Spiritual Friends

Well I was off travelling this weekend spending time with our Presbytery - that is the group of United Churches in the Kamloops Okanagan. We get together at least twice a year to make decisions about policies, find out what is happening in our churches, the United Churches in BC and the United Churches across Canada. It is pretty interesting but the thing I like the best is the people. I have had a couple of people talk about how the church is the people and that is so true. The cool thing about this weekend was seeing all the different people - including some really amazing youth- that make up our church! For church on Sunday the Minister spoke about Spiritual Friendships and right away I thought about youth group. In youth group we have talked a little about being teased because of going to church or about friends not knowing you go to church, to youth group, or believe in God. When it is difficult to be different because of a spiritual belief it is always easier to have spiritual friends. These friends speak some of the same language, have some of the same challenges and have a way of supporting each other that is unique in a great way! Thanks for being my spiritual friends!

Water, Water everywhere and not a drop to drink....

Well this week we go swimming and I keep thinking about how much water there is in the pool at the Y and how little water some people have. I was looking at some facts about water and here are a couple of interesting things I found: -*70% of our Earth's surface is covered by water but before you get excited 97.5% of all water on Earth is salt water, leaving only 2.5% as fresh water and les than 1% of that water is accessible as drinking water. -*In Mozambique the average water use is 3 gallons per person per day and in Canada the average water use is 209 gallons per person per day. -*It's estimated that bottled water is between 240 and 10,000 times more expensive than tap water and some companies pay little or nothing for the water they take out of groundwater streams and aquifers. -*A tap leaking one drop of water per second wastes more than 25 L of water a day - that’s 9,000 L a year! -*A five-minute shower with a standard showerhead uses 100 L of water where a five-minute shower with a low-flow showerhead uses 35 L of water. -*Only 10% of our home water supply is used in the kitchen and as drinking water but a whopping 65% of it is used in the bathroom

Here are a few water conservation tips: **Repair leaky faucets and always turn off your taps tightly so they don't drip - even a small drip can waste tons of water. **Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or washing your hands. **Have showers instead of baths and keep them short (5 minutes). **Install low-flow showerhead. **Install a low-flush toilet (that uses 6 litres or less per flush), or place a toilet insert or weighted plastic bottle filled with water in the water tank. **Don’t run the water continuously while thawing food, hand washing dishes or while washing fruits and veggies; use a partially filled sink instead with a quick rinse afterward. **Wash full loads and use the shortest cycle. **If you water your lawn, do it in the cool morning to avoid evaporation and be careful not to water the pavement. **Plant trees, shrubs, herbs and flowers that are native and generally require less care and water.

Swim Night 6:30-8:00 Meeting @ the KUC Youth Room - Swimming at the Kamloops Y.

Where you can find more info on water issues: http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/eco_info/topics/water/story_of_water/water_tips.pdf www.peacecorps.gov/wws/educators/enrichment/africa/lessons/HSgeog01/Hsgeog01sup01.pdf http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange2/current/lectures/freshwater_supply/freshwater.html http://www.united-church.ca/getinvolved/waterfocus#involve http://www.kairoscanada.org/e/ecology/water/10concerns.asp

Ashes, ashes we all fall down.....

Well, I know that this is a nursery rhyme about the black plague but I have had this line running through my head since last youth night which happened to be Ash Wednesday. Really that line of the rhyme is a great description of Lent. We start with the symbolizim of ashes and oil - for repentance - and come into a time of falling down looking at what seperates us from God. Then we expereince the surprising ways of God in being pulled to our feet, brushed off and gently held. In our desire to be closer to God - God comes to us, caring for us. On Ash Wednesday the youth blessed one another saying " Be open to God's surprising ways. Let faith find you" The ashes are a reminder that one day we will die, and the shape of the cross reminds us that whether we live or whether we die, we are not alone. We belong to God who has much to surprise us with. These youth constantly surprise me with their openess, friendship, creativity, courage, smarts, enthusiasm and their love of their world. I think they are one of God's Surprising ways -I have been Blessed!