Church Ministry and Cow Bay

This past week, the students had a great time learning about Church Ministry from  Dr. David Ernst D. Min. He takes a different approach to class as his classroom is a tech free zone. That means any and all notes that the students wish to take must be taken with pen and paper. 

The students enjoyed being in the class as they learned the various parts that make up church ministry. There were some great discussions that were held both in class and out of class as the students discussed various topics about church ministry such as: spiritual gifts, women in leadership, homosexuality, and social justice.

On Wednesday, the students and Professor Ernst took some time off in the afternoon to go an adventure. Almost the entire class went to Cowichan Bay to explore and have fun as a group. The weather was beautiful and made for an excellent study break.

Saturday was supposed to be the Guys/Girls day where both groups go out and have fun along with their respective genders. Unfortunately, the weather was not as co-operative as was hoped and the roads were atrocious. No one was able to succeed in their plans so the afternoon was split into girls/guys, and during the evening, we all came together and had supper while watching a movie, it was a great time to sit back and relax. 

(Photo Credits: Isaiah Moffatt)

This coming week is the final push before the students go home for Christmas break and they are working diligently to finish all of their last assignments. Please be praying for motivation and strength for all the students to push through these last few days and to finish well.

Isaiah Moffatt

Kaléo Program Intern

Tis the Season

The environment this past week in the Kaléo Program was one of preparation and relaxation. The students have been hard at work preparing for their last class of the semester “Foundations of Church Ministry” with Professor David Ernst, D.Min., and finishing up final  projects from their previous classes.However, the students had several opportunities to step away from their homework to enjoy each other’s company. On Tuesday, we switched up the chapel scene by hiking up Maple Mountain, singing praise songs as we walked along. At a lookout, in front of three wooden crosses, we listened and were challenged by Shane Pickel as he taught from the Word. The hike was beautiful and chilly but just what the group needed.

                                                                                                              (Photo Credit: Rachel Nelson)

                                                                                                            (Photo Credit: Rachel Nelson)

On Thursday, everyone got into a festive mood as we held a day full of Christmas preparation. The day started with everyone pilling into the vans and going on a hunt for two perfect Christmas trees. Once we arrived at the tree farm in Duncan, the tree hunt turned into a game of presentation and playful debates of who had found the best tree. 

                                                                                                               (Photo Credit: Isaiah Moffatt) 

                                                                                                    (Photo Credit: Isaiah Moffatt)

After our successful find we spent the afternoon making our own Christmas tree ornaments, and popcorn and cranberry garlands to decorate the trees while watching The Nativity Story. The festivities continued into the night as a few of the students planned a surprise Christmas party for the rest of the students at the Camp Qwanoes Guest House, complete with games, food and great music.

                                                                                                     (Photo Credit: Isaiah Moffatt)
                                                                                                                

                                                                                                                           (Photo Credit: Hannah Ayton)

The students are now eagerly preparing to learn more about the Church and who they are in relation to it as they reflect upon class teachings and experiences in different ministry areas at church and at camp.

-Rachel Nelson, Kaléo Program Intern

The Week of Prayer

Prayer is an essential part of having a deep and meaningful relationship with God. This past week the students were able to partake in an awesome part of the program called the week of prayer.

(Photo Credit: Rachel Nelson)

 (Photo Credit: Isaiah Moffatt)

During this week, the students signed up for different one-hour time slots of prayer throughout the week. We set up a special room for the students to utilize while they were in prayer for the hour. The students were really enjoying their time focused on God. Throughout the week I would hear students say things such as:
- I never thought that I would be able to pray for that long but the time flew by.
- I wish I had more time in the room before I had to leave.
- Can we keep the room set up like this all the time?

Needless to say, the week was extremely impactful on all of the students.

Also during this week, the students were able to partake in an exercise learning about themselves and each other. Merrill Dyck, MA, a professor of Briercrest, came out to camp for a few days to do the Birkman Assessment. The Birkman Assessment is a personality test that has been proven to be quite effective at finding out and listing people's personality traits. The test tells you your strengths, weakensses, learning styles, and other traits. All the students took the test and learned more about themselves as individuals and how they interact with others. They now have a better understanding of who they are and how they work most effectively.

(Photo Credit: Isaiah Moffatt)

This coming week, the students have more time to relax; but that doesnt mean that they have nothing to do. They are working on pre-course assignments for their next class which is "Foundations of Church Ministry" with David Ernst, DMin. Please be praying for them as they head into another class soon.

- Isaiah Moffatt
  Kaléo Program Intern

A Step Back In Time

This past week the students were challenged to dig deeper into biblical history through taking the class “Introduction to the Old Testament” with Professor Don Taylor, DTh. Don’s teachings challenged the students to read scripture differently. They began to see how the Bible is not two separate books, but rather, it is a narrative as a whole. 

                                                                                                                               (Photo Credit: Isaiah Moffatt)

One of the students, Peyton Arnold, remarked this about the class:

"I loved this class. I now feel more confident in my biblical knowledge. It was helpful to able to understand the timeline of the Old Testament and how it can help me understand how it relates and connects to the New Testament. It helped me to solidify my understanding of the New Covenant that was made through Jesus in the New Testament."

                                                                                                      (Photo Credit: Isaiah Moffatt)

This week also turned out to be very hectic but fun for the students as they retold the Old Testament by script writing and directing a video project. On Friday their hard work was displayed for all, as the staff were invited to join the students to watch the directors cut of the film.

                                                                                                                              (Photo Credit: Isaiah Moffatt)

                                                                                                  (Photo Credit: Rachel Nelson)

At camp this week the staff and students were able to bond over Tuesday night’s community

fireside. The night was filled with good food and good company as we all gathered together in Club Coco to enjoy some pizza and games. It was a well needed break from all the busyness of student life.

-Rachel Nelson, Kaléo Program Intern

                                                                                                                            (Photo Credit: Rachel Nelson)

The Students Love Crofton

The story of this past week begins about three weeks ago. The Kaléo Program Leadership team chose four students to lead and organize the others in a project called "Love Crofton." "Love Crofton" is a week long work project completely run by the Kaléo Program students.

(Photo Credit: Rachel Nelson)

The students went into the town of Crofton, and handed out fliers. On these filers details were given about how the household can get in contact with them to request their help for the week. Usually the jobs included: cleaning gutters, raking leaves, splitting fire wood, chopping down bushes, and other smaller jobs. Once the jobs were requested, the students then organized how many people would go to each job, what tools were going to be needed for that particular task, and how they were going to get there. 

(Photo Credit: Rachel Nelson)

Many of the students enjoyed this week as it was a change of pace and a break from studies. They learned what it meant to serve selflessly, as many tasks were difficult, and they took no monetary compensation. 

(Photo Credit: Rachel Nelson)

Also during this week the Qwanoes students participated in the second last retreat of the 2016 year - the Senior High Retreat! They all had a different experience this time as the majority of their service was behind the scenes and not always directly working with campers. This kind of work went hand-in-hand with the "Love Crofton" week, showing that you can love people both through visible and invisible actions. This week the students are in class learning about the Old Testament from Professor Don Taylor, DTh. Pray for them as they head into this week with a strong desire to learn and grow into Kingdom Builders. 

Until next time,
Isaiah Moffatt

Introduction to the New Testament, Caving, and More

Two weeks ago the students were deeply challenged theologically while taking “Introduction to the New Testament” with Prof. Wes Olmsted. This class challenged them to read God’s Word differently than they had in the past. One of the students, Morgan Pépin commented this about the class:

(Photo Credit: Isaiah Moffatt)

This class helped me to read the Bible differently. Before, I had only been reading the Bible to understand how I could apply it to my life. Now when I read it I’m looking for themes as well as how the particular passage is connected to the Bible as a whole. I also used to view the Old Testament and the New Testament as two separate books but this class helped me to see how they are actually intertwined.

(Photo Credit: Isaiah Moffatt)

The next week we were originally supposed to be on our surfing trip in Tofino but unfortunately due to bad weather we were unable to go. However, we managed to fill our days with other exciting adventures. On Tuesday night, the fireside-lounge was set up for a movie night, complete with homemade Kit-Kat cheesecake. The next day we went on guided caving tours at the Horne Lake Caves. We were very appreciative of our guides who educated us about the caves all along the way.

(Photo Credit: Kayla Wood)

(Photo Credit: Kayla Wood) 

One of the guides told us that is was the highest water levels he has seen in the caves over his last two years working there. The high water levels made the caving adventure all the more epic, as we climbed through the rushing water and up the in-cave waterfalls. By the end of the day we were all freezing and wet but it was definitely worth it.

                                                  (Photo Credit: Carlene Bandy)

On the Thursday this past week the students had the opportunity to serve the S.A.L.T.S. team that we had previously sailed with just a few short weeks ago. It was a lot of fun for them to help the team winterize their two tall ships as well as to catch up with the crew. Overall, although the weather put a dent in our surfing plans we definitely made up for that time with our many other adventures and we look forward to our postponed surfing trip either this winter or next spring.

-Rachel Nelson, Kaléo Program Intern