An Aha Moment at Team Gathering 2025
Written by Cindy Verbeek (Northern BC Manager)
March 2025
Every year in January all the A Rocha staff converge on A Rocha BC Centre in Surrey, BC to be encouraged, challenged and supported. Every time there seems to be at least one aha moment for me and this year it was during one of our breakout sessions.Β
We were talking about immersive experiences, something the folks in Surrey have become experts at through interactive nature education programming, hands in the dirt gardening and immersive learning with young people through the Tatalu Residency program. As we reflected on the importance of these types of experiences I realized that the reason I am where I am, and that a hatchery and nature centre exist in Houston is because of my own immersive experience.
In my early 20βs I spent three months at the Au Sable Institute for Environmental Study, a field study school associated with Kingβs College (now The Kingβs University) in Edmonton where I was taking my Bachelor of Science degree. While living on the Michigan campus I learned about the natural world IN the natural world and I was hooked. What an amazing (and novel) idea to learn the scientific names of plants while actually looking at the plant in real life and not just as a photo in a book. We bounced on floating bogs, sat by a pond and tried to spot spring peepers, put on hip waders and wandered through rivers, ran down a sand dune and experienced the hot, sickening crunch of the dried reindeer moss under our feet due to deforestation.Β
During my Natural History in Spring course our instructor Fred Vandyke required us to do a 6 hours solo in the surrounding forests to reflect, talk to God, and learn about and from creation. It there that God and I had a conversation that went something like this:
Me: God this is the first time Iβve felt whole, where both my love for Jesus and my love for creation is encouraged and celebrated. We need something like Au Sable in Canada!
God: Great idea. Go do that!
And so began my long obedience in that direction. Several years afterwards I met Peter Harris, founder of A Rocha in Portugal, and quickly realized this was a group with the same calling and vision. I joined, volunteered and later came on as a staff member of this amazing organization.Β Β
Fast forward 30 years and I am still wading through rivers and searching for frogs and sharing those experiences with the people in my community…but there is so much more we could be doing.Β
One of the keys to these kinds of experiences is a small cohort who live together for a time, share meals, discuss big issues, play and study together. When the Nature Centre was built I thoughtβ¦βThere you go Lord, I did what you asked. Iβm done.β I suspect God chuckled.Β
Around that table this January, listening to the immersive experiences that were offered in Surrey, I realized I am far from done. There is now a wonderful location for me to work from, but there is still work to be done to create that same type of experience that got me started all those years ago.Β
How this all is going to play out over the next few years I’m still unsure but it excites me to reflect on what God is doing and what this might look like. How can we make it happen even in small ways here in Houston? I’m so grateful for everyone who has joined in so far and I look forward to hearing your ideas of what this could look like.
We spend enough time learning from books, online and in classroom settings. Give yourself the gift of time outdoors and if you are in the area – come immerse yourself in creation at one of our upcoming events!Β
