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 Cannibals

Editorial...............................................................................4

John Boekee

Fo c us

Poem...................................................................................8

Debbi Hofsink

Mental Health and the Young Adult

Article..................................................................................9

Alina van Goor

Streetlight Ministries

Innerview...........................................................................11

Aaron Korvemaker and Roadside Assistance

The Creative Highway

Roadquest..........................................................................13

James Moore

Roadside Assistance ~ Issue 9.2~2

The Board
Iwan Borst (Editor)
John Boekee
James Moore
Alina Van Goor
Alyssa Tuinstra
Design: Ashley Bulthuis

Contact
Roadside Assistance Magazine
3-7 Southside Place
Hamilton, On L9C 7W6
roadsideaassistance@gmail.com
facebook.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 is
Roadside 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 include 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

or 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 something 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 Mission. 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 Hebrides. 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 natives 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 Margaret 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 children, 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 transforming 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 contemplate 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 incredible 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 dangers that he faced when he got there, Paton had a deep
compassion for lost souls and an unswerving faith in
Gods guidance and protection.

Focus
Weary of fighting my nature

Poem-Debbi Hofsink

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.

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.

Roadside Assistance ~ Issue 9.2~2

8

Article-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 selfcontentment, 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..

Mental Health and

the Young Adult

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

scary to reach out and to admit that you are

struggling, but please do. Talk to someone
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.

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.

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!
10

Innerview- Roadside Assistance

For this Innerview, Roadside

Assistance met with Aaron
Korvemaker from Streetlight
Ministries in Hamilton

Roadside Assistance: What is

Streetlight?
Streetlight is a church and inner city ministry in
downtown Hamilton in the Beasley neighbourhood. 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 clothing 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 ministry 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 opportunities 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 downtown 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 greatest
part 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 volunteering 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.

MoveIn teams are often in apartment buildings or townhouse complexes. The goal
behind this is to be in a place in which Christians can minister to people they are living
among.
The emphasis of MoveIn is prayer: praying
that the Holy Spirit will work in specific neighbours, neighbourhoods, and the city. Once a
week, teams will gather together for a time of
prayer and reflection and mutual encouragement. 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 passages 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 someone will speak on a particular Bible passage,
after which we spend time in prayer with our
neighbours. For occasions such as Thanksgiving 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 contact 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 frustrating 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 Highway

James 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 valley 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 mercies 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...