Dear friends-
Many of you have been asking questions about what’s going on in my life, so here’s the scoop. I’ll try not to be TOO wordy!
You’ve likely gathered from my recent updates that there are some big changes happening. As of the end of April, I will no longer be employed for Living Hope Native Ministries. I will continue to help with training and transfer of responsibilities as I am available, but it will be on a volunteer basis and I will not keep regular office hours. I have thoroughly enjoyed the ten years I have spent working for the mission. It has been an honour and privilege to work with such faithful, passionate, fun people, and leaving is not easy! I’m not sure the reality and magnitude of this change has really “sunk in” yet.
In mid-May, I will begin working at Black Bear Lodge. BBL is
a seasonal fishing/hunting camp located about 25 miles west of
So. It looks like a full summer. At this point, my
longer-range plan is to continue living here in
I am so thankful for your prayers and support over the years. You have been a very important part of my ministry!
God bless,
Kendra
Hello everyone-
Two weeks or so ago, I told a friend that I needed to stop at the hardware store to buy a new snow shovel since the handle broke off of the one I had. Why would you do that, they asked, when it is spring? I replied that we have lots of snow to shovel yet before summer. And indeed it has come to pass, that in the past week we've had over a foot of new snow and I still have not been to the hardware store to buy a new shovel.
Before I go any further, let me say how blessed I was by your responses to the "appreciation" email I sent around. It never crossed my mind that I'd hear from so many of you. A few of you wondered if I was preparing to die, which also hadn't crossed my mind, but was a good reminder how important it is to give our "blessings" to each other while we can.
My life took a very unexpected turn in March. Three weeks ago today an 18-year old girl from a community up north moved in with me. There are a lot of issues that come with her and the past weeks have had some very difficult times along with the good and hopeful times. Becoming an instant friend-mentor-mother to a deeply needy teen certainly changes my perspective and lifestyle. I had been praying that God would teach me to depend and rely on him, to teach me how insufficient I am in and of myself, and this situation has surely been answering that prayer! This quote from Oswald Chambers was challenging to me:
"We should take a look at our current circumstances. Do crises which affect us or others in our home...seem to be crushing in on us? Are we being pushed out of the presence of God and left with no time for worship? If so, we must put a stop to such distractions and get into such a living relationship with God that our relationship with others is maintained through the work of intercession, where God works his miracles. Beware of getting ahead of God by your very desire to do His will. We run ahead of Him in a thousand and one activities, becoming so burdened with people and problems that we don't worship God, and we fail to intercede. If a burden and its resulting pressure come upon us while we are not in an attitude of worship, it will only produce a hardness toward God and despair in our own souls."
I'd appreciate your prayers for wisdom and patience in this relationship. Like the quote above says, I need to continually remind myself to take the burdens to Jesus instead of allowing them to be crushing and distracting.
I'm down to my last six weeks here at Living Hope. It looks like a busy time. There is a lady who will be starting to work here part-time in June, which is an answer to prayer. Unfortunately, I won't have any training time with her so a priority this month is completing procedure manuals and spending time showing the guys here where things are and what needs to be done. We also have our annual audit coming up this month.
God bless you all. I wish you a good month and a joyful Easter!
In Him,
Kendra
Hello to all-
I see on my calendar that this week is supposedly the “national write a letter of appreciation” week. I am thankful for the unique way in which each of you have blessed and touched my life in some way over the years. So this is my word of appreciation. Thank you for being you! I got this brainy idea to write something that I appreciate or remember about each one of you, but I’m running out of time. We’ll see if I get that done…
The past two weeks I’ve mostly spent on the road. Two weeks
ago today, I made an overnight run to
A very exciting answer to prayer in the past week is that we’ve found a likely candidate to help here in the office when I leave! I’ve been so encouraged recently by testimonies of answered prayer. How great is our God!
Blessings to you,
Kendra
Greetings!
Did the groundhog see his shadow today where you live? I
don’t think I need a groundhog to know that we still have more than six weeks
of winter here in
January felt like a month of “new things.” One of the new things that I’ve been enjoying is teaching a group piano lesson once a week. There are five ladies in the class, ranging from teenage to grandmother-age. Another new thing has been participating in the beginnings of a weekly young adult group. Young adult is very loosely defined. =) I hope to see the group grow and be a place where people meet Jesus and where we can encourage and be life-giving to each other as we walk together. A not-so-pleasant new thing was going to get my teeth cleaned and finding out I have my very first cavity. The dentist made a point of saying, “There are always new things, even after 30 years.” Did he have to tack that part about 30 years on the end?! I guess this is off-topic, but I AM looking forward to turning 30, since several friends are coming to visit over my birthday.
As for work, some days I’m not sure quite what I’m doing for whom. One day I counted up and I had done at least a bit of work for six different businesses/organizations (okay, so I’m stretching it a little by counting Living Hope and Living Hope (USA) separately, but still….) and then I went home and taught piano lessons yet that evening. In addition to keeping up with things at Living Hope, I’ve been working more hours every week for SkyCare. It feels like a good way to start transitioning to less hours here in the office and the extra money doesn’t hurt, especially right now when I have some big car repair bills to pay. In one weeks time, the crazy thing had to have a flat tire repaired, a new starter put in and both rear brake lines replaced. Once all that was fixed, the car worked one day and then quit again. The mechanic told me today that he suspects I need a new distributor (whatever that is) and that it will be very expensive. =( Just what a person loves to hear.
I’ve been memorizing Ps. 145. When I’m tempted to complain about car repair bills or cavities or other difficulties, verses 1 and 2 remind me—“I will exalt you, my God and King; I will praise your name forever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name forever and ever.”
In Him,
Kendra