Grateful for ALC

Over the last six months, I have been reflecting on my time at Abundant Life Chapel growing up and feeling very grateful.

At Henri Boulanger’s memorial service in May, Michelle Boulanger spoke in her eulogy about feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude. I have also been feeling deeply grateful as I have been thinking about Henri, Donna, and the other adults who invested in me as a child and teen at ALC.

One memory of Henri and Donna that sticks out to me is when I went to Henri and Donna’s house with a handful of other youth to move wood into their basement for their wood stove. It feels counterintuitive that as I reflect on Henri’s impact on my life, I’m thinking of something I did for him rather than something he did for me. However, it makes sense as I unpack the meaning behind this. As a teen, I saw that Henri and Donna supported a lot of people and were very involved in the church. They were role models of serving others and building meaningful relationships and church community. It was special to be invited into that, for our relationship to go both ways, and to give back by helping them that day. This memory represents values and practical actions I learned from them and from ALC that have become core to who I am.

I’ve been thinking of other gifts and lessons I received from ALC as well. Through ALC, I had a consistent place of love, faith, teaching, encouragement, acceptance, belonging, and community throughout my childhood and adolescence. I had struggles in my life that weren’t easily visible and that I didn’t fully understand until adulthood. I think I needed the community and care of ALC more than I might have appeared to and more than I realized. We all need community and care. What a great gift that I had that dependably at ALC!

I learned about God and learned scripture verses through songs I still remember. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him. And he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6.) My brother Kyle remembers Sunday School songs too and is passing them on. I just got a video the other day of my 5 and 3-year-old nieces singing “My God is so big, so strong, and so mighty, there’s nothing my God cannot do!”

I learned how to sing harmony from being on the worship team. I mostly sang the melody on the team, but by listening to harmony for a few years, I picked up how to sing it easily.

I learned financial generosity from being taught about tithing as a youth. Tithing is something I’ve always done, so it’s normal for me, and I feel free and cheerful to tithe to my church and give generously to other non-profits too.

My first opportunities to be a role model to people younger than me were being neighbours with Payden and Hannah and volunteering in Kids Church and VBS. I now have five nieces (Kyle and Linette’s two girls and my friends Chantal and Jon’s three girls) and an 11-year-old housemate (she and her mom live with me). I am intentional in my relationships with these precious girls, and they are a great joy in my life! I also have another niece or a nephew on the way (Chantal and Jon’s fourth)!

As I have thought about ALC this year, I have felt very thankful. To all of you who have been a part of my life through ALC – in Sunday School, junior youth, youth group, youth events, VBS, worship team, saying hello to me at church, supporting the ALC community in other ways – thank you! ALC was an important part of my faith formation and overall development as a child and teen. I’m thankful I can still visit when I’m in Lac du Bonnet.

Kristen