A year in ministry.

In order to further prepare you for the year ahead Tanner Kooistra (last year's ministry award winner) wanted to share some insights he learned from his year in the Kaléo Program. Tanner was actively involved in leading a chapel worship team within the program, served in various camp roles during retreats, served as a youth leader and Sunday school teacher at Oceanview Community Church, and was part of our inner city Vancouver missions trip. Tanner is currently serving as an intern for the summer at Oceanview. Here are some preparatory words from Tanner:
     

Part of our Vancouver missions team.
Leading worship at Potter's Place Mission
 From left to right: Graedon, Jon, Nicole, and Tanner.

     Hey Qwanoes Students of 2013! Congratulations! I hope you are excited for what God has in store for you. God is going to do incredible things in your life in the next year. You are going to learn and grow so much. 
     Ministry is such a big aspect of the Kaléo Program. You are blessed to be able to have all the different opportunities you will be given in ministry throughout the year. Do not take this for granted. Soak up all the experience you can get in ministry!  Serve whole-heartedly! There may be times when you feel overwhelmed with the amount of tasks you have to accomplish. Do not let this feeling undermine your desire to serve in ministries. The paper the next day or the out-trip the week before can worry about themselves. Be focused when you are in ministry for you are bringing glory not to yourselves but to God. You should be stoked for youth group, worship team, Sunday school, missions-trips, or whatever it is because you have been given the opportunity to show Christ’s love to others and to bring honor to your Savior. 
     Serve with a humble and teachable attitude! You can and will learn so much in each ministry you are a part of. While you may have just spent a whole week learning in class about a certain ministry, there are lessons that you will only ever learn from being involved. Ask questions! Your leaders, your pastors or whoever else is leading the ministries you are a part of have experience. Take this for all it is worth! Watch them lead and learn from it. 
     Be willing to serve anytime-anywhere! You will not always be comfortable in ministry. This is good! God does not call you to comfortableness. Rather, it is when you are uncomfortable AND trusting in God that the stretching and growing will happen. It is through these times when you will truly learn dependence on God.
     Be willing to be stretched! Have a desire for God to change you through ministry. Learn to be soft clay in the Potter’s hands. It is with an attitude like this that you will grow the most and truly learn to serve the way God wants you to. 
Ministry will not always be easy. But serve with love, passionately pursuing Christ in all of it. 
I pray that this year will spark a fire in you to serve.  To serve in 'official' ministry and outside of it. I pray that you will serve selflessly, only bringing glory to God.  1 Peter 4:11b- "if anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ."