HAPPY UNBIRTHDAY HANNAH BOUWMAN!

Greetings!

Team 4 has had a fantastic week indeed. Our Edge night on the 10 commandments went really well, we made the commandments each correspond with a colour (e.g. honour thy father and mother is grey because lets face it, they're getting on in age) and Marissa taught us girls how to make friendship bracelets so we made some for each of the teens, and they're still wearing them! It was great for us as well, I never knew the commandments off by heart, let alone be able to recite them in order, but now I can!

This past Saturday was a rather special day as well, as it was Hannah's Unbirthday!

We totally, TOTALLY surprised her! After team prayer, I asked the team if I could share a song with them I had written the previous night; little did Hannah know it was actually a "Happy Unbirthday Hannah Bouwman" song. There was much squealing and running around = Mission Accomplished! We made her a scrapbook, got her some of her favorite tea, took her horseback riding, had an AMAZING American Thanksgiving meal and finished up the night by all going to the movies to see New Moon, she loved it; so in turn, the team loved it!

This Sunday we had our first session of Core and Crew training with the teens in the Parish that want to help out at our Edge and lifenights. There were 7 crew members and 5 Core who attended the training, which was more than we expected! They are a great bunch of people with great attitudes and a passion for Jesus, they are all perfect for this ministry...

This coming weekend, our team has been asked to be involved in the December mission. The December mission is a 4-day program involving Mass, Adoration, confession and several teachings; it is focused on Advent and is intended to reach out the the whole community in Wetaskiwin - young and old. Marissa and I have both been asked to tell the story of how we come to know God at both weekend Masses which makes us EXCITED! There are a lot of parents with young children who don't go to Mass or who don't believe in God, so this is a great opportunity to give them hope and encouragement to continue their prayers as well as to share the experience with other parishioners.

Tomorrow, Hannah and I are traveling to Ponoka, which is half an hour drive outside of Wetaskiwin, to play at a school mass with the whole school attending! Last Thursday we taught the Grade 9s the songs so that they can sing with us. It's so great to be able to minister to surrounding schools, and music is my favorite way to do it!

It snowed like CRAZY yesterday so I'm trying to convince the team to join me in my first snowball fight, I think I might just have to go propose my offer to them, I leave you now with the words of Hannah's Unbirthday song...

Happy Unbirthday Hannah Bouwman

We love it how you laugh like an old man

We love it how you organize and Pre-plan

We know it's not the 3rd of June

but we thought we'd surprise you 7 months too soon

(tonight we're gunna see New Moon)

Happy Unbirthday Hannah Bouwman...

Stay Frosty,

Emma,

Team 4