It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!!

My last week at Kaleo before Christmas was filled with homework and fun! I spent the week working on a field Ed paper, as well as a Church Ministry paper. The church ministry paper was about women in ministry. I found it interesting to dig into this controversial issue, and pull out the truth. Our professor, David Ernst encouraged us to go into this paper with an open ind, not a set opinion. I enjoyed having this mindset because it allowed me to have an unbiased attitude towards my findings. I am currently sitting in the Edmonton air port, waiting for my delayed flight, thi kking back to fond memories made while at Kaleo this semester. I can think back to Strathcona, where we were all just getting to know each-other while hiking up Mt. Albert Edward. What a crazy adventure! I remember enjoying the amazing beauty of British COlumbia thatw was still so new to me. Then there was SALTS, what a crazy experience that was. This was a challenging out trip for me because I was not feeling well but looking back I can remember key bonding moments during the trip with man y of the other Kaleo students. My favorite trip of all was definitely the surf trip. This was my favorites trip because by this time, I ha gotten to know everyone and it was like going on a sweet adventure with twenty  eight of your closest friends, as opposed to people that you don't know. I also loved being in the ocean during this trip and enjoying God's amazing creation! Such an amazing experience. The small church we stayed in in Uclulet was a special place too, full of special memories. I also really enjoyed the classes that we have taken this semester. Spiritual formation started this year off with a bang! I loved hearing Marv Penner share his wisdom and experiences with us as we journeyed through that course. Then of course there was Hermeneutics with Merrill Duck. I loved diving into the word during this class and searching for truth and meaning. THis was also such an awesome blessing. Then came Old Testament, what a class that was! I loved our group project of making a film of the Old Testament main events. Doing this truly brought our group close together in so many ways, and we are left with such a cool video! Las we took the Church Ministry course, and this one was definitely dear to my heart. God really used this course to teach me lots about the church ministry and how much he loves his church. I can often get annoyed with the way that we try to run our churches in North America but I was reminded that God loves his church as it is his bride. The relationship between GOd and the church is a model for a husband and wife relationship. I love that! t the beginning of the semester Jimcompared Kaleo to a bunch of rocks rubbing off each other and molding each other. I have definitely seen this unfolding in myself and in my classmates. God is working in us. He has big plans for semester two! Merry Christmas!!!!

Foundations of the church!

This past week, we took a course called, "The Foundations of the Church Ministry." I absolutely loved this course! It was incredibly informative, and I feel so much more informed about how I can contribute to Christ's church and be part of the solution for a healthier church. Our professor's name was David Ernst, he himself had spent ten years as a pastor in the church ministry, so he had tons of stories and experience to share with us. One day, we had a panel of pastors and their wives come in to share their experiences and opinions about the church. I totally enjoyed their insights and honesty. This was so helpful as we as Kaleo students begin to contribute to God's church ministry in a big way. One of the biggest things that my eyes were opened to is the fact that God has given us the church as a vehicle to spread his word. It is kind of like a tool, and God gave us a special design to follow in our churches! Its important to stick closely to that design as we strive to change to adapt the times and be seeker sensitive. I really enjoyed being poured into this week and soaking in this class! It was a real blessing and I truly believe it has changed my view of Christ's church, and of individual church organizations all over the world. I am preparing to go home on Saturday December 5th, and its beginning to sink in that I am actually going home. I am going to miss this place SO much! But am looking forward to coming back in January with great stories of what God teaches me as I head home! God bless!

Take It To The Lord In Prayer

This past week was a week of 24/7 prayer. I absolutely LOVED this week! each student signed up for at least one hour of prayer every day. We used one room for these special prayer times where students placed writings and pictures on the wall to express our prayers. I truly believe that God moved in a miraculous way this week among the hearts of kaleo students and leaders this week! It was really cool for relationships here to be built and strengthened while we paired up for prayer sessions for some of the time slots. I appreciated better getting to know some of the girls here through this experience as we shared our hearts and hopes and dreams for kaleo. I felt like the week went ridiculously fast as I have been battling a cold for a while now and there was lots of homework to be done, so for me the week went by in a blink! I spent most of it in the library or in bed. I can't believe it is nearly December! I am looking ahead at only 2 weeks left here in my first semester at Kaleo, it is so crazy to think about that! When I look back to the first week, it is absolutely crazy how far we have all come, as a group and as individuals. I think back to SALTS and Strathcona as we were all just getting to know and understand each other. Funny how hearing each other's testimonies has helped immensely in getting to know each other. As I look back over the semester, I see the marks of Jesus hand in my life, helping me through tough times and enjoying the good time with me. God is so so good, and is at work at this place. I am looking forward to next week's class: The Foundations of the Church with David Ernst. I think it will be a very good class!

Back To The Bible!

This week we were blessed to have Don Taylor and his wife Tracy grace us with their presence coming all the way from sweet Saskatchewan. Don did a wonderful job of presenting old Testament Literature to us in a modular class. We spent long days Monday to Friday in the classroom soaking in goodness from God's word before the birth of Christ. It was a challenging week for because we had long days, and we were working on a video project every evening, and sometimes through the night. However, all in all this class was an absolute treat and a great blessing! On Friday night my church group and I were invited to dinner at a family from our church's house. It was such a treat to be in a home setting and enjoy a meal with them. We then attended the youth group bible study which was based on John chapter five. In this chapter Jesus heals a blind man, it was great to explore this text with the group. I am definitely enjoying the youth at Cobbel Hill, they have hearts of gold and I am blessed to be a part of their lives. Many of us here at Kaleo are sick with cold/flu symptoms, so prayer would be greatly appreciated! We are heading into a week of 24/7 prayer, which is going to be a really special thing. God bless!

1...2...3.... break! here and gone.

Hello everyone! Last week we as a group were blessed with a reading break! Some people took off for various destinations, but most of us stayed around the camp. It was a quiet, restful week filled with homework. One day some of us ventured into Victoria, and the city was gorgeous. I was reminded of just how very blessed I am when I saw some of the less fortunate people on the streets of the city. On the way home we stopped at a massive waterfall. I was lost in its brilliance and might power as the water came crashing down on the rocks at the bottom of the fall. What incredibly strength and beauty the waterfall possessed. I was reminded of God's incredible beauty and strength. I spend the remainder of the week catching up on homework, and sleep. It was such a needed and appreciated break. This week, we are taking the Old Testament course. I have been busy reading many many chapters of the old testament as pre-course work. I am really enjoying diving back into the old testament, as it has been a long time since I paid close attention to those stories. I found it interesting reading the stories that I've heard since I was young in Sunday school straight out of the bible. I actually learned many things that I didn't know. I was also reminded of how much God detests sin. Many cruel things happened in the old testament, and some would even say harsh punishments were carried out by God. I was reminded that we serve the same jealous God that the Israelites did, and he hates sin just as much today as he did then. I was also thinking about Jesus' brutal death on the cross and how harsh of a punishment God did not withhold from even his own son in atonement for the entire world's sin. This should never be downsized. God's love for us that was displayed on the cross is so huge! I have also been so appreciating the direct access we now have to God that the Israelites did not have before Jesus died to pave the way from man to God. Reading about the Holy of Holies reminds me just how Holy and Just God is, and how incredibly fortunate I am that God poured out his grace on me, and I can speak with him at any time, any day. I am greatly anticipating the class!!

Time for a break?

Wow. All I can say is wow. I can remember being a little girl and imagining in my mind what it would be like to splash in the giant hold of water I had only heard about. Last week, Kaleo hit Tofino with a slash! This was such an incredibly experience! The drive there was stunning, as the yellow, red, and orange leaves were brightly decorating the trees. We were blessed to stay at a nice church in the town of Uclulet, which is near Tofino. It was so nice to just hang out with everyone and not be worried about homework or anything like that. The day that we went surfing was crazy! It was so windy that it was hard to walk to the beach with our boards. But I couldn't believe how warm I was in my wetsuit! It was so much fun to try and surf, but unfortunately I didn't get up once. Later in the day, some of us decided to ditch our boards on the beach and just play in the massive waves God was making. It was so much fun! I loved every moment of it, I couldn't stop laughing and smiling and standing in awe of This vast ocean. The ride home was rainy, but there was something beautiful about the rain refreshing our surroundings. We were also blessed as a group to hear some of our classmates testimonies on the trip, this was a real blessing and created lots of group bonding! Tofino was by far my favorite trip this year! I loved this experience. 

When Life Gets Crazy...

This week was absolutely amazing! We took the hermeneutics course. Professor Merril Dyck taught the class with zeal and vigor. I definitely feel like I have a better understanding of different methods on how to read the bible. I really enjoyed Merril's interactive way of teaching the class. The class ended on Friday morning with us giving our presentation to the class on each book of the bible that we studied. My group studied the book of First John. I totally loved everything I learned from diving into that book again. We were asked to read the book for seven days in a row. By doing this we were able to soak in tons of truth and convey it to the class. 

On Friday, sixty campers showed up for the juniors retreat and I was blessed to be a councilor! I absolutely loved the experience! I was reminded of how much I love summer camp! Today has been full of catching up on rest and some mud sliding in the evening.. such fun! This week we are headed to Tofino for surfing, can't wait to see what God has in store! 

Girls Night!

This week has been absolutely amazing! God has been working in the hearts of us at Kaleo in awesome ways! Thanksgiving on Monday was beautiful, we had an amazing Thanksgiving supper and it was absolutely delicious! On Wednesday we went caving, and it was a wonderful experience, the caves totally displayed God's amazing creativity and it was stunning. My favorite part of the day was when we sat in the caves and sang hymns to God, and the sound echoed through the cave. It was a beautiful experience. We also went swimming that day and did some shopping, it was so much fun. On Thursday we had a girls night and it was amazing! We began by visiting an Old Folk's Home in Crofton, it was a wonderful experience! We sang hymns to them and visited them, it was such a blessing. Then we went to the small tourist town of Chemainus for coffee and some shopping. It was really nice to get to know all of the girls a little bit better. We then went to our Student Life leader's apartment for supper and had great discussion. I totally enjoyed getting back to Cobble Hill Baptist Church on Sunday! The community has welcomed us so warmly! I am so excited for surfing this week, God's got great things for us to learn.

Time is Sailing on by

This week has been absolutely incredible! Our Kaleo group sailed with SALTS on the Pacific ocean for five days. We left Victoria on Monday and returned on Friday. I believe we each came back better aquatinted and in need of a shower! Unfortunately I was sick for most of the trip, but I am so thankful for the amazing experience. The sights were stunning, the weather was favorable, and the ocean was gorgeous. The best part of the trip was the way that Christ brought us closer as a group. We had meaningful sharing times, and tons of opportunity to visit one another. As much as I enjoyed the trip, I was excited to see Victoria on Friday, as the waves were just a little too wavy for my stomach!

I was so excited when Sunday rolled around to attend Cobble Hill Baptist where I have been attending. I am truly loving the music, sermons, people, and heart for Christ that I have been emerged in at Cobble Hill. Our church group was also invited to Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday night! The food was delicious, and I loved the fellowship! It was so great to get together with other Christians on Thanksgiving and discuss Christ. I was so encouraged by this evening and the love that they showed us with their hospitality and testimonies! I am definitely looking forward to the things coming up this week, and getting some homework done in preparation for the Hermeneutics course coming up in two weeks!

I feel like I have so much to be thankful, God is so good and has blessed me in so many ways. I can't express my thanks enough. We serve a Mighty good God. Happy Thanksgiving!

Morning By Morning New Mercies I See

This week was absolutely amazing! This week I was graced with the instruction of Marv Penner. he taught Spiritual Formation here this week, and it was amazing! Marv spoke passionately about spiritual disciplines, and about what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. He began the week by explaining to the class how he was just learning in his spiritual journey what it means to truly love Christ. Not just to live a good and Godly life, and present oneself as a "Christian", but to truly fall in love with the one who gave it all. I was so encouraged by this class and I felt a renewed sense of assurance of my relationship with Christ!

One assignment this week included a two and a half hour time of solitude each of us spent with the Lord. This was two of the most significant hours of my life. How awesome to just make time to hang out with God! It was absolutely amazing!

On Friday night, I attended Cobble Hill teen bible study. We are studying the book of John. This week we took a closer look at John chapter 2. We began by reading the story of Jesus turning water into wine and the wedding, and then read the story of Jesus overturning the tables at the temple. Both stories displayed very different things about the character of Jesus. We had much to discuss and the evening was a lot of fun! I am so enjoying getting to know the teens that attend Cobble Hill Baptist Church!

This coming week, we are going sailing on the Pacific Grace ship with SALTS! i am so excited to see what God has in store for our K7 SALTS experience!

Sunday October 4

Living Day By Day

I arrived at Kaleo on Wednesday September 16th. It has been a crazy mixture of fun, food, new friends, and new challenges! Leaving home was a real struggle, but I am slowly falling in love with this beautiful place at Camp Qwanoes! 

The first few days were full of information, and orientation. It was really nice to spend some time with everyone and get to know everyone a little bit better. On the first Friday here, we each chose churches that we would adopt. We are expected to attend these churches this year, and pour into them with our gifts and abilities God has equipped us with. 

I chose Cobble Hill Baptist Church. It is a thirty minute drive from the camp. This church consists of a small, passionate congregation! I appreciate how the people there welcomed me into their congregation and are so warm and loving. We were invited to a "Meet The Kaleo" potluck lunch last Sunday, and it was such a blessing to get to know some of the congregation a little big better! I am looking forward to the plans God has for me at Cobble Baptist Church!