I took another small step along the road to Sri Lanka yesterday by popping by a travel clinic for a series of shots. I'd never heard of travel clinics before (which tells you something about how I feel about doctors!), but when we were at orientation in Toronto we had a whole lecture on health and safety and one of the things they emphasised was going to a travel clinic. It was pretty straightforward (though not exactly painless). The doctor gave me a prescription for some anti-malarials, as well as some stomach stuff, and they gave me a series of shots. It was a bit tricky, as I don't know exactly where I'll be going in the country. I also got an H1N1 shot, since it was free. My arms have been sore from the shots since yesterday, but they assured me that was normal, and will go away in time.
In other, non-Sri Lanka life events, my school celebrated the opening of the Iona Pacific Interreligious Center. It's based out of the Vancouver School of Theology, and is a place for research and social action between and within religions. The director is a Jewish Rabbi who teaches at VST. The opening was really nice - there were lots of people there, and the speeches were excellent (and short). They hired me to help with the parking - there was not much parking room in front of the school, so we were supposed to send everyone who was not either handicapped or one of the speakers to the parkade a couple blocks away. Well, this was ok for the most part, except when Bishop Ingham, the Anglican Bishop drove up. I hadn't looked too closely at the list of speakers, and so didn't notice that his name was on it. Mindful of my instructions to not allow anyone to park in front of the school, I sent him away to the parkade. It was as he was driving off that I noticed his name on the list of speakers. Oops!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
In the Meantime....
As I may have mentioned, I won't be leaving for Sri Lanka for some months. That's a lot of months of blog to fill, to keep you, the faithful reader, coming back to be entertained. So, while I will blog about any internship preparations, I'll also be writing about the life of an average theology student from the Anglican Church.
I've finished the first week of classes after coming in late because of the orientation. It's going to be a bit of work, but I should be able to catch up. I'm enrolled in five classes this term - Pastoral Theology, John (as in the Gospel of), Canadian History, Christology and Anglican History (from national church to global communion). That's a pretty heavy load. I'm one of the few full time students at the school - many people are going part time, taking two or three classes and working, or in some cases, working, going to school and taking care of a family.
One of the most interesting and unique classes is the Pastoral Theology. This is a class on theology in context (helpfully, something we talked a lot about at the orientation!). What that means is that we go down to the Downtown East Side (DTES) of Vancouver, and have our class down there. There are lots of organizations that are working in the DTES, and one of them is a United Church. Up until recently, it was a pretty normal looking United Church - they had a (small) congregation, and did as much as they could for the people who were outside it's front door. Well, in 2007, the congregation decided to dissolve itself, and have the church become a full time shelter/place for people to access help. Now they have set up bunkbeds in the sanctuary, and they have dozens of people sleep there every night. In addition, First United provides other services, including being an address for people. It is difficult to get things like welfare or pensions, or to apply for jobs if you don't have an address, so First United is the address for many people who live in the DTES.
We have our class at the church, and it is taught by the two ministers there. They are very interesting, and although I've only been to the one class as of yet, I can see that it will be an eyeopening experience. This last week we sat in on a Bible study with members of the community there, and then three of them came to class and talked to us. I'll admit I was surprised at how eloquent these men were - at least one of them was a gifted public speaker. They told us a bit about why they lived on the DTES, and about their faith. Then we got a great lecture on the system that is in place that has led to many of these people being where they are. The emphasis was that it was not simply a few bad decisions, but a whole system that is dedicated to profit, and that what we see on the DTES is the end result of that system. Some people win big off it, but some people don't.
As you can imagine, it's a pretty emotional class. I went straight from that class to John - which will be a tremendously interesting class. In fact, all my classes are. I love history, and so can't wait for more of the Canadian History and Anglican History. In fact, when I was reading for Canadian History I got so excited that I went on Wikipedia (OK, not the most scholarly, but it is the most accessible) and read more about Confederation. Then I put up a picture of Louis Riel to inspire me as I read.
So yes, I am a history nerd.
I've finished the first week of classes after coming in late because of the orientation. It's going to be a bit of work, but I should be able to catch up. I'm enrolled in five classes this term - Pastoral Theology, John (as in the Gospel of), Canadian History, Christology and Anglican History (from national church to global communion). That's a pretty heavy load. I'm one of the few full time students at the school - many people are going part time, taking two or three classes and working, or in some cases, working, going to school and taking care of a family.
One of the most interesting and unique classes is the Pastoral Theology. This is a class on theology in context (helpfully, something we talked a lot about at the orientation!). What that means is that we go down to the Downtown East Side (DTES) of Vancouver, and have our class down there. There are lots of organizations that are working in the DTES, and one of them is a United Church. Up until recently, it was a pretty normal looking United Church - they had a (small) congregation, and did as much as they could for the people who were outside it's front door. Well, in 2007, the congregation decided to dissolve itself, and have the church become a full time shelter/place for people to access help. Now they have set up bunkbeds in the sanctuary, and they have dozens of people sleep there every night. In addition, First United provides other services, including being an address for people. It is difficult to get things like welfare or pensions, or to apply for jobs if you don't have an address, so First United is the address for many people who live in the DTES.
We have our class at the church, and it is taught by the two ministers there. They are very interesting, and although I've only been to the one class as of yet, I can see that it will be an eyeopening experience. This last week we sat in on a Bible study with members of the community there, and then three of them came to class and talked to us. I'll admit I was surprised at how eloquent these men were - at least one of them was a gifted public speaker. They told us a bit about why they lived on the DTES, and about their faith. Then we got a great lecture on the system that is in place that has led to many of these people being where they are. The emphasis was that it was not simply a few bad decisions, but a whole system that is dedicated to profit, and that what we see on the DTES is the end result of that system. Some people win big off it, but some people don't.
As you can imagine, it's a pretty emotional class. I went straight from that class to John - which will be a tremendously interesting class. In fact, all my classes are. I love history, and so can't wait for more of the Canadian History and Anglican History. In fact, when I was reading for Canadian History I got so excited that I went on Wikipedia (OK, not the most scholarly, but it is the most accessible) and read more about Confederation. Then I put up a picture of Louis Riel to inspire me as I read.
So yes, I am a history nerd.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Orientation!
The first step of the Theological Students International Internship Program was a two week orientation in Toronto (the first step after hearing that we got into the program!). The Canadian Churches Forum is an ecumenical group that helps churches in Canada engage in global ministry, and offers training for those engaged in global ministry.
It was a very intense two weeks, held at the Scarborough Mission Center, which is a Roman Catholic organization. We covered a broad range of topics, beginning with where we were as individuals, and how we had come to this place, and moving through other contexts, contextual theology, mission history, practical concerns, and more! Some of the highlights of the program included the outings that we took as a group (there were thirteen of us, being trained for various types and lengths of missions).
We were able to visit a Jewish Temple, a Sunni Mosque, and go out to the Six Nations, a first nations reserve near Toronto. The Six Nations was particularly interesting - not only did we see three churches and two museums (thereby hitting two of my favourite things dead on!), but we had lots of time to talk with people who live on the reserve about the land claims that the Six Nations are involved in, their history, and what life is like for them.
The program coordinator, Alice, worked very hard to keep us aware of our cultural biases in what we say, do and think. She was very creative - when she wanted to give us a taste of being lost in an unfamiliar city where we don't speak the language, she took all our wallets, money, keys and watches, handed us two bus tokens and some confusing directions and sent us off. We were to find the restaurant where we were having supper that night, but we were not allowed to speak - not to other people, not within our groups. We all eventually made it there, but I think one group worried Alice a little when they hadn't appeared twenty minutes after everyone else. Turns out they took the bus in the wrong direction, and had to walk back for several blocks.
The orientation was very good, as I've said, and gave me a chance to interact with the other Interns (Kerri, going to Jerusalem, and Robert to Brazil), and get to know them a little bit. It was, however, exhausting! One of the downsides to it was the timing - school started here in Vancouver two weeks ago while I was in Toronto, so I'm two weeks behind in all my classes. I guess we'll find out tommorow how much make up work I have to do!
It was a very intense two weeks, held at the Scarborough Mission Center, which is a Roman Catholic organization. We covered a broad range of topics, beginning with where we were as individuals, and how we had come to this place, and moving through other contexts, contextual theology, mission history, practical concerns, and more! Some of the highlights of the program included the outings that we took as a group (there were thirteen of us, being trained for various types and lengths of missions).
We were able to visit a Jewish Temple, a Sunni Mosque, and go out to the Six Nations, a first nations reserve near Toronto. The Six Nations was particularly interesting - not only did we see three churches and two museums (thereby hitting two of my favourite things dead on!), but we had lots of time to talk with people who live on the reserve about the land claims that the Six Nations are involved in, their history, and what life is like for them.
The program coordinator, Alice, worked very hard to keep us aware of our cultural biases in what we say, do and think. She was very creative - when she wanted to give us a taste of being lost in an unfamiliar city where we don't speak the language, she took all our wallets, money, keys and watches, handed us two bus tokens and some confusing directions and sent us off. We were to find the restaurant where we were having supper that night, but we were not allowed to speak - not to other people, not within our groups. We all eventually made it there, but I think one group worried Alice a little when they hadn't appeared twenty minutes after everyone else. Turns out they took the bus in the wrong direction, and had to walk back for several blocks.
The orientation was very good, as I've said, and gave me a chance to interact with the other Interns (Kerri, going to Jerusalem, and Robert to Brazil), and get to know them a little bit. It was, however, exhausting! One of the downsides to it was the timing - school started here in Vancouver two weeks ago while I was in Toronto, so I'm two weeks behind in all my classes. I guess we'll find out tommorow how much make up work I have to do!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
An Introduction
The first blog post is always the hardest. One has to sort out how to start the thing off in an interesting and engaging style, calculated to grasp the casual reader and draw them in, but without promising too much in the way of updates.
Anyway, this blog is here to chronicle my adventure this summer of 2010 as an intern from the Anglican Church of Canada, working with the Anglican Church of Ceylon (which is in Sri Lanka). I'm part of a wonderful and endangered program with the ACC (Anglican Church of Canada - if you think I'm typing that out every time, you've got another think coming!). The program takes Canadian theological students, and places them in overseas countries, so that they can get a taste of how Christianity and Anglicanism are differently expressed throughout the world. This is not a traditional mission project- we work with the established church there, doing whatever they have for us to do, sometimes education, sometimes preaching in the church, sometimes doing parish work. It varies based mostly on where you end up.
I have been assigned to Sri Lanka, which is very exciting. I don't really know much about the country, so I have been frantically researching it since I found out. I'll leave Canada in late April or early May, and stay for three months. That is literally all I know at this moment!
I've been doing an orientation seminar in Toronto with other interns and mission workers from other churches - I will post about that in the days to come. I've also got a semester of school left before I leave, so I'll post about that to keep you, the reader, interested in me until the big show really starts!
If you're wondering about the address for this blog, I've taken it from the poem "Ozymandias", by Percy Bysshe Shelley. The poem is a commentary on the eventual fading away of all human endevours. As I get ready to head to Sri Lanka, I'm using this poem as a reminder that I'm not going to do great works that will immortalize my name, but rather to do the work of God through the Anglican Church. The work I do may be largely anonymous, and I'm ok with that- I'm doing it for the greater glory of God, not the greater glory of Will!
OZYMANDIAS by Percy Bysshe Shelley
I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
Anyway, this blog is here to chronicle my adventure this summer of 2010 as an intern from the Anglican Church of Canada, working with the Anglican Church of Ceylon (which is in Sri Lanka). I'm part of a wonderful and endangered program with the ACC (Anglican Church of Canada - if you think I'm typing that out every time, you've got another think coming!). The program takes Canadian theological students, and places them in overseas countries, so that they can get a taste of how Christianity and Anglicanism are differently expressed throughout the world. This is not a traditional mission project- we work with the established church there, doing whatever they have for us to do, sometimes education, sometimes preaching in the church, sometimes doing parish work. It varies based mostly on where you end up.
I have been assigned to Sri Lanka, which is very exciting. I don't really know much about the country, so I have been frantically researching it since I found out. I'll leave Canada in late April or early May, and stay for three months. That is literally all I know at this moment!
I've been doing an orientation seminar in Toronto with other interns and mission workers from other churches - I will post about that in the days to come. I've also got a semester of school left before I leave, so I'll post about that to keep you, the reader, interested in me until the big show really starts!
If you're wondering about the address for this blog, I've taken it from the poem "Ozymandias", by Percy Bysshe Shelley. The poem is a commentary on the eventual fading away of all human endevours. As I get ready to head to Sri Lanka, I'm using this poem as a reminder that I'm not going to do great works that will immortalize my name, but rather to do the work of God through the Anglican Church. The work I do may be largely anonymous, and I'm ok with that- I'm doing it for the greater glory of God, not the greater glory of Will!
OZYMANDIAS by Percy Bysshe Shelley
I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
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