you always amaze me.

my Father is good.

if you asked me today how things are going, i'd say they're rocky. there's a lot going on right now. but my Father is still so good.

i got to spend the past week up at mount washington in a log cabin lodge right on the side of the hill. i got to spend 5 days in the snow, shredding and snowshoeing and tubing, and got to spend each night in incredible community chapels with the incredible friends God's provided me with this year. these were times of prayer and conversation, in which we acknowledged Christlike qualities we see in one another, and as a group named one another - names that both recognize who we are now, as well as giving admonition and spurring one another towards more.

i was pretty worried that nobody would know what to name each other, but the Spirit was moving in our group. a lot of people had the same names come to them for the same people as they prayed, and we took time (a lot of time - i think something around 5 or 6 hours over two nights) to talk them through until we arrived at one that fit. i was really surprised to be the first one named - "conqueror". for those of you who know my story, this gives me a lot to grow in to, and shows a lot of hope that people have got for me to overcome things that seem as immovable as mountains. that name's going to be something i wrestle with (it already has been) but i know it's not arbitrary, and i value it a lot.

and the mountains seem to have been budging. i feel, in a way, as if it's been a back-and-forth experience of growth and frustration with a lack thereof. but i'm seeing more and more of the former. i'm incredibly blessed with the friendships i've got being built here, and with the opportunities for adventures like i had this week, and the fact that i even have that name, and such sweet opportunities to worship Him in so many ways. the accuser is trying to undermine these things, to kill my brotherhood, to rob me of opportunities for adventure, to make me feel defeated and to keep me from worshipping my Saviour, Rescuer and Father but my eyes are being opened and i've found myself more able to discern and rebuke such attack. right now it's heavy though, and prayer to keep going would be really appreciated, and is honestly quite needed. i have been seeing the results of your guys’ prayers undeniably throughout these last months.

this entire year has been a process of things being brought to the surface and being engaged and overcome, and it continues to be so. right now i don't know what is going to happen - it seems like a million obstacles are fixing themselves in front of me, things i didn't foresee and don't know how i'm going to overcome. in a way it's really stressing me out, but on a whole i'm given such an incredible overlay of peace.

He's got this.

it's going to be okay.

my Father is good.

Kaleo Seven.

Matthew Conqueror Newton
James Guardian VanderVeen
Jeremy Shepherd Derksen
Bo Flash Stephenson
Claire Victory Roscoe-Lussier
Marissa Wellspring Baerg
Katie Physician Doiron
Justin Advocate Lenny
Haley Devotion Warkentin
Rivera Challenger Woodford
Jim Abraham Badke
Kaitlyn Radiant Cey
Nick Pilgrim VanSnick
Josh Israel Poulin
Mark David Guenther
Nicole Gem Venton
Ellie Delight Downing
Abby Companion Calverly
Bob Builder Drinkwater
John Counselor Lansink
Ben Gentle Schmidt
Emma Ambassador Furfaro
Jade Genuine Summerfelt
Nate Mender Boyda
Jenna Esther McKee
Trent Masterpiece McKone
Caroline Caregiver Pullan
Tim Refiner Everett
Bria Hopeful Bymann
Kristie Treasure Voth
Jessica Mercy Hendry

Matt Abundance Myles

there are stories and prayers and hopes and incredible things behind each of these.

i've got my heart set on what happens next.

What a week and a bit it has been. I’m sitting down to write this, and as per usual have no idea where to begin. More has happened in the first week back at Kaleo than I ever thought could fit into a week, and I’m so excited for more weeks to come.

This last week we had Theology of Missions course with Tim Stabell, followed by a trip to Vancouver for Missions Fest. I’ve gone to Missions Fest the last few years, and so I wasn’t expecting many surprises. I figured it’d be pretty sweet, but nothing revolutionary. I’m still not sure what relevance the weekend will have in the long run, but it was a significant time for sure.

In Theo of Missions, Tim (prof) would give us information about countries around the world and their specific needs – how best to pray for them, etc. One of the countries, The Congo, is one I’ve heard about a lot because of the LRA child soldiers. While I’ve been involved in a couple of Invisible Children events to raise money to free the child soldiers, to be honest it’s one of those world issues I try and sweep under the rug in my mind. It’s a brutal, complicated situation without much visible hope, and so I suppose I’d hardened myself to it. This week, as we lifted the Congo up in prayer, God began to soften my heart immensely. It was pretty scary, to be honest; having accepted the brutality and urgency of the situation, I felt unable to sit and simply hope for a resolution. I began to really feel called to actively engage these issues.

And then came Missions Fest. I remember a guy from Kaleo last year telling me about feeling called to work with International Justice Mission, to free child sex slaves. I kind of always looked at that and thought it was pretty good that I had my future figured out. But God’s pretty ironic sometimes hey? The Young Adults rally on the Saturday night, a guy from IJM spoke, and afterwards we were asked to pray and see what God’s calling us to in regards to this enormous, horrible thing that’s taking place all over the world. Me and Tim went and prayed, and I knew already that I was going to be doing something to help out IJM, but I don’t know if I was expecting to be broken down for these kids the way I was. I can’t help but feel an urgency to fight for freedom and fight for justice for these kids, and I don’t know what it’s going to mean for the rest of my life... Currently the plan is to intern with To Write Love on Her Arms next summer (fighting for justice and freedom for a very different demographic), but I also have a real heart for Invisible Children and IJM. I’m not wanting to get carried away or act on an emotional reaction to a brutal situation, but these things are going on in the world, and I don’t want to be okay with that. prayer for guidance in how to contribute would be so great.

I’ve been incredibly blessed with what’s going on amidst the community right now, particularly with the bro’s. I’m growing lots and feeling as if my prayer that our “love would abound more and more” (Philippians 1:9 reference there) for each other is really being answered. I can’t even say how thankful I am for that. I find that, as I realize more and more the stakes there are on the things I am fighting for (and can easily get overwhelmed by), I am feeling less and less alone in it, and seeing a growth in opportunity to come alongside others... Man, He’s doing a number on my heart. I don’t even know if I know how much.

This next week we’re going to be going up to Mount Washington for our Snow Trip – which means some sweet boarding. I haven’t been in way too long, and I’m really excited for this week. Please be lifting us up, for our conversations and adventures and ... academics (which I’m currently a bit behind in – I’ve got to get better at balancing the awesome conversations and bonding times with paper-writing and textbook-reading).

Justin asked me tonight for three words that he could be praying me “towards”, and I’d like to share them with you, with the hope that you’ll be doing the same: joyful, free, and fearless. I’m dreaming of these words becoming adjectives for Matthew Newton, and feel bits of each being stirred in me already.

Hope be with you,

Matthew.