Saturday, July 23, 2005
VARIOUS UPDATES
Choosing a site to build a Habitat project is no small task. One has to consider the various stakeholders and their unique requirements. Not only do the needs of Habitat have to be addressed, but also the needs of the various government bodies. Building codes, environmental legislations, parkland considerations, railways and airports are just a few things that have be considered when choosing a site. I sat in on the most recent Habitat For Humanity Toronto Site Selection Process meeting where an overview of this process was presented. It gave me an appreciation of some of the critial beind-the-scene things that have to happen even before a house can be considered for building.
I was given the opportunity to give a short devotional to start off a build at the Habitat For Humanity Toronto's McLevin build (in the Scarborough Malvern area). It was a chance to focus the volunteers before their day of efforts. Part of the volunteer corp included members of the "Care-a-vanners", a group of retired individuals who travel the entire continent in their RV's, visiting and helping out on various Habitat build sites. I met a few of them last year in St. John's during the blitz build there. What an amazing group of individuals who have chosen to continue giving during their time of "rest". Click here for the devotion that I gave.
Thank you to the supporters in my community who continue to pour out material blessings on me! I have been given the following items that will definitely help on this trip: a portable MP3 recorder, a travel alarm clock, New Zealand currency, and send off prayer by my Thursday night small group. Thanks!
In an effort to become familiar with the New Zealand culture, I have been keeping up with The New Zealand Herald, the national newspaper. It is interesting to read about the various stories and situations that resemble news found here in Toronto. One thing of particular concern to me is an ongoing strike by Air New Zealand. As a result of their bursts of strike actions, numerous internationl flights have been cancelled. This is the airline that I'm flying with (Click Here to see my flight information) and so I will continue checking to see if there are any updates.
I was given the opportunity to give a short devotional to start off a build at the Habitat For Humanity Toronto's McLevin build (in the Scarborough Malvern area). It was a chance to focus the volunteers before their day of efforts. Part of the volunteer corp included members of the "Care-a-vanners", a group of retired individuals who travel the entire continent in their RV's, visiting and helping out on various Habitat build sites. I met a few of them last year in St. John's during the blitz build there. What an amazing group of individuals who have chosen to continue giving during their time of "rest". Click here for the devotion that I gave.
Thank you to the supporters in my community who continue to pour out material blessings on me! I have been given the following items that will definitely help on this trip: a portable MP3 recorder, a travel alarm clock, New Zealand currency, and send off prayer by my Thursday night small group. Thanks!
In an effort to become familiar with the New Zealand culture, I have been keeping up with The New Zealand Herald, the national newspaper. It is interesting to read about the various stories and situations that resemble news found here in Toronto. One thing of particular concern to me is an ongoing strike by Air New Zealand. As a result of their bursts of strike actions, numerous internationl flights have been cancelled. This is the airline that I'm flying with (Click Here to see my flight information) and so I will continue checking to see if there are any updates.
# posted by Duffshot @ 9:13 AM 
