One year in the bag...

Just thirteen months ago I was getting on a ferry with a 26' uhaul packed to the brim...ready to discover just what I was really getting myself (and my family!) into.  So many new friends, experiences and opportunities have made this past year seem like a blip on the radar, and yet it seems like we've been here for much longer!

There are two thoughts which often run through my mind: (1) There is a lifelong list of things to do around here, and (2) I hope I'm around long enough to put a dent in that list!

In May our family moved into half of the duplex located on the property.  What a blessing to have a place which so naturally suits our family; with a home school room, wood fireplace, open living plan and of course my shop just a hundred yards away.

And what does every maintenance man need?  Why a minitruck of course!  Thanks to the generosity of a donor I was able to cruise around camp all summer both effectively and in style.

And what would a maintenance man be without, you guessed it, a dog!  Tucker was given to us by a generous retired couple with strong connections to camp, and their desire for him to have both attention and room to run has been met in spades.  He's my pup, and I think he's happy to be so.

Now in its second year, Auxano is in full swing as a discipleship program running Sep-Apr; kind of like a first year bible college program (http://www.imadene.com/auxano).  The eight students (and two RA's) help tremendously with keeping the facilities clean and organized!  Because of their help, I'm better able to pick away at the steadily growing maintenance list or even work on a few small projects.  I love me those Auxano students!  I also have the humbling opportunity to mentor one of the guys in the crowd!  Here's a pic of this years students and a few from last year mixed in as well (picture by/from http://jonmarkphoto.com/ ).

Although this year has passed, the memories created have re-introduced me to both intentional ministry and Island life.  The shoulders tend to hang a little lower this side of the Straight of Georgia (ie. less stress) even though our actual day-to-day life/week seems to be much busier than before.  We've met a great deal of new people and have made some new friends along the way.

Here's to this next year and maybe you will want to come visit us on this new adventure!

Livin the dream...

They say time flies when you're having fun...if so, I'm having a lot of fun right now!

Gearing up for summer has meant a lot of loose ends needing to be tied up.  Which loose ends is somewhat subjective for me as I've not yet worked here during the summer so I'm sure by September I'll have a good list of things that I'll need to be sure to do sooner for next year.

Last month we moved onto site in the other half of the duplex.  What a blessing to be on-site!  We're still somewhat living out of boxes and we're fairly certain that this will be our long term residence so we can start planning for that now too!

Something that has been in the works for a couple months has been turning one of my dreams into a reality...to have a mini-truck that I can call (to some degree) my own.  Through a number of phone calls, emails, board meetings, a very generous donor and trips to Vancouver and Victoria, we now have on-site the "Smuf-mobile!"

PS: I'm currently accepting "names" for the truck...

Well...that's enough of that...time to get back to work :-)

Hook or Net...

Well, fishing season has opened back up recently for us on the river.  Got out the fly rod and chucked it around for awhile but haven't landed anything.

I was on this week for telling the kids story at church and it got me to thinking about Jesus' call to the fishermen from Galilee; that they would stop fishing for fish and start fishing for men and women.

Here I was on the dock using a single line and hook, attempting to lure in the fish, to trick them into thinking that biting my fake lure would make their life better, only to find that they have been deceived and now their life is on the line.  Didn't bring positive thoughts to my mind about sharing the gospel!  Are we to "lure" people in, reel them in against their will (fighting the whole way), only to bonk them on the head and throw them in a hot frying pan!!!  Well, I suppose an analogy can only go so far sometimes.

Now, when Jesus uttered these words about fishing it's important to remember that fishing has come a long way since then.  That isn't to say they didn't use single hooks and lines, but that would have not likely been the common commercial fisherman's tool of the trade.  Likely, a fisherman's most common form of fishing would've been by a net.  Dragging the net along the bottom of the shallow shore and then drawing the net up to the boat (or onto shore) in order to gather the fish.  Now, again, I don't think what happened next was what Jesus was talking about; that we are not to then bonk people on the head and throw them in a frying pan (but read into that what you will).

I imagine the gathering by net was a more gentle method of fishing.  And that made me think about how I've sometimes thought about sharing the gospel.  There are some things about current fishing methods that I've used and would say many continue to use.  Take for example the fly fishing angler.  He scouts his spot, tests the water temperature, watches which bugs fly around, calculate the depth of where the fish are located; they consider their prey, plot the most convincing strategy and execute their plan.  This is largely successful.  In fact, much of my graduate studies focussed on how to do this in regards to effective missional activity for churches and individuals.

Now, I'm not in any way suggesting that Jesus was wrong or used a poor analogy to call his disciples.  What I'm struggling with is how easy it is for me to read the Scriptures through a very small personal lens; that my upbringing, experience of church, education, life lessons...these all shape the lens, the perspective by which I often default to when reading God's Word.  In essence I easily fall into the pattern of thinking that the Scriptures were written "to me" instead of "for me."

And there is a difference.  Even though God had everyone in mind when graciously giving us his word, we also must realize that God was speaking to a certain people, in a certain time, in a certain cultural context.  As N.T. Wright suggests (And I paraphrase), "The Word of God cannot mean anything different than it meant to the original audience."  Essentially, what the Word of God meant to the original audience is what it means for us today.  Now, how we apply that truth may indeed look different today because of the ever changing culture we find ourselves in.  That's why it's so important to understand why the original author wrote what they did for the audience at that time.  If I only read God's Word through my very limited perspective then it opens the door for endless mis-truths and heresies.

So, what did Jesus really mean when he told the fishermen they would become people fishers?  Well, he probably meant more than what those first disciples could understand.  Jesus, I imagine, would have intended his words to inspire men to leave their earthly calling and pursue God's call in God's kingdom initiative; that they would lose their lives in order to find them.  Did Jesus mean he wanted us to be gatherers instead of fly fishers?  Probably not.  Would Jesus want us to be more gentle, respectful and kind towards those who have not yet embraced his love?  Probably yes.

I'm torn while I attempt to process this.  I love strategizing, planning, organizing and creating an ethos which attracts people to hear about Jesus' love for them.  But is the intensity by which an experienced angler who knows very well how to deceive their prey a necessary exercise for us in sharing the gospel?

What say you?  I'm curious to know your thoughts...really!

Thinking Small...

Some of you already know my desire to obtain a vehicle which for many seems more fit for transporting circus clowns than a maintenance man.  Well, here are a few reasons why I think these vehicles are pretty cool and how they are quite versatile for many applications.

1. Weight.

Pros:
1. you can drive across a lawn or field and leave little to no damage.
2. If you get stuck trying to get over a log or a rock while travelling through narrow passages, you can simply go to the back of the truck and lift it up a little to help it along.
3. The fuel economy on these trucks is usually over 40mpg which helps with fuel prices staying above a dollar these days.
4. The 4-wheel drive on these is impressive as they can jump out of deep ruts made by other heavier vehicles and can crawl up and around things effortlessly.

Cons:
1. Not very safe in an accident with another vehicle.  Ok, neither are VW vans or many other vehicles, but it's worthy of note because there is a risk involved in driving these on public roads.
2. Because of its GVW you are limited to how much you can haul or tow.


2. Size.

Pros:
1. It's narrow and can squeeze through passages which no other truck can take you.
2. Easy to work on or under without a hoist.

Cons:
1. Limited passenger capacity.
2. Limited cargo capacity.


3. Versatility
These little trucks are easy to modify.  You can lift them, add extra cargo space, customize tool storage and add components such as snow plows and dumping boxes to them with ease.  As well, compared to an ATV or other utility vehicle, these trucks have cabs, windshields, large box (4'x6'), air conditioning, transfer cases and other perks which other options cannot offer.

4. Alternative
Whether compared to an ATV or other utility vehicles such as Gators or Rhinos, these little trucks offer a greater variety of options at a much lower cost (with the exception that an ATV is a similar price point).  Check out this chart for comparisons: http://www.superlauto.com/compchart.html

5. Price 
These trucks range in price from $2,000-$10,000.  You can get a 2wd base model with no components or 4x4 (with diff locks), lift kit, dumping box and much more for around $10,000.  The one pictured at the top was advertised for $4500 (plus$1500 for the custom canopy).  You can apparently get an engine and transfer case for around $600 and it takes an afternoon to swap them out with new.  Can't beat that!

I know a guy who imported a container of these a few years back.  He has earned his stripes customizing landcruisers with his incredible ability to manufacture custom suspensions, engines and upgrades from scratch.  He loves Landcruisers, but told me straight up that one of these little trucks could take a person places where some of his custom Landcruisers couldn't touch.  He then proved it by taking me for a little ride on his large acreage.  After catching my breath on a few "here's-why-they're-better" maneuvers, I was convinced.  I mean, every vehicle has its place and I'd very much like to have another Landcruiser one day, but that would be for personal/family use.  A mini-truck for my work seems to me the best vehicle for the price.

3 Months in...

Well, here's a few things I've been up to the past couple months...in no particular order or priority (FYI...I pretty much stole almost all these pictures from other peoples blogs, so yeah, take that):

Renovate my office and tool storage, rebuild urinal flushing mechanism, toilet flanges, flushers and fittings, paper towel dispensers, removing wax, scrubbing, waxing and cleaning floors, drywall, tape, mud and sand, paint, gutters, rebuild door push mechanisms, potholes, burn pile (mountain!), lawn mowing, garbage pickup, decks, stair repairs, snow removal, program equipment building and repairs, clean and organize shop (work in progress), WHMIS, teaching a class, repairing walk-in freezer stuff, insulating, leaky roofs, BMX track, kayaks and canoes, shelters for tables, re-organizing rooms, janitor supplies, picking up branches, inspecting beaver dams, towel racks, loose doors, wobbly fans, noisy fans, old vacuums, leaky faucets, shower curtains, dryer vents, blowing leaves, small engine repairs, recycling, water testing, tool maintenance/repairs, house keeping, tractor driving, golf cart driving, quad driving, boat driving, box building, lamp changing, ordering products, switches, receptacles, boxes, wiring, lights, emergency signs, fire alarm, project proposals and a few other things.



Definitely not bored.  Loving the variety and challenges of working in a dynamic environment.  Feeling as though this is something I could do for a very long time.

Now, people and places...
Loving the new community of friends that we get to rub shoulders with almost daily.  Whether it's at work, waffle Wednesdays, sushi night, drop-in volleyball, floor hockey, family dinners, mushroom picking, team meetings, church or whatever; we're so very busy with people and life is less compartmentalized.

I'm pretty much a weasel when it comes to v-ball...I gotta make up for my height somehow!

I'm now much closer to my parents and even closer now that my dad was willing to move to Nanaimo from Port Hardy, which means both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners as an entire immediate Zalinko clan gathered.  Here is Jax with "Opa," learning how to play by ear!

Our boys are now being home-schooled.  We think it's best.  Rach is amazing.

I get to work with amazing people.  We laugh a lot.  We think a lot.  We pray often and look out for one another.  We dream big and have invested ourselves into camp ministry wholeheartedly.  It's fun and challenging, and there's always something we can be thankful to God for as we consider His grace in our lives and in this ministry.  This pic is only of a few staff but you get the point.

I also get to work with a group of students that are here on campus this year...they help me out a bunch and I really appreciate each of their unique personalities.

It feels like we've been here for many years; small town life fits pretty nice.  You should try it sometime!