But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, self-control;

against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

Table of C ontents

You Will Be Eaten by CannibalsEditorial...............................................................................4 John Boekee

FocusPoem...................................................................................8 Debbi Hofsink

Mental Health and the Young AdultArticle..................................................................................9 Alina van Goor

Streetlight MinistriesInnerview...........................................................................11 Aaron Korvemaker and Roadside Assistance

The Creative HighwayRoadquest..........................................................................13 James Moore

Roadside Assistance ~ Issue 9.2~2

The BoardIwan Borst (Editor)John BoekeeJames MooreAlina Van GoorAlyssa Tuinstra

Design: Ashley Bulthuis

ContactRoadside Assistance Magazine3-7 Southside PlaceHamilton, On L9C 7W6roadsideaassistance@gmail.comfacebook.com/roadsideassistance

Send an email to roadsideassistance@gmail.com to subscribe to our new digital magazine for 2015 and to submit your articles.

What this isRoadside Assistance is a forum for Reformed youth. A forum is a place where people talk together. So listen and read, but go ahead and write something as well. We would like you to send your articles, poems, and art, and well do our best to in-clude them in the upcoming issues!

This particular forum is a place for discussing faith matters, encouraging one another in the faith, passing on Bible knowledge, building and expressing our beliefs as Reformed Christians, sharpening hearts and minds, stimulating reading on Bible-related issues, and educating each other.

Do you want to write for RA? Email us your articles and maybe your work will appear in an upcoming issue!

You will be eaten by cannibals!Editorial- John Boekee

For today I would like to share with you a little bit about the life of a very incredible and inspirational man. He was a missionary with a very deep compassion for the lost, and an absolutely unshakable trust in Gods care. His faith in Gods providence was not unfounded. God miraculously spared His life many times, sometimes almost on a daily basis. And that is not an exaggeration. This man is . First of all let us take a quick look at his life overall, and then highlight one specific point, and try to make some application and hopefully learn some-thing from that.

John Paton was born on May 24, 1824. The first thing we need to do is to take a minute to look at his father. James Paton was a very godly man who started and ended every day with family prayer. He had a time of fervent personal prayer three times a day. This left a very deep impression on the young John Paton. His father was the biggest human influence in his life and who he would become was due in large part to the godliness of his father. If I can make some application on the side here for a second, I think this is a good lesson for any dads that might be reading this, or those of you who might be dads in the future. Do your kids see you spend time in personal prayer every day? Do they see you spend time in personal Bible reading every

day? Do they know that you do devotions with your wife? I know every situation is different, and I am no parenting expert, but your kids need to see that you are a man of God. If your kids see that the best and most important part of your day is spending time in conversation with your Lord, that will have a tremendous impact on their life.

With that, back to John Paton. When he was 12 years old he felt the call to the ministry. However, he had to drop out of school to help his dad. He worked for his dad 6am 10pm. This of course does not leave too much spare time, so he learned Greek and Latin on his lunch break. In time he was able to get a job working for a church and through this he was able to study for a year at the seminary of the Free Church of Scotland.

From there he started working as a missionary in a run-down part of Glasgow. At first, there was not too much fruit, so the mission directors wanted to shut down the mission. But Paton pleaded to have six more months, and soon he had five or six hundred regular attendees. He ended up doing this for 10 years. During this time he studied at Glasgow University and Reformed Presbyterian Divinity Hall. Meanwhile, he also had a stronger and stronger desire to be a missionary to the South Seas. This is the area known to us as the southern Pacific Ocean.

He finished his studies when he was 32. Paton was a staunch Calvinist and a member in the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland. He continued to feel the call to the South Seas, but he wanted to make sure this was Gods call and not his own emotions, so he gave it more deliberation and prayer. The final thing he did was to ask his parents. They told him that they had actually been praying since he was born that God would use him as a missionary. Never underestimate the power of prayer!

So Paton applied and was accepted to the New Hebrides Mis-sion. People tried to deter him, saying he would be killed and eaten by cannibals, but he would not be turned back, and their criticism only strengthened his resolve.

Just to give you a bit of an idea where the New Hebrides are, they are remote islands, in the Southern Pacific. They are between Australia and Fiji, about 1800 km east of Australia and several hundred km west of Fiji. So its very remote. And the natives were indeed very savage. They were cannibals and intruders were usually killed immediately.

Roadside Assistance ~ Issue 9.2~5

Luke 10:2

And he said to them, The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into hisharvest.

Paton was ordained on March 23, 1858. On April 2nd he got married, and they left on April 16. On August 30 they arrived on the island of Tanna, in the New Hebri-des. Their troubles started as soon as they got there. The savagery of the natives was as bad or worse than they had been told. One of Patons very few sources of joy at this time was that his young wife Mary was pregnant. Three months after they arrived, she gave birth to a baby boy. Less than 3 weeks later, Mary died from fever. A few weeks later their infant son also passed away. Paton dug their graves and buried them with his own hands.

Despite this incredible trial, Paton continued, trying to learn the language and trying to preach to the natives. The natives were constantly at war with each other, and they were almost always either planning or attempting to kill Paton. He tried to make friends with some of the chiefs, but their loyalties were only based on gifts. Often those he thought he was befriending, soon were again trying to kill him. Paton miraculously escaped death many times, but in March 1862 the hostility of the na-tives was such that he had to flee for his life. After 4 very hard and almost fruitless years of toil, he was forced to leave Tanna for good.

After this he returned to Scotland in 1863. He toured Australia and England to raise awareness and funds for the mission. In 1864 he was re-married, to Marga-ret Whitecross. Paton and his new wife returned to the New Hebrides in 1866. Their synod had told them that they were not allowed to return to Tanna, so they went to the next closest island, called Aniwa. Paton preached there for the next 15 years. Here the Lord brought fruit to his labours. The natives were just as savage as those on Tanna, but the Lord began to change their hearts. In time Paton also began to teach some of them to read and worked on translating the Bible into their language. Over time Paton and his wife were also blessed with 10 chil-dren, 6 of whom survived to adulthood.

On Aniwa Patons work of preaching and translating eventually bore fruit, and by the time he left the entire island was at least nominally Christian, a far cry from the savage cannibals they were when he arrived. The trans-forming power of the Gospel is truly incredible. After 15 years Paton began to do a lot more traveling to raise funds and support for the mission work.

Because of his work he also began to be quite widely known. On some of his trips he would speak at global missionary conferences and similar events. During this time he was based to some degree in Australia, from where

he could visit Aniwa, but he was also a little more connected to Europe and North America. John Paton passed away on January 28, 1907 at the age of 82.

So that is a short overview of the life of John Paton. Now for a bit of application I would like to highlight one specific point in his life. I just want us to contem-plate what it actually meant for Paton to go there, to actually leave to go to the New Hebrides.

First of all, on a practical note, that was an incred-ible journey for those days. If you look at the dates we mentioned earlier, to go from Scotland to the New Hebrides took four and a half months. For those of you who have been to Australia, I know you think 25 or 30 hours of flying is a lot. But lets be honest, 2 days on a plane is a lot better than 135 days on a ship. Second, one of the things that made it so hard for Paton to go is that his mission at home was doing well. It was thriving and people wanted him to stay. The Lord was blessing his work in Glasgow. People said things like if you leave, no one will take your place. Third, there were very real dangers in going to the New Hebrides. It is probably roughly equivalent to going to North Korea today. Of the few missionaries that had gone to these islands, some of them had been killed. For example, in November 1839, John Williams and James Harris landed on Erromango, another one of the islands in the New Hebrides, and were killed within minutes of stepping ashore. On the specific island that Paton was going to, other missionaries had been attacked and just barely escaped with their lives.

In short, when people reacted with you will be eaten by cannibals, that was not an unfounded or exaggerated statement at all, that was a perfectly rational assumption. The people that had gone before him had been killed and eaten, and it was reasonable to believe that if he did what they did, he would be killed and eaten as well. What is the point of this? The point is that he went.

Despite all of the naysayers, despite the perilous and arduous four months at sea, despite the terrifying dan-gers that he faced when he got there, Paton had a deep compassion for lost souls and an unswerving faith in Gods guidance and protection.

7

Weary of fighting my nature

And tired of staying on track,

Not wanting a pastor or teacher

Diving in and pulling me back,

Eventually I hide, and in secret

Release all my demons in glee.

Its thrilling to fully embrace it

No worries around and care-free.

Guilt, however, always comes back to me.

Poem-Debbi Hofsink

For to You my eyes lift upward,

Opening my soul up to You.

Come, come lead me back, Lord

Under Your reign Im made new

Steer all my thoughts back to You.

Whenever I run from salvation,

Almighty God, You are there

Negating all consternation,

Destroying my sin and despair.

Every single time, You forgive me,

Restoring my comfort and peace.

I am humbled by Your heavenly mercy

Neer do You let it decrease.

God, I praise You for this joyous release.

For You make my eyes lift upward,

Offering my heart all thats true.

Come and lead me back, Lord

Utter the words I once knew

Steer all my thoughts back to You.

Focus

Roadside Assistance ~ Issue 9.2~28

Mental Health and the Young AdultArticle-Alina van Goor

I recently completed a project which makes the connection between the mental health of students and the classroom. As I was working on it I realized that this topic has significance not only for schools but also for us as individuals and as a church. I want to share some of my findings with our RA readers.

In the first place, it should be noted that mental illness and mental health are not the same thing. Just as with our physical health, mental health exists on a continuum, ranging from positive to negative. Positive mental health can be characterized by many things including self-contentment, the ability to regulate emotions, and the ability to maintain and develop positive relationships. Negative mental health, on the other hand, can be characterized by feelings of despair, emptiness, anxiety, etc. It is on this side of the mental health spectrum where mental illnesses are found.

As you can see, every individual is affected, in some way, by their mental health. Every human being has good and bad days. Further, I am sure that we can all recall days where we especially struggled with sadness, confusion, or just staying focused on our daily work. Our mind was pre-occupied with other things and, as a result, our normal functioning was hampered. By the grace of God, we likely only struggled for a day, or perhaps a week, and were then able to return to optimal and normal functioning. Someone who struggles with their mental health, however, is faced with mental turmoil, almost day in and day out.

One of the reasons why mental health/illnesses

One of the reasons why mental health/illnesses have remained a closed-door-topic for years is the confusion over what causes mental illnesses..

have remained a closed-door-topic for years is the confusion over what causes mental illnesses. Why is it that some people seem to struggle so much while others do not seem to be mentally hampered at all? While research and scientific discovery regarding the mind, our emotions, and our other neurological connections have come a long way, the specific cause of mental illnesses remains a mystery. Certain factors, like stress, childhood abuse, witnessing or experiencing traumatic events, or chemical imbalances, have been identified as risk factors, however, no certain causes have been identified.

So what does this have to do with young people? Are not young people supposed to be the ones with lots of energy, always willing and ready to do this or that? Young adults are in their prime of life! What could go wrong?

Perhaps this would be true in an ideal world, but in a world deeply affected by sin, no age group is left untouched by mental illnesses. Current research actually suggests that, out of all the age groups, young people are most likely to be affected. Most researchers estimate that 1 in 5 children will suffer from some form of mental illness. In fact half of all life-time cases begin by age 14, three-quarters by age 24. This has left the National Institute of Mental Health to conclude that mental illnesses are a chronic disease of the youth (Simpson, 2013).

Going by these statistics, chances are that you or someone you know will suffer from a mental illness. What can you do about it? If you are the one who is suffering mentally or emotionally then I highly recommend that you get help.

I know that it can be incredibly

wisdom, allowed some very difficult things to come your way but He has also promised that He has a plan for your life and that He, one day, will grant restoration. It may not be today and it may not be tomorrow, but one day the pain and emptiness will go away.

When someone is diagnosed with cancer or has a car accident people visit them or make them meals. But when someone is diagnosed with a mental illness often we do not really know what to do and sometimes, in pained ignorance, we just downright ignore them. For members of Christ, brothers and sisters in the Lord, this is not acceptable! Indeed, it can be hard to know what to do but doing nothing is not beneficial.

Even simple acts of kindness can go a long way. Enable yourself to be understanding by doing your own research on the illness. There is a lot of helpful resources available. Make use of them. Most importantly, be a friend. Be there for them and let them know that you care for them.

Does this topic of mental illness hit close to home? Do you have a story that you feel compelled to share? If you do, do not be afraid. Go ahead and share it. Share it with a friend, a family member, your pastor, or someone else you trust. Mental illnesses have remained in the shadow for too long. We can change that cycle. Lets start talking!

Note: A large part of my interest in this topic developed, in part, through reading Troubled Minds: Mental Illnesses and the Churchs Mission by Amy Simpson. This book also helped me in writing my research paper as well as this article. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about mental illnesses.

scary to reach out and to admit that you are struggling, but please do. Talk to someone

10

Roadside Assistance: What is Streetlight?

Streetlight is a church and inner city ministry in downtown Hamilton in the Beasley neighbour-hood. We have two church services each Sunday and also run a variety of programs during the week including adult Bible studies, youth and childrens programs, as well as some sports and social programs. We also have a food and cloth-ing room in order to minister to the physical needs of people in our church and community.

RA: Who are you? What is your role at Streetlight?

My job at Streetlight is as a youth worker. This means that I am responsible for organizing and running some youth programs, as well as assisting other staff members in child and youth minis-try activities. I also meet with and mentor some youth throughout the week, and seek to connect with their families as well. In the last little while, I have become more active in a neighbourhood group that promotes more activities and opportu-nities for youth in the Beasley neighbourhood or downtown in general.

RA: What's unique about Streetlight's Youth?

The youth that come to Streetlight come from a wide variety of backgrounds. We have youth from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, as down-town Hamilton is a place of great ethnic diver-

sity. Some youth come from challenging family backgrounds as well, single parent homes or families that may be dysfunctional in other ways. Every one of them has a story, it is important to try to understand this story as you work with them.

We also get some kids, especially for our Kids Club program, who have never heard of the Bible before and do not know who Jesus is. The greatestpart of this job is seeing these kids learn Bible stories and after several weeks of coming to the program begin sharing answers which they have learned from the Bible story. It is really humbling to see this.

RA: Do you have any suggestions for Reformed youth to get involved in their communities?

One very practical thing to do is volunteer. There are many churches and service organizations in cities and they are often looking for help with certain programs or other aspects of their ministries. Go into volun-teering with a humble attitude, and be willing to learn from the ministry or organizational leaders. Focus on learning about the challenges faced by the people whom the ministry serves, and learn how the ministry is trying to help these people. Volunteering is a great way to begin to be involved in a community.

There is a movement in cities around the world called MoveIn. MoveIn is about getting Christians to move into neighbourhoods, usually in the downtown area of cities, in order to build relationships and share the Gospel with the people in their apartment buildings. I have been part of a MoveIn team in Hamilton this past year, and it is another practical and meaningful thing that Reformed young people can do to get involved in their communities.

RA: Tell us a bit about MoveIn.

The idea of MoveIn is for Christians to move and live with a team of other Christians in neighbourhoods of cities that are poorer or contain a high concentration of immigrants.

Innerview- Roadside Assistance

For this Innerview, Roadside Assistance met with Aaron Korvemaker from Streetlight Ministries in Hamilton

MoveIn teams are often in apartment build-ings or townhouse complexes. The goal behind this is to be in a place in which Chris-tians can minister to people they are living among.

The emphasis of MoveIn is prayer: praying that the Holy Spirit will work in specific neigh-bours, neighbourhoods, and the city. Once a week, teams will gather together for a time of prayer and reflection and mutual encourage-ment. Each team can organize this prayer time in whatever way works for that team. The point is to gather together as a group and pray for other team members, neighbours, and other issues that are in that neighbourhood or city.

RA: What does MoveIn look like for you?

My MoveIn team consists of 8 other people besides myself. We take turns hosting prayer meetings and often eat dinner together before we pray. We will often study Scripture pas-sages together as well as spend time singing together. It is a good time to check in with each other and encourage one another, which is important as the neighbours that we meet can be in tough situations.

Once in a while, our team will have a potluck and invite some of our neighbours to join us. We will share a meal together and some-one will speak on a particular Bible passage, after which we spend time in prayer with our neighbours. For occasions such as Thanksgiv-ing or Christmas, we have had larger parties, inviting everyone in our apartment building (of course not everyone came).

Apart from these larger group events, how many people you meet and keep regular con-tact with is up to you. Because my job is quite busy, I am only really able to keep regular contact with one family, whom I visit at least once a week. I was also able to meet many kids and youth by playing soccer with them when the weather was nice. In some ways,

the things I do for MoveIn are similar to what I do for my job. But the encouraging thing is that with MoveIn, I am part of a larger team of people who pray together regularly and seek to encourage one another.

RA: What are some of the things you have learned through your involvement downtown?

One of the first things I learned after being involved downtown was to look past problems and see people. Before, I had heard of things such as alcoholism, poverty, drug addiction, etc, but my outlook on these things changed when I started meeting people and hearing their stories. I learned that in many ways, they were just like me, with the same wants and desires. Even more important was the realization that they are Gods image bearers and I needed to see them in this light.

I think the biggest thing that Ive learned is how I am to love other people because Jesus loved me. Working with youth can be very frustrat-ing at times, as they can often repeatedly make poor decisions or fall into harmful patterns over and over again. This has taught me to look at myself and see that I am a sinner and in daily need of Gods grace. In spite of my sin, God still loves me and made a way for me to be forgiven through the death of Jesus Christ (Romans 5:8). This means that I need to be gracious and forgive other people, since I am a sinner just like they are. In summary, I guess you could say that the most important thing that I have learned is what it means to live graciously.

The Creative HighwayJames Moore

Comfort:

1. A state of physical ease and freedom from pain or constraint.

2. The easing or alleviation of a persons feelings of grief or distress.

Even though I walk through the val-ley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Matthew 5:4

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mer-cies and God of all comfort 2 Corinthians 1:3

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3

But the fruit of the Spirit is love...