Christmas makes my heart _____ ______.

Life may not be, but Christmas is good.

So once upon a time there was a teenage girl who was (by her view) incredibly ill prepared to have a child. She was traveling in dangerous times, not really married 'right' and extremely vulnerable being a foreign 'poorer' girl. Then she went into labor at one of the worst times in one of the worst places. No friends or family to help, comfort, share; not even a pleasant stranger or a clean comfortable place to stay. When ill preparation turned to frantic fumbling to make due, this confused young girl gave birth to the Son of GOD!

Think on how the parents must have felt.

(my thoughts are).....
Crippling doubt at whether things were right or ready, and so much Joy at such a special life.
So much like our lives with that special life.

I have had the great honor of having one of the most anticipated Christmas's of my life through this present season. With......
-my living away from home
-my family in far off lands
- my friends spread back home and all around
This coming home has been beyond belief.


I want to thank every or anyone that has prayed for or contributed to myself or the youth centre and this incredible season. We made the such a celebration of the season, fueled by the anticipation of so many kids craving their Christmas's back in their home communities, we decked the place out for weeks, ran a 'nativity' movie night, made up personalized gift bags for the 'regs' and then the season came to a climax with the 40 or so kids that came and went through our Xmas party night. Your prayers were defiantly answered in our final load of little blessing we pass on to the kids through the gift bags and cards. The dozens of donation no's I got from business owners on cold campaigning days was hardly discouraging when compared with the worth we saw in every ones interactions when gave out the bags. It was too cool to see how special everyone felt making and recieving these Christmas contributions. So cool too to see kids wearing proud the cross's that came with the personalized cards, and knowing the hearts behind the statement.

If you want to see more pictures of the drop in/our Christmas party some are posted on Facebook so hit that up if you'd care too.

I was blessed beyond belief this last week when two dear friends shared with me one of the greatest joys of life. Friends visiting friends far from home. I wish I could share with you all my anticipation as I dashed down the street towards their car; ginger bread house in hand. Our time was more than meaningful as then encouraged and contributed to my life and work in Thunder Bay with words and laughter and all around good times. As a prelude to the my main event returning home, we rocked the Christmas spirit hard with random public Christmas card contributions, Candy Bannock, Sufjan Xmas dance shenanigans, a Christmas tea puking and 'Egging' Dryden on our way home. Tyler Funk and James Pfleger.... I take of my Christmas hat off to the both of you.

So in a huge, gushy and most over emotionalize climax to this Christmas sentament; I'll quote our dear Charels Dickens....

I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.

The road home to a Christy Christmas

Christmas is only a couple weeks away and I've been counting down my mental advent calender daily. Theresa huge anticipation for Christmas here at the 'Drop in' centre partially fueled by my love of the season and it's meaning. But it's also hyped up by a longing from a lot of us to be with families. Many of the kids at the 'Drop in' are studying here away from there families and the Northern communities that have raised them. And so given it would be pretty stressful for kids in there mid teens to have to be away from everyone they know. I'm a grown man and so many days I wish so badly to be in a home with my family, and I can only imagine how much greater their wishing would be. There's an undeniable buzz about the centre but through the green ribbon writhes and Sufjan Christmas music there is a need for presents!!! Bahaha. ahah that's funny saying that outright like that (fully knowing that the season is totally not about materialism and consumerism). But there's a difference between the churches battle against consumerism (and other isms) and the battle to just get something nice, before over consumption is a problem. I'd like to let you know that my out burst for presents isn't going to be satisfying selfish consumer kids but rather this is about blessing completely unassuming undemanding kids with something that they haven't been given.

So what am I getting at you might ask, and I'll tell you through sharing the story that is keeping me up writing this message. This last night at the 'drop in', I was having an easy conversation about the excitment of Christmas with some of the regs. (regular drop in kids) I curiously asked where they were going to have their Christmas and what they thought they'd get. Then in that moment an awkward cloud came on our conversation. The kind of awkwardness that says that they don't want to make me feel bad for assuming that they'll be getting presents and also the awkwardness of being honest in acknowledging that they probably won't be getting or giving much of anything this season. {At this point I would like to remind you all that Santa Clause doesn't exist and that naughty or nice kids get there presents based on the economic situation that they were born into. I would also like to remind you before you tell your kids and grandkids that the concept of 'good kids getting presents and 'bad' kids not getting presents' is an awful capitalistic and domineering lie that we tell our children to convince them to be good (or greedy) and reiterates that we (as adults) have power over 'good', through money.} Back to my story though.... We as volunteers at the youth centre decided that we should give the kids a personal card and a bag of candy with possibly a little present (similar to everyones favorite 'after Christmas concert bag present'). It's not terribly much, we know but it'll remind them that there is a community here in Thunder Bay for them to come back to, and also maybe let their parents know that there are some people back in town that care about their kids too. It's not terribly expensive to make up some of these little gifts but the Youth Centre dosen't have especially much money to contribute right now and if we get enough donations we would love to buy presents and needed items for some of the kids.


So if you would like to contribute you can email me at newhope.scott@gmail.com

Or send a check to .... New Hope Youth Centre 1014 Victoria Ave. E.
.......................................Thunder Bay, On. P7C 1B6
......................................However let me know before you would send a check. So we could know if money is coming.

Tax refundable recites can be given if check is made out to 'New Hope 2'.

I know that posting this on a public site I run the risk of either leaking it out to the kids that we are trying to get some things together for Christmas and also running the risk of making their situations look desperate. I assure you that these friend and youths (having still being in school) are some of the smartest and most hopeful kids in this town and they are not a charity case, however a non essential but much need gift blessing is the charity we are asking for.

I also know that many of you are white middle class citizens who are perhaps tired of letting your tax money go to 'Native issues' that don't show results. I'd like to on a side note let you know that very little of that money actually seems to get to the felt needs but rather goes to paying for ministers officials and politicians, many of whom are in our culture and social groups. I'd also like to let you know that here's a chance for you to get your money to a need that won't get caught up in red tape legalities and paying government or 'Indian Affairs' jobs. If some of you who have read this blog don't have kids yet or kids in the home anymore I'd like to restate that this could be an awesome time to share some Christmas cheer, all the way out here.

Merry Christmas and remember that this season is about a kid that was born out of wedlock to a teenage mom in a rough situation.

Ethics??? short and to the point.

I'm writing this because it's in the Bible and I believe it's truth and worth stating and remembering.

"I can't stand your religious meetings. I'm fed up with your conferences and conventions. I want nothing to do with your religion projects, your pretentious slogans and goals. I'm sick of your fund-raising schemes, your public relations and image making. I've had all I can take of your noisy ego-music. When was the last time you sang to me? Do you know what I want? I want justice-- oceans of it. I want fairness--rivers of it. That's what I want. That's all I want." (Amos 5: 21-24, The Message)

Shoots those word tear deep?.... and the heart is in the right place too! .... justice ..... rights where wrongs happen.

There's a lot of wrongs when kids are having kids, and high schools are torn in violence in two, when people can't find a home outside of a social system or a treatment program because friends and family fall to pieces over what little money they can conger, when self harm is common ground to run from a life numbing boardom, when people will pay 300 street price for and escape in a shoppers brand prescriptions that are blatantly faked and government subsidized, and then when the over prescribed are forced to over medicate and fall even stronger onto our crutch of science in medicine.


I've come to understanding of that false, obstinate, and racist phrase I've quoted all to often "Everyone has a choice" ......... of course stated by myself (who has been given every 'choice' I could possibly have.)

In the example of Alcohol abuses.......
"....... In my lifetime tens of thousands of Native people have gone to an early grave with alcohol in their blood. Did these people die because of thousands of individual acts of free will? (choice) Or were they driven to their deaths by powerful outside forces that gave them no other choice? When your land has been taken, when your language has been degraded, when your spirit has been crushed, when you have been forced to live in squalor, when you face existence without hope, and when you are offered escape through drink.. what choice do you really have?" ...................................(National Native Alchohol and Drug Abuse Program, Discussion Paper (Ottawa, 1982); York Geoffery, "The Dispossessed" 1990, McArthur and company Publishing lim. )


So what to do? what to do? And why do a thing when we've got million dollar industries to help people and why help people if it won't keep us our 'help industry' jobs. We've got to protect our industry, and so in the fashion of supply and demand we can cut a cripple down to keep help coming on demand.

What to do? what to do? (in particular) Try to do something nice for a Native person who needs it, and I'll try to do likewise.

Yeah Yeah to Nature!

Up to the date.

Hey all! It's about time for getting up to this date.

But how could I possibly say so so much through such a emotionless medium.

I guess I'll try and, we'll see.

This last month has been really good. The practicalities of the job are finally getting worked out and my adjusting is going well. There are a number of particular things to this job that I really need to discipline myself on. A lot of things going at once and it's easy to get distracted, but now when I'm in a consistent routine its easier to see work getting done. We just had our Halloween and Obama O8 parties and they went really well, although I'm always game for more people.

Thunder Bay is beautiful as well as wet and cold. I guess I'm not used to living by a coastline cause it's a totally the kind of cold that freezes your marrow. All together though it's such a nice place to be in if I'm away from home.

This is a picture of Gavin, a friend of mine from the drop in and myself. He's from Labrador and is only in Thunder bay for a short time. Yeah yeah to friends and he's a good one that GOD's blessed me with for the time, and I wish him more than well as he goes on.

Thanks so much for your prayers and hope and love to you all.

This is just a picture of me in front of the famed

'sleeping giant' across the harbor from T-bay.

The picture was taken from Mt. McKay and from

here the peninsula across the lack totally looks

like a sleeping giant, hey!? Just thought you'd like

to look at a picture of my face while you read the

blog.

Life in the Atlantic watershed!!!

Good day and greetings to all!

Well now after being here in Thunder Bay for 3 weeks, I just want to say I'm AMPED on this ministry, Aboriginal people and this CITY!

Over the last 3 weeks my feelings towards my job and this place have gone from a tentatively tough start to bursting at it's seems (and my heart strings) present love for this place and my mission here. Seriously the last couple weeks have been some of the most stretching but blessed weeks of my life. Whether making a super tight friend on my first day in Thunder Bay or having GOD lining up the right businesses and people to meet; GOD is in this place and HE's moving here in these people.

I should share with you what the day to day and the long and short of my time in Thunder Bay has looked like. The 'Youth Center' re-opened Friday the 12th (a week after I arrived) where some 30 kids dropped in for the evening. A lot of my job is dealing and organizing volunteers, and we had a tremendous 10 volunteers go through the training this last week, so it's exciting to see that this 'Drop in' ministry is in the heart of a lot of people. Administration, program planning, building management, fund raising and public relations are all areas that I've started learning, and will need prayer in developing and furthering these areas. North Ontario could be the most beautiful place in the world for autumn. That may be a biased opinion but I've ditched my car now for a bike and so far this seems like a perfect place to stay out side and car; well see how Thunder Bay winters go though, hopefully just as well.

Along with all the blessing that GOD has been heaping my way, there are a lot of challenges to this place and job. One area that I've been learning a lot about is poverty, and the fact that there is a great economic need here. That's not to say that I've stepped into absolute poverty, but I do live in a core area of the city and the truth in the empty store fronts and needed social programs tells the story enough.

I want to share with you 2 programs that I have been given the vision for and you might be interested in being involved in. I have been given the dream to start a mountain biking ministry with the reference from the kids and the encouragement of the board. Many of the kids at the 'drop in' are from Northern communities and so aren't terribly established here in Thunder Bay and don't have access to bikes or decent recreation. It's my hope to start this ministry and raise enough bikes/support to have it running by spring. Also the exterior of this center could drastically use a face lift (there's not even a sign put up yet) and one day of a couple guys work painting and building would do wonders for this place. If you're interested in being involved in either, or just want to share or ask a question, my contact information is at the bottom of this message.

The Church here is near a majority Ojibwa and is terribly supportive in helping me find my place here. I'm learning so much through sharing with the kids at the drop in the brothers sisters at the church and I'm loving all of their sincerity, openness and friendships.

Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel,
From everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and Amen. Psalm 41:13

ps. Sorry that was so sappy but it's just the honest truth.

Scott Penner
New Hope Youth Center
newhope.scott@gmail.com
(807)252 3554
1-1014 Victoria Ave. E
Thunder Bay, On.
P2C 1B6

Well day two of my blog. Still pretty great.

Still here too!

First Post!

Hey all!

So this is a blog spot hey. Pretty great!

more to come!