Curry and Christmas

Today was excellent. A good start, I'm thinking. I wrote a poem over lunch, I chased the sunset down on skis, Carrie (my housemate and oh so good friend) and I made Thai curry from scratch (*groan. wasn't the best, I'm not gonna lie) and then we rearranged our living room and decorated for Christmas! Inherited 'fake' Christmas tree, semi-terrible curry and all... I feel accomplished, challenged, and I'm actually having a load of fun : ).

twenty-five

Last year during the week prior to my twenty-fourth birthday, I knocked on the doors of stranger's houses to ask, "what is your advice to a girl who has never been 24 before?" I wrote the various words of wisdom down in a notebook, which is now tucked away in the archives of my Ontario home. I spent the afternoon of my twenty-third birthday making bamboo fish with children in northern Thailand. My twenty-second birthday I remember as being a turning point; I decided that I would not be ashamed of the attention being pointed at me, and instead intentionally and thoroughly enjoyed the love showered on me by my friends, and family. It was a good turning point. However, every birthday is a bit of an identity crisis for me: am I where I want to be? Is this where I thought I would be at this age? Though I have a strongly held belief that our notion of age-appropriateness is determined by social constructs, I still struggle with feeling worthy and successful each third of December. This year, I find myself nestled in an orchard in the lovely Okanagan Valley in which I share an apartment with a high school friend. I work as a ski instructor/wax hound at Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre North of here, and enjoy the crisp blue skies and crunching snow high on the mountain each day above Vernon. This year, I've decided to challenge myself: twenty-five things to do before I turn twenty-five.

Incidentally, Dec 3rd is in 6 days. : )

1. join a flash mob
2. make Thai curry from scratch
3. ski with a flask and friends
4. begin/acquire a sourdough starter
5. make a recipe off of the CBC website
6. make beer
7. tye-dye something
8. light a candle each night for supper (for the week)
9. decorate my first Canadian apartment for Christmas : )
10. learn to ride the rollers (bicycle inside)
11. learn to can
12. make Christmas postcards
13. write a poem over lunch every day
14. take note of the sunset each evening (for the week)
15. try a new drink
16. make 25 Christmas cookies
17. plant something
18. take someone for a drink
19. go to an art gallery in Kelowna
20. learn a new game
21. make an advent wreath
22. bring baked goods to work
23. experience a new Christmas tradition
24. 25 intentional acts of kindness
25. blog about attempting twenty-five things in the week prior to turning twenty-five

So, there you have it!

Tonight, my housemate, Carrie, and I attended our Swedish friend's Advent gathering where we drank Swedish mulled wine (Gluug?), I learned to play the game Flux, and she told me about the Christmas traditions of Sweden while we listened to Swedish Christmas music.

[ps. this idea was inspired by my one of my fav blogs: www.kfar.blogspot.com]

What do you do to celebrate your birthday? Any suggestions on how I make my quarter-century a future favourite? : ) 

Thalita Shwe's Ministry in the Mae Sot Refugee Camp

On Friday Sept 30th at St. Andrew's Church in Chatsworth, I will be taking up a free will offering in addition to speaking about my time in Thailand and my travels over the last few years. I've chosen Thalita Shwe and her ministry in the Mae Sot Refugee Camp as the receiver of our gifts.

This is the only picture I managed to get of Tae,
in front of the house that she hoped to turn into
a center for meeting, prayer, and training.
She's not a big fan of pictures. 

I first met Thalita (or Taetae), on Christmas Eve in 2009. She had choreographed a Christmas dance with the other women from the Burmese Church I would continue to attend. Though I didn't have the fortune of meeting her that night, she had made a huge impression on me. Fate had it that two days later we were sat next to each other on the same bus heading to Chiang Mai; she because she had missed the earlier bus, and me because I had failed to convince the bus patron to give me a seat in an empty row, in the almost-empty bus.

Passionate about ministry, art, and prayer, Taetae came to Thailand from Burma/Myanmar when she was a girl, had attended University for English and handicrafts, worked as a translator for YWAM teams, plans to build a café/hostel/prayer house/discipleship training center next to the border in Mae Sai, and is currently newly married and living in the refugee camp in Mae Sot where she teaches the young women and widows there to sew and make handicrafts.

This week Taetae wrote:

"I'm still working with women in the refugee camp, they are so happy because they have income even a little money they get is better than have noting to do or no work to do.  thing are slowly moving  because I have no budget enough for the handmade.  this year we only start with handmade cards.  but we would like to do Bible bag or crochet too.  in the future we need sowing machine too."

Mae Sot is on the Eastern side of Thailand

Right now Taetae needs money with which to buy craft supplies such as yarn, paper, material, and even a sewing machine. There are about 25 women who want to learn in order to make a small living in a place where work is nonexistent, but there is not enough room for everyone in her small house; she hopes to one day earn enough money to invest in a bigger bamboo building in order to facilitate every woman who wishes to learn. Her other hope is to donate a pig to the Church she attends in the refugee camp this Christmas, as it can also be used to generate a small income.

I have supported Taetae in the past; I believe in her work, her integrity, and her hopeful yet realistic posture concerning helping the Burmese people. I humbly maintain the hope that I might work beside her someday. She has been my friend and mentor, and I am so honored to be able to ask for prayer and contributions on her behalf.

Blessings,
Nicola

St. Andrews, Sept 30th.

If you're planning to attend the evening event at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church on Friday, September 30th at 7:30pm, I'd love for you to spend a few minutes to watch one or more of the following videos. 

St. Stephen's University: My school that stretched my mind and my footsteps. 

100 Huntley Street interviews SSU students

Why I got on board, and spent six months volunteering on the border of Thailand and Burma with DEPDC:

DEPDC fights to end Human Trafficking

Feel free to browse previous blogs; though somewhat dated, some say they are interesting ; ). 

I love to speak, share stories, discuss, and answer questions, and am really looking forward to meeting each of you. Stay tuned for information on Thalita Shwe and how she will use the funds raised in the free will offering on September 30th. 

I hope to see you all there!

PS. The reason heaven needs to meet earth in a big, sloppy, wet kiss... and why sometimes I cry:

Modern Slavery - Human Trafficking