Introspective Examination

This past week the students had a different kind of examination: an introspective one.  Merrill, one of Briercrest's VP's came out last week and led some leadership training session where the students went through the results of their Birkman personality assessments.  

This has a special place in my heart as I've gotten to take part in various degrees of Birkman personality assessments over the years.  Time and time again I've been stunned at how useful, how accurate and how insightful this system is.  

It's incredibly fitting that the students would have this personality assessment as a leadership training tool.  Merrill challenged them to think about what makes up their unique strengths and challenges and how that affects both how they lead and how they are led.  Speaking to a student the other day he let me know that this exercise really shaped how he leads because he always thought people led the same way he did which is not the case.  How amazing that they can be learning some of these lessons now and how incredible it will be when they scatter across the globe!

This past week the students also participated in a week of prayer.  The students each spent an hour in the prayer room four or five times during the week.  It was a great opportunity for them to set aside an hour of their time to focus on prayer and worship.  At the end of the week we came together and ended the week fittingly in prayer after sharing with one another what impact this week had.  Many were shaped and formed from this time set apart and I'm sure this week will continue to shape how our students pray each and every day.

In contrast this week was another class week with the students taking Foundations of Church Ministry with Professor David Ernst.  

From what I've seen so far this week has been an incredibly challenging one.  The students have been learning about everything from the theology of giving to understanding why denominations exist to the variety of views on men and women in leadership.  There have been very few punches pulled as these students dive into understanding the Church and the challenges that come with it.  David has done a great job challenging the students to think through these and many more questions carefully and scripturally.  Only David could somehow find a way to explain denominations using the Death Star as an analogy!

Be in prayer for the students as they work hard this week and try to finish Church Ministry well.  Next week they will be wrapping up Church Ministry and preparing for Gospels with Wes Olmstead at the same time so be in prayer for that as well.  Next week will be a difficult week of reading for their upcoming class and writing papers so it might be a great time to send that encouraging e-mail or care package.  For those of you missing your daughters, sons, brothers or sisters they will be coming home in less than a month so be encouraged!

Mascots and Mayhem

The past few weekends our students were putting on face-paint and running around with capes on.  No, it wasn't a Halloween party.  Actually it was our students being mascots for the All-Star Games during the Junior and Junior High retreats.  They seemed to really enjoy getting to let loose and be a little crazier for a few days.

(All photos in this post taken by Jay Kennedy)

Not all of them were helping Steve with his team of All-Stars; they helped in just about every area from counselling to kitchen staff.  This past weekend all of the students helped for at least a part of the weekend.

Tessa playing some all star games with her campers

Jon loving his life in the kitchen

The Head Counsellor Troy Haws explaining something to Tanner

Soul Surfers

As October wanes it's definitely time for another update.  Last week we did the last multi-day out trip until Christmas as we headed out to Tofino and went surfing!  

On the way out we had some fun stops including Goats on a Roof, Cathedral Grove, and a pullout on the highway with a beautiful view.  Since it was so late in the season there were no goats, seems they had been "kid-napped" as Nicole would say.  Cathedral Grove was a lot of fun and the second we left the vans cameras came out.  The common theme seemed to be standing on top of large horizontal logs.

I've been there several times now but still it takes your breath away to see huge trees everywhere. A little later we stopped on the highway to play on the rocks, explore the river and enjoy the view.  Erin and I took the opportunity to snap a few photos with a beautiful backdrop.

To end the day we went and enjoyed Long Beach for a bit.  While lots of people played games on the beach some decided to play in the surf for a bit and enjoy the waves.  Even though the water was cold the weather was so beautiful you couldn't help but be drawn to the water.

Overnight we stayed at the church of a past staff member Peter Bird in Uclulet.  Even though we didn't see Peter himself I at least go to hang out with his dad for a bit.  It was wonderful to have a kitchen to use and a warm place to sleep at the end of the day.  It also allowed us to have some wonderful chapel times without worrying about the elements or what to do with our instruments. 

After a full first day we all slept soundly even though we hadn't done any surfing yet!  To start off the second morning the students were sent off to a time of prayer and contemplation on a beach just a few blocks from the church.  Sometimes I forget how amazing and unique it is for them to have this as a backdrop while studying.

Even when we arrived at the beach the studying didn't end.  Before getting geared up the students got a lesson in tides, where waves come from and learned a bit about surfing from the two instructors we had from Tofino Surf School.  They were unbelievably helpful as we learned something new or dusted off an old hat we hadn't worn for a while.  After being unable to get up wave after wave after wave I asked one of the instructors for help.  He adjusted my body position, told me to look at the horizon when paddling and suddenly I caught the next wave!  It was ridiculous how quickly it turned around with a little help from somebody who knew what they were talking about. 

As you can see we were ready and eager to hit the surf at this point.  And surf we did!  Most of the group spent at least five hours in the water the first day and another few the next morning.  Here are some shots from the last day of our trip (after we had become pro-surfers).  You can see that most of our moves were inspired by watching the movie "Soul Surfer" the night before.

Sea Legs

Ahoy!

Well another week has come and gone here at Qwanoes which means more learning and adventuring. In my last post I spoke about the hiking trip and Cal's Spiritual Formations course. This week the students became sailors for five days and learned to do everything from cleaning the head (bathroom) to steering the ship! It was an amazing time for the students to learn some new skills and be stretched out of their comfort zones. Here's a little glimpse of life on the ship:


Kaleo Program - S.A.L.T.S. from Viktor Karklins on Vimeo.
Photos by Viktor Karklins, www.ViktorsPictures.Blogspot.com


As you can tell the pirate's life is full of wild adventures (in between the times spent reading for the upcoming Old Testament course). When we weren't swinging on rope swings into the ocean or eating some of the most delicious food of our lives there were some more serious times on the S.A.L.T.S. ship. Each evening when the sun would fade and a chill would settle in student and crew member alike would grab an instrument and lead us in a time of worship. It was a truly unique opportunity to praise God in the belly of a 130' ship. After the music we each took turns sharing our testimonies with one another creating opportunities to get to know each other on a deeper level. Between these shared experiences and learning to live in close quarters we all came back closer than when we left. It was a blessing to watch as our students learned to lead in ways they had never led before whether it was peeling apples for apple pie or helping hoist the sails.

The closeness of the group was rather evident once we'd returned to solid ground. Those that remained for Thanksgiving weekend decided that one table was plenty for all of us; it was quite a sight to see 15 people around a table that only comfortably seats 8!

Thanksgiving was the other milestone this past week. Some students returned home while others enjoyed spending time with one another here at Qwanoes. Come Monday night all of the staff and students joined together for a Thanksgiving feast here at camp. It was a great opportunity for all of us to reflect on how much has happened so far and how much we have to be thankful for.

We would love it if you'd be in prayer for the students as they begin their Camp & Youth Ministry course today. The students have been working hard preparing for it while juggling preparation for their upcoming classes and doing post course work from Spiritual Formations. They have done a great job learning the rhythms of student life but be praying that they can continue to persevere and not put undue stress on themselves. The students will also become increasingly involved in retreats in the next few weeks so be in prayer that they can have a huge impact on the women's group this weekend as well as the other groups that will be joining us.

Thank you for your prayer and support. If you want to hear about what's going on from the students themselves you can ask them for an invite to the Online Ministry Journals they fill out every other week. This will help you keep up to date with how they are doing with their youth groups, retreats, etc.

The First Few Weeks

Hello family, friends and visitors!

Here's a bit of an update for everyone back home and abroad wondering what's going on with our 21 wonderful students.

It has been an amazing two weeks so far.  Each week so far has been very full but quite amazing.  Last week we piled 26 people into vans and drove off to Mt. Albert Edward.  Broken up into four teams we headed off into the wilderness hiking between 8 and 10 km that first day to reach our campsites.  Our team (dubbed "The Flock") even went for an extra four kilometre hike to a lookout point that evening.

Mike enjoying the view a few kilometres away from our campsite

As you can see from the photo the view was well worth the extra effort.  Absolutely amazing to be viewing an untouched wilderness.  

The second day all four teams met up and we set off to conquer the summit of Mt. Albert Edward.  The weather held up which was a huge blessing, rewarding us with an amazing view all the way up.  Being a 5.3 km hike from base camp to the summit doesn't sound like much but considering most of it was nearly vertical it was a challenge for all of us.  It took a tremendous effort but eventually everyone who started out that day made it to the top of the mountain!

Singing the Doxology from the summit of Mt. Albert Edward!

It was an amazing journey that tested the mettle of each and every person, stretching them in ways they were not used to.  Even the most experienced hikers among us found it stretching when we hiked 8 to 10 km back to the vans in the pouring rain!  When we finally had a chance to change into dry clothes, sleep in a comfortable bed and look back on it all everybody could see ways in which they were challenged during this journey.  

Now this week the students face a different kind of challenge as they begin their first class Spiritual Formations with Cal MacFarlane.  Even while we were hiking the students were already memorizing the more than 50 verses they had to have memorized for class this week.  Each day the students are tested on a portion of these verses and it is clear that they have more than risen to the challenge.  As they walk around camp you can hear them sometimes reciting verses from Galatians under their breath.

One of the perks of having Cal teach class this week is that he is a man of many talents.  Today he incorporated a lesson with a visual demonstration of creating a clay pot.  

Cal MacFarlane creating something out of clay during Spiritual Formations

What a blessing to have Cal here this week helping shape and form our students as they begin their journey this year.  Along with Cal his teaching assistant and a past student Jake LeFave is joining us this week.  Jake who is in his fourth year at Briercrest shared his heart and his passion this morning during a chapel time.  It is wonderful to see how far some of the past students have come in their journeys since their time in the Kaleo program.  

Keep your eyes peeled for more updates to come each week.  Be in prayer that the students finish well in class this week, can help connect kids with churches this weekend at Road Tour and pray for a fun and formative time next week sailing with S.A.L.T.S.