Opportunities

The building I work in is behind the security fence for G20, so we have been busy this week, starting work early and going home as soon as all the work is done.

Starting at 6:30 instead of 7:30 means waking up at 5:15 to catch a bus at 5:40 - after six working days of this schedule, my body is repaying me with achy muscles and a summer cold. I can't believe it will feel almost like sleeping in to wake up at 6am tomorrow!

There is a bright side to this trauma of waking up before the sun, however. Three mornings I've taken the elevator with a woman who lives on my floor - Elizabeth. I might not have met her if not for waking up so early, and this morning I even saw which apartment is hers, so I can leave her a note or a card to invite her over for tea or something.

This morning I also happened to take the bus with a woman whose daughter comes to youth group. We just met for the first time Friday night, so it was great to sit together and chat this morning - I am thankful for these opportunities I've had, and thankful that God has helped me recognize them!

Matt and I were accepted as members at Agincourt this Sunday, and each new member was given a verse. Mine was Colossians 3:16-17, so I wrote out part of it and taped it to my computer at work. It says:

"Let the message of Christ, in all its richness, fill your life... Whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father."

This is something I want to live up to, even though I definitely don't manage it most days, so it was a great verse to be reminded of, and I wanted to share it :)

Hope

This week I read a book called Total Abandon, the true story of a missionary woman who was martyred in Lebanon in 2002, written by her husband. It was very sad, but also hopeful, and I was struck by this passage about their ministry:

"We shared the message of Jesus-the same message that compels Christians to go to the refugee camps to the street kids, and to the prostitutes of the world-not to convert them to some boring "religion," but to give them hope."

That perspective on evangelism eases the pressure and tension I sometimes feel about opportunities to witness - I pray that I can live in a way that witnesses to my hope in Jesus, that it prompts questions in people's minds, and then when the opportunity arises I can articulate that hope and share my testimony.

A Fly in the Ointment

Matt and I had a fantastic vacation in Victoria and just got back last night. We had great flights, watched the Book of Eli on the plane, and managed to get home around midnight.

After church this morning and an afternoon nap, I started making a grocery list so Matt and I could have sustenance this week, since we tried to leave as bare of cupboards as possible before our trip. I forget now what I was looking for - garlic or peanut butter or something - when I looked in the pantry under our kitchen counter and realized there was debris all over everything. "What would cause that?" I thought, then it hit me. Rodents. Poop. The debris was poop (not the word I used to describe it to Matt, who was in the living room, because when it's in your cupboards, in your home, "poop" doesn't quite capture the essence of those little brown pieces). Mice had a house party in our cupboard while we were away, probably drunk on cornmeal, eating and pooping, smoking cigarettes and listening to mouse rap at top volume.

Matt and I made a second list - things to buy at Walmart, including gloves and masks, poison, and air-tight plastic tubs. We bought what we needed (including groceries!) and came home to wage war - emptying our cupboards into our dining room, sorting contaminated food from what was still good, and bleaching the smell out of our pantry.

Matt's going to call the super tomorrow and see what he says. I am hopeful that the problem is just that our kitchen is adjacent to the stairwell, we were gone for a week and a half, and we were noobs to put food in that pantry that wasn't gnaw-proof. I have high hopes that bleach and lack of anything to eat whatsoever will resolve the rodent issue. We also have a trap set and some poison. Matt might buy concrete later this week to close up their hole. Nimoy is staying with our friend for an extra night.

It's okay so far - we'll see how things go over the next couple of days and how Matt and I both hold up in our re-chaotic apartment, but for now I feel two notches tougher and just pray it's not a long-term situation.

Pray!!!

Moving In

There was a presentation by a ministry called MoveIn at church on Sunday – they are a group of Christians who move into high-risk/high-need neighbourhoods and commit to pray, then see what God does. I have read a number of articles about this ministry over the months before our move, and it has been a strong influence to be intentional neighbours – to pray for people in our building especially and be open to starting conversations or extending invitations over or receiving hospitality.

So far we have met some really nice people in passing – people holding a door or elevator for us when we had arms full of boxes, having friendly chats in the elevator, or asking what our funny-looking dog is named. On the weekend, the lawn behind our building was covered with people – it looked like a big barbeque on Saturday, and a cricket game on Sunday. I feel a lot of anticipation because there seems to be general openness to community in our building, so hopefully Matt and I are able to keep making connections, praying, and seeing what God does!