Higher Obedience

Hi there.

If you took the time to check this blog, it’s probably because you were looking for something to do, felt a bit bored or wanted to check up on what was going on for me this week. Well could you take the time that you set apart for the reading of this blog to pray for me, right now? Oh, I’ll tell you why.

I’ll be working for my mom and her boyfriend from Monday night to Thursday night this week. It means that I will be with them and live with them for three full days. They are not Christians and I quickly get fed up with their lifestyle. I don’t think that my mom’s boyfriend really knows what I believe, he simply knows that my sisters and I and our families, go to church, are pastors or such. I’d like to be able to talk to him about what I believe and know what he believes. But I am no good at arguing any case. I am weak in speech and my mom’s boyfriend enjoys arguing and I’ve never seen him change his mind or even be influenced to change his mind by what someone would say. I just feel that talking to him about Jesus would be useless since I wouldn’t have anything very convincing to say and he’d have all kinds of stuff to attack me. It’s not that I care so much about his opinion of me, but I don’t want Christ to look weak and a nonsense because of me. I know that sometimes it’s the way it is, no matter the words Christians say, unbelievers can still look down on them and their God. So I’m not sure. Sometimes I feel that my mom and her boyfriend need words of truth, not just the presence of godly people around them. I often feel powerless.

Pray that I will not simply be a nice person to their eyes, like every other nice person they know. Pray that I will humbly live the life that Christ calls me to live, that I will pray for them and that they will see Christ as real, alive and powerful in my life. That I would be a follower of Christ and that it’d be obvious to their eyes.

I thank you for taking the time to pray for me right now.

As you know, I’ve been teaching ESL classes to a bunch of happy ladies from the Middle East. I don’t know why exactly, but they like me a lot. Tonight was just the second class I was giving and they told me very bluntly, “You’re going to teach us more English after June” I felt as if they were saying that they wanted me to teach them during the summer, but they were talking about the fall and they had appointed me as their teacher. I wonder if they’ll keep their excitement throughout the spring and that they’ll want me to teach them more in the fall. I don’t even know if I’ll be asked to teach more or if I’d do it, but anyways, that was not the point of my post.

So those ladies like me a lot and they’re really friendly. When they got to the church (where we have our classes) a lady kissed a friend’s cheeks and then another, so we went around saying hi and greeting eachother with kisses. You Anglos reading this blog may not be accustomed to this practice, but we Frenchies casually greet people with two kisses on the cheeks. So for me it was just the normal greeting, just with people I didn’t really know. One lady gave me two kisses on the cheeks. I said hi to another and gave her two kisses… BUT to my surprise, she gave me a THIRD one. Ok Ok. No big deal. Then I moved to another lady and I gave her two kisses, she gave me a third (I thought, “Oh right, this one is from Lebanon or … so three kisses) BUT she added a FOURTH one and told me she was from… Algeria or some other places and there they give four not three or two kisses on the cheeks. We had a lot of fun just talking about that. I was saying that now I did not only need to remember their names (which is already hard since they’re different from what I’m used to), but I needed to remember where this one and that one lady came from so I would know how many kisses to give her. Crazy crazy.

I introduced them to the “Canadian A” well, it was not included in my lesson, but I happened to use it, so I explained to them what it was and how we had the sort of the same “A” in French (en) at the end of our sentences. I told them that they should not try to use it though. I guess that the fact that I used the equivalent Canadian A (maybe we could call it “Le EN Québécois) all my life and the fact that I spent two years of my life in Saskatchhewan sort of… “pre-disposed” me to the use of the Canadian A.

So that’s about it for my ESL class tonight.

I’ve been writing here quite a bit these last days. Probably because I’m in a new season of life and things change and new stuff happen. Well, I am teaching an ESL adult class twice a week until the end of June. We’re about 10 people, all the ladies’ mother tongue (L1!) is Arabic. So it’s kind of neat, I don’t have to spend much time at all teaching them about the “th” sound and how to pronounce it since this phoneme (or sound?) is part of their sound inventory in Arabic, isn’t that nice? Frenchies have a big problem with the “th” sound. These ladies seem to like me a lot and I do to!

Today I’ve been working on our next class. Especially on the homework I’m giving them. They asked me if they could have homework… These people are obviously not teenagers! I didn’t think it would be such a … pain to create homework, but it is. You don’t want to bore them with drills, but since I don’t want them (drills) in my classroom, but still believe they’re important, I need them in the homework I give. I need to be careful that it’s not beyond their capacity, but that can still challenge them a bit, and even those who are a bit better than the rest of the group too. … If you’d be one of my teachers at university you’d be interested in what I’ve been writing, but you’re not so I’ll change to something else…

You know the song “Jesus, all for Jesus” (or whatever it’s called)? I was listening to it some days ago and I realized again that “all I am and have and ever hope to be, all of my ambitions, hopes and plans” it’s all for Jesus. So when I teach those ESL classes, I do it for Christ. How am I to do that? I’m not exactly sure (and if you have ideas, let me know), but I think that I should bear in mind that this is for Jesus and that what is most important is to make Him known, to bring glory to His name. It’s kind of sketchy since I’m a Christian and those ladies are probably all Muslims. I’m not saying that I am going to teach them ESL using Bible verses as examples and etc.! I’m just saying that my attitude should be the same as Jesus and I should take up every opportunity to make God look great. I’m glad I’m not teaching for the sake of teaching ESL or for the sake of money. I’m teaching for God’s sake… hopefully.

So this is pretty exciting! My two friends and I hve been lookinf around and checkin out many appartments and it’s been heavy on our minds to find the right one. It’s just crazy how appartments are taken away SO quickly (comme des p’tits pains chauds – as we say in French “As small warm buns”). So after several weeks or research we finally found it. My friends checked it out during the weekend and we went back tonight together and yes we got it.

It’s not an area of Montreal that I know very much, but just walking outside and seeing the shops and etc. made me feel at home somehow. It’s a nice part of the island and it’s so quiet. The appartment is alright and very cheap, we’ll enjoy living there. We can move in at the end of June probably. We’re all looking forward to move in! Thinking about all kinds of fun details like painting our walls, which room will be mine and hers and hers… It’s really neat.

Thanks for your prayers. I’ve got an other prayer about that though. I’ll be able to stay at my grandparents’ place until May 31st, after that, other people are moving in since my grandparents sold their building. I need to find a place to live until I can move into our appartment. Somewhere on the Island. Please pray for that.

Thanks! A new adventure’s starting!

The map (this is the island of Montreal), in RED is where I am living right now and in YELLOW is where I’m moving to. It’s a 12 minute metro ride from my university, not too bad eh?

Yesterday was our last bible study. It was so nice outside that we took our McDonald’s breakfast out and sat in the grass of a squirel-filled park. We did a recap. of what we had seen this semester as we studied the book of Ephesians. I learned in a very concrete way that I am not a concrete girl in many ways. My friends could tell what they learned and stuff but I could hardly pinpoint anything concrete. I know I’ve been learning or realizing things, but nothing really new to me. I need instead to put into practice what I already know. But anyways, here’s something that made me think a bit yesterday.

I know that something I’ve noticed is that prayer is something that must be taken and done seriously. I feel like we’re playing with this weapon/strategies sometimes. It is so easy to fall into the routine of praying for this and that and be done. It’s so easy to pray without thinking about what we say either, not realizing that we’re talking to God, the creator of our souls. Praying can often be words that I pronounce to myself. But where’s the respect, awe, seriousness that should be part of all my prayers? I’m not saying that we should always be face to the ground and filled with awe. But if most of my prayers are routine-like, without real realization that I am talking to God, yes God, then there’s some seriousness lacking I think. I am told that seriousness in prayer can make big differences in our lives.

I don’t like doing things I don’t like to do. I don’t like saying “no” to my desires and do things in a different way, a way that I don’t like so much, putting aside my own will. God asks me to do that all the time almost and I don’t like that. Sometimes I feel that I’m just a big nerd or so boring because I say “no” to what my sinful nature wants or what the world thinks I should be doing or saying or whatnot. Some parts of life, oh yes, can seem to be boring for a Christian who simply wants to follow in the footsteps of Christ. We all know that we, as Christians, are called to obey God and stive to become like Jesus, putting on the armour He’s providing us with. It’s sometimes heavy to carry and we might look funny in the eyes of those who are in the world, but we keep up the good labour.

A passage that encourages me a lot is found in Isaiah 56:3-7. I won’t write it here, but it’s about the foreigner and the eunuch complaining that they won’t be received by God (foreigner) and that they’re just a dry trees (eunuch). But God tells them that no matter who they are and their reputation here on earth, if they keep His sabbaths, choose what pelases Him, hold fast to His covenant, God will reward them and give them much more than they could have hoped for. To the eunuch in particular God promises “a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters … an everlasting name” within His temple and its walls.

Obeying God in spite of the difficulties and what our sinful nature tells us and discourages us with, is worth it. We ought to be serious in our walk with Jesus and be ready to pay the cost God calls us to pay. It’s all about His glory.

Well I was with my sister this weekend and she told me I hadn’t put up pictures of their wedding on my blog. So I chose from the digital pictures I was given… I know, the person who’ll enjoy this post the most is obviously my sister. The wedding was on March 24, so just four weeks ago, enjoy the few pictures (I love you guys! Co, té mieux d’me dire merci!)

Here’s Corinne, Dustin and Dustin’s dad

This is Corinne and Dustin

And here’s a family picture

I’m really feeling strange tonight as if things are not right, I don’t know why. I just came back from my last class and now I can say that I am done my first year at university… although there’s an assignment I need to print out and hand in by next Thursday, I am done. It kinda feels neat to put all my textbooks and novels and notes away in a box. It’s kinda strange to leave our teachers behind. I don’t know how much they actually cared for us (for some it was obvious), but I don’t know, we’ve spent dozens and dozens of hours with each of them and we just leave saying “Have a good summer”. I don’t know. I’m going to university to become a teacher and as a teacher, I am sure it would make my day to have my students thank me for the work I’ve put in and the care I’ve had. I really want to thank all of the people who kept praying for me and university this year. It is amazing how God has blessed me and has granted me success wherever I walked. Yes it was tough at times, but never too tough and overall, I feel that everything has been easier for me than most my schoolmates. Not that I’ve had better marks (my marks are ok), but I don’t know, I did not stress as much over things and I believe that I was pretty wise with my time too. God was with me for sure, so thank you for praying… and remember, there is still three more years for me to go through!

When I think of last year and the thoughts I had in April… I was really starting this “journey of faith” as I liked to call it (and still do). I was pretty sure I was going to move with some good friends when God told me “Hey, look, there IS a possibility for you to start university… I know it was likely that you would not be accepted since you’d been refused everywhere else, but…” I did not have a “For sure it’ll work” so I was torn between the safe and the unsafe. It was either one or the other. I chose to go God’s way and… here I am, a year later, living downtown Montreal with a year of university in my back pocket. Not living with friends, but… oh well. I’ve made new friends and will make new ones for sure.

Now I’m looking for a job! Please pray for that. I think I’d really enjoy working at La Ronde!!! (BIG amusement park). I’ll see. Pray for an appartement as well. We’re looking, but nothing really works so far. Thanks!

I know, to many posts at the same time.

I just wanted to share something kind of … just sweet.

Tonight was my last Advanced English Grammar class. Yes the one I kept writing about here. I’ve had many frustrations not only with the subject in itself, it was way beyond the grammar that is thought to native-speaker, interesting to a certain point, but very demanding for the mind. But the harder part was when the teacher would put all aspect of “Christianity” from around the world in the same basket and would say that belief in a God who created the world is pure stupidity. The teacher a very good teacher in many ways though. So anyways, I was happy to leave this classroom once and for all. As I went out of the building I had my headphones on and the first words I heard were sung by Robin Mark and he was saying, “When it’s all been said and done, there is just one thing that matters, did I do my best to live for truth did I live my life for you…” It was just sweet to hear those words, telling me that yes, it was over, it was done and I was not going to have anymore opportunity to be a Christian in that class and with this teacher, it was all said and done, even though I hadn’t done much. What counted was not that my teacher had changed her mind about creation and God and Jesus, what I was accountable for was my behaviour and taking up each opportunity I had to share about Christ. I just thought that the song was just sweetly appropriate for my context as I went out.

Here’s the song if you wish to hear it. “When it’s all been said and done” by “Robin Mark”

So there’s only one week left to this semester, well actually, more accurately, 12 hours in class writing exams, watching people presenting projects or having a brunch & wrap up class of my internship. Neat eh? I’m already starting to be refreshed.

I’m going through the same sort of thing that I went through when I used to work in Saskatchewan. I remember that a t one point I was learning that sometimes I was called to do things … not my own way, that since I worked in a team, people worked differently and had ideas that were different from my own. I always thought that my ideas were the best and I liked doing things my way, just because it was easier for me. I learned that giving in to other people’s ideas, even when I don’t necessarily like them or feel they’ll work, is good. That’s part of what it is to work in a team.

Now it happened many, many times this semester in particular that I had the choice to give in or hold on to my own ideas. Just this morning I was (and I’m still a bit) frustrated with someone in one of my teams for an assignment in school, who wants to control everything. I am like that too. I like to control things and make sure they’re well done and handed in on time. I was planing on doing the editing and etc. for our assignment and hand it in, but someone in my team decided she’d do it herself. It’s how she is and tells it herself, she likes to control things. So I was frustrated because she had to be in control of everything again. It made me feel like she could not trust us. I’m learning really good stuff this morning. So anyways, instead of waging war against her, I simply gave in and told her not to sweat it too much.

Yes, I am a control freak too. And it’s good for me to be in the presence of another control freak, because I know now how some people may feel when they work with me. I know I’m kind of different in some ways because I am very laid back and I am careful at not imposing my ideas or telling people I’ll do this or that without asking them if they had wanted to do it themselves. But still. It’s really good for me to be stretched that way and learn again to give in.

I am well known to be a “laid back” type of person who doesn’t really mind about who’s doing what and what I have to do (when we speak of assignments and team projects). I dislike complicated matters and fights about the right way of doing things when actually, doing it one way or the other will give us pretty much the same mark. People actually think that my motto is either, “Whatever” or “I don’t mind”. I know these sound a bit negative, but really I don’t want to fight for my own ideas (unless the other ideas are really inappropriate), team work is about cooperation and compromises and it’s a great place to learn about giving in.

I think this is something we’re all called to do as Chrsitians. We need to let go. Let go of our pride, our ideas, our plans… so to invite humility and other people’s input in our lives, in what we’re doing. We’re a body, the Church and that’s the way it is. I will never regret what I am learning about giving in ever. It’s tough on me and frustrating, but it’s good for me.

I need to run now. But don’t misunderstand me, I do tell my opinion and share my ideas, I just don’t fight for them so to have my way all the time, I try to let people be important just as I am.