August 2012

Well hello there! I feel as if so much has happened between now and my last newsletter! So much to catch you up on. I’ll do my very best. I have gone to Thailand for five glorious weeks, finished up staffing my second Justice Discipleship Training

School, staffed multiple teams coming through our Summer program, and done many other things in between. Oh, and there is something rather important that I should fill you in on, I will be leaving Youth With A Mission (AKA YWAM) and

moving back to the States! It’s all very exciting and maybe sometimes slightly stressful. I hope that this newsletter will satisfy every question that you have about what has been happening in my life! Enjoy!

Greetings From Winnipeg!

Christmas in Spokane! Trip to Thailand I got my very first guitar for my Birthday!

Kathryn’s Newsletter

Delia and me.(She’s my music partner and friend)

Thailand 2012This January and February I was able to go back to Thailand for the second time. The first time I went I was a student for my own JDTS back in 2010. And now, 2 years later I went back as a co-leader! The team was made up of 5 people in all, and we were there for a total of 5 weeks. It was a really amazing time, and we were able to work with some really amazing ministries. Our first ministry was a new one for us, and ended up being our favorite. It was called X-Life and it’s purpose was the crossing of cultures. Our team of North Americans lived in a Thai village for a week. We lived with host families and ate our meals with them. In that village we worked in rice fields, weeded on a hillside farm, painted flower pots, and played plenty of games with this amazing group of kids. Oh, and we also might have gotten addicted to Thai Soap Operas (sooo good). The next 2 ministries that we worked with we had volunteered with before, which was neat. We worked with the Life Development Center (where we taught English, played soccer, and had a feast!) and with the Ruth Center (where we

visited with the at-risk elderly in the slums of Bangkok). It was really a treat to be able to see a lot of the same faces and to hear how people’s lives had changed. One woman in particular stuck out in my mind. She was an elderly lady living in a slum in Bangkok. 2 years ago I remembered visiting her in her house. The floor was slanted and falling into the murky, foul sewage water below. This woman was hopeless. I remember just being broken. Now, 2 years later, her house has been fixed by the Ruth Center, and she is so full of joy and hope. I might have cried a little baby bit. It was just so beautiful!The whole team learned so much from our trip, including how much we love Thai food!

Justice Discipleship Training School 2011/12

My second time staffing a Justice Discipleship Training school, or JDTS, was another really great experience for me. Not only did I learn a lot more about who I am and who God is, but the students learned a lot as well. My favorite thing about

Coolest group of kids on the planet!

(X-Life Ministries)

A student and Iat the Thaiversion of the Grand Canyon

Some serious weeding

Our translator was hilarious!

Just hanging out on a bamboo raft.

Cleaning up in a slum in Bangkok.

staffing a JDTS is being able to see how people grow more and more into who they are. I love it, and I love that I get to be apart of it. This may be my last time staffing a program like this, but I certainly hope to continue seeing and helping people grow. It makes my heart happy.

Mission AdventuresThis Spring and Summer we had plenty of teams come through our base to take part in our Mission Adventures program. They take part in some of our ministries (like handing out roses to prostitutes) as well as many of the ministries around us that we connect them to (like soup kitchens and food banks). My favorite part of the whole program is the final debrief, where we all sit around on couches and the team talks about what they learned and what impacted them. Sometimes staffing these programs can be quite tiring and challenging, but hearing these stories makes it all worth while. I love knowing that something I have been involved in has really affected some of these kids. Again, it makes my heart very happy.

Little Flowers CommunityLittle Flowers is my primary faith community here in Winnipeg. As many of you know I am quite involved and passionate about this little community here. Our pastor (who is also my neighbor, boss, and friend) has a book published that is somewhat about our community. It is called The Cost of Community: Jesus, St. Francis and Life in the Kingdom by Jamie Arpin-Ricci, and if you would like to read more about community and the sermon on the mount then you should definitely check it out! (look for my name in the acknowledgements!) As I said earlier I will be moving away from Winnipeg (more about

Building BelongingFor the past 2 years I’ve been volunteering with an after-school program for kids in my

neighborhood. While some of these kids can be quite difficult (and understandably so), I LOVE spending time with them. This Summer has been an especially eye-opening time for me. These kids know me and I know them. I love being able to hang out with them and show them with my words and my actions that they are valuable. I love telling these kids that they are special, that they are good enough. I love it.

that next), this also means moving away from Little Flowers. This makes me very sad, but I must say that I am excited to see where my friends and community go.

ChangesAs I mentioned at the beginning of this newsletter I have some pretty big changes coming up for me. I will me moving on from YWAM as well as moving away from Winnipeg. My initial two-year commitment to YWAM ended this July, and when the time came for

me to re-evaluate I felt like it was time for me to move on to something new. This certainly was not an easy decision for me, but after processing through things with my family and friends I feel like I’ve made the right one. Directly after leaving Winnipeg (I leave on the 24th of September!) I will be spending time with family and friends (lots of new babies are on their way in my family!) all over the country.I will eventually move to Greenville, SC where I hope to

My very first sweater!

Knitting GroupPerhaps the most exciting thing that has developed in the last few months is that I have joined a knitting group! Every Thursday a bunch of gals get together at a coffee shop and knit. It is awesome. In the short span of a few months my friend and I have become good friends with these ladies. And man, knitters are impressive (and they have a special lingo all to themselves). Our discussions can be so honest and amazing. The trust in this little group is wonderful. And when someone is in need,

these knitters rise to the occasion. Plus I get to learn all new tricks and things about knitting!

PHOTOS FROM MY TIME IN WINNIPEG

And here’s my latest knitting project...A socktopus! Totally adorable, right?

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be the end! In lieu of writing monthly updates I have decided to have a blog! For updates

and whatnot check out

If you are interested in financially supporting me please make all payments to YWAM, without 'Kathryn' anywhere on the check.  Please attach a note with my name on it.  Send support or questions to YWAM, PO Box 3000, Garden Valley, TX 75771-3000.

OR if you would like to get ahold of me for any reason or just because: (204) 774-7072 hope.hodge@gmail.com

443 Furby St.Winnipeg, MB R3B 2V7Canada

Filming a music video during the 10/11 DTS.

Tortilla faces in Mexico!

Fun adventures with my roommate, Lindsey.

Group photo with our speaker (& friends)during the 11/12 DTS.

Picking up trash in the neighborhood.

Riding our bikes around town!

http://adventuresofkathrynhope.wordpress.com/

continue to learn and grow. My heart is to engage my faith outside of ministry, as well as pursuing my passions in everyday life. I hope to search out what makes me come alive and to do it. It might not sound very exciting, but it is exactly what want to do at the moment, and if I’m honest it scares me quite a bit! So, thank you for supporting and encouraging me over these last two years. Winnipeg was exactly

where I should have been, and I hope to continually follow where God is leading me. I hope that I have the courage and strength to follow!

Take care and thank you for reading,