Training Week in Kitchener

Yesterday the team got back from five days of training at Crief Hills in Kitchener. We stayed in a secluded little cabin that looked like something out of 'Little House on the Prairie' with a large fire place in the living room where we spent most of our time and a narrow staircase that led to our little bunk-bed crammed rooms! Our week was very structured with an early breakfast before having a quiet time of prayer on our own (or we'd use that time to go for a walk as a team to get some fresh air), and as the team joked we basically were in session most of the time broken up by meals! Marv Funk of Kitchener came to speak with us on 'Being You', 'Being Here', 'Being There' and we watched a documentary called, 'Born into Brothels' about a woman who used her skills in photography to connect with young children in the brothels of India and to help educate them. We were encouraged to be where we are, which in our case means to fully immerse ourselves in what we're doing in Ireland rather than half there half at home. And that flows into the rest of our lives in everything we are doing for the glory of God! John Bryan led us through the bible in one day! Noting key stories and passages and seeing the flow and patterns in the bible which gave a better understanding of God and also brought us to the realization that reading the bible isn't such a daunting task and it's exciting! Doug Hiebert came to speak with us on Tuesday on conflict and reconciliation. Doug has gone and led trips to Burundi and Rwanda where the locals are still dealing with the repercussions of the genocide and the tragedies that affected the whole country. It was very helpful to learn about conflict resolution within our team and to be aware that conflicts happen and it's actually a healthy way for our team to be real with eachother and understand one another if there is healthy communication. Reconciliation is an important topic for us to discuss because of the history between Protestants and Catholics so Doug walked us through what that would look like as a team to know how to address such a matter and be sensitive about the conflict as foreigners. Alicia Jansen led us in some activities on team unity and Ed Hienrichs taught on the topics of 'Spiritual Battles' and 'Spiritual Gifts'. We read through Luke 10 where Jesus sends out seventy two and related that to our experience that we are about to have. The Holy Spirit has given us each unique gifts to use for God's glory and we each did a test to find out each gift we've been given. And how awesome is that?! That was a really cool discovery as we went around the group and shared our gifts and the meanings of our gifts. The last day we practised dramas that we will be sharing in the churches and it was fun to see all the energy and excitement as the team got into character!
Overall the week was an incredible time of bonding and growing as a team, learning about our personal walks with God, learning scripture and simply getting excited about what the Holy Spirit is doing in our lives! We are so blessed to be a team that is so close and loving and we each bring our unique personalities and strengths into the group! Five more days until we're off to Ireland!!! :-)