A word from last year's leadership award winner

So your year is about to start! That's pretty exciting! So I'm Denver Knodel and I was last years recipient of the leadership award. It's not something that I really expected when I began my year, but God had some different plans for me in that season. So after a bit of reflection on leadership and whatnot I'd like to share what I think are some important elements of leadership. Discipline to speak and act when you are needed. Leaders take action to get their community moving forward to the goals that are set before you. You're here to learn about leadership, so don't be afraid if you don't know instinctively what to do or say. Trust that God is more committed to your community than you are, and that He will show you what you can do to be a part of His plan for this year. Humility to admit your failures. I made mistakes in my year, but it took me a while to own them and do what needed to be done for the community. Don't do that. Everyone at Qwanoes wants you to succeed and learn what it is to lead well, and they will walk withyou through whatever struggles you're having. When I finally owned up to the mistakes i made and called the community back to what we had set out to do, the reward was worth the uncomfortable vulnerable moments. Being a peacemaker. You guys are going to argue and disagree and get stressed out and say things or think things about people that just are not good or helpful. When you realize that stuff like that is going on between your friends; get involved. Don't pretend that troubles aren't there, deal with them in whatever way you can. When you blow it in your community or church, make the first move in seeking reconciliation. Eight months can be a long, long time if you have to hold a grudge... You guys have an amazing year ahead of you. You're gonna do stuff and go places, and become better leaders in all of it. I'm super stoked for every one of you, and I can't wait for you to join the ranks of Kaleo alumni!

A word from last year's Ministry award winner

     Hello future graduates of Kaléo 2016! I’m Melanie Ventura, last year’s Ministry Award winner. Looking back, I think about all the feelings at were rushing through mind and heart weeks before starting the program and I am sure some of you are feeling the same way. This coming year has a lot in store for you... God has a lot in store for you. As you may know, our lives as Christians is a full-time life of ministry; and this year will be an incredible foundation for your life of vocational or non-vocation ministry. Some of you will go on to camp or church ministry, or even missions. While others of you may be called to secular post-secondary schooling or workplace ministry. Both are equally ministry.

     Throughout the year, I started to really notice the intentional ministries that the Kaléo Program comes to develop. As students you will have the opportunity to serve in local churches to serve alongside of the ministries that are already established.  I have served in a church setting before and was able to use what I have learned back home to enhance the experience of youth group here in Ladysmith. You will also have the ability to serve in ministry here at Camp Qwanoes, I have had the chance to be a camp counselor and an assistant head counselor. I was slightly out of my comfort zone at first but through the whole process I was blessed with excellent leaders to walk alongside me.

     There is another ministry that will impact your lives more than you know, and that exists within your own live-in community. Ministry opportunities will be all around you. This includes your roommates, the Qwanoes staff, campers coming on retreats and anyone who comes as a guest. My advice in this ministry is to be present. This ministry will impact you the most when you fully immerse yourself in it.

     If there was one thing that I know for sure about a life of ministry, it’s that only way to be fruitful in all aspects; is for you to build a day that includes personal devotions with God and digging into His Word. My year would have looked a lot different if I hadn’t been intentional about my time with God.

     During the Kaléo Program I was able to grow exponentially in my faith and personal walk with God.  I have come to a place in my Christian walk were I can make choices to discern if what I am taking part in is reaching God’s Holy standards. God has called me to higher standards. Trust me I will fail but I can be sure God will take my hand and pick me right back up. This is my prayer for you and I trust God will do great things for all of you, as he has for me.

A word from last year's Community award winner

Hi Everyone,

Can you believe that you will be starting the Kaleo Program in less than a month?! If you are anything like I was, you are probably a little nervous, a little overwhelmed, and more than a little excited. You are about to embark on one of the best years of your life that will be unlike any other. It is going to be filled with adventure, learning, ministry, growth and of course, lots of new friends.

My name is Nora Cullen and this past year I was the community award winner. Community is a huge part of the Kaleo program and it is one of the things that makes the program so special. You are about to enter a community of people that does basically everything together. This does have some challenges don’t get me wrong, but it also has huge rewards. You are about to make friends that love you for who you are and will want to see you succeed in everything you do. You are about to make friends that will care deeply for you and will be genuinely concerned about how you are doing. You are about to make friends that you will have countless inside jokes with that will make you laugh no matter what the circumstance. Trust me, the friends you make during the Kaleo program are friends that you will have for life, but it is going to take some work on your part to make that happen.

The first thing I would encourage you to do is spend time with people. This sounds silly, but it is sometimes easy to get caught up in other things and lose sight of how important it is to spend time with the people around you. Throughout the Kaleo program there will be free time that you will get to decide what to do with. It is easy in those hours to just want to sit in your room and browse Facebook or text a friend from back home. However I encourage you to take advantage of the time you have to have fun with your classmates. Some of my most memorable moments from last year were the times when my classmates and I would organize some kind of fun activity and just spend time together. These activities ranged from volleyball games, to campfires on the beach, to Dutch blitz tournaments, to walking to Crofton to get ice cream, to even just sitting by the fire place talking about what God had been teaching us lately. Those crazy times of spontaneous activities are the ones that I will remember forever, so I encourage you to do the same!

The second thing I would encourage you to do is be real and vulnerable with each other. It took me a while to get to that place where I was honest with people about who I was and what I was struggling with. But once I did I watched as my friendships grew and deepened in ways I would’ve never thought possible. So my advice to you is don’t be afraid to be honest with each other, and don’t be afraid to ask tough questions to the people around you.

I guess the best advice I can give you about the Kaleo Program is to make sure that you have balance. Balance the time that you spend in the books, with the time that you spend with your friends. Balance the time that you are hard at work, with the time that you take to have tons of fun. You should know that the past year of Kaleo students have been praying for you since about last February, and I am sure that they continue to do so.  We are all excited to see your pictures and hear your stories about how you experienced God during your year of the Kaleo Program.

With many blessings and prayers,

Nora Cullen

A word from last year's adventure award winner

     Hello Kaléo 2015/16! I’m Sam Gordon, last year’s Adventure Award winner. I know you are, or at least you should be, super excited for this awesome experience that is coming up soon. The next year of your life will change you in more ways than you can imagine right now. It is hopeless for me to try and describe to you the experiences you will have and how it will affect you, but I can give you some advice on how to get the most out of your Kaléo year. When I came into the program last year I had a really good idea of what I was getting into; my older brother had done Kaléo 3 years earlier so I heard tons of stories and about what I would be doing. Even with all of that, I really didn’t know how it was really going to affect me. I expected to have fun, grow a little and learn about the Bible, but I got so much more! I had a lot of my expectations shattered and eventually I had to abandon my preconceived notions about the year and let God work in me. You all probably have some expectations for the year, which is normal, just don’t let those expectations sculpt your year. Don’t put God in a box! 

     One of the biggest keys for this year is knowing yourself and how you learn. You must understand that academics and classroom learning are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the education you have access to. Be prepared to learn at any time, some of your greatest moments of growth and learning can happen on the side of a mountain or on some beach! Something that really helped me out was talking about what I had been learning with my peers outside of class. I had an awesome roommate that I could always throw questions and thoughts at, and he would do the same right back at me. Honestly, that made the classes for me. Be comfortable talking with others about what you are experiencing and learning, it will help you so much! 

     I won the Adventure Award, so I should probably give you a little insight into that portion of the program... To be short, it makes the Kaléo program what it is. I would say that the adventure component has the greatest capacity to change you deeply. There is something about how God speaks to you when you are in His Creation. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to grow in your relationship with God and to push yourself deeper! Adventure brings together the community and academic components; it’s about having the time of your life and realizing the truths you learn in class. I always felt that reflecting on the past class while on an out trip was a great way to not only memorize what I had learned but also implement it into my life. My advice for you while you are on adventures is to be vulnerable. If you are intimidated by a challenge you are facing, talk to someone! I am positive that there will be someone around that will encourage you and enable you to do things you never thought possible. If you are one of those people that feels confident during a specific adventure, reach out and help your friends! Be that person for someone else! Be a shoulder to lean on, because at some point you will need someone to lean on. 

    So obviously focus on your spiritual growth and put considerable effort towards it all of the time, but don’t forget one of the most important things: have fun! My advice is to work hard when it is time, but have fun whenever you can. I can guarantee that if you go through this year and don’t intentionally have fun you will be very disappointed. Having fun breeds community. Organize games, walk to town with your friends, and just hangout with people! Academics and your commitments are very important, but make sure you have a great time along the way. 

     If anyone has questions or wants to know about the program from a student’s perspective feel free to send me a Facebook message. Praying for an awesome year of growth and maturity for all of you! Can’t wait to hear the stories and see pictures from all of your adventures together!! 

Sincerely, 
Sam Gordon