Musical Pots is Moving!

After using the Blogger service provided by Google since October 24, 2004 I have decided to jump ship.

The Musical Pots blog is moving to WordPress.com.

Our new address is: http://musicalpots.wordpress.com/

We've imported all our old posts from this blog, so you'll be able to check those out and keep up with our news over there.

See you soon!

Summer Assignment 2010

Yesterday was the announcement of annual moves in The Salvation Army in the Canada & Bermuda Territory. A number of officers received phone calls informing them that at the start of July they are expected to relocate and commence service in a new location or role.

It was also a very exciting day around the College for Officer Training in Winnipeg, where Second Year Cadets received their very first appointments as Salvation Army officers. After 22 months of training these individuals and families are being given responsibility for leading a Salvation Army unit. You can see a list of where the cadets are going on the College's website.

Also announced at CFOT were the summer assignments for the First Year Cadets - a group that I belong to. While the Second Years were given private visits in their apartments to break the news, we were summoned to the College for a light lunch and told in front of the entire College community where we would spend the summer. When my name was called it was announced that I was spending the summer in Bay Roberts, Newfoundland.

I am looking forward to the summer and the time I am going to spend in Bay Roberts. Summer assignments are an opportunity for cadets to gain experience in ministry under the supervision of a more experienced officer. Going to Newfoundland will also give me the opportunity to experience a different culture and expression of the Army from what I have grown up with. Of course I've been to Newfoundland a few times since Susan is from the island, but two months doing ministry within that context will be a new experience and fantastic opportunity.

You can check out the full list of summer assignments here.

I leave you with a picture of me and some friends taken in Bay Roberts when I was there in 2001 on a band trip.

Where are you from?

This is a question that I get asked quite a bit, especially when I'm meeting new people as a cadet. It's a pretty straight forward question that is asking for a pretty straight forward answer, but I never feel like the answer is quite as easy as it should be.

In the past, I've usually responded with whichever city I'm living in at the time, but now people generally are looking to find out where I'm originally from. They often know that I live in Winnipeg, but they also realize that I'm just here for school and that this isn't my hometown.

So, I search for another answer. I could go with Edmonton, the city that I last lived in before coming to Winnipeg, but it doesn't quite feel right. I lived there for a little over two years, but it never quite became 'home.'

Then there are the other places I've lived: Peace River, Lake Munmorah, Calgary, Ottawa, Hamilton, Mississauga and Listowel (working my ways from most recent to when I was born). All of these have been home for a time, but it's hard to pick one to 'be from.'

I probably make it more complicated than it is, but in a lot of ways where a person is from is part of their identity, so it isn't easy to let the question go.

Often I come back to the little town in Ontario where I was born: Listowel. I was only three and half years old when we left to move to Mississauga, but this community has become very important to me, especially I've grown into my twenties.

This semester I've been working on a research paper for one of my courses, History of The Salvation Army. I was given the opportunity to select the topic for my paper, so I decided to write about the history of the Army in Listowel. It wasn't an easy project, since I am a little removed from the location and don't have overly strong ties to the town. There is very little academic work about the town, and I couldn't find anything written about the corps there, so I was left to explore primary sources, such as newspaper articles (actually, almost entirely newspaper articles).

I contacted the local archives which, for a small fee, sent me quite a bit of information. By referencing more general materials about the Army in Canada and religion in Ontario I was able to build an eight page paper.

I had a great time reading about the history of Listowel, the Army and learning a bit about a piece of my heritage. When I finished the paper on Wednesday I was glad to have the paper (which is worth 40% of my course mark) done, but I was also a bit disappointed that my task was complete.

I think this is something that I might have to continue to pursue down the road as a personal interest...

Spicy Tuna Melts

Here's a new recipe that I've been using for the past little while to make tuna sandwiches a little more interesting. You can play with it a bit if you want and I've got two variations I use. If you choose to use the Habanero Peppers be very careful as the acid from the pepper will irritate your skin, especially if you touch any area of your face.

Ingredients:

- Flaked white tuna + 1 can

- Ranch dressing to taste (peppercorn ranch dressing works well too)

- Peppers (1 habanero diced; or 2 chipotles in sauce diced)

- Grated Parmesan cheese + 1 tbsp (or to taste)

- Celery seed to taste

- Paprika to taste

- Sliced bread (use your favourite type or try sandwich buns) + 2 per person

- Grated Cheddar cheese to taste

Mix the first six ingredients in a bowl.

Place a generous amount of tuna mix on one slice of bread. Then top with as much cheddar cheese as you want. Place both pieces of bread in a toaster oven 'open face' and toast until the bread is brown and the cheese has melted. You can also use an oven broiler if you don't have a toaster oven.

Close the sandwich, halve it with a sharp knife. Serve with a pickle and large glass of milk (the milk is important, especially if you used the Habanero or are sensitive to spicy foods).

Coming to the end of Month #1

Well, we’ve now been in Winnipeg for close to one month, and this past weekend we celebrated our official “Welcome Weekend” with our Territorial leaders, Commissioners William and Marilyn Francis, Colonels Don and Ann Copple and others.

Leading up to the weekend I have enjoyed two weeks of classes, including a survey class of the Old Testament, Introduction to Salvation Army Theology, Church History, and Field class.  So far I have very much enjoyed these classes.  I even had my first test on Friday in my Old Testament class – the marks aren’t back yet.

This week things start to settle into a fairly regular schedule that will establish a bit of a rhythm.

I’ll be trying to update somewhat regularly.

Until next time. :)

We made it!

It's been a while, and an update is due.

Jason and I made it to Winnipeg a couple of weeks ago, and are settling in just fine. Our last couple of weeks before coming here included Music Camp, Officers Camp (for Jason) and a short camping trip at Dinosaur Provincial Park.

This is our campsite, and the tree that made our car sticky.

In our time in Winnipeg so far, we have seen The Forks and the Assiniboine Park Zoo, both of which I recommend you see if you are coming through the city.

I've had a few adventures trying to navigate myself around the city both with and without a GPS. I'm getting the hang of things, but slowly. I will be starting work on Monday, so this "weird vacation" (as I've been calling it) is now over.

We're trying to get into being better bloggers, with more frequent updates. Jason will likely update on how everything is going at the college. You never know what you'll hear from me.

Until next time,

This is Susan

Enjoying Summer

Well, we are getting very close to our move to Winnipeg now. One month from today we will move into the Salvation Army cadet residence at Waverley in Winnipeg. There are still several things on the list of to-do's at this point, but that is getting smaller.

I know have only a week and a half until I am finished work, with only 4 days left in the office.

We will be enjoying a week in August down at Pine Lake Camp on faculty for Music Camp. We missed camp last year and are looking forward to being part of this year's fun. The Salvation Army's leaders for Canada and Bermuda will be on hand for the first day of camp, as well as many supporters and donors, for the dedication of 4 new camper lodges. The lodges have been in use since the start of this year's camping season, but the event will give the Salvation Army a chance to thank those who helped to contribute to their construction. Our new divisional leaders will also be officially installed that day.

Susan and I have been enjoying summer this year. It is the first summer that we've known each other when I have not been on-call for work at all times. We enjoyed a new adventure a couple of weekends ago when we went tenting out near Hinton, Alberta. We were supposed to go to Calgary to visit another couple, but when one of them got sick, we looked for something else to do with our weekend, and since we had got a tent and sleeping bag as wedding gifts, we decided it was time to start using them.

We arrived at the camp site around 10pm, and being on the edge of the mountains and in the trees, it was getting quite dark. It was the second time we were setting up our tent and we were a bit worried when we realized that we did not have the instructions...but once we focused on getting the tent up - rather than on finding the instructions - we got it up quickly and without trouble in the dark. The first night brought a brief thunderstorm and continuing rains, but we slept without problem and woke up dry in the morning.

We spent part of the Saturday in Jasper. Neither of us had ever been there, so that was a nice treat. I enjoyed it a lot. It was quietter and more relaxed than Banff always seems to be...much less touristy. We enjoyed a pizza lunch on a roof-top patio surrounded by the mountains and wandered around town for the afternoon. We returned to our campsite for dinner and enjoyed a tex-mex style stew cooked over the open fire and s'mores in the evening.

We headed home Sunday morning after I forgot to put our breakfast food into the cooler and it sat in the trunk of the car all weekend. We packed up our site in a light rain and headed home. We learned a few things about camping - what supplies and equipment we need to invest in if we want to make this a regular activity - but we also learned that we really enjoy tenting and that we want to keep doing it.

The following weekend we got down to Calgary and enjoyed spending time with the Deckers. Susan and I ventured out on Saturday and took in Heritage Park Historical Village. I used to visit the park on a regular basis, but a great deal has changed and I enjoyed going again to share that with my wife.

This past Sunday we were at St. Albert Corps where I had been asked by the corps officers to speak while they are on vacation. I haven't preached now for nearly two years and was glad for the opportunity. In fact, as I shared with the congregation, the last time I spoke was at St. Albert a few months after I had moved to Edmonton. I remember a member of the congregation asking if Susan, who had come with me, was my wife and I answered, "No, we just started dating a couple of months ago." Well, I was very proud as Susan came with me again, this time as my wife, and she joined in with the worship team leading the singing and playing the piano.

This week we will stay in Edmonton and attend our home church. We will only be at Edmonton Temple two or three more times before we leave and move to our new home in Winnipeg.

Artsy, but not fartsy

It's been an artsy day for me. This morning, my workplace held its monthly staff event, and this month's theme was a talent show. I was told early in the morning that there were very few "acts" signed up for it, so they were going to be spaced out and people could mingle, and perform if they decided on the spur of the moment. I did something I don't do very often: I determined the chords for "Thank You For the Music" and performed it! So for those of who who missed it, it'll be years before my next scheduled performance. My solo-ing goes on the same kind of schedule as a comet.

My other "artsy" moment today came when I finished the first of some collages I want to make. I decided to do scrapbook-style pages of various parts of our honeymoon last year.

This is obviously San Francisco, and these pictures were taken as we tried to find our way out of the city.

I don't know which set of pictures I'll tackle next, but it may be Disneyland.

Next picture: We went to Montana's for supper tonight, and I got Jason to play hangman with me. After he figured out what the word was, he proceeded to guess every letter of the alphabet in order to avoid filling in the word. However, I outsmarted him by giving the man a hat, gloves, briefcase, pipe, and monocle before I would consider him complete. Notice that he does not have a left foot, and you will see that Jason managed to figure out the word in time to save the man's life!

Acts 29

Over the past 4 Sundays, Edmonton Temple has been privileged to have three distinguished guest speakers visiting. The first was Dr. Ron Powell, a local youth ministry instructor. He came to us to speak specifically to the problem of bullying that faces so many people in our society, both children and adults. Second was Dr. Don Burke, President of Booth University College. And today we were blessed by the teaching of Dr. Paul Magnus, who is a member of the faculty at Briercrest College and Seminary.

Dr. Magnus challenged us to be a church of Irresistible Influence. I would invite you to listen to his challenge online.

Another brief conversation that I found interesting today came just before the Sunday morning service. Last Sunday I was presented with my Candidate pin, indicating that I have been granted acceptance to enter into the College for Officer Training, which I wear on my uniform. While I was in the church office waiting for something I needed for the service one of the other members of the church commented on the significant level of commitment that this little pin indicates.

This person made the comment that they believe that people's desire to avoid making commitments is a serious problem in our society. I would have to agree that there is a general tendency by people to avoid long-term commitments.

As a high school student I was told by educators that, statistically speaking, I would likely hold not only multiple jobs but would most probably change careers several times. People just don't stay with the same employers for 40 or more years very often any more.

In my previous position with The Salvation Army I attended a couple of volunteer management seminars and workshops. During each of these, as part of the teaching given on attracting volunteers, we were told that volunteers are often not looking for ongoing opportunities, but rather prefer to commit to one-time events.

As I listened to Dr. Magnus' challenge to be a church of irresistible influence, I wondered how much more significant and effective our witness would be if our level of commitment to the faith we claim wasn't hindered by the evasion of commitment that is so common in our society.

I sincerely believe that God has a calling for each person's life. I know full well that not all are called to vocational ministry such as Salvation Army Officership, but God does still call some to this lifestyle. It can be a difficult thing to commit to, but I am confident that God equips those who are willing to surrender to this calling. I know for myself that part of this equipping has been a change of attitude. I was extremely resistant to my own calling to Officership, but since I decided that I wanted the best that Christ had in store for my life God has given me a new enthusiasm for the life that lies ahead of me.

While commitment is something that we resist, it seems obvious to me that those things that require of us the greatest level of commitment are the things that provide the greatest return on our investment.

Baked Perogies

Susan and I named our blog, "Musical Pots" to reflect each of our creative passions: music and cooking. Susan loves music and is very talented while I enjoy experimenting with our next meal.

One of my favourite things to whip up quickly is baked perogies. I don't measure, so you'll have to experiment with how much of each ingredient you use based on your own taste preferences.

While the recipe changes each time I make them, here's the basics with some variations:

Ingredients:

1. Perogies (I usually use potato and cheddar, but whatever type is your favourite will work fine)
2. Chopped yellow onion to taste (1/2 should do it)
3. Butter or margerine (amount depends on the number of perogies you are making)
4. Freshly minced/chopped garlic
5. Lemon juice
6. Lime juice
7. Ground cayenne pepper
8. Ground cumin
9. Ground mustard
10. Paprika

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a small frying pan melt some butter at a medium low temperature
3. Add in the chopped onion and saute until tender
4. Add the garlic for a short time (2 minutes)
5. Remove the onion and garlic from heat
6. In a casserole dish place the desired number of frozer perogies
7. Add desired amount of butter cut into small cubes and placed on top of the perogies
8. Add lemon and lime juice to taste over the perogies
9. Sprinkle the spices over the perogies to taste. You can experiment with spices to suite your taste preferences
10. Cover and place in the over for 15 minutes. Remove and stir. Return to the over for another 15 minutes.
11. Enjoy

Other variations I've tried include frying up some turkey bacon to cut up and add to the dish. I've also added dried cranberries with great success.

This is an easy meal with minimal prep time that is ready in just half an hour.

Ambassadors of Holiness

...this is the name of the next session of cadets that will train at The Salvation Army's training facilities. Around the world cadets from this session have already begun their training in territories where the training program begins in January or February. In September the Canada and Bermuda Territory will welcome a group of cadets to the College for Officer Training in Winnipeg, Manitoba.


On his website, General Shaw Clifton explained that "this name brings into focus the holiness teaching which is such a key part of the Army's mission and identity. It reminds us of the need for every officer to understand, to teach and to exemplify the truths expressed in our 10th doctrine."


I am pleased to say that Susan and I will be moving to Winnipeg in late August as I join this session in preparation to enter into Salvation Army Officership. Susan will continue to remain involved with The Salvation Army as a lay person and soldier, but will not be entering the training program. This is a fairly new concept in the SA as we have historically operated under a model that required married couples to both enter in officership or for an officer to marry another officer. This is the second year in a row that our territory has accepted a single-spouse candidate for training.


This has been a fairly lengthy process for me. I have the letter that was issued after I first requested to begin the application process. It is dated December 14, 2005, but I really first started to consider officership a few years before that in 2001 while working as a camp counselor at Camp Selkirk in Ontario.


Keep watching for more news as we learn more about this exciting transition!

Susan's turn to write

Hello to everyone in internet-land!

Yes, it's Susan, making a debut post on the Musical Pots blog!

Jason and I have been extremely busy lately, with Christmas-related activities making our lives so crazy that Christmas has been the furthest thing from our minds. Somehow, despite that, it came, and on Christmas morning we found ourselves amidst new hats, lots of chocolate, David Letterman books (yes, more than one. turns out we bought it for each other), and other goodies.

My gift-related highlight was the fact that Jason organized people to get money for my savings project of a piano instead of getting big gifts for me. I was able to go out to the Yamaha store yesterday and pick up a nice little model that fits nicely into the apartment. Thank you to all family who helped out with that!

We've enjoyed dinners with Jason's parents, grandmother, brother and sister-in-law, played games and just had time to relax.

As far as I can see, it's been a good Christmas.

Why don't you tell us about yours?

Update

Well, the start of November brought a new job for me. The Salvation Army has decided to take a different direction with Emergency Disaster Services for the city of Edmonton, placing it under the direction of Edmonton Temple. I have transferred to a new position with the SA, moving over to Community and Family Services in Edmonton. I will be taking on the position of Chilren & Youth Ministries Coordinator there. I'm really excited about the opportunity and the challenges that I know it will bring. This is now my fourth position within the Army since May 2006.

I won't actually be taking on the duties associated with my position until January. Over the next month and a half I will be learning all the ins and outs of C&FS's main downtown location including emergency food hampers, intake, warehouse work, other programs and assisting with Christmas programs in December. Once I do begin children and youth programs in January I will be working mainly out of the satellite offices in the northeast part of Edmonton.

In other news, Saturday afternoon I suddenly became quite sick, and after doing some prelimary research, we placed a call to the local Health Link number. After describing my symptoms to the nurse on the phone I was urged to immediately make a trip to the Emergency Department at the hospital. We arrived at the hospital around 5:20, where I registered and took my place in the waiting room. After about 3 hours, I was finally taken in to a bed to wait for a doctor to see me. The nurse recognised that I had lost a lot of fluids and hooked me up to an I.V. I then waited several more hours to have a doctor decide that I had stomach flu, order some more fluids and then send me home...and in total it only took about 8.5 hours! I've been at home resting and regaining my strength since. I don't get sick often, so I find the few times I do get sick particularly unpleasant.

I am now feeling much better and am looking forward to getting back to work on Wednesday. I spent some time cleaning around the apartment today, doing some laundry and eating real food (yay!). I even went out and got some groceries!! I'M BACK!!!

Back together in Edmonton

Many people may be aware that I spent two weeks in Galveston, Texas with The Salvation Army on disaster relief deployment in the wake of Hurricane Ike. I left Edmonton on October 6 and got back home on the 19.

It was an interesting experience for me. It was my first time being away from home since we got married and it was difficult at times, but the work was rewarding (and very tiring). I was able to participate in a variety of duties during my time there including distributing food from canteens, cleaning canteens, cleaning Cambro containers (used to keep the food hot), driving a shuttle van to pick up new volunteers from the airport in Houston, and distributing food hampers and cleaning kits at a social service centre.

I also spent one day in Cyrstal Beach, a community on the Boliver Peninsula - a ferry ride from Galveston. The Boliver Peninsula was hit particularly hard by Ike and the communities are devestated there. It was a very difficult day that I will not forget any time soon. Click here for a USA Today news story from Crystal Beach.

I am glad to be back home now, but will hold on to this experience for a long time. It was a valuable time for me and I learn a lot from it. It affirmed the value of the Emergency Disaster Services ministry of The Salvation Army in me, and I feel privileged to be a part of that ministry.

One month since the big day

It has been a little over one month since we were married in Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland, and a very busy month at that. We have flown back to Alberta, drove down to California, spent a week near Malibu and then drove back to Alberta.

The wedding went extremely well, with an intimate group of family and friends joining with us to celebrate the beginning of our lives as a married couple. My grandmother, Commissioner Margaret Waters, conducted her very first wedding. We were very greatful to her for making the journey out from Ontario for the day. Others from both Susan and my families traveled to be with us, and we are greatful to everyone who could be with us. We have our photos back from the photographer and will be posting them on Facebook shortly.

Our trip to California was lots of fun. We drove south via Idaho, Washington, Oregon and California. We were able to visit with Susan's cousin Tammy and husband Jeremy near Portland on our way down. We also met their two children Maya and Declan. We had a great evening together. We also camped in Humbolt Redwood State Park in northern California amongst the world famous Giant Redwoods which was an amazing experience. If you happen to be passing through Miranda, CA make a stop at the Avenue Cafe. We had an excellent supper there.

During the last day of our drive south we passed through San Francisco, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge on our way into the city. Our GPS then got confused and took us back across the Bay Bridge to Oakland.

We stayed at the Salvation Army's Mt. Crags Conference Centre near Malibu. We were able to go for a nice walk through Malibu State Park (formerly 21st Century Fox's Century Ranch, where classics such as Planet of the Apes was filmed). We swam in the pool (getting pretty bad sunburns in the process). We spent a day at Disneyland where we braved such adventures as Star Tours, Indiana Jones and Splash Mountain (I didn't particularly enjoy the 50 ft. drop). We also rode the SS Mark Twain and I got pulled into a street performance. Susan also enlarged her hat collection at the Mad Hatter. We stayed into the evening and enjoyed the parade at the end of the day.

Our trip north took us through Arazona, Ohio, Idaho and Montana. Our longest day was a decent 1200 km drive from the camp to Ogden, Ohio just north of Salt Lake City. We enjoyed a nice relaxing stay the Great Falls KOA camp ground before coming back to Canada.