Another Job, But a New Plan

WOW i really need to start posting more of these. its been a while, last time i posted one was when i got into a stranges car...and well if you want to know more about that read the other post (its worth the time).

So i got another job and i start today. it does not require me to pull off dead rabbit heads or go into another city thats 2 hours away at 3 in the morning. I start today as a candy boy :) at Copps Coliseum. It's work only when theres a show or a game but it's still work :)

now the new plan of mine. Sadly, i will not be going to Ukraine for the 6 months like i hoped. we got the plane tickets and we all leave (5 of us going for the 2 weeks) October 29th. based on the time i have left and how much money i need to save, i dont think that ill be able to do it. BUT, the extra money that i have saved i do plan on spending on a special project.

What is this special project you ask? well i cant tell you. It is so special, and it is so secret, that if i told you i would have to kill you. ok its not that special i just wish to stay anonymous about it thats all. God gave me this money for Ukraine, and thats where its going to go.

Well thats about all for today, i will try to start posting these more often, im just busy with school, trying to get a job, and moving so maybe my next post will be about the new apartment, who knows.
Ta ta for now

The Things We Do For Money

So today i learnt a good lesson. One i should have learn, oh maybe, 12 to 15 years ago. DO NOT GET INTO A STRANGERS CAR!
let me start from the beginning. As many of you know, jobs are rare and far apart these days. And they are even farther for a student. so i have been doing an odd job here and an odd job there on Kijiji and i came across one that is a hard job but it's work. A Chicken catcher and boxer. i replied to the add and they said its early mornings, full time. thats not a problem. they said they would drive me to work since its so early. and silly me thought that the location was in Hamilton.
So just this morning at 3am, i got into a car with 4 other Asian people who speak almost NO ENGLISH! and i speak NO CHINESE, CAMBODIAN, JAPANESE, or what ever other Asian language i can think of.
on the way to work i fell asleep, and woke up shortly after (or so i thought) and i was at work. so they put me to work, i put dead chickens in a box and then i realized. I dont know where i am. and after some more time, i decided that the safety and work environment would not meet the WHIMS standards and so i asked if my mom could pick me up. after giving the address i discovered that i was a 2 hour drive from home.
Today was a fun adventure, full of lessons, full of excitement. That was my day, how was yours?

A New Job, A New Leaf

So with the Canadian Election over and the Conservatives rising to power, i am (or was) out of a job. Today i was on the bus and i got a phone call for a Job Interview :) Its a lot closer to where i live, its what im good at, and it gives me money. I'll be working in Customer service, helping people with their Home security products.

If all you guys could please pray for it to turn out for the best that would be great :) THANKS GUYS YOU ARE AWESOME!

by the way, I'm 50% saved and its still coming in, thats just how awesome God is :)

this is who i am and what i do

If i were to say one question or comment that comes up the most for me, is "How can you have piercings and tattoos as a Christian?" (now mind you i do not have a tattoo, but in 4 months or so i will)
so i think im going to say my point of view here.

tattoos and piercings have had a very long love hate relationship with the church. and because of that, it has become such a big debate "is it a sin?" "are you destroying the temple?" "does God like them?" and so on and so on.

i have been in the piercing and tattoo seen for 4 years and i have 6 piercings(3 stretched holes 1cm, 9mm and 8mm in size. two upper cartilages and a conch), and tomorrow it will be 7(im getting my nape pierced). and before i started i wanted to know if it was wrong or if its ok. so i do what i do best, asked questions and did research. and after a lot of question and a lot of research here what i have come up with (im not going to throw any bible versus or anything like that at you im just going to tell you the conclusion)




I look at it as being in the clear, people have asked me how do you wanting piercings and tattoos work for the glory of god. and i remind them of the people who have tattoos and piercings and have been turned away by other churches or felt unwelcome, because they "damaged" their temple or their tattoo is viable. when they see that im like them, and i enjoy and share something that really does become a part of your temple (and not destroying it) they then would see they have been accepted in the eyes of god because i have been. 

I have put a lot of thought into this, and i have prayed about every piercing and that is the conclusion i have come up with. im not justifying anything, im not doing it for a fake god. I'm doing it for my love of the art (that is piercings and tattoos)- god created everything, including art or all kinds. 
im not saying "your wrong and im right nanana booboo" im just giving my side of the story as well, but in the long run, im christian, and your Christian and jesus would have died for just me, just like he would have died for just you :)

A BIG FOLLOW UP

right off the bat i have to say sorry, i since my last post (almost a month ago) i have had a lot going on. not all good but not all bad. even with everything happening i have not forgotten about you guys :)

lets start from the top shall we. for the past little while i have been under a lot of stress; school, working, finding new job, working new job, looking for another new job before current one ends, teen age angst and just about anything else under the sun. and with that i have been finding it hard to keep my head on with out it blowing up and making a big brainy mess.

the thing i think that has set me back the most was about a week ago, my mom said she was leaving my father.  i dont want to go into too much detail because thats not part of the story. but it set me back enough where i have not been as happy as i could be. a few after i heard the news i was going to the bank to put another check in the mail (we will get back to how much money i have saved soon) and i couldnt find it. i was really starting to freak out a little, this was a rather large check and i need the money. so as i was digging through my bag looking for my check i pull my hand out full of papers that could be a check, this small golden(but not real gold) coin falls out and hits the floor. it was this coin here

10 kopiyok

this coin is 0.10 gryvna ( the Ukrainian version of the Canadian or US Dime) but here its worth less than 1.2 cents. but even though it is worth so little in the eyes of everyone in north America this coin made me stop, smile, breath, and cleared my head long enough for me to realize my check was in my coat pocket and not even in my bag.

Why does this coin mean so much you ask? well i was talking to a very smart and very wise friend of mine in Ukraine and i told her how from my trip thats the only money i had left. She laughed and said "in Ukraine you can buy a plane ticket with that coin, or even enough food for a year". of course she was joking, you cant even get onto the subway with that coin alone. but what she said stuck with me so much that its now my motivation. i keep that coin on my necklace with my cross close to my heart. that way every time i hear them clicking against each other it reminds me on how close i really am to Ukraine.

now, about the money. currently i have over 2000 Canadian dollars (or over 2100 American dollars with the current exchange rate, GO CANADA) and some time with in the next two weeks ill be past my half way mark of 2500 dollars :D

Thanks so much for your support, love and prayers. it means so much to me.

THIS IS BLOGABLE!

     right off the bat i have to say HOLY CRAP GOD IS AWESOME! after an amazing day at church and hanging out with my Friends Jill and her husband the Green Power Ranger. I was really excited to tell some people i know that i got a job, and how awesome God is for getting me this job.

     little did i know God had more (i should start being so surprised God has so much for me). just as i was walking in the door coming home from church around 9pm (so this is hot off the press you guys) my dad was getting off the phone with my boss(thoughts ran through my head like OH SNAP. please dont tell me i have been let go)
    but i called back and was told he wants me to come in for a 3 day training proses for what i understand to be a promotion to become a call screener(i listen to people call instead of calling). the training also includes TIME AND A HALF pay :D So i just thought i would let you guys know because I'm about ready to crap my pants because I'm so excited. UKRAINE HERE I COME!

Also i have set up a secure account to take up any love offerings that my readers in other countries might feel they would want to support. this is the only time ill talk about it but if you feel you would like to support me you can do so through PayPal. if not dont feel bad you can help with prayer :)

if this picture is not working you can also go here

Too Coincidental to be a Coincidence

     So i think this was too of a coincidence to be a coincidence. just this morning i was talking to a good friend lets call her Jill, form Jack and Jill.( "Jill" will understand the joke) and she asked how my money was coming. i told her that im still jobless but not hopeless :P but i also said "i have a feeling my job situation will change soon"

     Little did i know it would be so fast. i got a phone call today at the end of lunch saying that another call center(im not selling anything this time) would like me to come in on Saturday to start working :D:D:D:D 

     It reminds me that i need to Expect God to keep his promises. If we HOPE that God will do what he says that is the same as not having faith in Him, and putting limitations on a limitless God. so new memo to self. EXPECT God to move.

and in the words of Forest Gump...."thats all i have to say about that"

thanks so much for all your prayers :)

The Plan

     One thing i learnt least year when going to Ukraine is that the plan goes out the window when we land. If you have questions your can ask them but chances are your not going to like what you hear and if you do happen to like it, chances are it will change :)

     now one thing i hope and i know wont change is the official line up for the churches missions team. its got a bunch of young and some well, not so young (but not old enough to be called old). some people have gone before and others haven't. but it looks like a good team.

     now some of you may be asking "I though you were going on your own" well thats were plans changed a little. turns out that i have been planning to leave around the same time as my church has been planing to leave for their own. so ill be leaving with them, doing things with them, but when the 2 weeks are over, they leave and ill be staying for another 5 and a half months :P

     I dont know what "The Plan" is when we get there and im not sure whats going to happen exactly when everyone else leaves. i just know that im really going to enjoy this and its going to be a fun and amazing trip :)

     OH!!! a few blogs ago, i said see if i can get a reader from Italy. AND I DID! this is awesome lol. now...... lets try to get one from Australia, that way ill have at least one reader from every continent

Financial update NUMBER 2!!!!!!!!!

     So i have decided to inform you guys ever 500 dollars (or so) and give you a quick update on where im sitting with saving money for Ukriane.

     As it sits right now i have about 1500 dollars saved or 30% :D this is great considering for the past 3 weeks i have been with out a job :) God is providing for me in ways i cant even imagine. and im hoping to hear from a possible job opportunity soon.

     And on a funnier note, the ads that i kept telling people to click are no more. apparently me telling people to click as many ads as possible is agains the rules and they dont like it when 3 people click 30 adds. so they disabled my account. one the sad side, i wont be making extra money with it. and the better side, you dont have to click ads any more :)

Dreams

     On Sunday My Pastor asked me if i had dreams. I laughed because the only time i remember my dreams is when they are really messed up. "He asked what do you mean?" and i told him about a dream i had where i was a Mexican explorer and i helped discover Russia.
     I got a strange look but there was a smile at the end, but its ok. I give myself a strange look after waking up from one of my dreams too.
     Last night was an interesting dream though. im not sure what exactly was going on but when i woke up in my dream i was somewhere in the middle of a large body of water with people shooting at me, some girl who was with me (very attractive but thats beside the point) and some other guy that was with me. As we swam towards the shore(and the people who were shooting at us) the gun fire stopped and we found out we were in a grunge style city of Japan. people were giving us weird looks as we were walking up this hill towards some kind of goal. and as we were most way up the hill some guy came up to the girl and said she had nice thighs. as i turned around i saw she was eating KFC.

     Now. im not sure how many of your people out there are dream analizest or if you would like to create a story how i got there in the first place comment below. I told you my dreams are strange and weird.

    Now I would like to say thank you so much you guys. with your help since the biggening of March you guys have made me over 45 dollars just by clicking ads :D so as a reward i will share this funny video with you :)
ps this is not an award because you are done clicking ads, this is more of an 
encuragement to click more ads(so remember to click away)

Mr. Sir, and the Deadly Hunt

     So the hunt continues. its been a long and dangerous challenge to find the very elusive and highly endangered job.  But to my surprise a teacher at my school came up to me asking if i still needed a job. 

     He said that he knows the owner and staff at a Tim Hortons very well and its mine if i want it. I told Mr.Sir(name has been changed) "YEAH I'M LOOKING STILL!". But this got me thinking(yet agian). I have known this teacher for 4 years now and i only had ONE class with him in September of my Grade 9 year (For SOME STRANGE reason he remembers me very well, might have to do with me making a spacer for my ear in his class). Most teachers though don't even know your name by the end of the semester, let alone remember it 4 years later. 

     Either way, God works in weird and mysterious ways, maybe he remembered me so well for this reason. What ever the reason i am truly thankful and i would like some prayer for this to work out :)

OH and by the way i would like to say that all your guys ROCK! i have had these adds up for 3 days and i have made over 19 dollars thanks to you guys :D so as your reading this feel free to click an add (or two or three, the more the better) to help raise me money for my trip :)
if you dont know what im talking about with these adds please refer to the post before this.

We Need You

So, i have found a way to make money with this blog (about 25 cents a person). You may have noticed that i have new ads on my blog. this is how im going to be making money. for every time someone clicks on an add(dont worry they are safe) i get a small amount of money. you dont have to do anything on the site. in fact you can close the window the second it opens up. so if you are ever reading my blog, i would love it if you could click an ad, and help me make money for my trip :)

Ideas, creativity and a Goal

     So like a lot of you guys know i lost my job recently but it seems to me God has given me another source of income (because he would never leave me high and dry) :)

     A friend of mine collects guns and was showing me this web site to show me a gun. HOLY CRAP! this website was horrible! I know how to make websites and i have experience in making them. when i looked at this website i wanted to go to the US and slap the guy who made it with a pickle.

     BUT this is where i got a really good idea (its not very often i get one).  I sent off an email saying that their website could be a lot better and if they are interested i can make them a website for 250 dollars (%50-%70 cheaper then what most people charge). A few emails later back and forth, he said if i were to show some sample websites i have done in the past that would be a start.

     So if this works i might do this more often. I can take my skills in making websites, and my skills from telemarketing (and being able to sell things to people without even meeting them) and make a profit in my own little home "business". The way i see it, i'll be working like a makeup company. I make them feel bad about how their website looks, and then offer my services to fix it.

for all of you interested, this is how the website looks right now
http://darkstarfirearms.com/
and yes... it does say "Fire arms for all occasions"

Beaten but not Destroyed

     So this week has been interesting to say the least. i have been doing well in school, things are nice and easy its going moderately smoothly.....until yesterday. i went to work and at the end of my shift i was let go.

     The thing with telemarketing is that at any time your not meeting the minimum sales per hour, they can fire you. its in the contract you have to sign. and i wasn't meeting the needed sales per hour to keep my job. BUT this is not going to break me. My boss said its nothing against me or my work ethic, they just cant keep me on if I'm not selling. so he gave me his personal cell number so that i can use him as a reference on my resume and he said he would be more than happy to give me a positive reference.

     With that being said, I'm back into searching high and low for that elusive job opportunity. What God has in store is well beyond my imagination (and we all know how big it is) and he will provide just like every other time :)

Everyday is one day closer to Ukraine. Thats what i have to remember :)

And I'm also sending a message to my friends in Belize whom i never met. you know who you are, and i know you rock :)

Genie in a Bottle

     Music, if you have known me for 5 mins, you probably know i live for music. I can't play any instruments, and i cant read music, and i cant sing. but I'm not bad at mixing a sound board and i defiantly listen to enough music to blow threw a pair of headsets in about 3 months(at the most).

     One band i listen to often is Oh, Sleeper. They are one of my top bands i listen to and ill listen to them anytime. lately i have fallen in love with one of their songs "Reveries Of Flight". I think it really depicts a good idea of how not so much God is, but how we think of God is (but really isn't that way)

     I have added a video of the song, and lyrics below. (Watch your speakers, the song does get loud). When you hear the Screamed Vocals (done by Micah Kinard) or when you read any lyrics in Orange, its literally God SCREAMING at us and we still don't listen. so enjoy the song, i hope you guys like it as much as i do.

A sound ahead from distant peaks, a song that all my brothers sing

It’s just out of reach; to join them I need the wings the heavens denied me

It’s like you’re deaf to my voice, but I’ve been here for every moment, waiting on your call to move

If you could just make a choice,

I know you would find me wanting only to be close to you

(A song I hear from distant peaks, a song that all my brothers sing)

You keep denying my lead

Because I’ve tried, I’ve never pulled back my reach,

And I’ve stayed, and I’ve died, but you keep looking for me where I’m not

I won’t be just where you want me to be

You’ve got to believe and just trust that I can be everything

It’s like you’re deaf to my voice (but I’m not)

I’ve been here for every moment (and I’ve fought)

Waiting on your call to move (just call to move)

If you could just make a choice (oh I have)

I know you would find me wanting (I just want)

Only to be close to you (all of you)

If you would just try and let free all your grips and worries

I would come alive in your life and let you find the flight you’re longing

Sticks Like Glue

     Hey, i spent like 5 mins sitting in my school hallway tring to remember what i wanted to call this blog post. I came up with the idea at Alpha, but forgot what i was going to write about today...UNTIL NOW!

     like most of Christians, we tend to have a few bible versus that tend to stick around with as, as it fits into our "theme" of life. I personaly have 2. Mathew 6:21(look it up if you want, I'm not going into detail about this one). the one i want to talk about is 1 Timothy 4:12


¹² Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.


or the Messages translation
 And don't let anyone put you down because you're young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity.
(because everyone likes a little MSG in their bible)


     That verse has been with me for the past year or so, since i found out i was going to Ukraine for the first time. and its always been in the back of my mind reminding me that just because I'm young does not mean that i can't do what God has planed for me. I hope this verse can stick with someone else who reads it as it does with me :)

By the way, since my last post i have reached over 100 views and 4 countries. this is really cool. THANKS GUYS

The Changing of Times

     So for the past few days i didn't know what to write about, but just a few days ago i got my grad photos in the mail. And a couple days before that i found an old picture of me in grade 9. That really got me thinking on how much i have changed over the past 3-4 years.

     Since those very awkward days of grade 9 (as if I'm not Awkward now) i have changed a lot, and i like to think its for the better. i did go to church back then, but i didn't really enjoy it. As i look back on how much God has changed me, its really surprising on how much of a different person i am now, but at the same time being the same person.

     I have gone from looking a long haired hippy freak(nothing wrong with hippies by the way), who didn't really know how to talk to people, speak my mind, or be very social. NOW I'm a short haired stud (or at least i like to think i am), my problems tlaking to people are gone (just ask anyone i didn't used to know 5 mins ago), im getting better at saying what i think and I'm super social.

     I really am excited to see how much God Changes me over the next few years so I can look back on it 5 years from now, and see how more awesome i have become.

OH and for all those people that dont know what i look like here is a picture of me in Grade 9:



















and here is me now

A big Change, i think so. I'm also really happy i dont have as much of a turkey neck now :)

A Small Financial Update

     One thing i really like about having this job, is i get PAID. This makes saving up for my trip a lot easier and less painful. For those who don't know, i work at Xental marketing. Yes, I'm a telemarketer and yes i know you HATE to hear from me. but i don't think i met a single person who liked their first few jobs (or most jobs). I also deliver flyers for the Hamilton Spectator.
  
     I just picked up my paycheck and with that sitting in my bank i have about $400 saved or %8 (I'm a math geek, give me a break, besides i think it looks better). All i can say is WOW GOD IS AWESOME! I do find it funny though, it was about 1 year ago i found out i was going to Ukraine for the first time. and i only just finished paying for my First trip a few weeks ago. so in other words, for the past year most of my money has been going towards Ukraine :P

     I look forward to the day when i finally have this money saved so i can spend it on other things (like moving out and paying bills).

       I also like to set small goals here and there, they don't have to be very big or special. but today my goal is to get a Blog reader from Italy, lets see if i can get one :) If any of you guys know someone in Italy, pass this on to them :P

Just realized

     Hey everyone :) i keep checking the stats on my blog, and I'm surprised on how many people i don't even know are reading it (that includes you 7 people from USA) :).
  
     I was walking to school before my exam this morning and i realized i have posted two blogs and i still haven't really said why i want to go back to Ukraine, for how long, or any information on those lines what so ever LOL

     Well to understand on why i want to go back theres two big parts to it. You need to understand a little of my past, and you need to understand what these kids are going through and how awesome they are about it.

     I didn't grow up in the best home, i was never hit, almost never yelled at(unless i did something stupid, i was a brat) but right off the bat for me things were messed up. I am a product of rape, theres not much else about it but at the age of 16 my mom was raped and I'm here today because of it. My mom has never tried to get rid of my because of it. Other then the first 6 months or so of her pregnancy, she got drunk A LOT, threw herself down stairs, and other "home remades" of dealing with a pregnancy.
    
     So i grew up with out knowing a Father (other than God, but even that was a little shaky for the first bit of my life). I never grew up with a lot of money either, when i was in grade 2 or 3, we moved across Canada to Alberta and I'm pretty sure dirt was worth more than what we had. We started out in a few womans shelters until my mom could get a job, and find a place to live (remember by this time she is now a single mother at the age of 21 with 2 kids). so we moved to Millwoods Alberta, my mom was working two jobs and we had next to nothing.

     I really didn't help, even though by the age of 6 or 7 i was able to cook a full meal and clean, i started to get into trouble. i got into setting fires, and stealing, and tricking people to give me stuff (i was a cute kid back then, it was a lot easier for me). I was an angry child, and i didn't know who to be angery at because it wasn't anyones fault. so i stole, set fires and so on.

     when i was 8 or 9, we met who i call my dad (or daddy-o when i want something) He was probably the first good thing i could count on in my life, and things got better (but not with out A LOT of work). I'm still not perfect, im far from it. and i can go into much more detail on how messed up my life was and is, but this is what you need to know for now.

     The kids i want to work with in Ukraine are coming from similar backgrounds, their parents are out of the picture or don't care, they have next to nothing, and all they want is something sturdy to count on. When i was in Ukraine for the first time, i saw these kids who have maybe one or two toys that they can call their own, and are living in an orphanage or a rehab center. But the thing is, with these kids they only want one thing. they want to be "normal", get good grades in school, get a good job, and grow up and have a good life and family. In Canada we all have that chance (you can debate it if you want, but I'm standing by it), and if you work hard you can get a good job, have a good family and a good life. I found in Ukraine, people go to school, and its a struggle every step of the way. when they get a job, its a struggle to save money and stay ahead. When they have a family its a struggle to keep it together, because of so many "out side forces".

     I found that i can relate to these kids, because i have struggled through school, i have struggled to have a good family and life, and i have seen people struggle to get a good job. To them, i came through everything they have to, to me they are superheros.


Thanks for reading you guys it means a lot :)
and as a gift i give you this

Chapter One

     First of all this is pretty awesome, i just started this Blog YESTERDAY and people from all over the WORLD are reading it! *insert dance here* thanks so much you guys (including the mystery person in the US, i can't think of anyone in the US).

     Over the past few days i have really noticed on how many opportunities i have been given to take a leader position in some way or another; theres me being asked to help run a table at Alpha, doing a peer tutoring class next semester and help teach grade nine ESL math, Being a member of "Link Crew", and few smaller things here and there. If there is one thing i have learned it is that i rather enjoy being in a role of a leader. I'm still rather new to the whole concept, but it's interesting. 

     If a form of authority says you are to lead *insert group needing to be lead here* you don't have much of a choice to say no(in my mind at least, i don't say "no" really well). But just because I'm in a form of authority people look at you different. At school i am something called a "Link Crew Leader". Long story short, i help the grade nines get used to high school. Some of the Grade Nines i have listened to me more then their own teachers or even parents(I'm not sure if thats good, but I'll go along with it). I'm not doing anything special, just pointing a few students in the right direction when they are lost in the school or talk to them when I'm speaking to a class. But because I'm "In Charge"(hahah) they listen to me.

     I'm not sure if God is leading me towards to be a better leader or not. But for the time being i will sit back, enjoy, and NOT FIGHT. Like i have newly discovered. I lost my "Comfort Box" some where is Ukraine, might as well explore the new area and see whats around.

Intro

        I am now keeping a log if you will on my growth spiritually, as the days to me leaving for Ukraine comes closer. There's not going to be much in this Blog other then that (unless something erks me). I'll try to keep this blog up to date as things happen. but since this is just an intro i will introduce my self :)


       Theres not much to me, I'm a 17 year old teenager and i like to think I'm pretty "normal", but as the days go by i learn that I'm more and more different. i don't want to go too far into my life story right now(thats for a later day) but what i can tell you is that the days between October 20, 2010 and November 3, 2010 changed my life. That was when i went on my first mission trip to Ukraine. I went with 10 AWESOME people and i think i grew more in those 2 weeks then i have ever grown in my 17 years. The kids and the people there really touched me, and because of that I'm working on going back for 6 months after i graduate.
    
      This is what the Blog is about, as the days go by I will be talking more about the trip i was on and more on  what i discover about myself as i get closer to Ukraine. Because I'm going to be honest here, just getting the funds and skills i need for the trip is a learning processes all on its own.


By the way. the "color code" i have set up is more for me than you. Don't try to figure it out, if you do good job but theres no secret message or anything. its just me organizing my thoughts.