i am a chaplain

There have been months passing me by. They have been spent basking in the sun, running around with medium to large children, playing in water and trees and on mountain tops. These days, I find myself spending more hours in a concrete box within a concrete jungle. But there is life in it.

I've recently taken up an opportunity to serve as a chaplain on campus at Mount Royal University. It really feels like many dreams coming together as one beautiful gift. I have the privilege of building relationships with students, having meaningful conversations of faith and life and how they mix together. The focus of my day are names, being present to students. Seeking out students. There is no curriculum to uphold, there is no expectation of numbers. I almost can't believe it's real.

I spend my days booking coffee dates, sitting in the office and having lunch with whoever drops in, praying with students and church leaders and faculty, planning how students can engage deeper with the Creator, providing opportunities for students to connect with community.


I have had the opportunity to meet a number of students already and share stories over tea. I met a fiery girl named Dara who walked in darkness for a while. All throughout these dark times, she was very aware of a Spiritual Being who loved and cared for her. Her story is amazing. Light versus darkness. Light won.

I hope the same for another fellow I met. He practices Wicca. Working in multi-faith, this is not something that would stir me as much as this fellow did. We asked if he came from a different faith background and he said Christian. He justified why he moved from Christianity to Wicca and it broke my heart the claims he made on Christianity that just weren't true. It saddened me that this is how Christianity is viewed. This is how Christians have manipulated and distorted Jesus. This is how I've manipulated and distorted Jesus. My prayer and hope is that I can represent the Gospel - God's good story - in its purity and fullness of truth.

I partner with University Campus Ministries to be able to do this. They contribute a portion of money for my well-being (well for mine and Will's since he's studying), but the remaining space in our budget is up for grabs. Please let me know if you'd like to contribute and partner with me. I'm hoping to raise a few more hundred each month.

Love love,
Kristal

KONY 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc

Let's do this people!

beauty in the desert

so a recent dialogue has brought me to understand further what it means to be in a desert. we know in the christian faith that growth comes from spending time in a desert, but i've been recently challenged in my view of that growth. we see a desert (or tough, barren times) as something to quickly scramble out of in order to continue on our ascent towards perfection. we view the desert as a vital way to grow in our human condition to reach this perfection. but we are already made perfect in Christ. which means that perfection already exists within that desert just as well as perfection exists out of the desert, on that mountain peak.

today as soon as i got off work, i drove to will's work to greet him with a coffee and a muffin. i then stayed with him until he was off, 2 hours later. during those two hours, we sat mostly in silence, but found deep richness in the state of being together. there was something extremely special about it. reflecting on it now, i am truly thankful for this because if it weren't for the job i'm working and the life i'm living, that moment would not have been possible. if it weren't for this desert, i wouldn't have discovered that beauty and perfection lies within it.

peace and joy in a puddle of uncertainty

outside, my life looks pretty standard. inside it feels pretty bizarre. i'm married to the most incredibly sweet and considerate and funny and stone-cold-foxy human being. i work in a coffee shop part-time. i live in a house. we have friends we see occasionally. we eat popcorn and watch movies often. we ski on weekends.

inside, i question a lot.

who... what... where... when... ummmm why?

answers please.

i have a ton of dreams. we could do this at this time in this place for this very great reason. orrrrr what about this? orrrrr ooh ooh this one would be soo great!

i battle with it a lot. there is incredible value (most times it is crucial) in waiting and listening and resting and being uncomfortable in this stand-still. but what about everything that's going on outside of this lovely millarville home? what about clearance and lorraine? what about the mother that abandoned her baby in the dumpster in lloydminster? what about the somalian women in britian who continue to take their young girls to somalia to be circumcised, feeding their own oppression? what about the kids in our schools waiting to discover that they can question? what about the kids who just need someone to see them? what about any of the people here (rich, poor, fat, thin, ... broken) suffering?

there's got to be something brewing for us.

until then, i guessssssss, i will try to be patient. until then, i will embrace the beautiful moments with my husband in this quiet time. i will embrace the peace and joy that somehow exists within this.

My friend the Artist

http://www.sknac.ca/index.php?page=ArtistOfTheMonth&id=5

Good News from Nigeria

I wrote earlier about two girls in Nigeria whose home was demolished by the government. Today my dear friend Jackie wrote this to me:

I met your little girls in Ilaje community. What is so cool is that they remembered you as the white girl with long hair after I told them that there is a friend of theirs that was really concerned about their whereabouts after their house was demolished... so I have a pic of them waving at you to say they are safe, God protected them..

the moments of my day

there are moments within every season or every situation of life. the moments are usually small but we were created for them. these moments exist everyday and although they are small, it is how we fulfill our purpose in life. although they are small, they require risk. we need to give up ourselves and surrender to the people and the God around us. that's the only way we can step into these moments because the world around us is telling us that these moments are small, insignificant, and not worthwhile. but it's in these moments that God truly works.