Freyja's First 3 months

I can’t believe how the time has flown since I first got to Haliburton and started this internship. During my first month I began reestablishing old relationships on the streets and making a bunch of new ones by hanging out at the bridge swimming. A couple of times I brought out chalk, bubbles and face paint and the kids just went nuts having a blast! We wrote on the ground with chalk, “What is your GREAT JOY?” and anyone who walked through the park could write their answers or draw a picture or just think about it if that’s all they felt comfortable with. The local kids started offering to do face paint for other people. They weren't to bad either, we had a couple of legitimate looking spider men running around. A few people gave us some loose change and some gave cash. The kids decided that they wanted to donate the money to me so that I could stay and keep doing stuff like that with them. With tears in my eyes I learnt to receive that gift and wonder, how is it that hungry kids understand what it is to give and share in a community. 

The point of bubbles and chalk was not to get money or be attention seeking. The point was to provided an opportunity for kids to just be kids and invite them to think about what really brings them joy, and then to inspire them to discover that more. It helped me get to know each of them a little bit more as well, that I might know how to reach them in their unique way. One girl told me about her passion to draw, she also told me about the drugs she does to ease her pain from home. Another kid told me he loves to sing and he has stuff on youtube but he’s embarrassed because kids at school have laughed at him before. So we sang together J. Some girls wrote down boys names, others drew pictures of flowers and butterflies. The boys drew pictures of skate boarding and DC and volcome symbols. For a lot of the kids though, their “GREAT JOY” was jumping off the bridge and swimming and/or skateboarding and bike riding. I couldn’t help but wonder, what if they had more opportunity?  Ever since then I have been brain storming ideas and the kids keep giving me so much inspiration, however I keep coming up against obstacles like insurance complications, need of waivers, lack of transportation and information. I’m still making my way around the town and slowly but surly learning some creative ways to get around some complications. Its just going to take more time and that in and of its self is frustrating because this season is nearly done and some awesome skate boarding adventure or cliff jumping or camping excursion isn’t going to happen till next summer now. Some of you are probably wondering what does skateboarding of cliff jumping have to do with teaching kids about the love of God… hahah its about reaching them where they are at and connecting with them but its also about, teaching them the heart of God and his desire to bring them joy. He created cliffs with adventure in mind and there is something wild and adventurous at the heart of God that he also placed in each of us when he made us in his imagine. How long have you been waiting to have permission to be wild? Its in your nature!(check out the book Wild at Heart by John Eldredge). By taking them on adventures we would be letting them tap in and discover their strengths and passions in a healthy way. You might say “but it's not safe”. I’ll tell ya what… it’s a lot safer than the drugs being done on the streets of Haliburton. The reality is these kids are board and don’t know what to do, and they don’t have many, if any examples of people in their life to teach them that they have INCREDIBLE potential and there is a whole world out there to discover that isn’t all dark. These kids are resilient, strong and desperately in need of healthy options and alternatives to the unhealthy examples in their lives.

As I transitioned into my second month in Haliburton, I helped our summer intern Sarah at the day camps she organized. We had a bunch of awesome adventures during sport and water week, and got creative during art week. But beyond any activity we did my highlights were the conversations some of the kids and I had. The girls and I talked about weddings and dreams, which lead to talking about relationships and purity and I got to share with them my adventure in discovering what it is to be in a Godly relationship since God has recently placed wonderful guy in my life, Jalen. The boys and I talked about BMX and skateboarding and watched videos of Jalen biking. They were so inspired and want to meet him so bad. The kids decided then that they want us to run some BMX skateboarding work shops and stuff so they can learn to do tricks like him J One of my favorite conversations during camp though was with this one kids who I had got to know extremely well over the summer hanging out at the bridge. He was telling me about his plan to join the arm one day. I challenged him and asked him why. He told me how he wants to defend his country and make sure that things like what Hitler did won't happen again. We talked about how that is an admirable reason, but why do we think that fighting justice with violence is the right thing? We talked about the hypocrisy in holding a gun and bible in the same hand and if that’s the way we think is right, then, we have no hope… "An eye for and eye makes the whole world blind". We talked about the tough tension and the need for the arm and everything but we wrestled through a lot of things and decided there has to be another way or we have no hope. He asked me what I do… I quoted Jesus and said LOVE! “love the Lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.” We talked about what that meant and looked like practically in every day life. That brought us to Mother Teresa’s quote “Following Jesus is SIMPLE but NOT EASY. LOVE until it hurts and then LOVE SOME MORE!”

My third month has been equally as interesting and challenging. I didn’t mention it above but after spending so much time with these kids I have observed the lack of food they eat. And many of them have opened up to me about why they don’t have food. In an attempt to approach this I went to an organization in town to see if we could partner together as the body of Christ to meet the needs of this community. At first I had a very encouraging response but as the idea was brought further up their board it was crashed down due to a difference in doctrine. AHHHH… your telling me because of a difference in our doctrine, we are not going to be the body of Christ and feed these hungry kids? WHERE IS THE CHURCH???? Someone tell me!!! If you are reading this and you are part of a church let me challenge you… are your church doors open? Are your fridges full of food? What about your homes? Are you hospitable to your friends? When was the last time you feed a stranger whose hungry? When was the last time someone who was hungry had the confidence in your church or in you, to come to your doors and know that you would feed them. The organization I approached said "we can't create an expectation" Again I say… WHERE IS THE CHURCH??? did you know Jesus instructed the church to be hospitable and to feed the hungry and any one who is hungry should expect to be feed at the church! being hospitable causes us to be in community which we are meant to be in. we are meant to be dependent on each other so why shouldn't the hungry expect to be feed by the church? The church is not just a building, its YOU! 

Brennan Manning says “The greatest single cause of atheism is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door and deny him with their lifestyle. That is what and unbelieving world simple finds unbelievable.”

I say these things not to attack you or the organization i approached, because I know they are doing some good stuff, I say this stuff out of the same heart of Paul when he was writing from prison urging you to “live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient bearing with one another in LOVE. Make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bong of peace. There is one body and one spirit – just as you were called to one hope when you were called – one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Eph 4:1-6)

Bellow is a prayer request list. I want to encourage you to read through them and pick one or two to pray about for a month and put in action (if applicable). If there is a specific prayer request I have put on there that you feel you might be able to do something about I urge you to contact me at Freyja@youthunlimitedkaw.ca

Prayer Request

-                 Pray that the Church would rise up and we would find creative ways to legally meet the hungry needs of this community.

-                Pray that, beyond any activity or camp or anything we do, these kids would know of the deep love God has for them through the love we pour out to them.

-                Pray against fear, that we would have the strength and courage to love with out agenda, the way we are called to; following the example of Jesus who risked everything and even died on a cross.

-                Thank God for his faithfulness in providing for me. Keep praying that the finances would continue coming in so that I might stay here for the full year. So far it has been coming in slowly, month by month. Pray that I would keep trusting and have the courage to be proactive in seeking support. Seeking financial assistance is one of my biggest weaknesses and struggles in this position.

-                Pray for the garage sale Im doing on Sept 3rd and 4th to raise funds. (it is at 36 skyline park Rd from 10am-5pm both days)

-                As the season changes and it gets colder, my living arrangement is becoming less suitable and I am in need of a new space.

-                Also as the season changes I am learning the need of having a vehicle to be effective in my position. I’m praying for something simple and practical like a Rav4 or ford explorer or something like that. It just needs to be fuel efficient(ish) and practical for hauling kids and supplies around. Preferably something we could fit something as big as a bike in the back. I only need a vehicle for the year that I am here so if there is anyone who has one they are will to rent or donate to me that would be amazing! if not i am looking for something bellow $2000 that will be reliable for the year and can go long distances. I intend for the vehicle to be used for community purposes and getting to the city occasionally to speak in churches, meet with supporters, mentors and my advocacy team.

-                Pray for our Youth Event this Friday night (Aug 26^th). It starts at 7pm. And afterwards our brother in Christ David Wightman is getting baptized! J Pray that all hearts would be softened, eyes would be opened, ears would be unplugged to hear, see and know the Love of God. And that people would receive Christ into their lives understanding that it's not about getting your life in order to meet God but allowing God to enter their lives and begin transforming them and bring them into his purpose.

-                Pray for healing and unity in churches that there would be no need for organizations like Youth Unlimited or food banks because the Church would be doing those things naturally, functioning the way they are called too. 

Freyja's Amsterdam experience (article found in The Crown)

I first fell in love with the city when we arrived at Amsterdam’s Central Station and was flabbergasted at every street, post and three story parking lot consumed with bikes. People call Amsterdam ‘Sin City’ but I saw a city structured the way I think God intended cities to be structured. Each morning Aleke Dekker gave a message focused on the importance of being present. The world and the Christian bubble are not meant to be as separate as we associate them to be, they are right beside each other, and as Christians we ought to be walking that narrow road between the two were we drink and are filled by the spirit on one side and spill out his love on the other. I was most encouraged during our last hour of being present in Sin City when a complete stranger walked up to us in the train station and ask “is this the prayer circle for the morning?”. We didn’t know what he was talking about or why he would ask that but we answered “umm…it can be”. He began to tell us about his life and eventually we asked if we could pray for him. He answered with tears streaming down his face “Yes! That’s why I came here”. So, BE PRESENT in the world! No strings attached, no agenda, just be there. If you are truly a lover of God and his people they will recognize you. 

http://youtu.be/Pxf4aSWNd1c

Freyja's internet edited testimony

I was born and raised in Sydney Australia with Canadian parents who always loved, supported, disciplined and encouraged me. However, it was my Gramma on my Mum's side who first planted the seeds of God's word in my heart. That word was watered when I was 10 and went to Camp Kedron. Between the ages of 10 and 15 I found myself switching off and on in my relationship with God depending on how long it had been since I was at camp. When I was 15 a guy came and spoke about being a "Camp Christian", I realized that’s what I was and not what I wanted to be. At this point I was truly growing in my faith and learning to live it out in my daily life. Then my family decided to pack up and move to Haliburton Ontario for 8 months. Haliburton is where my Mum grew up and where her parents live. I was enrolled to start year (grade) 10 in January and experience my first Canadian winter with new peers. Attending school in Canada opened my eyes to the reality of  “clicks” I had only been exposed to when watching the movie “Mean Girls”. I made a lot of "friends" really quickly but I put my faith, friendships and life in Australia on hold.

Even though I was having a lot of fun and there were many amazing experiences I was having in Canada, I became extremely frustrated with the little physically activity offered in winter for a girl who grew up playing outdoor competitive sports with no snow. So, I was extremely looking forward to summer! However, God decided to mess up my plans a bit. The first day of summer I had an ATV accident where the doctors thought they would have to amputate my foot. While they put me in for an x-ray my Gramma took my mum in the waiting room and prayed. When the doctors came back with the x-ray all they could really say was "we don’t know how to explain this because we can visually see your foot hanging by threads, but the x-ray shows you missed all your bones and tendons so we are just going to sew you together with 40 something stitches." The following Sunday my Dad said I had to come to church. I kept saying “No”, Partly because usually I was the one telling my parents to come to church, but also because I was in too much pain, I couldn’t shower and I was angry with God. My Dad said, "Come, there is someone you need to thank." I didn’t know who he was talking about. He said, "You need to thank the man up stairs". That’s when I realized, my Dad saw the blessing in the fact that I still had a foot rather than the fact I was injured and couldn’t do anything, and as angry as I was, this finally caused Dad to cling to my faith more strongly than I was.

After summer my family and I traveled for another month before we returned to my home, Australia. When we got home it hit me pretty quickly that things hadn't paused like I pictured in my head. People had grown and changed from innocent 15 year olds to party head 16 year olds. Desiring to follow Christ and be a witness in my family and among friends I was still wobbly in my faith. Emotional and finical stress levels rose for everyone in our house and we all wanted to come back to the “simple life” in Haliburton. My first few weeks of being home I ended up in another relationship and went back to camp were I re-met my best friend Jeannice and her family who began teaching me about purity and bringing ALL areas of my life under God authority. I went home that weekend and broke up with my boyfriend and knew that it was part of the ‘No Turning Back’ point in my relationship with Christ. Since then I have continued to deepen my dependency and relationship with God as my family has been through excruciating pains and great joys! I have found amazing comfort in Romans 5:1-5 “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” My family is still going through great trials right now but I rejoice knowing that through it all, many have come to Christ, including my parents.

When I finished my last two years at high school in Australia  I thought I would go to hungry for two years attending Calvery Chaple Bible College. However, again God threw a spanner in the works last minute and I ended up in Kelowna BC, Canada working as a nanny for a family with 6 kids, all under the age of 6, two sets of twins (the last set I was present for the birth). My first two months I began learning a lot about how to take loneliness in the right spirit, I learnt to step out even more boldly and fight for justice and I spend a lot of time climbing up and down a mountain to get any where. Eventually I got sick of that and I started hitch hiking. My third month I took a few days off after being over worked and I traveled North where I met another Australian girl who lived in the Kelowna International Hostel down town. I ended up making many fellow traveling friends who are all on a search for something in their life, so most conversations lead to Christ when ever they asked me about my life and I got the honor of hearing about theirs also. One of my most encouraging moments there was when a group of people and I was talking to, began telling me that in the past they have been greatly hurt by bible bashing, hypocritical and judgmental Christians but I wasn’t a bible basher, hypocrite or judgmental and that was proven to them by the fact that I was just there hanging out with them all the time and I didn’t relent in just loving on them. A number of people heard, saw and received the love of Christ in that following 7 months and all I can do when I reflect on that year is say it was all Jesus because I had no idea what I was doing!

During all of my work and traveling I had applied and been accepted to Redeemer University College where I started studying social work and missions/ministry in September 2009. In my first year God partnered me with a dear friend who was lead with me to start a small group, while also placing me on the Church in the Box worship team as a vocalist, and got me plugged into the development of a new ministry on campus (Intimate) that set out to love God and love people by singing praise, learning how to hear his voice and speak words of encouragement over people and pray with them where ever when ever! I was placed in a history class with Dr David Zeitsma who God used to continue breaking my heart for what breaks his and left me in tears every day as I realized more and more why God had placed certain convictions on my heart that have directed simple things I do in my life as well as constantly reminding me never to grow numb to the groanings and injustices in the world. With this knowledge and Jesus’ love and grace I am compelled to do something! I can’t sit comfortably ever again!

That summer I went to Nicaragua with a team from uni and then hesitantly returned to Haliburton where I re-met up with my family who over my journeying time, had made their own journey in moving back to town. The first two months where a very difficult time for us all as we were all dealing with different transition adjustments, broken hearts and in need of deep healing and forgiveness. After the first two months I took a few days to visit some friends in the city in search of my joy that I had lost somewhere. After some good talks and many tears with close friends we took some time to randomly go swimming in lake Ontario with all our cloths on. Laughing hysterically for the first time in months I remembered that one of my greatest joys is jumping in random bodies of water. So when I went back to Haliburton I began baby sitting kids and taking them to the bridge and rope swing in town to share my joy with them. after hanging out there for a while I became quite close with a few of the local kids who began really opening up to me about their home lives and the reality of drugs and abuse behind closed doors. My heart would break as I watched them be innocent kids for a few hours each day, swimming and playing soccer or doing what ever we were doing, knowing that at the end of that day they where going back into their lives where being innocent doesn’t exists.

When I returned to Redeemer for my second year I began as a Resident Advisor with a dorm of 7 amazing first year girls, whose parents where brave to leave them in my hands J God moved in so many ways that year as we all grew in faith going through a plethora of spiritual warfare. We consistently learnt to live out a life of love and unity by practicing our theme passage Colossians 3:12-14 that we returned to frequently. During March God lead me to Amsterdam with a group of peers for a service learning trip. I have posted an article I wrote about that trip on this page you can take a peek at if you like. But in summary, I was reminded of the importance of being present so that God could use me. Through a lot of prayer and digging through Gods word while in Amsterdam I wrestled with him to the conclusion that I ought to go to Haliburton. Kevin Makins from Eucharist Church in down town Hamilton also gave a sermon “Setting the Table: I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” that was instrumental in me being here I hope you will take a listen to and join me and so many others in applying it to your life in a very practical way. http://mediafirm.ca/eucharist//podcast/settingthetable/2011.01.30.mp3 (if that doesn’t work go to http://eucharistsermons.tumblr.com/page/3 and search the title of the sermon)

I hope you have been blessed by this testimony and understand that there is lost more that God has done that I wish I could share here, but I cant. If you ever have any questions or would like to talk to me more in person about any chapter of my life please feel free and confident to ask me! I would love to meet with you! If you are from a church and would like me to come speak about something specific to your Church or youth group or anyone please get in contact with me and we can arrange a date for me to come visit.

Thank you for your interest in what God has done in my life and hope that you will take to heart some of the things he has taught me and learn from them your selves. Further more apply them practically in your life.

If you would like to help support me go to http://www.youthunlimitedkaw.com/donate/ and click on the “Donate” button. Fill in the information and write in the “message” section instructions to be sent to Freyja MacDonald”. Then, be blessed my friends! And Thank you so much !