Another Busy Week at Qwanoes

Our students wrote another paper

This past week, students wrote a paper on the meaning and theology of Justification.  This was done for their previous class on the Pauline Epistles.  Many students throughout the beginning of the week could be seen around the lodge digging into their textbooks and writing their papers.  We were excited to see how this paper sparked many conversations amongst the students about this topic.

We went curling!

After the students finished their papers, we loaded up the vans and drove into town to the Duncan Curling Club.  This was a cool experience for most of our students as many of them had never been curling before.  After a standard training session, we split into teams to play against each other.  Although most of us we’re not very good, we all had a great time learning with each other how to curl!  Qwanoes and the Kaléo Program would like to thank the Duncan Curling Club and their staff for a great afternoon and for taking the time to teach us this great sport!

Qwanoes hosted the Cowichan Valley Youth Night

The Cowichan Valley Youth Night is an annual event by Qwanoes that brings together youth groups, from this area of the island, for a unified night called One.  The idea is that youth groups will have a chance to experience the love of Christ with other youth groups around the valley as one body together.  Our favourite part of this event is that our Kaléo Program students are the ones who plan and run the entire event!  Students are assigned to different areas, and from there they are to plan the night from scratch, while Qwanoes staff seeks to support them by giving advice and teaching them.  Overall the night proved to be very successful as we had our biggest turnout to date with over 200 students and leaders attending!  We were proud of our students for carrying out such a large task and doing such a great job of it!

Please be in prayer…

As we draw closer towards our program’s missions trips, students are planning hard for their selective areas.  Please be in prayer for them as they prepare mentally and physically for their trips to Mexico and Vancouver.  Also be in prayer that they would raise the support and funds that they need for their trips.  Thank you so much for your love and support towards our students!

In Him,

Dustin Smith

Kaléo Program Intern, Camp Qwanoes

Hello Again From Camp Qwanoes!

We hit the slopes of Mt. Washington!

Last week we spent five days in the beautiful resort of Mt. Washington.  A two hour drive north of Camp Qwanoes, Mt. Washington is home to many winter activities such as alpine and nordic skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing and tubing.  The larger part of our trip however was spent on the slopes of the mountain.  Although most of the time we faced fog and low visibility, we were able to enjoy a great amount of snow, which allowed for fresh powder and soft wipe-outs!

We stayed in a beautiful chalet!

While the daytime was spent on the mountain, the evenings were spent relaxing in a beautiful ski-in/ski-out chalet right beside the main chairlift.  This was a great place for us to share meals, play games, relax, and engage in nightly worship.  We even brought along Colleen, Qwanoes’ Head of Food Services, to help us cook and prepare meals.  The chalet also featured two hot tubs that we were able to enjoy after long days on the mountain. 

We also went tubing and snowshoeing

We also did other activities throughout the week to give us a break from the slopes.  Mid-week we spent an afternoon at the Mt. Washington tubing park.  It was great to do something different, and not to mention, FAST!

Our last day at the resort was spent snowshoeing down the mountain, as well as some minor survival and navigation training.  We were also taught how to build snow caves for sleeping in!  This was easily one of the highlights for most of our students and we enjoyed hiking around the mountain in the snow!

Missions Trips

As I touched on last week, our students will be leaving in February on missions trips to either downtown Vancouver or Mexico.  We are excited to see students and leaders beginning to prepare their trips and plans for missions.  We would ask that you would be in prayer for our students as they prepare, as well as their financial needs would be met.  If you are interested in financially supporting one or more students for their missions trip, please visit the donation page of our website http://www.qwanoes.ca/year-round/development .  Also, don't forget to specify which student you are supporting.  Thank you so much for your support and prayers!  If you have any other questions regarding donations or about the missions trips, feel free to contact myself at dustin@qwanoes.ca

Please be in prayer

Please be in prayer for our students as they finish up projects and write papers for theirprevious class.  Also be in prayer for the upcoming missions trips in the Kaléo Program.  Many students are already hard at work to prepare for their trips and we are hoping that God will start to prepare the hearts of both our students, leaders, and the people that they will be interacting with in their respective missions.  Thank you so much for your support and prayers!

In Him,

Dustin Smith

Kaléo Program Intern, Camp Qwanoes

Happy New Year From Camp Qwanoes!

We’re happy to see our students back at camp!

After a long break for Christmas and New years, it was great to see our students return to Qwanoes and hear the stories of their travels and time off from the program.  For most of the students, it was business as usual as they jumped right into their churches the next day, serving in their regular areas.  

We played life-sized Game of LIFE!

Sunday night however, we as a leadership team decided to welcome them back with a mock “Youth Group” night, in which the students were the ones attending and myself, Melanie, Lyann and Andrew acted as youth leaders.  Based upon the popular “Game of LIFE”, students traveled to different stations around the room such as careers, family, school, finance and community service.  This was a great opportunity to relax and gain a few laughs as we welcomed each other back into the Kaléo Program.  It was also used as a learning experience for students to get an inside look on how to run a basic youth group night.

Class is back in session

Starting Monday students began their class with Josh Stigall learning about the Pauline Epistles.  This class is fairly intensive for the students as most of the work they do will be preparing for class presentations and group work.  It has been great to see our students putting so much work into their projects as well and working in groups all around Pacific Woods Lodge!

Next week we are hitting the slopes!

Many students, as well as myself, are getting very excited for our five day trip up Mt. Washington next week.  Bright and early Monday morning, we will be heading up to the beautiful mountain resort where we will be spending three days skiing and snowboarding on the slopes and one day enjoying the resort.  We will also be staying in a luxurious chalet located right beside the hill, equipped with two hot tubs for our enjoyment!  This week students will be helping in the kitchen to prepare food for our trip, and they are having a lot of fun doing so!

Preparations for missions trips are under way

As many of you have hopefully been told over the break, our students will be leaving in February on missions trips to either downtown Vancouver or Mexico.  We are excited to see students and leaders beginning to prepare their trips and plans for missions.  We would ask that you would be in prayer for our students as they prepare, as well as prayer for their financial needs too.  If you are interested in financially supporting one or more students for their missions trip, please visit the donation page on our website http://www.qwanoes.ca/year-round/development .  Also, don't forget to specify which student you are supporting.  Thank you so much for your support and prayers!  If you have any other questions regarding donations or about the missions trips themselves feel free to contact myself at dustin@qwanoes.ca 

Please be in prayer…

Please be in prayer for our students as they finish up with their current class projects, as well as preparing for their upcoming exam.  Also, please be in prayer for safety and wisdom during our Mt. Washington trip and that this would be a great time for students to connect and build stronger relationships as we enter this new season.

In Him,

Dustin Smith

Kaléo Program Intern, Camp Qwanoes

Merry Christmas From Camp Qwanoes!

Hello Everyone!  We have had a very busy couple of weeks in the Kaléo Program.  Today is the last day of the season for our students, and as I post this many of them are already on their way home for the Christmas Holidays!  Although most of you will finally be hearing the stories from students in person, I thought I would take some time to share with you what we have been doing.

Staff and Students joined together for a banquet

This time each year at Camp Qwanoes, staff and students come together to enjoy a Christmas meal made by our kitchen staff.  This was a great way to kick off a week of Christmas celebration!  It was also a great chance for staff and students to have a fun meal together before we parted ways for Christmas break.

We held a talent show

Every year the Kaléo Program hosts its annual talent show night for staff and students.  Many students signed up for the show this year and we were able to experience a wide variety of unique talents from staff and students.  This included singing, skits, magic tricks and even a martial arts performance from student Andrew Jansen.  Overall, we were impressed by our students as it was a great way to change gears after a week of class.

Mid-week we put up a Christmas tree!

An annual tradition of the Kaléo program is to cut and decorate a Christmas tree for the lobby of Pacific Woods Lodge here at Qwanoes.  So we piled into the vans and headed to a local Christmas tree farm, were we cut down a tree and brought it home to set up.  Later that afternoon, we took the time to craft homemade decorations for our tree!

We exchanged gifts!

Another tradition at Camp Qwanoes is our mug exchange!  Students are asked to shop for a coffee mug that best expresses themselves.  Students and leaders then partake in a “Yankee Swap” or “White Elephant” style gift exchange.  At the end, whoever’s mug you end up with, you commit to praying for that person every time you drink out of it.  This is one of our favourite events of the Program and we had a blast exchanging gifts this year!

We ended the week with Girls/Guys night!

Saturday night we split up the genders and hit the town!  The girls headed out to Victoria for dinner and ice skating, while the guys headed to Victoria for dinner and a Hockey game!  While there were many other activities done throughout the day, it is fair to say that both groups had a blast enjoying one of the last days together before Christmas holidays.

Please be in Prayer…

Please be in prayer for our students as they travel home for Christmas break.  We were so pleased to have them here at Camp Qwanoes and are excited to see them again in the New Year!

Merry Christmas from myself and all the Staff here at Camp Qwanoes!

In Him,

Dustin Smith

Kaléo Program Intern, Camp Qwanoes

Old Testament Class, Ladysmith Light Up and Caving

Last week students learned about the Old Testament

Last week Don Taylor came in from Briercrest to teach our students about the history and significance of the Old Testament.  Again, this was another exciting class for our students as there were many new things to learn.  

One of the major assignments associated with this class was the Old Testament Video that they had to produce.  This was a collective project that included the entire student body.  Alex MacKay, Dale Thielmann and Clint Kjar were assigned as the producers and directors of the video, while the rest of the students carried out tasks such as props, costume design and acting.  Overall, the video was a great success and we were proud to see the hard work that our students put into this assignment.

As an annual Camp Qwanoes tradition, staff and students gathered into the lounge at the end of the week to watch the video together.  We had a great time admiring the hard work of our students and pleased to see the end result.  Here is a link to the video so that you can enjoy it too!…

This week we attended the annual Ladysmith Light Up!

Every year the town of Ladysmith puts together an event that draws people from all over Vancouver Island.  Each Christmas season the town of Ladysmith, as well as its businesses, decorate main street with countless Christmas lights and decorations.  Santa Clause is then invited to flip the switch, lighting up the entire street with an array of lights!  This is then followed by a Christmas parade and concluded with fireworks!

As staff and students, we all bundled up in our winter clothing and headed into Ladysmith to partake in this festive event.  This was a great way for the students to take a break from their hard work and studies to simply enjoy a fun, festive event in preparation for Christmas!

We also went caving!

To end the week, we headed north to go caving!  Horne Lake Provincial Park is a locally-famous spot for caving and spelunking.  Other than most of our adventures which have consisted of a vast outdoor space, this was a chance to challenge ourselves with the small, dark and confined space of a cave.  For some of us (including myself) this is an experience that can be more mentally challenging than physical.  Regardless, we were happy to see all of our students partaking in this adventure with enthusiasm and excitement!

Please be in prayer

As this year draws to an end and Christmas break is on the horizon, our students still have one more class to go.  Please be in prayer for them as they read and prepare for their class on Monday.  Please also be praying for Qwanoes’ Mens Retreat that is taking place this weekend and that God will continue to do his work in the men that are enjoying camp and having a chance to relax.  Thank you so much for your continued prayer and support.  Merry Christmas from everyone here at Qwanoes!

In Him,

Dustin Smith

Kaléo Program Intern, Camp Qwanoes

Week of Prayer and Sr High Retreat

Last week we entered into our Week of Prayer

Another annual tradition that we hold here at the Kaléo Program is our Week of Prayer.  This is a chance for our students to slow down and take the opportunity to spend time with God in a different way than they might usually experience.  For the week, Qwanoes dedicates a room in Pacific Woods lodge specifically for prayer.  At the beginning of the week, students sign up for hour-long blocks throughout the Week of Prayer.  The idea is that for the entire week, there will always be someone engaging in conversation with God.

The prayer room itself is also meant to be a place of creativity and inspiration.  At the beginning of the week, the room is a blank canvas left with paper, sticky notes, window markers and tape.  Students are encouraged to use what ever they feel necessary to express how God is working through their lives and prayer.  By the end of the week we were excited to see how beautifully decorated the room was, expressing the unique creativity of our students.

We have heard a lot of great feedback from students about their time in the prayer room.  Although there are many great stories to share, here are a few examples from our students…

“It seemed that whenever I saw a prayer request posted on the wall, someone had always responded to it right away.  It was neat to see the support system here.”

-Colson Schulz

“I entered the week with expectations of God breaking me down.  That didn’t happen.  Instead through the silence God taught me a sense of fear and reverence of him.”

-Shinwon Yoon

“I was surprised to see the amount of progress through only a day in the prayer room.  There were so many prayer requests.  To see the anonymous struggles and pain of other students showed a whole different side of our community.  But it was equally amazing to see the love and response to those prayer requests too.”

-Rebekah Sheppard

We ended the week with Sr High Retreat

Last weekend camp was flooded again with another wave of campers, but this time they were older.  Campers aged 15-18 came to camp to enjoy our annual Fall Jr High Retreat.  Though only a couple of our students were serving as counsellors, many of them were serving in other areas such as programming, maintenance, worship, kitchen and dishes.  We were so impressed to see our students jump into the retreat with such excitement and enthusiasm!

Please be in prayer

This week our students are back in the classroom studying the Old Testament with Prof. Don Taylor.  Please be in prayer for them as they are in class this week, that they will be able to retain and focus on everything that they are learning.  Please also be in prayer for the staff team as they enter into their own week of prayer starting November 22.  Thanks again for all of your thoughts and prayers for our students and program!

In Him,

Dustin Smith

Kaléo Program Intern, Camp Qwanoes

Tofino Surf Trip and Jr High Retreat

 Last week we went surfing in Tofino

After a long week of studying and writing assignments, we decided that it was time to pack our bags and head for the most western coast of British Columbia.  Tofino’s beaches are world famous for locals and tourists to come and learn how to surf.  This three day trip was much needed for our students and a fun way to switch gears after Gospels class.

We took a few stops along the way

Although Tofino was the destination, we decided to stop at a few scenic spots along the way to experience the true heart of BC.  One of theses stops was Cathedral Grove, a beautiful forest hike amongst some of Canada’s largest and most spectacular trees.  With some trees measuring as tall as 250ft in height and 29ft in circumference, this was truly an amazing experience to see yet another amazing aspect of God’s amazing creation.

We hit the water with style

It was finally time for us to go surfing!  So we packed into the vans and drove to Cox bay, where our surf instructors Estuardo and Antonio were waiting for us.  Once we arrived we cinched on our wetsuits, grabbed our surfboards and headed to the beach to hang-ten on the water!

Although our first day of surfing was rather cloudy, our second day on the water was sunny and beautiful, which helped a bit while jumping into the cold 12 degree water.  It was also quite entertaining to watch as we all shrieked while putting on our cold damp wetsuits early in the morning!

After two long, and very tiring, days of paddling and fighting waves, we were excited to see everyone stand on their boards and ride the waves of Tofino, most for their first time ever.  This was by far one of our most memorable experiences so far in the Kaléo Program.  Though challenging, this trip was just another example of how God’s creation can be experienced in so many unique ways.

Camp Qwanoes and the Kaléo Program would like to thank our instructors Estuardo and Antonio, as well as Tofino Surf Adventures for a memorable experience on the water this year!  We would also like to thank Christ Community Church for opening up their doors and giving us a cozy home for the week.

We ended the week with Jr High Retreat

To end off the amazing week we had in Tofino, Camp Qwanoes was flooded once again with a wave of campers.  This time around we hosted Jr High campers aged 12-14.  Many of our students were involved in serving during the retreat in roles such as counselling, activity support, maintenance, and the kitchen.  As always it was a very successful weekend and we were sad to see the campers go after only a few short days.

Please be in prayer

Please be in prayer this week for our students as they are entering into one of their busiest times of the program.  Currently they are immersed in reading assignments, papers, group projects and serving in retreats.  As this is a full schedule, they are beginning to feel the weight of the program and need prayer for energy and focus.  Additionally we would like to ask that you would be praying for the many campers that have been, and will be involved in our retreats this season.  Again we thank you for your support and prayers for our students!

In Him,

Dustin Smith

Camp Qwanoes, Kaléo Program Intern