of my support has already come in. Its so cool to watch God use other people to be part of such a greater work overseas.

Mirror, Mirror

2006-03-11T10:32:00.000-06:00

Mirror, Mirror

Mirror, Mirror on the wall-
What will he see when he looks at me?

Mirror, Mirror on the wall-
Is he the Superman,
I've been waiting for?
Will he be the one
To see past these walls of insecurity?

Mirror, Mirror on the wall

Do you speak words of truth?
Or are they all just foul lies?
Some days you scream at me
words of disgust, unworthiness and hate.

But then there are other days
When the sun beams through that open bathroom window

And I see a glimpse in the reflection
that whisper words
of beauty, perfection and purity.

Oh God, my Father-
Why must I so often trust the mirror of this world
to reflect the image of my worth?

Oh God, my Father-
Please help me to see that the reflection of my beauty
Comes from the very depths of my heart.

Mirror, Mirror on the wall
Will you one day see the beauty of a girl
Whose heart is not fleeting,
Like the flowers of this imperfect world.

Teenagers are amazing

2006-03-07T11:45:00.000-06:00

This poem is pretty profound. As a youth worker I found it really intriguing to be able to hear from a teenager a glimpse of how they perceieve the world.

Teenagers Are Amazing
By Jamie Haskins

Teenagers are amazing,
I wish the world could see,
just how beautiful we are,
how compassionate we can be.
I wish they could take back,
all the cynical things they've said,
and see how much we shine,
be positive instead.

Remark on our radiant smiles,
and the differences we make,
all of the people our lives have touched,
all of the chances that we take.

Notice how we change,
each and every day,
wanting to leave childhood,
yet desperately wanting to stay.

I wish they could remember,
how tough our lives can be,
the promises that are broken,
the violence that we see.

Yet still we venture onward,
unsure of where the road may lead,
hoping they will take notice,
hoping they'll take heed,
of the changes that we've made,
of the power that we hold,
of the wisdom we have hidden,
of the stories yet untold.

I hope the world will notice,
what some have already seen,
teenagers are amazing people,
striving to follow their dreams.

Its due time for an update

2006-03-01T16:32:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone, Im so sorry that I have been horrible at updating my blog. I doubt any of you even check it anymore but oh well...Things have been going really well lately. I've been connexting with a lot of students in the highschool lately and its been really exciting getting to connect with them more. A couple weekends ago I went to Stoney Creek to visit my adoptive family from Caronport. It was the oldest daughters ninth birthday so I suprised her and had a great night just hanging out with her and her family. It was so great to be with them again.The next day I got the opportunity to go to "Today's Youth Conference" in Oakville. It was such a great conference that helped me put things in perspective with what I do at Lakeside. The things I learnt that Saturday have been so helpful and encouraging over the past 2 weeks.
Last weekend my friend Debra (from my first year at BBC) came up to visit for the weekend. It was soo awesome to hang out with her and for my family to get to know someone who is so dear to me. We drove across Haliburton county looking for something to do Saturday night but we ended up residing to having our own 90's dance party and watching "Hitch". It was definatly a lot of fun.
We got TONS of snow here in Hali...if any of you want some feel free to come take a dump truck loadfull. We have at least 3-4 feet of it and we're supposed to get more this week. Linds and I got nicely stuck on a snowmobile trail last week because the car sunk through like half a foot of ice and snow (it didnt look deep when we drove on it)...oppps...so yah..thats a story in itself...but we got towed out and became the town lunch hour entertainment to some snowmobilers..hehe...anways you would have had to have been there...thats about all that is new with me. I love you all and miss you. Talk to you later

God's ways are NOT our ways!

2006-02-06T14:37:00.000-06:00

This weekend I took 15 highschool students from our youth ministry back to Muskoka Woods for a retreat called Blizzard. We met up with close to 500 other highschool students and leaders for an awesome weekend of connecting and challenge. The speaker this weekend was a man named Collin McKartney. There's so much that God taught me and reminded me through his messages but it'll take too long to explain on here so I won't even begin to try. But I really believed that God met a lot of our students in an amazing way this weekend. There was one girl in our group who God has been drawing to himself for the past 3-4 months now in particular. She is such a sweet girl who was really trying to figure out who God was. Friday night I had a really good talk to with her and then Saturday night she had sooo many questions after the evening session. So during the closing worship session we went into a back room of the gym and she just fired question after question at me for over an hour. We then had to leave because everyone had left and they were locking up the gym. At the end of our talk she knew she wanted to be a Christian but she wasn't sure if she could cause was too afraid to make the committment.
The next day we packed up all of our stuff and were waiting for us bus that was supposed to show up at 1:00. Two and half hours later it still wasn't there and we were still waiting. At 3:30 I arranged for parents to come pick us up since the bus was clearly not coming for us. At first I was really annoyed by the inconvenience of all the hassle of finding an alternative ride home. However at 4:00 when I was finally done making phone calls and arrangements I went into the lounge and Rodger (another leader asked me to come and join his conversation with this girl). Apparently they had been talking for the past 3hours and when I joined them this girl was wanting us to pray with her to make a committment to Christ. It was so awesome because if we hadn't been stranded for those extra hours Rodger wouldn't have had the time to sit with her for 3 hours and answer her questions and help her work through her fears.
It was also really cool how GOd knows exactly what we need in order to draw us to ourselves. Apparently yesteday the chorus to a Kelly Clarkson song kept running through her mind and she really felt that it was a message from GOd to her that this was a step of faith she needed to take. The lyrics that challeged her say this:

I gotta take a risk
Take a chance
Make a change
And breakaway
Out of the darkness and into the sun
But I won't forget the place I come from
I gotta take a risk
Take a chance
Make a change
And breakaway, breakaway, breakaway

It is so cool how God can take a secular artist and use her words to draw a teenage girl into a relationship with Him. This girl was scared of the committment but she knew it was a step she needed to take. During the weekend the speaker kept talking about how we need to breakaway from fear and bondage of this world and she knew the only way to do that was by putting her faith in God....So cool. Our devotions that we read through Saturday morning were from Luke 15.It talks about how God is searching and waiting for those who are lost to come back to him and find him. Saturday night I knew this is what was happening with this girl. God, the good shepherd, was calling her name and Sunday afternoon at 5:10pm she prayed a prayer of forgiveness and surrender to God. The last verse of Luke 15 says "But we have to celebrate and be glad, because this [sister] of yours was dead and is alive again; [she] was lost and is found". God can even use a Kelly Clarkson song and being stranded at Muskoka Woods to draw His children back to Himself. How Great is Awesome is our God.

Some days are rose bushes in desguise...

2006-02-03T12:24:00.000-06:00

So yesterday was one of those days that you just feel like you got runned over by a semi. My sister, Lindsay, and I went to town to get a few groceries and walking across the street I honestly felt like my head was a balloon floating above my body. hehe. anyways...but God is so awesome and He knows exactly what we need when we need it (I decided the best way to describe yesterday was like discovering a beautiful rose in the middle of a thorn bush.)

Rose #1
It was my dads day off yesterday but he was called over to the church (which is across the parking lot from my house) because there was a mother and daughter who really needed to talk to him. A little while later he came over to the house and told me that the girl was my friend Nikki from highschool. So I went over to the church to catch her before they left to go back to Lindsay (a town an hour from me). I met her little 9 month old daughter. She then told me how she has really strayed from God since her mom and her moved from Haliburton. But they just made recommitments to God and she is determined to get her life back on track and raise her daughter knowing God. This honestly was amazing to hear because I knew that she had fallen away from God but had lost touch with her since I went out west for school and never thought I'd run into her again. Her and her mom are going to try and visit once a month which will be so great to be able to connect with her more and watch her grow.

Rose #2
After dinner last night a lady from my church came by with a letter from my good friend Vinceon. Vinceon was a guy who was part of a program called Canada World Youth and lived in my town this fall. We became really good friends and I got to share with him a lot about my faith and challenge him to seek God. He is seeking for purpose but he isn't convinced that God is the only way to find it. So anyways, it was honestly sooo exciting to hear from him cause now he is living in Kenya for 3 months. In his letter he wrote "It is not rare when we speak of you" (we as in his roomate Lekoya who is a Christian from Kenya.). It is my hope and my prayer that when they speak of me that Vinceon is reminded of the things I shared with him about God and that he will soon surrender his life to Him. I know God is pursuing him and I can't wait for the day I can rejoice knowing He is met God.

Rose #3
The last Rose of the day came when I had to go to College and Careers. Like I said earlier I was physically feeling like I got runned over by a semi and I so didn't have the energy to go. However, part of my job at the church is to bring leadership to the group and I knew I had to be there. On my way to pick up a new girl that I met at church Sunday, I was asking God to show me what to propose to the group we do Monday since our curriculm for our Bible study hasn't arrived yet. As I just waited for God he laid it on my heart to spend next Monday in worship and reflection of who He is and what He has done for us and then serve communion. This was exciting that God answered me so quickly, however to be honest I was and still am a little afraid to lead this night. I get so intimidated when leading infront of my peers because I never feel adequate enough to be the one in leadership. However I know this is where God has placed me this year and I'm excited to see God refine me in this. This morning when I woke up my mind was flooding with thoughts and scripture of what I needed to share with my friends in College and Careers. As I journalled it all down this morning I really sensed God just whisper "Trust me Leanne! Don't try and figure and plan it all out. Let my Spirit lead Monday night and just rest as you watch me move." So I'm excited to see what God has instore for C&C monday. God was awesome last night and gave me the energy to get through the entire night which was such a blessing. He also really encouraged me with reminding me that I am in the exact place where He needs me to be. Sometimes I get discouraged with being in Haliburton but yesterday was another great reminder that God is at work in my life and there is no other place I need to be but in His will.

AN INSIDE VIEW OF A TEENAGE HEART!

2006-01-30T09:38:00.000-06:00

The other night I came across a page in my note book where I had drawn a heart and had written a whole bunch of words that had come to mind when I was praying for the teenagers in my town. These words were all things that these youth are in search for. I then wrote words surrounding the heart that came to mind that were things that are below the surface of their heart and are the underlying issues in why these young people are in search for these things. this then broke my heart knowing that there are so many lost and confused young people surrounding me.
Last night TOny and I were talking about this kind of thing, in relation to the youth at Joes place and I made the comment that the kids at Joes place and the kids in my youth group and highschool in Ontario are all in search of the same things. It doesnt matter what their background is or what their situation is. They're all in search for things like Love,Truth, Belonging, etc.
The other day when I discovered this page in my note book I began just fooling around with MS Paintand seeing if I could put my thoughts into an image. Its not a very good image but I think it sort of shows that every young persons heart beats and is broken to feel a lot of these things but underneathe that heart is all these other issues that are burning away. And the number UNO issue that is the cause of it all is the LIES that Satan is feeding our young people! It is no wonder that Jesus says that He is THE TRUTH! It will only be when these youth turn to Jesus and accept Him as the absolute TRUTH that the lies that Satan has kept them in bondage in for so long will finally be able to break free of that and discover God's heart and be able to be refined to a heart that knows the truth!
anyways thats my lil thought for the day. Please PRAY for the young people in your lives and even for your peers who don't know Gods truth and are believing Satans lies. May God give us all courage to speak words of truth and demonstrate Gods love to those who are blinded from it.

Scary stories and pranks DO NOT = sLeEp!!

2006-01-22T19:03:00.000-06:00

What does a 21 year old do on a weekend in the middle of January in the middle of Ontario? Well I don't know about most 21 year olds but I just spent a crazy weekend up at Muskoka Woods Sport Resort with over 500 jr high students!! It was so much fun! I got to hang out with 8 amazing jr high girls!! They're your typical jr high girl so their fave part of the weekend was hanging out and talking and eating candy in the cabin and also stalking boys who they forced me to find out their names. It was almost scary being brought back to my jr high years. Anyways it was an amazing weekend. At first I was a lil nervous about a few of the girls who came because they hate the world and have huge attitude and I had NO idea how I was going to connect with them so Friday night at the first session I just cried out to God to open doors for me to connect with these two girls in particular cause I seriously was scared by them (crazy how two 13 year olds can scare you, eh?). So Friday night we got back to the cabin and the younger girls were all excited to turn off the lights so they could tell scary stories in the bathroom. The two older girls came up to me and were like "when the girls go into the bathroom to tell scary stories can we go outside and bang on the window to scare them? I was cool with that and they ended up wanting me to go with them. So we ended up scary the younger girls way too good (i put one girl on my shoulders so that when we threw snowballs at the window theyd look up and see a hooded face...it was AMAZING!!!) as they didnt fall asleep till like 5 A.M. cause they were scared out of their minds and kept jumping at every shadow and sound for the rest of the evening. But it was worth it all just to be able to connect and gain the respect from these two older girls. The one girl really began to ask questions to me by Saturday night and now we have a relationship to build off of, which is exciting! The Speaker was Phil Cann (he's the guy who does the Quest series) and he was amazing. He's super funny and is able to really make God's word applicable to teenagers! One of the girls surrendered her life to God this weekend, so Im excited to go out with her on Thursday and talk to her about what that means now that she's back home. One of the other girls is really maturing in her faith and it was so encouraging to see how far she has come since the beginning of September. Please keep praying for these kids and for myself and the other leaders as we try to lead them in a closer relationship with Christ.

on a funnier note...my sister Linds and I were having a sister bonding night tonight and she was telling me about her new friend that she bought. It's a grow a geek!

thats right you heard me. you put this lil 2 inch man of plastic in a glass of water and he's supposed to grow 500%. SO linds thought that he was going to grow to be at least to be a foot. I began to visualize this and was picturing this plastic geek growing and breaking the glass because he grew so big. and then while linds was sleeping coming to life and him becoming this monster geek!!! Sort of like a bad 80's horror movie (like gremlins). anyways, so she brought her 'geek' up to show me and honestly I think I might have nightmares tonight about it because he is definaly the scariest looking geek I have ever seen. which reminds me before I go to sleep I need to put him back in her room cause hes sitting on my desk staring at me....*blah*
but ya anyways so thats all the exciting news for today. I tried to draw a MS paint picture of my weekend scaring the girls but I got frustrated with the program and quit. sorry. maybe tony can help me edit my blog or something...oh well. have a great week.

The Road Less Travelled?...

2006-01-17T22:25:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone, welcome to my blog. When I was at Briercrest this past week visiting, several of my friends suggested I keep a blog to keep everyone up to speed with what I'm up to. So I've entitled this blog THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED because it reminds me of a poem I read in like grade 11 by Rober Frost.
I really feel this poem describes the place where Im at right now. I feel like taking a year off of school is something that most college/university students dont do, but I know that this is the right place for me to be right now although it is so hard to be away from friends, Tony (my boyfriend for those of you who miraculously havent heard yet), the Gathering, and school. So ya I just wanted to let you guys know to check my blog on a weekly basis and hopefully I'll be faithful in keeping it updated (if I dont you come hunt me down and send me hate mail...hehe).
I miss you all and I'd love to hear from you guys too so make sure to comment on here or send me emails Email me!
But ya just to update all of you on where Im at if you dont know. I just spent the last 2 1/2 weeks in saskatchewan visiting friends, and taking a modular. It was definatly the best holiday ever cause I got to just spend quality time with friends and God definately taught me a lot through my new relationship with Tony.(For those of you who are like "where did this Tony guy come from"...he is a man of God in whom God has given me as one of my best friends this past year. Everyday God is deeping my love for this man and I am so excited about this new journey that God has led me on with Tony.)
I am now back in Halburton, living with my family and working at the church. I am only working part time which is completely fine with me. my job description is connecting and discipling youth! I am so excited because this is my passion! Last semester was awesome and I can definately see how God has worked the soil for the seeds that He is going to plant this semester. so this semester is filled with two weekend retreats (jr & sr high) small groups, one on one mentorship and connecting, and hosting connecting events. Im so excited. If you think of praying for me and the youth here in Haliubrton that would be amazing! God definately is at work and Im excited to be apart of His plans!
Have a great week friends~