Quiet Day

Today began with Ken Hall's class, where we looked at the important role of the Holy Spirit. There was much discussion during the first part of the morning but after that, we began looking up scriptures that talked about the Holy Spirit's personhood. I think it is safe to say that after class was over, we all understood the importance of recognizing and knowing the Holy Spirit as apart of the Trinity. Without knowledge of him, we cannot fully know God. After class we headed down to Question Period, which was fairly quiet today. I did manage however to find the youngest guy (a Conservative) and decided that I am going to marry him. (for those of you who don't know me, I like to joke around) I waited for Him to look up and then I waved. I was so embarrassed I turned beet red, I don't think he saw me though. During the discussion period, the opposition brought up a lot of concerns about governmental funding, because the budget has not yet been released, the Conservatives were able to pass off a lot of questions. (I believe the budget is being released Mar. 19) All in all, the accusations given by the Liberals were weak and the answers from the Conservatives, equally weak. (In my opinion both held no substance.) I am sure however, that after the last 2 weeks the House of Commons needed a quiet afternoon. Just so that everyone knows, Parliament takes 2 weeks of holidays and I believe it begins next week (I will double check) I will continue to write in my blog there just wont be any political content. Well I have a homework night tonight, so I am off to read. Take care everyone, and talk to you tomorrow.
Erica

Voting Day

Once again the morning started off with Richard's class- Biblical Introduction. We mostly went over our assignment regarding Hermeneutics and Exegesis. We also looked at passages of scripture that are often taught wrong, because they were not understood properly in our day and age. Most of these scriptures applied to the people of then. After class the other interns headed off to work for their MP's while I went to Question Period. (I start working for mine next Tuesday.) Compared to the last couple of days, the House of Commons was pretty quiet. The only difference was that the government had invited some of the 911 victims to help get thier point across as to why the Anti-terrorist Act should remain. Stephan Dion once again did not show up, and it was rumored that it was because he couldn't face the victim's families. A few hours after this the House of Commons voted on the Act and it was denied, a 134 to 159. It doesn't make sense as to why so many were against, but it was a disappointing day for the Conservatives. After supper we had Rob's class. Tonight we learnt how to have authority in intercession. If I could summarize it in one point, Rob was basically saying that when we are abiding in Christ and pursuing our call, we are given authority for that area. He also stated that we should be very aware of our boundaries in prayer and not over step them by say, taking on something we do not have authority to, this is a very dangerous place to be as an intercessor. Well I am off, but I will talk to you all tomorrow. Have a great night.
Erica

And the Award goes to:

Well Today was pretty easy going. This morning we did some house chores and then I took a YWAM team for a tour of the Nation House of Prayer. That was a really neat experience and I was able to meet people from Switzerland, Holland, and Norway. So after lunch we headed off to Question Period. Once again the issues brought up were, the anti-terrorist law and the Prime Minister's lack of judgement on the article he brought forward on Wednesday. The main event however was a response the Conservatives gave to the Liberal leader Stephan Dion. I am not sure how many of you are aware, but Stephan Dion was on the committee that helped bring in the strict anti-terrorist law after the Air-India bombing took place. Previously, all Liberal members were in support of this law until a few months ago when Stephan Dion changed his position. (what they refer to as the "flip-flop") Although many of his party did not agree with his opinion, he threatened that if they did not support him, he would refuse to sign there nomination papers. As a result, the Conservatives, who are very aware of the weakness and disunity within the Liberal Party, attack it and its leader regularly. Over the past few weeks the Liberals continue to ask the government why it is doing nothing on terrorism, but then refuse to cooperate with the Conservatives on re-opening the Air-India case. So today one of the Conservative members stood up and gave this speech. "All across Canada, people were watching the Academy Awards last night and although there were many awards handed out they missed one. That award was the biggest "flip-flop" award and... (then another member handed him a sealed envelope exactly like on the Academy Awards) the award goes to Stephan Dion." (paraphrased)Then all the Conservative members stood and gave him a standing ovation. Although we found it hard not to laugh, and although it did have some merit, it was handled so in appropriately. It was extremely childish and embarrassing to all the citizens sitting in the gallery watching. I turned around and one man looked at me and said, "they are like a bunch of school children!" Meanwhile as Stephan Dion tried to respond all the Conservatives started clapping and yelling "speech," with genuine smiles on there faces. Lucky for them Mr. Speaker only rebuked them for using a prop (envelope) and mentioning another candidates name. (Dion) Shortly after the meeting ended. Tonight we have Fireside and then hopefully bed early. Take care everyone and much blessings.
Erica

2 minutes of Fame

Happy Friday everyone! So this morning class was focused on learning the structure of Parliament. I wish I could explain the whole procedure for everyone, but it would probably take 2 hours. Needless to say, we discussed many of the issues (Air India bombing, and police officers being involved in electing judges)and tried to look at the different strategies each party was attempting. For example, one of the reasons, we believe, that the Liberals are against the anti-terrorist act, is not that it is a bad idea but that it will help their party look better. This is why we are praying for unity, because all parties are working against each other. On Wednesday we saw the Prime Minister try to attack the Liberal member using a newspaper article, a pretty low blow considering the question had nothing to do with the article. Unfortunately we are seeing this everywhere in the House of Commons. As the church of Canada we really need to be praying into unity, honor, and righteousness for our government. So after lunch we went to the East Block Chapel to pray into the exact things I mentioned above. One little side note, today we had 100 Huntley Street come in and all of us interns were interviewed. I was so nervous, they followed us around most of the day and asked pretty tough questions. The really unfortunate part, was that our interviews were done outside in the windy -26 weather. As you can imagine most of my interview was done with a red nose and hair in my face. The reason they have come to Ottawa is to do a series on prayer that they will be airing the week before Easter, so I encourage you all to watch the NHOP interns 2 minutes of fame!!! Tonight is a celebration dinner for the Israel Canada tour that came through. Everyone is sharing stories of what God did and how it touched the Israel delegates. By the sounds of things, the Israelis really left with a sense of how much Canadians love them and want to stand by them, there have even been phone calls of how much they miss us. It was set up through Watchmen and the government was invited and it sounds like God really showed up. Well I am going to relax this weekend after an insane week and hopefully catch up on my homework. I will talk to you all Monday. Goodnight!
Erica

Amazing Night

So today started with Richard's class called Spiritual Direction. Most of the morning was talking through Richard Foster's book, Spiritual Disciplines. I would like to get a copy of the notes because they are a very good summary of what the book is about. If some of you are interested I will see if I can email them to you, just let me know, ricky_rayth_@hotmail.com. After class we made sandwiches for the mission here then came upstairs to watch Question Period. Once again it was a vain attempt at trying to get the Prime Minister to apologize for his comments on Wednesday. Along with this topic they brought up the Conservatives plan to bring police officers into the process of voting on the judges for the Supreme Court. In my opinion the Conservatives have a stronger argument but the Liberals are working very hard to keep police officers off the committee. The reason the judges have become involved, is because up to this point the courts have been very exclusive and made up largly of lawyers and judges. Well tonight we led worship, as most of you know, and it went so well. God really touched and the worship was very sweet. As the 100 people came through they had an opportunity to pray for our military, our government and unity, and Mr. Harper. As we were praying Rob asked if anyone was from Quebec, one lady stood up, then he asked her if we could pray with her, as a representation of our desire to see unity across Canada. So while this was all happening I pulled Rob aside and said that I felt God was telling me we should all hold hands and each province be represented. Rob agreed and asked me to tell the group. Unfortunately all I could say before I burst into tears was, "Hi, I am from Saskatchewan and I would like to hold hands with Quebec." Rob had to finish the rest, so we all circled up and had an amazing prayer for unity, there were even Americans joining hands with us. It was incredible. We also had the chance to pray for the First People's of Canada, lucky for us there were four different groups of people represented, so we all circled around them and began to pray. We prayed for unity, and healing for their people, we prayed for a repentance in the white man, and a forgiveness in the First Peoples. We also thanked them that although it was us who hurt them, they were taking the first steps and forgiving us. This also was an incredible time. So tomorrow should be equally cool. We have 100 Huntley Street coming in to do some interviews, then in the evening we have a celebration with David Dameon and those who helped out with the Israel Tour that just came through. So pray for an amazing Friday. Goodnight everyone.
Erica

House of Commons Erupts

So this morning we had Ken Hall's class where we learnt about the trinity and how the Bible supports the idea of the trinity, because the word is never actually used in the Bible. In order to understand this fully we had to go back to the original Hebrew language and discover that often the word one (echad) has a singular meaning as well as a compound meaning. So that was really neat. After class we headed down to Question and Answer period...and boy were the topics hot. I don't think I have seen so many standing ovations, or dishonoring statements yet. Let me try to explain what happened. The House of Commons was debating the topic of reopening the Air India bombing case even though the Supreme Courts have ruled otherwise. The Conservatives are in favor but the Liberals are opposed to the idea and their reasoning is the fact that the government should not be allowed to overrule the Supreme Court. Anyways, as Mr. Harper was responding to one of the questions he tried to bring up a slandering article written in the Vancouver Sun about one of the Liberal members comment towards Air India. Before he could even finish all the Liberals erupted yelling at the Prime Minister, banging on the tables, booing, and then chanting in unison SHAME, SHAME. Needless to say it was very disturbing and the rest of the afternoon was accusations and attempts to get the Prime Minister to apologize. One member called even called him deceitful, even though the Mr. Harper never got to read or say anything about the article. It was a very dishonoring, childlike time and I am embarrassed as a Canadian citizen, at the lack of cooperation the House of Commons shows, even when it is in everyone's best interest. So after a troubling afternoon we came back to the house for worship practice because we have a group of 90 people coming in tomorrow. I am really insecure to play because I have my first solo! An interesting point that my roommate said though, is that often our insecurities stem from pride, it really hit me so my goal is to get my heart in the right place before tomorrow. Well I have a tonne of homework to do so I will talk to you all tomorrow. Have a goodnight.
Erica

Classes, classes, classes

Well this morning I had class (how to read the bible for all it's worth) and we learnt the importance of understanding how translation works. We had to look at different translations and how inaccurate they were as well as compare them to other translations. For example we compared NIV to KJV and looked at a verse that has a complete different message than the other version. We also learnt how to read and write the epistles. But my favorite part was this little blurb that I am actually going to write out for you all to read.

Guidelines for Problem Passages
1. They were not written to us, and we may need to content ourselves with our lack of knowledge or not ever understanding the intended meaning.
2. Ask, "What can be said for certain about the text and what is uncertain?"
3. Always look for the main point of the passage even if you can't always be certain about the details.
4. Consult a good commentary that gives various options to consider.

So that was the morning lesson and then in the afternoon we headed off to the library. Usually on Tuesday afternoons we will be volunteering in our MP's offices. (so I will be with Lynn Yelich or James Lunney- a christian man whose riding is in BC) I am really excited about this and hope that it will open the door for some amazing opportunities. Also, my teacher said that if I want to get into politics and decide to stay here, he can guaranteed me a job in Parliament, so that is very exciting. I will have to see what God has in store for me after this internship. Tonight was the intercession class and we learnt about intercession in worship. There were soo many good points that I will probably have to write out notes and send them too you...but it was an amazing teaching night. Other than that, I am talking to Kendra and getting ready for bed. Talk to you all soon.

Erica

Bright Monday Morning

Hello everyone! Well it is a bright Monday morning after a long weekend. On Saturday we just had a fun relaxing day, we went shopping, ate food, and watched a movie. Sunday I went to a bilingual church in Quebec (which is about a 20 minute drive from NHOP) then went out for lunch to try Lebanese food. (if you like breathing garlic for 3 days afterwards..you would love it!)
At church they had a guest speaker that they brought in and she was speaking on the spirit of fear, which was a really good message to hear. So today started bright and early and I did some chores for the first part of the morning, until we headed off to Parliament Hill for the afternoon. When we showed up at the Hill there was a really long line up to get in because they had invited 130 military personnel to sit in at the House of Commons. Unfortunately we were unable to get in but thanks to James Lunney (MP for Naniamo) we sat in his office and watched it on TV and prayed there. One of the hot topics in Parliament today was childcare, and how the Conservative Party promised spaces and funding for parents and they have not yet seen the full benefits of that promise. They accused one member of the Conservative of spending more tax payers money on limo rides then on the people she was there to give the cheques to. Another topic they brought up was how the government has said that the Canadian military would pull out of Afghanistan in Feb. 2009 but how the Liberal government found confidential documents stating that they had intentions of extending this time. (of course it was brought up because 130 soldiers were sitting in the room) In response to this accusation the Secretary of Defense simply stood up and said that 2009 was the date they were sticking with unless when they arrive at that time, something must change. Finally the last topic they really focused on was the lack of funding and initiative the Conservative party has been showing to help those in poverty. Solberg (Human Resources and Social Development) simply informed the Liberals that they have given a generous budget to this initiative and it was far more then the previous government. (I can't remember exactly how much but I think it was around 340 million) The best part of this afternoon though, was at the end of Question Period they asked the military to stand up and all honored them with a long applause as the camera panned around, it was very cool. Well it is almost supper, and tonight we have Fireside and our guest that we are bringing in is one of the staff members who is very gifted in discernment, the prophetic, and dream interpretation....so of course I am really excited. Have a great night everyone.
Erica

Friday!!

Well Today is Friday, my favorite day of the week. This morning we had ethics class and I learnt that I have 3 essays due in this class by the middle of April. (bummer hey?) The good part is that it is a class largely focused on the structure of Parliament and Canada's history, which is 2 of my favorite topics. This afternoon we attended the east block (that's at Parliament Hill) where we joined with the local intercessors that pray for Canada every Friday. Some of the topics that were brought up targeted the divisiveness of the parties represented in the House of Commons, so we prayed for a divine unity between all the parties. We also spent time praising and thanking God because we have notice a real trend as far as prayer requests go. I don't know how many of you have felt this...but God has really been answering prayers quickly, and even more then we expected. For example, one of the ladies prayed for a mother who's son wouldn't not come and visit her. (she was sick in the hospital) The next time she talked to the mother the mother said that she was getting really annoyed because her son had started coming to see her, but twice a day! So we had a time of just praising God for his faithfulness. As far as tonight is concerned, it is our fun night, YAY, so we are going to watch a movie and just chillax. But I wanted all of you to know that you are welcome to send me emails or ask me questions, I love hearing from everyone back home. Email me at ricky_rayth_@hotmail.com I can't guaranteed how fast I will return them, but it will be as soon as I can. Have a great weekend!

Erica

The Covenant

Today was such an amazing day. This morning we had class (spiritual direction) where we looked at the importance of journalling in our own lives and in the Bible. I learnt that the book of Luke is not actually his account but is believed by most scholars to be the account of Mary...that is why there is so much detail about Jesus' birth. Also Mark is believed to be written by John Mark who had the events dictated to him by Peter. So it is believed that Mark is Peter's account...I thought that was sooo cool, it makes reading them so much more interesting. Then this afternoon we made sandwiches for a local street ministry here in Ottawa. After that I napped then started getting ready for the big event! For those of you who don't know, tonight was the night that the First Nations People held a reception for parliamentary leaders to attend where they presented The Covenant that the Inuit, Metis and Aboriginal people signed as a declaration of their unity. Although Mr. Harper was not able to attend he sent a letter of apology and said that he was in complete agreement over what the First Peoples of Canada were trying to do. So throughout the night we ate aboriginal food, watch dancing in all their regalia, danced along, and listened to local aboriginal artists sing. It was such a wonderful evening and a real significant event in history. And GUESS WHAT....I got to shake MR. SPEAKERS hand...you know the guy who sits in the big chair, sigh, it was one of the best moments of my life! So for all of you who were praying for tonight thank you, the evening was a huge success.
Erica

Happy V-day Everyone!!!

Happy Valentines Day everyone!!!
Well this morning started off with one of our classes called On Target-taught by a local pastor here by the name of Ken Hall (some of you are familiar with him) This class is largely based on theology and i find myself often getting lost in the words. I absolutely love my teacher though, he is a very quiet, gentle man who loves history and knowledge. In his words (and only in the words of a true theologian) "Theology is Poetry." (Bill if your reading this, he is a man after your own heart) So after class we had lunch then went to Parliament Hill for question and answer period... I saw the PRIME MINISTER IN REAL LIFE! His presence in the house of commons made for a really interesting debate (at least an animated one, most of the time they just yelled at the minister of international trade for our lack of progress in the automotive trade) in the end there was a motion that was passed to honor the deaths of the 2 firefighters (in Winnipeg) by having a special day to honor those that have lost their lives. They decided on August 23.
Erica

First Formal Day

So today was my first day of formal classes. This morning we started our class- How to Read the Bible for All It's Worth (a book by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart) This class really peaks my interest because, as our first lesson taught us, we often make mistakes when we read the scriptures because we try to follow the laws that were specifically set for that time period. An example is: women were instructed to keep their hair long, and wear a head covering, the reason they were asked to do this was to refrain from looking like the prostitutes of their time. A practical application for us in the 21st century is to refrain from dressing with short skirts, low tops etc. Often our mistakes in interpreting scripture come from a lack of understanding of the culture at that time. After this class we stuffed envelopes, all afternoon (zzzzzzzz) but then kicked off the night with our class- Principles of Intercession. Throughout the next 12 weeks we will be learning:
What is Intercession
Worship Intercession
The Government of prayer
Wrestling in Prayer
Fear-based vs. faith-based Intercession
Warfare Prayer
Prophetic Intercession
Fasting and Prayer
Declarative Prayers
Identificational repentance
Gatekeepers/Watchmen Prayer

So for all of you intercessors back home, I will try to keep you updated on these classes, and be sure to bring back all of my material. Well that's all for tonight, take care everyone.
Erica

First Class- Dalai Lama

Hello Again. Well Today I attended Question and Answer period at Parliament Hill. One of the major issues that all the opposing parties keep bringing up is the whole Kyoto Accord. For those of you who are not familiar with this, it was a bill that was passed about 10yrs ago in an effort to reduce global warming. Anyways its due date is within the next 8 to 10 months and now with the Conservatives in government, the Liberals are telling them that they have to follow this bill. The unfair part is that the Liberals did hardly anything at all and just watched the clock tick down so now for the Conservative government to apply it would mean a complete change of lifestyle for all Canadians, which would lead to political suicide. We would have to change the clothes we wear, the food we eat, as well as driving rights, it would put us in economical shock. So I believe it is this week that they are having a private vote so as NHOP we are praying for this whole process because if it is passed it will probably force an early election. (please remember that i have to try and pick all of this up while MP's are yelling at eachother so some of the details are a little fuzzy)
Tonight I had my first class and we got to here one of our teachers personal testimonies. It is amazing to see how things that we do in Saskatoon often mirror the call here in Ottawa. For example, this teacher really feels like it is his call on his life to network pastors around Ottawa and quite often throughout Canada. Tonight he talked about the amazing revival meetings that took place in Toronto in 1995 that made on of the churches the top tourist place in all of the Toronto area, more than a million people flew in for these meetings. He also talked about how Toronto in 2003 was preparing for a visit from the Dalia Lama and the people set up a 12 day 24 hours a day worship and prayer times. They had over 40 worship teams come in all praying that the Dalai Lama would not be able to build the temple here that he wanted too. Needless to say he had incredible knowledge and historical background on the whole thing and it was amazing to listen to it all. I can't explain it all so if you want more insight here is a web address, www.houseoftheking.com I would really tell you all to check it out. There is an actually prayer ministry that follows the Dalai Lama around keeping an eye on his activities and they are concerned right now because he really wants to build a temple in Vancouver. In Vancouver right now they are trying to erect a Buddha statue that will be even bigger then the statue of liberty, so we are praying and have teams there that are believing that God will not allow the Tibet Buddhism to take route, so if you want to walk along side of them I am sure they would really appreciate it. If you have more questions about the history of the Dalai Lama email me and I will try to answer them, also the web is great for info on their beliefs. (just remember they are different then Buddhist's, they are Tibetians)
Have a good night,
Erica

After the Weekend

Hello everyone back home. I hope that by emailing you this blog sight you will be able to keep up with the busy schedule of life here in Ottawa. I really hate journaling so you will have to forgive me for poor grammar and spelling, but my teachers say it is a necessary thing to do everyday, so I am trying. As most of you know I arrived here in Ottawa Thursday, and luckily had a really relaxing weekend to just tour Ottawa and meet everyone here. They way NHOP (National House of Prayer) functions, is every week we usually have a prayer team from somewhere in Canada, an example, the Vancouver team just left. Usually they fly out here to pray for parliament and key places they feel God is asking them to cover. Twice a week we attend Question and Answer Period (for those of you who don't know what that is, it is where the opposition fires off questions at the Conservative government) at Parliament Hill where we pray during the session. Along with time spent here we take a number of classes including, Biblical Introduction, On Target (theology), Spiritual Direction, Civics/Ethics, Principles of Intercession, and finally Fireside (that is where they bring in special guests, like MPs) So this is just a little update for everyone, feel free to forward this address. I will try to be diligent in writing everyday, take care and blessings to you all.
Erica

The da Vinci Code

For all of you living in Ottawa, the snow storm today made it very difficult to get anywhere fast. Lucky for us, Richard braved the weather and came to teach us our morning class. We looked at the Senate and how bills are past, as well as where we would have to start in order to climb the political ladder. It was a very helpful conversation for all of us wanting to become politicians. In the afternoon we watched The da Vinci Code, which is a very difficult movie to watch. The story is based on so many lies, that you begin to actually feel sick to the stomach trying to watch it. The reason we were looking at it, is for all of those non-christian people that take Dan Brown's book to be truth and constantly walk up to you and say, "Christianity is wrong!" So after we finished watching the movie we watch a documentary called, Exposing the da Vinci Code, this show explained all the misconceptions and shed light on the lies told throughout the movie. So it was a long afternoon, but very good. Tonight we have a girls night and are going to watch a movie. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I will talk to you all Monday.
Erica

The da Vinci Code

For all of you living in Ottawa, the snow storm today made it very difficult to get anywhere fast. Lucky for us, Richard braved the weather and came to teach us our morning class. We looked at the Senate and how bills are past, as well as where we would have to start in order to climb the political ladder. It was a very helpful conversation for all of us wanting to become politicians. In the afternoon we watched The da Vinci Code, which is a very difficult movie to watch. The story is based on so many lies, that you begin to actually feel sick to the stomach trying to watch it. The reason we were looking at it, is for all of those non-christian people that take Dan Brown's book to be truth and constantly walk up to you and say, "Christianity is wrong!" So after we finished watching the movie we watch a documentary called, Exposing the da Vinci Code, this show explained all the misconceptions and shed light on the lies told throughout the movie. So it was a long afternoon, but very good. Tonight we have a girls night and are going to watch a movie. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I will talk to you all Monday.
Erica