And Then Time Stood Still

It's hard to think that any time has passed in this past week. Things just flowed so smoothly that from one end to the other I've just been living out my life. I guess that just has something to do with Merrill's teaching style.

This week's class was Hermeneutics which is the study of interpretation. And what was it that we were interpreting - the Bible! It's sometimes hard to think that the Bible is anything more than a 'spiritual book' but really it's a collection of history that has a lot of value for our souls. This means we need to read it with the proper lenses. From context, which is what the authors point of view was 2000 years ago, to genre, which is the style of writing like parables and narratives, there was a lot to be learned. Though I think that my favorite part of the week was going and asking a question of Merrill during the week on one of our night assignments. I asked my question, he answered and then we chatted for 20 minutes. I've never thought of a professor who would want to just sit and chat, none of my profs last year did that anyway. I was really blown away by Merrill's openness and willingness to challenge us in ways we may have not been challenged in before. To end the class we were in groups that had to do a presentation on a book of the Bible we have been studying. My book was James and we ended up doing a video which was a lot of fun to create but required just a little bit more effort (as in 4 in the morning effort). Maybe we could have been a bit more organized. I'll try and get it and post it sometime later in the week so you can take a look at something we did this week because I don't have any pics for you guys.

Now to the weekend, I was able to counsel six, 9 year old boys at our juniors retreat. They had so much energy and wanted to have fun all the time, which we did. From crazy games to the swimming pool to working at the 80ft zipline the weekend was really fun. To top it off, we had a message of hope which was well put on by the speaker.

Then tonight put the cherry on it all, we had a great time in the rain hanging out with homeless people and doing prayer walks. After we had a potluck and devotion on intercessory prayer. It is a blessing to be able to serve with those that I am beginning to love (my fellow Kaleo's).

Now that the week is over and I get ready to head out surfing for the next 3 days as well as come up with a thesis and write paper that's due in a week I'm beginning to feel that time really hasn't moved a whole lot. It just feels as if I am living, and I wonder if this is the kind of feeling that I will have when everything is over and I spend eternity with God. It's a thought to ponder I guess, maybe it's us that move and time really stands still.

Love ya,
Nick VanSnick

And in the Morning, I'm Making Waffles!

Sometimes I wonder why we have to write these blogs at the end of the week when my mind is so full of stuff that I have to really contemplate where to start. Then I realize that I can't really do this at the beginning of the week because then there's nothing to write about :P

This week seems just like a huge blur. It all started after our beautiful Thanksgiving dinner on Monday night when we were told that our surf trip was to be canceled for this week. So what were we to do.... Caving! Tuesday morning we went up to Horne Lake near Nanaimo for a bit of a caving excursion. Basically this is what they looked like:
Just ask Tim it was a great time.


After that excursion we went to Coombs and to a market that was referred to as "Goats on a Roof". Guess why... They had goats on their roof. It was kinda funny. The coolest part was that we met Rev, the guy who played guitar outside of Coombs for eight years. He shared his music with us and Tim even got to share some of our music with him. Now that I think about it, this experience was kind of a foreshadow of what came later in the week.

Trent and Rev (Left to Right)

After our excursions on Tuesday, Wednesday was a bit of a down day to do homework and study. However the pace picked up again on Thursday with DTG. That is Ditch the Genders. The guys had a guys night and the girls a girls night. We played ice hockey, grounders, and ultimate frisbee on Thursday afternoon which was really epic. Then we went to Jim's for steak and a few of us stayed up till 12:30 playing Rook which was pretty sweet. "And in the morning, I'm making waffles" was a true statement for us as we all awoke to the beautiful smell of homemade waffles, courtesy of Jim and Justin.

Which brings me pretty much to tonight. Today was just a very powerful day. This morning in church Kerry, our pastor, and his wife, Jan, shared very personally from their heart a little bit of what they are experiencing and how they are changing. It is really cool to see that our pastor is just as vulnerable as us and that he isn't some perfect person. It was a time of great bonding between the congregation and Kerry and Jan.

Then there was tonight. It was a night that is hard to describe but put simply, I got to talk to near homeless people in downtown Duncan. To be able to just love on people, pray, and talk to people for about an hour. I enjoyed being able to join a ministry that had already been started. It is a ministry that the young adults from a church in the area run to just pray and let the Holy Spirit work while they play guitar and talk to people. I really saw a heart for the poor in the souls of this group that is contagious. I am now looking forward to going back next week to hang out and talk to people like Albert, whom I met.

This week is a class week, Hermeneutics. Which is the study of interpretation. So interpret the Bible this week we shall. I'll give you an update at the end of the week on how it went. Also next weekend is the Juniors Retreat (9-11 year olds) that I will be helping by being a Counsellor. Please pray that I will be an effective example for Christ throughout the weekend as well as for the homeless in Duncan that they will have a receptive heart to the grace of Christ.

Now I need to get some sleep, morning comes quickly.
Your ever studious,
Nick VanSnick

PS Love you all!

The Voyage of the Pacific Grace

I'M ON A BOAT!! Those were the shouts as we finally set foot on our SALTS (Sail and Life Training Society) adventure. And what an incredible adventure it was. From islands to strong winds to AMAZING food there was never once a moment where we slowed down. Indeed it is hard to slow down when you are stuck in a 100ft by 10ft box with 35 other people for 5 days. One of my favorite parts of the trip was on when we decided that we would take an hour of quiet time where we weren't allowed to make noise. I was blessed to be able to go up the shrouds at this time. For anyone not familiar with shrouds they are the tall climbing things that take you all the way to the top of the mast, they look something like this:
From the top of the mast it was such a splendid day, the water was calm and very little wind was blowing. It was the perfect conditions for a little contemplation. It was when I had to think about why we rush so much. Why can't we just slow down and enjoy all that God has given, I mean look at His Beauty:
That was what this trip really was, just slowing down. For one week we had no agenda, no where to go, we just sailed.
Though one of my favorite adventures was when we went ashore for the first time about Tuesday ish. It really made me feel like we were adventurers like in the Chronicles of Narnia. Exploring new islands while sailing on a ship. Not to mention that the island looked like it was straight out of a movie:

Jade, Abby, Ben (Left to Right)

This trip has really had all the aspects that I think sum up Kaleo, spiritual formation, community, and adventure. This has definitely been one of my highlights and now I am looking forward to even more adventures with my friends whom I am growing to love even more.

Looking to the future quickly, our surf trip that was planned for this week has been canceled due to pending stormy weather. Please pray that it will be able to be rescheduled. Also there is a lot of homework that everyone is trying to do, we have a book to read and summarize by Sunday, as well as two pre-course assignments due. Also there are a few papers that are due at the end of the month for our Spiritual Formation course. That's not to mention the two other courses that come in November that pretty much nobody has looked at the pre-course work for yet. Please pray that we have good insights and are able to schedule our time wisely.


Thank you guys so much. Love you lots,
Nick VanSnick
"If only there was time to linger..." - Tim Everett



At top of the mast

The Class Behind Me the Sea Before Me

Wow! That's all I can say, I can't believe I have only been here for 3 and half weeks. What's even scarier is that I finished all of the lecture component of a course in one week. It just seems like time stands still here. There is a sense that time just goes and I could care less what day it is or what time it is, as long as I get to spend it with the spectacular people around me and learn all that I can through the various activities we have been involved in. Speaking of activities there have been a few very cool things happen this week....

Our first class was.... PHENOMENAL!! It was definitely the best course I've taken - ever. It almost didn't feel like a class at all. It was a very personal course with a lot of discussion and digging inside of ourselves. The course was Spiritual Formation with Marv Penner. We learned a lot of different things while sitting in our classroom. Lots of things about Spiritual Disciplines like Lectio Divina(Study of Scripture), fasting, prayer, and meditation. We also defined Spiritual Formation - The Spirit-driven process that the human self is becoming increasingly like Christ. We were also split into 3 teams and each team had to lead chapel on a different day. One team led a chapel on joy and joyously graced us with a pretty sweet rap, courtesy of Claire(left) and Emma(right).

One of the best times that we had was definitely our 'final exam'. We had to go out in solitude for two and a half hours to contemplate and hang out with God. We ended it with a communion service on the dock. It's hard to describe so I hope these pictures speak to these two experiences.


Ellie(Left)

















Jeremy, James, and Jim(Right)

Youth Group was awesome this week too. We went to a corn maze and then got to hang out around a fire for an hour afterward. It was just a chill time where we got to chat and meet a lot of the teens that weren't there last week. Also Jess, Matthew, and I have been asked to do a Bible Study sometime during one of the week nights. It would be really sweet if you would be able to pray for guidance in what to teach as well as picking a suitable time.

Though of course just like any other college students we did manage to get a little bit of fun this week with a Kaleo Dance off where every got assigned teams and different styles of music that we had to choreograph. Which was a fun time.

Well I think that's all I have for you guys right now. Except that I won't be able to contact anyone this week as I grab my pirate gear and we head to go sailing with SALTS (Sail and Life Training Society). So when I get back I'll tell you all about swabbing the poopdeck and manning the crow's nest but for now I want to go and call my Mom,

Love ya all
Nick VanSnick

A Slideshow

Just in case you haven't seen many pics from the Strathcona trip, I made a little bit of a slideshow for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

A Time To Sit and Chat

Like the title of this blog I really just would like to sit and chat a little bit about what's going on and my night at Youth as well as some things I'm looking forward to.

First things first, Youth Group last night was awesome. There were about 15-18 teens out which was sweet because I was able to have conversations with most of them to get to know them. However not all of the group was there as some of them were hiking the West Coast Trail and still others were in Mexico on a mission trip. If you would pray for their safety in travel that would be sweet because I want to meet each and everyone of them. I'm really excited to see that there are a wide variety of backgrounds in the teens. One of the guys, Chad, goes to a private school as does Victor who came late because he only got out of school at 6pm. There is also a few that go to public school, like Kineel who only has about 30 people in her grade. I'm really hoping that I will connect well with them and be able to support them because they really are a sweet bunch of people.

I also want to offer a prayer request to the table. We have our first course coming up this week, Spiritual Formation with Marv Penner. So many people keep commenting on how awesome this guy is and I am really, wait let me rephrase that, REALLY looking forward to having him as a Prof. over the next week. I'd ask that you pray that God would use him to speak truth into our lives and that I would have a willing and open spirit to receive that words that he brings.

Which brings me to today. I slept through my alarm this morning by accident XP Luckily(or Spirit lead) I woke up two minutes before I had to start my morning work - 6:58. We started bright and early because I was on maintenance for the day which means I had to help make sure that the camp looked beautiful for the group that is here, Trinity Western University. We cleaned bathrooms took out the garbage and even moved tables. Then after lunch I was going to take a quick nap but they needed some extra hands in the kitchen washing dishes(slang term: dish pit) so I spent till about 4:25 doing dishes and other misc. jobs in the dining hall. This didn't help me any because I was up late last night for Jenna's birthday which was today but we dragged her out of bed at midnight when she actually turned 18 to have cake and party a bit. So by 4:30 I am really tired and really couldn't find a lot of motivation to do a whole lot. However things got much better after dinner and that is when I learned that a good hard days work, even if you're tired the whole day, is well ended when you can throw on your pyjama pants, slip on the slippers, grab a cup of chai tea, and snuggle up in a comfy chair for an evening of reading. Hmmmmmm, such good times. Well I want to get a bit of sleep myself so I'm going to sign off for tonight, keep the comments coming I love to hear from you guys.

Enjoying life and tea,
Nick VanSnick

Strathcona Park and Beyond

Well I had the privilege to climb Mount Doom and the stair case at Minas Morgul this past few days... But for real our first outdoor excursion as a Kaleo Team was Strathcona Park in the dead center of Vancouver Island and the words that are ringing in my ears are, "Look God made a staircase!" These words ring so clear for me because that is simply how I have to describe the trip - God. There is no word that is worthy to describe some of the scenery that I have seen over the past few days. It truly makes me feel blessed to have had the experience. It's a miracle to think that amongst all of the beautiful creations
that God would create He would take the time to create someone like me. It's a pretty sweet idea!
So between backpacking 34km, paying fees, learning to run the challenge course, and orientation, week number one has definitely set the bar high for what is to come. Which brings me to what's next, this week/weekend we have Trinity Western Bible College coming to do some activities which means lots of opportunities to serve them. It will be Jess, Matthew and my first Friday at Youth Group at our new church, St. Andrew's Presbyterian. Also we have our first course starting up next week -- Spiritual Formation. It's supposed to be a really sweet course, our professor is Marv Penner and we all need to have our text book read before Sunday night as our pre-course assignment. If there's any prayer requests that I'd have it would be that I am able to read and absorb all that is in that book - The Life You've Always Wanted by John Ortberg.
This is another big highlight, everyone here is so willing and eager to learn which is so awesome and leads to a lot of great conversations. I am really loving all of my new Kaleo family and they are a very funny, enthusiastic, excitable, and honorable group of people which I am looking forward to learning more about them.
For now I will say farewell but this is just the beginning, like the title says, Strathcona Park and BEYOND!!

In Christ
Nick VanSnick