End of a Hiatus

You would think that after taking almost a month off from blogging I would have something interesting to report. Well, I'm done work. Last week. I had the exam for my DE class today. Frighteningly easy. I had to read it over and over to make sure I hadn't missed half the exam.
I took the exam in the basement of Sault College. One of two people. One of two Guelpites. Actually, one of two C4C'ers. Alex W. was the only other person in the room. Different exam though.

So its official, i'm free. I was at church on Sunday. Last week I had been talking to a friend from project (way back last summer, wow) about her going to a native community up north and doing a VBS. I was telling her how native people in the soo make up a reasonable percentage of the population (maybe 8%) but they are very marginalized. Most live in their own communities or in the reserves. Whenever there is a drunk driving accident (a cop was killed at the beginning of the summer, he had two young daughters) or someone gets killed on the highway (there are low speed limits through the reserves now because children would get killed on the highway) or someone hit by a train (two weeks ago) the whole community says:
"Oh my Gosh, thats awful, it could happen to anyone. Oh, it was a native person? That is too bad, you know, they should really stop drinking so much."
I worked at the Rotary club and regularly went to their meetings. There are over 100 members and I don't think any of them are aboriginal. By population estimates there should be about 10. But the thing is, the Rotary Club is made up only of managers and business owners. That is a community that native people are typically cut out of (at least from what I can see)

So anyway, I was at church. The pastor was talking about how even a little church at a univeristy in northern ontario that few people have heard of is making an impact for Christ, and impact in places like China through international students. A man stood up. He was obviously aboriginal, about 55, he was in town for a celebration at the school for the new aboriginal studies univeristy opening. He used to go to school in the soo. He became a Christian and began sharing the gospel with other native people all over the country, his life was changed. What he said to us after telling everything God had done for him, he forgave us. Me. White people. He said through Christ he could forgive all the hardships caused to him at the hands of white people. It sounds weird. Our community needs the forgiveness so we can put it behind us. I needed it for falling into the same attitudes towards them as the community; marginalized, a charity case.

I hope that made sense. I may have to come back and edit to get across the impact of his statement.