I have been confronted by an amazing turn of events! Before i divulge all this info, a bit of background info is needed considering this is my first personal blog ever.
The past year and 8 months has been challenging and it has taken a lot of creativity on my part to remain sane. I've always called my self a "Nike Christian" in the sense that I just do things, I rarely pray about them and I rarely think about them for more than I day. Don't get me wrong, I still consider the potential outcomes but I'm usually able to do it on my feet and react impulsively. This past year has allowed me to do almost none of that. Working at Downey Ford has been a great experience, but being a new sales guy in a small town is no easy task. I've learned to depend on others and ultimately God for my week to week provision. In car sales, one never knows if they will have the ability to buy groceries the next week. I did well at Downey's, finishing fifth out of twelve sales people my first year. despite putting in an average of 45-50 hours a week there, I was unstimulated and bored with the job after about 4 months. Consistently I felt unmotivated and I constantly looked for another job. I surrounded my self with a great community, church family and people to pour into. I became part of the leadership team for the youth group at the REZ (Anglican church in Grand Bay), I became part of the leadership for a mission team, I got involved with the Saint John Community Chaplaincy Board; I did reading buddies at a local elementary school, I practiced guitar and Piano often, I served meals to the homeless with Outflow and finally I remained intentional with the community around me. This filled up my week and yes, I was very busy. This however did not mean I was stimulated or challenged in the ways that I wanted to be. Sure I was challenged by the people around me with accountability, ongoing discipleship and busyness, but I wanted to be part of something dynamic and fast. In a nut shell, this sums up my experience from September 2011 to December 2012. Than, things began to change!
At the end of November, I had a meeting with Jayme Hall. Being an active member in the community of Saint John (outflow, International Needs, church involvement etc.), Jayme and I dreamed big and talked about ministry, the future, and ourselves. Because I had a fair bit of experience in University regarding Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Jayme was intrigued with some interesting ideas I had. I should also note that I had been checking out some great thinkers regarding CSR, business culture and behavioural science (Dan Pink, Simon Sinek and Shawn Achor). Interestingly, God brought these to my attention on a long drive down to Antigonish to see my friend Rachel through my mobile ted talk application. Jayme thought that He and I should develop some ideas and furthermore that I should meet his boss; the executive director of International Needs (IN). Later in December, I had a prayer meeting with 6 of some of my closest supporters and mentors. Out of that prayer meeting I received no direction on this new opportunity with IN and no direction on my current plight with Downey's. I only received an overwhelming sense of peace and direction to pursue God more actively than ever day to day. So I did.
Each day seemed to get a bit easier, I was praying often, fasting often, and spending quality one-on-one time with the Father. Everything seemed to get better. During that time I received a breakthrough in my accountability partnership with Mike. All the things I was personally struggling with were no longer struggles by mid January. I also had a phone conversation with David Marshall (the IN E.D) around that time. we bounced a few ideas around concerning cause marketing and CSR as it might pertain to a charity briefly and setup a meeting in Saint John. That meeting turned out to be an amazing brain storming session. I knew that I surprised both Jayme and David with the methodical flow chart God inspired me to develop (literally, was led to do it after a personal time of listening). I knew things were looking bright and it came out of left field. Talks continued with Jayme and David but all parties were unsure how to go about bringing me into the organization. So I continued to walk patiently and pour out into the things I was committed to.
Than the unthinkable happened. After going to the gym and having a sweet work out (welcome to the gun show ;) ) I tried inssesantly to motivate my self for another day at Downey's. I could not do it. I was having one of the most cynical days I had had in a while. Than at 11:24am the phone rang. It was David from IN so of course I immediately perked up. I learned that an IN advancement officer in Ontario had just left and that they were looking to fill the gap. David stated that he could not offer me the job right away but ideally wanted me to come to Toronto with him the next week to meet some key donors and people. I was buzzing! I quickly learned that it was a big decision as I would have to leave Downey's without the guarantee of a new position. By 12:38pm I had 4 phone calls with my mentors and mom, and one sit down conversation with Robert Meister who just happen to walk into Downey's.... ya right, tell me thats a coincidence. I also sat down with my boss Matt and strategized the way forward. In just over an hour I had left Downey's and was working my way to Toronto. After having a phone conversation With Corrie the operations director, I was convinced I had found my new career. I was off to Toronto Monday morning. In true Atlantic Canadian fashion, a blizzard struck out Sunday afternoon and my flight from Saint john was canceled. After a combined four hours on the phone with Air Canada, I found my self a flight leaving Saint John in the afternoon.
Now here I sit. Its Friday evening and I'm in Pearson international Air port waiting for my flight back to Saint John. The past 4 days have been a complete blur. David and I hit the ground running and it has already been a great experience. After each meeting with donors and potential partners I grew in excitement and confidence. The ideas regarding cause marketing, CSR and donor relations have been exploding between David and I. I feel ready and prepared for whats about to come. So much so that David and I stayed up until 12pm Wednesday evening drawing up a proposal for our first cause marketing partners. So far we have made 4 or 5 pitches on the subject and not one person has denied the potential and value. Its not just about charity for projects in places struggling with abject poverty, its about developing win-win relationships with business and donors to design something very special. Its about developing relationships, growing communities and fostering that which God has blessed us with.
So here we go. I'm certainly out of the woods. I'm certainly overwhelmed. Most of all, I'm certainly living life abundantly just as Jesus said we would. I will miss the community in Saint John. They can not be replaced. Benaiah, Martin, Katie, Jen, Robert, my nieces, my sister; Andrew, Marie-Helen, Jamie, Mike, my old colleagues at Downeys, my parents and everyone involved with youth group; I will miss you all hugely! I go into a bright future walking in a direction God has obviously prepared. Here I go, into love and beyond!
When I got back from Belize I had 4 days to say goodbye to everyone in my community and life in New Brunswick. Unfortunately I didn't have time to see them all. I was thankful to see the ones I did but I know that this isn't a forever deal. I already have plans to return as soon as May potentially. I had time to go and see some friends from Fredericton on Thursday and it was a fantastic trip, one I wont soon forget :). Friday arrived before I knew it and it was off to the races.
That whole day included my parents and I packing up my entire Apartment. Apologies to Andy and Andrew my roommates for taking your stuff. I promise it was an honest mistake. We filled an entire 14' U-Haul truck, or my parents and I came to call it "the bathtub". We called it that because it would have been easier to drive one of those to Toronto than that thing. Around 6 we headed to Mike and Annas for the going away party that they so graciously hosted. It was a great time. So many people showed up to see me off; it was humbling and warm. Thank you to all that came, that was the best farewell party I've ever had or been to. I also had to say goodbye to the youth group earlier that week. It was also a humbling experience. I was overcome by the words and emotions of the youth at the church of the resurrection. They truly are a unique bunch.
After 17 hours of driving over 2 days, we finally arrived to my new home in Stoney Creek (just out side Hamilton, about 50 mins away from Toronto). Unpacking was an adventure for sure. I never realized I had so much stuff. Now that its all done my apartment is very cozy. The landlady is a great gal named Lydia who has already been super accommodating and helpful. I've been home by my self for about 2 days now. I know there are challenges to living in a new city by yourself, but more than ever I feel ready and equipped to deal with those challenges. God has led me on an incredible journey to be a part of advancing his Kingdom in some incredible ways. I know he wont abandon me now. Stay tuned everyone, the adventure has just begun!