So given it’s been a while since I last posted..you may have assumed that life has been rather full and you would be correct! So here is an update of the last few weeks of my life in Vancouver and what I’ve been discovering and learning.
I returned a few days ago from a trip to Rivendell on Bowen Island, a retreat place that captures the beauty of BC and the majesty of God’s creation – it helped that it was stunning weather most of the time we were there! As part of one of my classes (Christian Thought and Culture), they recommend you take a personal retreat in reading break and I get credit for doing so – a pretty sweet deal. It was a lovely time away with three friends from Regent, Joy my roommate who is here from the UK, Alejandra who is here with her husband from Mexico and Annie who is also from the UK.
We each had a day of silence and ended it with a contemplative prayer service that Rivendell hosts and then a meal together with the four of us in the evening. It was a great opportunity to reflect and be still. What I discovered in my silence was the recognition of God’s deep blessing to me so far in my time here, from the amazing place I’m living in (with 2 other new students from Regent – Joy and Andrew) which is close to Regent (20-25 min cycle ride), affordable (a significant factor in the crazy housing market of Vancouver – it takes housing crisis to a whole new level!) and amazing landlords through to loving studying the bible and the joy of meeting people from all parts of the world with different expressions of Christianity and discovering and learning from each other. This is a season of renewal and joy for me and I very much feel the privilege of having this time to learn more about God’s character and the biblical story. This reflection on gratitude and blessing is appropriately timed given it was Canadian thanksgiving earlier in the week!
Summer has definitely gone though and the autumn leaves are falling – it is amazing to see the colours which are so bright and quite different from a NZ autumn. There are also so many more leaves that just cover every street! Here are some photos from the last few weeks.
Breather 