Ryan The Intern

It seems so incredible that the summer has flown by and school starts in just over a week. I will not lie, I am very excited. But first I must finish today with a bang and then sleep for about a week straight.

Posted: August 26th, 2011

Since last you heard from me I have been quite busy. I have been to both Waterloo and Wasaga Beach. Last week I was at a large church in Waterloo called Creekside and it was such a joy to be there. Creekside did not have space for ball hockey to be taught and so I got to be the ultimate volunteer for a week. Well, at least that is what I liked to call it.

I spent way more time with the kids and really got to see them at all points of the day. Not just when I was teaching them which gave a very different perspective. I noticed a lot more about how they react to things and got to really shape a few kids. I also got to challenge the volunteers more from a more reasonable position; rather than push them as a leader it was more like encouraging them as a peer. I also got to run the big games at the end of the day and it was a blessing to be able to relieve some pressure from the other leaders, especially my director. I realized in Waterloo that God uses people in all positions of leadership to the best of their abilities and no matter what it is you are doing He will bless you in your work.

Wasaga was a very different situation for me. I was physically and socially stuck while we led a small camp of about 20 kids. Monday was a great day for me and I still had the spirit I had in Waterloo but by Tuesday I was exhausted. Physically I was struck with an incredible amount of back pain. The pain was at the point that coaching was extremely difficult and I could not play games with the kids. It was incredibly frustrating to have so much energy and not be able to release it. I felt unable to give the kids as fun an experience as I had hoped.

Wednesday was just as bad as Tuesday and I had had enough of camp. I wanted to quit and I wanted to just stay home. I hit a wall. Socially I did not want to be around people and was finding it very hard to focus on others or what I was doing. Wednesday night I needed to crash and pray. I prayed that God would renew my strength and heal my back so that I could do His purposes. I had been praying for selfish reasons, and as soon as I gave up my situation to God I felt way better.

Thursday and Friday were much better days. Physically I was stronger and able to join in with the kids again and teach them the skills myself. As for my ability to work with others and my ability to communicate I felt much better. I finished camp well. Which is slightly amusing because on Fridays at camp I lead the devotions by giving a talk about finishing well, and trusting in God.

I still am blown away by God and how good He is, even when I had given up He never gave up on me and used my failures to His gain. Surely He is good all the time!

Posted: August 20th, 2011

I have been writing a hockey manual that connects Christian values to sports drills and skills. The manual is part of an international program called Ubabalo and will be read by people all over the world. It has been very interesting to work on something that I know God can use to positively influence hockey players everywhere. It really is a humbling experience to work on something so big and realize that only through God is the work possible.

Peace,
Ryan

Posted: August 5th, 2011

The Apostle Paul - Phillipians 2:1-4

When I applied to the internship way back when in April I did not think that I would be working in an office. The major appeal was that it was kid’s ministry. The second major appeal was that I would be outdoors playing sports. This week however I am in the office.

I thought yesterday that this week would be a good time to recharge and get some rest. Be a vegetable and not really talk to humans. I don’t exactly know what I was thinking I would be doing in the office. Today we moved boxes and baseball equipment. I am excited to do physical labour. Something that I thought was impossible. It is a mindless activity and I feel useful. The ScriptureUnion office is undergoing some change because some new people will be joining us at the end of the month so myself, Evan, and Stephen get to clean up the warehouse.

God is so good that He can bless us even in the small things.

Blessings,
Ryan

Posted: August 2, 2011

This summer I have been travelling around and playing lots of sports but it is all so that I might work with kids and share the gospel with them. I have had lots of opportunities to talk with kids and ask them about what they think God is or who they think God is. Some answers come from very churched kids like; “God is my friend” or “God is holy” or “God is in my heart”.

It has been really interesting to see what children know about God in our culture and sadly I have noticed not many of them realize God wants a personal relationship with them. This summer I have realized how important children’s ministries are because they start a lifelong journey for some of the kids that are affected and how can someone’s faith be strong if it is started with false notions.

It has been a real blessing to work with kids but I am realizing just how important each and every word I speak is. I hope out of my humanness God can work miracles. Please pray that God would bless our ministries this summer.

P.S. - I will be in the office this coming week so you can expect more posts from me.

Posted: July, 30 2011

My first week back in Canada was spent in a small town called Arthur that, well, I don’t have any idea where it is. Arthur was incredible. I learned a lot from my first camp but it was also a camp with about 90 kids. Sometimes it was a little overwhelming but it was so worth it. I got to share the gospel with 6 kids specifically and it was a huge blessing to do so.

I then travelled to Georgetown to run a camp of almost 30 kids. It was so nice to work with a smaller group of children and spend lots of time with them. In Georgetown I learned about how big a difference I can make in the lives of kids. Some of those kids were so influenced by me and the other leaders.

This week I am currently in Toronto running a camp for younger kids called KidsGames! It is really challenging to work with younger kids and I find myself losing my patience much faster. My goal this week is to show the kids love and that God would work through those actions.

I must also acknowledge the people I have stayed with this summer wherever I have been. All my hosts have been incredible people who were so caring and kind. I must also acknowledge my family. They have been so patient with me and so supportive this summer. There have been many times that I have tested their patience and somehow they still love me!

Please pray for the kids this week that they would be open to hearing God and learning to love Him. Pray for all of us; April, Jenna, Stephen, and myself as we serve them that we would remain patient and loving. Please also pray for the other 2 teams and the work they are doing around Ontario as well.

Posted: July, 19th 2011

Well, I have been back for an entire week already but this is honestly the first chance I have had to post.

The past 3 weeks have been incredible. Europe was one heck of a ride. We flew into Vienna on a Friday morning and toured a little bit but mostly just wandered around the city in a half dead stupor. We travelled to a city called Levice (pronounced Lev-eet-zay) that night and then started meeting locals the very next day. We went to a christian cafe in the city and met with the youth there and just talked with them. I presented my testimony about how God found me 4 years ago and I have been living a personal relationship with Him since. It was incredibly nerve-wracking to stand in front of 20 youth who all look disapproving and share such a personal story. It was frightening but the experience pushed me out of my comfort zone forcing me to rely on God. While in Levice we also visited 2 local schools and talked to the teenagers there about Kontakt Cafe and if we could a little bit about God.

After Levice we travelled to a small town called Kozarovce (pronounced Koze-a-rove-itz) and there we went to the elementary school in town and taught children English and then invited them to the after-school program we were running. After school the kids could come and play sports with us and also here a story from one of the interns about how God changed their life. After three days in Kozarovce we then travelled to Budapest, Hungary for the weekend.

We stayed in a Seminary residence that one of our leaders just finished at and we just rested. We travelled the city and saw all of the ‘touristy’ areas. It was not a necessary trip but it was really nice to just relax.

We then travelled to our final destination a city called Sakesfehervar (pronounced Sake-esh-fe-hair-var) where we ran an English sports bible camp for 5 days. We met with our volunteers and planned out a lot of things and then we began on the following Monday. For 5 days we played sports in the morning, did English lessons before lunch and devotions after lunch. At the end of the day we would come back together and finish with a big game. The camp was exciting but it was also frustrating wanting to talk to the kids and make a connection with them but being unable to because of the language barrier.

Finally we left Friday night for Budapest where we explored the city one last time before flying home all of Saturday. It was an incredible time and feel free to ask me questions about it. I would love to answer them. You can e-mail me at rwilson.140@gmail.com or you can call my cell at 226-868-2000.

God Bless,
Ryan

Posted: July 9th 2011

God is so good. I am so in awe of how faithful God is and how loving He is. I am so glad to serve Him for the next 2 weeks in Hungary and Slovakia and what a joy it is to be there for Him and not for selfish reasons.

Please continue to pray for safety and that God would bless our work there. Please pray that God would use our works and that we would know it is not our work being done but God’s. Please pray for a servant heart and servant attitude.

Many Blessings,
Ryan

Posted: June, 16th 2011

I leave for Europe on Thursday! So unbelievable that this is happening!