Off Grid

Well, we survived! We spent an overnight trip off-grid in the forest by camp in completely homemade shelters. We even made our own bread and jam for a fresh breakfast the next morning. The trip couldn't have gone better.

No bricks, Just Sticks

We began the morning by teaching about the different types of shelters that can be built and how to tie certain knots. Soon after, we headed out to scope out some good spots to build our shelters. What each group was looking for was a fairly flat area where they could have a base tree to lean other sticks and brush on. We had a Teepee style shelter, lean to's, and fallen tree shelters with a mix of their own creativity. Foliage and moss were added to the roofs of the shelters to protect them from wind and rain. 

Their shelters far exceeded our expectations. If you ever find yourself lost in a forest, just call Kaleo and they can set up a nice hotel for you in no time. 5-star rating, comfy cosy, with a few bugs to keep you sleeping with one eye open all night.  

Fire time

After they presented their shelters to each other, we had a fire building competition. The goal was to be the first group to burn a twine line set about a foot above their fire first. The only catch was that they had to use flint instead of matches or a lighter. It took quite a while, but eventually, each team was able to complete the task.

We piled into the beach later that night for a bonfire with hotdogs and roasted veggies as the sun set. It was a beautiful night. One by one people started to head back to their shelters to fall asleep. Every shelter held up great and it was a really unique experience being able to sleep in the very shelter you made earlier that day in just a few hours. 

Homemade Breakfast and the Listening Prayer

We woke up the next morning and made some bannock which is a type of bread. We wrapped it around sticks along with some bacon and roasted them over the fire. Man, some students know how to cook bread to a perfect golden brown. We even made some fresh jam that morning to spread over our freshly cooked breakfast. It was a gourmet meal for camping. 

Afterwards, we practised a listening prayer. It was a time where we split into groups and got to listen to what the Spirit would put on our hearts and minds for a specific person. The leader would write what we spoke out loud on a sheet of paper and hand them out at the end for each person to discern what was from the Spirit. It was a new experience and many were able to understand how they hear from the Spirit. 

To end off our time, a bunch of the students jumped in the cold ocean for a polar bear dip! IT. WAS. COLD. But so worth it.

Mystic Beach

The next day, we headed to Mystic beach. After a few hours of driving... and getting lost, we made it! We got to hike in and then just have some free time to hang out at the beach. We played football, took some photos, and explored all the unique parts of the beach. If you have never been, it really is mystical. There are waterfalls all down the beach, caves, and even a rope swing. We hiked back out and headed back to camp to end off our off-grid trip.

New Baby Riemer

Also, a BIG shout out goes to the Reimer family for having their baby girl on March 10th. Her name is Ashlynn Hope Reimer and she is healthy and well. Brynlee is officially a big sister now!

Prayer Requests

- Prayer for Korey and Kassi as they navigate life with a newborn baby again. And praise God for their rainbow baby.

- Students are in class this week studying the Pauline Epistles with Brian Westnedge: Prayer for God to work within their hearts and challenge them with the scripture they are studying.

- Saftey and healing: Many of the students have had re-occurring injuries that have been giving them problems with school work and events.

- Unity and making the most of their time here: Kaleo is nearing an end this year, and we would love prayer to make the most of every opportunity we have left together. 

Interdisciplinary Studies and Crabbing

Interdisciplinary Studies

    March 1st-5th the students took Interdisciplinary Studies with Cal MacFarlane. They learned about the dominating philosophies and worldviews that have shaped our culture and how we are to approach this as Christians. It was a challenging class and sparked lots of good conversations throughout the week.

    Some of the students and Julia-the-SLA went to mount Prevost the weekend before and got some sweet photos.

    

Crabbing Week

    The following week was CRABBING WEEK!!!

    The students had lots of free time on this week to work on homework; but also rotated checking and resetting crab traps from the dock. It was super fun! By the end of the week we only had four crabs, but alas, we cooked them up on the beach and feasted on some crab. MEGA!

Vancouver Island Mission

If you asked these students what the most impactful experience for them was this year so far, almost every one of them would say that this mission's trip was. Not only was this trip impactful in the hearts and lives of those we met, but also in the hearts and lives of these students. We won't be able to share every story and experience because there were so many incredible ones, but I hope you get to see the powerful work of the Lord through this post. Miracles, restored relationships, bold evangelism, bold prayers, and life-impacting moments are just a few of the things you will hear about.

Street Evangelism in Nanaimo

Our first three days we jumped straight into street evangelism on the streets of Nanaimo ministering to the homeless and the wealthy. About 90% of the students had never done this before, so this was intimidating for many when they entered Eagle Mountain Church. Thankfully, we sat down with Fransisco (one of the leaders in Nanaimo part of Youth for Christ) and got to hear his testimony. Fransisco lives a lifestyle of evangelism and bold prayer wherever he goes. Not only this, but it is so evident to see his love for Jesus in his life in whatever he does. 

We learned about intimacy with the Lord, practical tools, how to share our testimonies and the gospel, do's and don'ts, etc. This was so helpful and inspiring for the team to be able to prepare to go out on the streets. Something that inspired many students to be bold even if they were scared was to step out of their comfort zone so that the Lord could comfort them, rather than comforting themselves by staying in their comfort zone. It is pretty rare to see a group of 18-20 year-olds who are so excited and ready to share the gospel with people they have never met before.  

Each afternoon we split into groups of 3-4 and headed out. Many students had the opportunity to get to know the people on the streets and listen to their stories. Many who had no one to share these things with. Others had the opportunity to pray for healing and some were able to see healings. Others got to share their testimonies or share the gospel. Some were accepting and others were not, but we are so proud of the way these students stepped out of their comfort zone and into something greater. 

The last day, it snowed so much here at camp that we couldn't make it out to Nanaimo. So that day changed to shoveliinng people's driveways around Crofton and sharing the gospel right in the neighborhood around us. We got to zoom call with Fransisco before we headed out on that last day and share about our experiences.

Valentine's day

For Valentine's day, we had students in charge of planning a day where we could go out and bless people with homecooked meals. The team did an AMAZING job shcduling rides to deliver home made meals along with thoughtful notes to each family with special gift baskets. We received some emails later from the family's who received these and they were so encouraged and loved. Some spoke of how much they needed some sort of act of love that week. Not only this, but the other half of the students put together their own church service that night including Valentine's day games, music, Q4Brew (a student led coffee shop), and five students spoke on the five types of love. Of course, they performed "Can't Help Falling In Love" by Elvis Presely too.

Youth For Christ Victoria

We partnered with Youth For Christ (YFC) for 4 days in Victoria to bless and work with single moms. This was a different transitition as we were now working with people who had homes. We got the opportunity to go to four different houses. Each house had their own specific situation and as we got to help clean the houses, we got to learn a lot about them and their children. Due to confidentiality, we won't share all the details, but some of the work we got to do for them was painting walls, cleaning out un-needed things, cleaining the roofs and walls, putting in new flooring, yard work, etc. 

This was also an inrediby impactful experience for us along with the families we worked with. There were prayers answered within five minutes of praying and when we left, they were so thankful and had felt blessed beyond just the few days that we were there and felt so cared for and encouraged.

Bless Duncan

This was a very different type of ministry than what we had done before. 5 groups were given $200 each to go and discern how the Lord wanted to bless those around them with. There were many who were homeless that were able to walk away with shoes for the winter and rain, groceries, or even just a meal. One student had a vision from the Lord of someone they should talk to and ended up seeing that person that day. From that conversation they got to meet two others and were able to share the love of Jesus with them. This was a very practical experience to be able to discern the Holy Spirit and follow his leading.

Love Duncan/Camp Qwanoes

The last few days of the missions trip were very similar to our love crofton event. Students split up Into some groups and got to help people in Duncan with exterior work. Students were helping garden, taking down blackberry bushes, chopping wood, and lots more. While this was happening, other students were at camp cleaning up the roads from fallen trees, sticks, and leaves. We had well over 100 garbage bins full of leaves and sticks that got rid of. It was a great experience being able to give back to the place that we get to live in all year.

Things to pray for

- Continuing in boldness to share the gospel as a group after Kaleo

- Prayer for the single mother's we met: financial issues, healing, for them to know God's love for them.

- That this mission's trip would not be a spiritual high, but set forth a rhythm of life afterwards.