www.swiftlyarriving.tumblr.com

go there. 

The winds of change are blowing!

Hi Lovely Blog Friends,

Times are changing and so is my blog. Follow me on over to www.swiftlyarriving.tumblr.com (no thats not a spelling mistake, there's no 'e' in tumblr. 

So there you have it. Its a different feel....and i like it. 

Click HERE to see the new me. 

I'm going to be adding a comments section so be looking for that soon. The kinks are being worked out too so forgive me. 

See ya THERE!

Love Amy

Kingdom Comes- Sara Groves

When anger fills your heart 
When in your pain and hurt
You find the strength to stop
You bless instead of curse

When doubting floods your soul
Though all things feel unjust
You open up your heart
You find a way to trust

That's a little stone that's a little mortar
That's a little seed that's a little water
In the hearts of the sons and the daughters
The kingdom's coming

When fear engulfs your mind
Says you protect your own
You still extend your hand
You open up your home

When sorrow fills your life
When in your grief and pain
You choose again to rise
You choose to bless the name

That's a little stone that's a little mortar
That's a little seed that's a little water
In the hearts of the sons and the daughters
The kingdom's coming

In the mundane tasks of living
In the pouring out and giving
In the waking up and trying 
In the laying down and dying

That's a little stone that's a little mortar
That's a little seed that's a little water
In the hearts of the sons and the daughters
The kingdom's coming 

My friends are cool....

.... so cool in fact that at 8am this morning, 25ish of them hopped on their bikes and began a 10 day, 1000 km ride around lake ontario for Africycle. Check it out HERE. 

This week.

A little bit of love goes a long way. We’ve all heard it said but do we really believe it? And if we really believe it, do we love like we believe it? I was beautifully reminded this week that it is true. A little bit of love goes a long way. 

My roommate and fellow volunteer, Jenn, had invited some girls from The Bridge to the movies. One didn’t show up and the one who did, S, arrived with her infamous attitude in tow. Jenn excitedly told her that while the 10 pm show was sold out, she got 3 tickets to the 10:30 showing. S lost it. She laid into Jenn about how she had paid 10 dollars to get dropped off, had a pass from the shelter she lived at only til midnight and blamed Jenn for it all. I told S that her attitude sucked, that she her tone was disrespectful and that if she would calm down, we’d all figure out a way to remedy the situation. This only got S more riled up and when she pulled the “when’s the last time you lived in a shelter’ card”, Jenn and I backed away and began to pray for patience, guidance and a loving attitude. S couldn’t see past her own anger and as we began talking in circles again, I told Jenn to go enjoy the movie and I’d figure stuff out. I told S that I would have loved to give her a ride home but that with the way she treated Jenn, and the way she spoke to me, I really didn’t want to. I walked across the street and as I opened the car door, she yelled at me from across the street. “Get in!” I said coldly. 

I wanted to drive her to the shelter in silence and get on with my night....but I couldn’t. I told her that no one at The Bridge was paid to be there. We spent our weekends there because we want to, because we love her and the rest of the kids regardless of if they love us back. This tough kid who lies and manipulates and has spent her life just trying to survive, started to cry. She told me how she had spent her life being disrespected, being neglected, living on friends couches in between shelter stays and foster homes. At 19, she was living a life of anger, desperation and hopelessness. 

“Lets go get something to eat” I said. As we sat down with her food at Wendy’s, she started talking and didn’t stop for an hour. When I dropped her off at the shelter, she looked at me and said she was sorry for acting the way she did and that she appreciated the food. I told her that we all get upset and thats ok. It’s how we react when we’re upset that matters and the way she reacted was not right and she owed Jenn an apology. She assured me she would. 

The next day Jenn and I are grabbing a coffee and S runs up to the car and taps on the window. Jenn opens the door and before she can say hello, S is apologizing. 

A little bit of love goes a long way. S wants what I want, what Jenn wants, what we all want. She wants to be known. She wants to be loved. The beauty is what happens when a kid like S, gets a little bit of that love that they long for. It changes them. It lets S know that there are people who care about her. Yes, she lives in a shelter, and yes she’s lived a life I can’t even imagine, but she’s loved. And now that she’s had a taste of that love, she’ll want more. 

“Lord, you are my God, I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness, you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.”- Isaiah 25:1

The last 2 weeks in photo journal format.

A good portion of my time is spent here. This is the view from my favorite rock. I often go to this spot with my bible, journal and Ipod and spend some quality time with the Lord.

I've also been spending a good amount of time with this lady. She works at The Bridge and she is lovingly referred to as my "peterborough mom". We often eat lunch together in the park across from the office. She's a wonderful woman and a beautiful friend. 
My dear Robyn turned 17 this week and we threw a little birthday party for her down at the Silver Bean Cafe. 
My sister, her husband (not pictured- that guy is steve), and her 2 crazy adorable kids, Ava and Carter, came to visit for 2 days. It was exhausting and so much fun. My lovely roommate Tori came back to town (she goes home in the summers) to hang out for a night and her and I, along with a bunch of friends, got all fancied up and went to the Distillery District in Toronto. It was a great night. 

These last 2 weeks have been crazy busy. The end of my summer semester is near, my last exam is 9am on monday and I'm in the midst of studying. Its for pharmacology- a class i absolutely love! Yesterday some friends and I went to this old rock quarry near town and spent the afternoon swimming and exploring and having a blast. Have i mentioned lately that I love my life here?

Last night was The Bridge and I'm now a 'supervisor'! Exciting stuff! That's all for now. Peace. 

Rachel- Email me info about your wedding already!

Death Bed- Reliant K.

I can smell the death on the sheets
Covering me
I can't believe this is the end

But this is my deathbed
I lie here alone
If I close my eyes tonight
I know I'll be home

The year was nineteen forty one
I was eight years old and
Far far too young
To know that the stories
Of battles and glory
Was a tale a kind mother
Made up for her son
You see
Dad was a traveling preacher
Teaching the words of the Teacher
But mother had sworn
Went off to the war
And died there with honor
Somewhere on a beach there
But he left once to never return
Which taught me that I should unlearn
Whatever I thought a father should be
I abandoned that thought
Like he abandoned me

By forty seven I was fourteen
I'd acquired a taste for liquor and nicotine
I smoked until I threw up
Yet I still lit 'em up for thirty more years
Like a machine

So right there you have it
That one filthy habit
Is what got me where I am today

I can smell the death on the sheets
Covering me
I can't believe this is the end
I can hear those sad memories
Still haunting me
So many things
I'd do again

But this is my deathbed
I lie here alone
If I close my eyes tonight
I know I'll be home

I got married on my twenty first
Eight months before my wife would give birth
It's easier to be sure you love someone
When her father inquires with the barrel of a gun
The union was far from harmonious
No two people could have been more alone than us
The years would go by and she'd love someone else
And I realized I hadn't been loved yet myself

And there's your typical spiel
Yeah if life was a highway
I was drunk at the wheel
I was helping the loose ends
All fall apart
Yeah I swear I was destined to fail
And fail from the start

I bowled about six times a week

The bottle of Beam kept the memories from me
The marriage had taken a seven-ten split
Along with my pride the ex-wife took the kids

I can smell the death on the sheets
Covering me
I can't believe this is the end
I can hear those sad memories
Still haunting me
So many things
I'd do again

But this is my deathbed
I lie here alone
If I close my eyes tonight
I know I'll be home

I was so scared of Jesus
But He sought me out
Like the cancer in my lungs
That's killing me now
And I've given up hope
On the days I have left
But I cling to the hope
Of my life in the next
Then Jesus showed up
Said "Before we go"
"I thought that we might reminisce"
"See one night in your life"
"When you turned out the light"
"You asked for and prayed for my forgiveness"

You cried wolf
The tears they soaked your fur
The blood dripped from your fangs
You said, "What have I done?"
You loved that lamb
With every sinful bone
And there you wept alone
Your heart was so contrite

You said, "Jesus, please forgive me of my crimes
Sanctify this withered heart of mine
Stay with me until my life is through
And on that day please take me home with you"

I can smell the death on the sheets
Covering me
I can't believe this is the end
I can hear You whisper to me,
"It's time to leave
You'll never be lonely again"

But this was my deathbed
I died there alone
When I closed my eyes tonight
You carried me home

[Jon Foreman of Switchfoot sings, as the voice of Jesus:]
I am the Way
Follow Me
And take My hand
And I am the Truth
Embrace Me and you'll understand
And I am the Light
And for Me you'll live again
For I am Love
I am Love
I, I am Love