A blog of Olympic proportions

Feb 17, 2010

Hey all. I finally have some time to cool down and write a blog. This past week has been very busy and I have very little free time in addition to all my homework that I am required to do. I'll start by explaining our average day. We usually wake up at around 4:00am and spend a half an hour cleaning up, getting into our uniforms and eating. We take the shuttle bus to the Whistler Olympic Park (Biathlon, Ski Jump, Cross-Country venues) about an hour away from Squamish. Then we receive our assignments for the day. I have been assigned a wide variety of roles, from a crowd marshall to an access monitor for the doping station (Yes, I was near inches away from some of the medal earning athletes.) Our shift ends at around 4:00pm and we take the bus home and arrive just before supper, then have a prayer meeting and go to bed at around 9:00pm. That's what our average day looks like. There is another selection of Kaleos which go to the Whistler Sliding Center for their volunteer work. They wake up at around 9:00am and get back at around 11:00 pm. I really don't see them that often because of the offset schedules.

Alright, enough of the logistics. Here is what happens/is happening during our day. The workforce-bus ride there is very cool as I am able to talk for an extended period of time with some random person I have never met before. I talked with one guy named Dirk for the entire trip back on the subject of the Church's exclusivism. He explained to me his beliefs and what he likes and does like about his experience with the church. His beliefs are very new age so he is accepting of what I have to believe except the exclusivism. I also met a lady named Beth on the bus. We chatted the on the subject of worldliness and the futility of hoarding wealth I was able to explain my position and why I believe it and she shared her view. I really enjoyed hearing a non-christian perspective on topics that we study in class and I was surprised by common logic that we had. I have met and talked with so many people and it is hard to keep track of them all. The cool thing about having a group of us there is that the Kaleo's have a name and reputation. Very often when we introduce ourselves, the staff will respond with "Oh! you're part of the Bible college!" Many people have good things to say about us some saying that we have a surprising spirit and joy that no one else has. God is definitely at work in the Olympics.

I have been pushed beyond my comfort zone like never before. I have initiated many conversations during this week and talked about deep issues with many people. I have also been required work many positions that I don't have experience in. I have been challenged to forget about efficiency and perfectionism and to focus on the moment, to chat and have fun instead. Yesterday, Me, Jade and Tim, a sweet guy from Germany slacked off almost the entire shift and built an inukshuk and snowman which was admired by all who walked by. We even had one of the staff take a picture of us with the inukshuk and we are going to be in tomorrow's workforce newsletter because of it. Yes, they are even going to mention Kaleo as where Jade and I are from. We Kaleo's are becoming well known and respected. God is really at work!

There are a couple of things that I would have you pray for. One is sleep, another is focus. It is very easy to become distracted by our tasks or hanging out with friends or to be satisfied with surface conversation. Please pray against those things. Pray also for our eyes to be opened to the opportunities that God sets before us and to use our spare time to be in prayer and in the word as it is very easy to neglect those things.

Thanks for your support,

Trent McKone