new old shoes.

I have not blogged in a long time. It has been a while. I didn't forget, I just didn't want to really. But now I do, so I will.

I have a pair of shoes that I love to wear. I bought them at GAP last summer for $20. They are simple slip ons. They featured a plaid pattern on them. Mine had brown, white, blue and pink. In the past few months the plaid cloth has begun to rip and tear. Also the rubber sole has cracked. It seemed that it was time to get new shoes. I travelled to The Mall (WEM) to look for a new pair of shoes that were similar to the ones I had or just a pair that I liked. Alas, I could not find a pair that I liked that was anywhere near $20. Maybe If I would allow myself to about $100 (or more) I would find something. But I am not willing to pay that much for this type of shoe.

So I came up with a new solution, repair them. Really, the only part that was damaged was the cloth plaid pattern. I removed the entire cloth sections of the shoes and replaced them with white athletic tape. I used rubber cement as adhesive between the tape and the underlying surface to give it a better hold. I also put tape around the base of the shoe. The result at this point is a pair of shoes that look fairly "homemade" I just need to decide what colour to paint/dye them, Any suggestions? I am thinking of dying them the same colour as the blue on the inside of the shoe. I can do them multiple colours if I want to as well, but that will cost more to accomplish.

The dying process (that sounds bad...) involves painting it with the desired dye and then heating it. I need to find a hair dryer or a shoe rack thingy for the laundry dryer. I wonder if the oven would work...

Derrick has passed away.

Derrick was my cousin, friend, and close brother in Christ.

We grew up together going to the same church and the same school. I don't remeber elemntary school too much, but I do remember high school. In high school Derrick and I were part of the group that hung out in the art room at lunch time, having arm wrestles and playing cards. During this time I was kind of a loner and Derrick was involved in teasing me from time to time. We have since confronted that fact and made amends with eachother. In high school Derrick was a very bright student, we were all jealous of him in math class because it came so easily to him. He was also extremely skilled at art class. The Lord blesssed him with with intelligence and strength.

After High School he continued to work for his father's landscaping company while taking courses at the University College of the Fraser Valley. He would contiunue his post secondary education at The King's University College in Edmonton. During his post secondary years he also took the opportunity to explore the world, visiting northern Canada, Holland, Europe, Austrailia, and Israel. He has jumped out of an airplane from the heavens and dived into the depths of the sea. During this time of exploration he grew as a person gaining wisedom and truth.

When I arrived in Edmonton to attend TKUC, Derrick opened up his house to me and gave me a roof over my head during my first two years at TKUC. He had already been there for awhile. Despite our not so perfect past we grew to appreciate eachother and became very good friends. We lived together, ate together, went to church and school together.

Together we formed a bible study where our friends could gather and grow spiritually together. With Derricks help, that bible study became one of the most memorable groups of my life. I am so thankful to have met the friends I did through that group. I am thankful that this group was able to play matchmaker and have a few marriages result from it.

Eventually Ifelt called to re-enter prison ministry in Edmonton as I had when I lived in Abbotsford going to the Burnaby Open Custody Center. I wanted to continue this important ministry of visiting young offenders in prison. I wanted to give the rest of my bible study the opportunity to grow spiritually through serving others. I am very forunate that Derrick was very supportive of the prison ministry and was with me every step of the way. Together we prepared our group to enter the Edmonton Young Offenders Center and lead services as we had experienced it before in Burnaby. The people we met at EYOC became very important to us both. There were times in the prison ministry where I became frustrated with trying to lead a group on my own. I asked God for a helper and He gave me Derrick, a dependable, trustworthy, wise, loving, caring man. I could not ask for a better companion going into such a place. If I ever felt that the task of leadership was too much to handle, I could depend on Derrick to take over while I recovered. Derrick was a man who loved the Lord, always seeking for truth and righteousness. He always examined his life and disciplined himself to live how God wanted him to live. I remember a few weeks ago he felt frustrated that he was spending too much time on his computer, on facebook. So he chose to seperate himself from media in general so that he could be closer to God and avoid getting addicted by it.

During our time here at TKUC we both grew and I reallt looked up to Derrick. God has surely blessed him with many Christ like qualities and I am honoured to have fought the battle alongside him.

I feel for his family. His mom and dad. I can't imagine what they are going through right now. I pray comfort over them and wisdom so that they may understand. Lord, surround them with your Holy Spirit. Surround them with your love. Surround his family, his friends, his schoolmates, his co-workers. Please Lord give us wisdom and comfort.

Derrick got in a car accident on Monday.

On Monday my cousin and friend Derrick got into a car accident as he spun out on a patch of black ice near Revelstoke on his way from Edmonton to Abbotsford. He collided with another vehicle. Derrick and the other driver were badly injured while the passanger of the other car was not as badly injured.

Derrick broke his left femur, shoulder, arms, and both ankles. His bones are leaking bone marrow into the blood stream which resulted in a stroke. Thankfully his heart is beating and there is no sign of brain damage. He recently underwent surgery on his femur and it was good.

I am deeply saddened by this accident because Derrick is such a good person. I am so thankful to have Derrick as a friend here in Edmonton. He was there from the beginning of the prison ministry that I felt called to do. He is so supportive and dependable, filled with the Holy Spirit, a comforter in my needs. I am so glad to have him as a strong companion. I love him because he loves the Lord. He always seeked out the truth and lived by it, he loved his neighbors. He trusts in the Lord to make him wise and strong.

It doesn't seem right that this would happen to such a good person. I beleive that God is bigger than this accident and He will comfort Derrick and his family in this time of need. His family has gone through so much lately and I pray that you heal their wounds and comfort them.

Please keep him in your prayers and thoughts.

Comprimises

Argh! I can't believe my roommates sometimes. A couple of my roommates decided to start jogging at about 5:30 this morning. When they got back they proceeded to have a conversation at regular noise volumes for about half an hour. I have no problem with them going for a jog, but they need to be quiet.

One roommate in particular has asked me to turn my music down at about 10 or 10:30 PM because that is when he sleeps. I respect that and start using my headphones at 10:30 PM. I can only hope that they will also agree to be quiet from 5:30 to 8:00 AM. If they do not agree I see no reason to be quiet at night until 1 AM.

Back in Edmonton, yes I know Im slow.

Well, I'm back in Edmonton after spending some time in Abbotsford for Christmas. I am thankful for the 3 weeks off but I am also thankful to be back at school. I found that 3 weeks off is a bit too long if I am not working or travelling, it can get boring.

So I returned to TKUC on January 4th and have been enjoying my classes. This semester I am taking Biology: Organisms in Their Environment; Sociology: Deviance; Psychology: Adulthood and Aging, Sensation and Perception, and Psychology of Religion.

Before the semester started I was really excited about my Psychology of Religion class because one of the texts we need to read is "American Gods" by Niel Gaiman. It's not every day that my favorite author is used as a required text. Especially outside of an English class. American Gods is a good book, but the reader ought to be warned before picking it up. It is kind of pulpy and it includes several occasions of erotic situations. Nonetheless, I am thrilled that I get to read a Neil Gaiman book for a class.

I am worried about my sociology class because I didn't enjoy that professor last time I had him 2 years ago. Biology shouldn't be too bad. The other two psychology classes should be allot of fun.

Also this semester more people should be getting involved with activities at the Edmonton Young Offenders Center. Hopefully. It has been very frustrating trying to get things organized. I decided to ask for help and let someone else handle that aspect of it. It is hard to let go of control and trust others, and God.

On a final note, This weekend our apartment got a new roommate to replace Jesse. Our new roommate is Darren, who I graduated from Abby Christian with 7 years ago! Its so random! He seems to be fitting in and I am glad that he ended up in out apartment.