Hi Good Evening Prayer Warriors

Once again I just want to thank you for your prayers for our team as we seek to make meaningful connections this week and be effective in support and God's ministry here.

After a great breakfast our devotion time today was focused on being Agents of Gentle Healing as we set out to serve and build relationships in the community. We want to be aware and acknowledge the complexities of historic pain and systemic trauma as we seek to approach and minister to the people here in Meadow Lake.

We headed off enroute to the Turning Point Youth Center today with a quick stop for a few of us at the garden center to pick out perennials for the front planter refresh. Some we even got for the amazing price of .... FREE - guess it helps to shop for plants late in July! Meanwhile back at the center, Emily and the Executive Director Belinda were hard at work trying to prep the fence for new stain - full on power tools were in play today - and great progress was made!

Once at the center, the team got busy preparing lunch and for our time with the youth in the afternoon.

Our theme for today was Resilience - The Reminder that we can be stronger than our struggles and that difficulties don't define us!

Jackie was up to lead today's activities and we started off with a Marshmallow Challenge. We split the group into 3 teams with the task of building the tallest free stranding structure out of marshmallows and toothpicks. There were a variety of engineering approaches to the task - with the triangle shaped bases being the preferred method with one other approach using a series of squares. Ultimately the winning team of Belinda, Annie and Tanaeya build a structure that was 12 inches high and was structurally sound enough to stay intact for a 5 second count.

We debriefed the activity and chatted about what emotions we were feeling at different points of the challenge, excitement, anxiety, frustration - and if we felt success or failure at the end.

We then further unpacked that these same kinds of emotions can be part of our lives sometimes hourly, daily etc. and that we know that in this life there will be times of challenge and what our perspective and response can be.

Along with some time of personal testimony, Jackie had the teens (and other team members) do an exercise of considering a part of their journey and times when there have been Highs and Lows. We asked them to consider and sketch out either their life to date, maybe this week or even just today and what the emotional cadence has been during those times - when we've faced struggles or have felt peace, contentment and even those best times - similar to the example below:

We then explored Romans 5:3-5 Which teaches that suffering leads to perseverance, which builds character, resulting in hope, and this hope is secure because God’s love is poured into believers through the Holy Spirit. We talked about some of the challenges that youth face today and talked about that fact that rejoicing in suffering doesn't mean we are happy when hard things happen but instead means we have joy and purpose in our struggles - the joy doesn't come from the pain but knowing there is a reason for it! We encouraged the teens to claim the promise in Proverbs 3:5-6 to Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all of your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path. We talked about that our trust in God means we have the Hope of God that he has a plan and a purpose - the path might not always be straight but He is in control.

We also talked about how we don't go through hard times alone and that we have friends, family and community that support us and that also are there to celebrate the good times. We wanted them to consider who they trust and reach out to when they need that support.

Emily had planned an amazing activity to have the teens use Lego (Pastor Calvin would be proud!) to create a shield with pieces that represented them and then to write on lego plates those people in their lives or what is their source of strength in tough times - they turned out amazing and the Youth really enjoyed the process and then we were able to attach the pieces to a greater shield to show that we are a community of believers and support.

After our lesson time and shield creation we had some fun with teens, singing, playing Uno and Smash Bros and really engaging with them and what they love to do. Auntie Lise, Jenny and Alice also got to work on an amazing meal that we could treat our Turning Point hosts and Tim Judy (our house hosts) to at the center - Soya Sauce Chicken, Rice and Veggies with some Matcha Ice Cream to top it all off!

We debriefed as a team tonight - gave praise to God and our prayer partners that we had less mosquito bites distracting us and reflected on a great day.

We would ask for prayer over the team with energy levels and for better sleep tonight with some of the bug bites and just very full days making for some tired minds and bodies at the end of the day. We continue to be so thankful for our little team and the willingness that each and every member has to step in whatever the need for the good of the trip and the Kingdom - I lost count how many dishes Uncle Bill did today - it was a lot!