A year in adventure

Summer is rolling along here at Qwanoes, we are currently in our 4th week of campers and God is already doing a mighty work in the lives of campers. My role in the summer is as CIT (counsellor in training) and LIT (leader in training) leader. We've completed our first round of CIT training and completed our LIT training week so between now and the second group of CITs Lyann and I will be working on preparations for Kaléo 2013! Hopefully within the next day or two we will be able to send out your student handbooks.  

Continuing our summer series hearing from last year's award winners, here is a work from last year's adventure award winner Lindsey:

Dear Students,

As I see more names being added to the list of students for 2013, I grow increasingly excited for the incredible work God is going to do! You might not know it yet, but you are about to enter one amazing, life changing adventure. Be excited for this – God has so much in store. I can’t wait to see how it unfolds.

As I look back on my year in the Kaléo program, I am overwhelmed by the many ways that God challenged and grew my character.  I honestly was not excited about the adventure component to begin with, and I had a poor attitude to accompany it. However, through the course of the year, the Lord changed my character and my attitude in many ways. Much of the growth that I experienced this year started on these adventure trips.

There are a few things I want to encourage you in as you look forward to this component of the program. First of all, be open to the work that God has planned for you! Going on adventure trips are a lot of fun, but they are not always easy. At some point they will bring out the best and worst in you. Even the naturally agile students in this program will struggle at times, whether it is physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually. Being challenged beyond what we believe we are capable of produces character. You will build character; it is up to you what that looks like though. In our first class we talked about being like soft, malleable clay. You can choose to be open to the changing work of the Spirit, or you can remain callous and hard. Pray that God will make it clear to you where he wants to shape you, and then allow him to do His good work in you. Be soft!

This draws directly into another important thing that you will learn. Your attitude will determine so much of the growth you experience, and set the tone for your year. I remember begrudgingly trekking up the first few kilometers of Mt. Albert Edward, listening to my enthusiastic hiking group memorizing this passage from Philippians:

“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”

What do humility and hiking have in common? You will have many opportunities to exemplify the attitude of Christ among your peers through the course of your year. Some of them will come during the best and most difficult times on your out trips. Sometimes it will be easy to be joyful, and other times you may feel like having a less than positive attitude. Remember this passage, and recognize that this is an intentional time to grow in your faith and encourage your classmates to do the same. We have much to learn, and so much of that comes when we humbly submit ourselves to the authority and example of Christ. Think and pray about this: What will it look like for you to have the same attitude as Christ Jesus… (On a mountain, in your church, in the classroom?)

Adventures are just one part of this incredible program that you’ve been called to participate in. Have so much fun (you will!), and keep your eyes open to what the Lord is teaching you through them. Enjoy your year, and know that there are many people praying for you, myself included!

Lindsey 

A year in Community

Summer is well underway here at Qwanoes. There are currently over 400 junior high campers and almost 200 staff here at camp, needless to say it's a busy week. We are so excited for you arrival with us in a few short weeks. In the meantime here is a word from last year's community award winner, Marissa Burns.

Qwanoes students of 2013, I am so excited for the year ahead of you! God has called you to a time of intimate growth and infinite discoveries in your relationship with Him and with those around you. And my prayer for you is that you learn to become intentional. You are going to be a part of a community that’s going to challenge and strengthen you in ways that only God knows and it’s an incredible opportunity that I hope you take full advantage of. 

Go deep, ask questions and be honest with one another. But the one thing that I urge you to do in this community of leaders is to serve. As Christ led, you should lead likewise, for Jesus came to us, “not to be served, but to serve” (Matthew 20:28). He is our standard of servant leadership, loving all above himself and dying on the cross so that all may live. In the same way, let your love be genuine for those around you, for service should not come out of obligation but rather a desire in humility to follow Christ’s example in how he lived.  Prepare yourselves by praying for your fellow classmates - asking God to conform your heart to His will so that you may approach your relationships with a pure attitude that allows you to see them the way that God sees them. 

This is a community that you are going to be living life with, the relationships you form here will speak truth into you, encourage you and build you up. Though let it be known that it is a road that takes time and your willingness to invest in each other. Each of you are here for a great purpose, one that can be found through this body of disciples. You are all called together and together is how you’ll come to discover more of God’s unfathomable desire for each of you in His grand story. 

A year in leadership

Continuing in our series of hearing from last year's award winners here is the leadership award winner Trevor Martin:


Welcome students of the Kaléo Program 2013! I also want to congratulate you on being accepted into the program. I am expecting God to continue to work in big ways through this program and in your lives. 

This past year at Qwanoes I learned a lot about leadership, but there are a few things that stand out to me. The first is that leaders follow well. You do not have to be the appointed leader to lead, inspire, and encourage those around you. Through all aspects of this program you will have opportunities to lead through your example. One area where I learned this particularly slowly was in ministry at the church I was assigned to. The church was much different from the one I grew up in, and I knew how to do things better. Until I realized I was not in charge and my responsibility was to follow well. Understand your responsibility and devote yourself to it.


The other aspect of leadership I would like to challenge you with is to never settle. The call from Jesus is lofty and there will always be room for more growth in your life. Challenge yourself to greater heights constantly. I think of Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Mount, in particular Matthew 5:48- "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." That verse is a reminder to me that I do not have it all together. I saw God work in incredible ways in my life and in the lives those around me through this past year, but I know that He still has so much more that He wants to do in and through us. I pray that you would not be content to coast through any part of this year or the rest of your lives.


The verse I will leave you with is 1Timothy 4:12- "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for 
the believers in speech, in life, in love, and in purity."


You have been blessed with an incredible opportunity! Take full advantage of it and enjoy it!

A year in ministry.

In order to further prepare you for the year ahead Tanner Kooistra (last year's ministry award winner) wanted to share some insights he learned from his year in the Kaléo Program. Tanner was actively involved in leading a chapel worship team within the program, served in various camp roles during retreats, served as a youth leader and Sunday school teacher at Oceanview Community Church, and was part of our inner city Vancouver missions trip. Tanner is currently serving as an intern for the summer at Oceanview. Here are some preparatory words from Tanner:
     

Part of our Vancouver missions team.
Leading worship at Potter's Place Mission
 From left to right: Graedon, Jon, Nicole, and Tanner.

     Hey Qwanoes Students of 2013! Congratulations! I hope you are excited for what God has in store for you. God is going to do incredible things in your life in the next year. You are going to learn and grow so much. 
     Ministry is such a big aspect of the Kaléo Program. You are blessed to be able to have all the different opportunities you will be given in ministry throughout the year. Do not take this for granted. Soak up all the experience you can get in ministry!  Serve whole-heartedly! There may be times when you feel overwhelmed with the amount of tasks you have to accomplish. Do not let this feeling undermine your desire to serve in ministries. The paper the next day or the out-trip the week before can worry about themselves. Be focused when you are in ministry for you are bringing glory not to yourselves but to God. You should be stoked for youth group, worship team, Sunday school, missions-trips, or whatever it is because you have been given the opportunity to show Christ’s love to others and to bring honor to your Savior. 
     Serve with a humble and teachable attitude! You can and will learn so much in each ministry you are a part of. While you may have just spent a whole week learning in class about a certain ministry, there are lessons that you will only ever learn from being involved. Ask questions! Your leaders, your pastors or whoever else is leading the ministries you are a part of have experience. Take this for all it is worth! Watch them lead and learn from it. 
     Be willing to serve anytime-anywhere! You will not always be comfortable in ministry. This is good! God does not call you to comfortableness. Rather, it is when you are uncomfortable AND trusting in God that the stretching and growing will happen. It is through these times when you will truly learn dependence on God.
     Be willing to be stretched! Have a desire for God to change you through ministry. Learn to be soft clay in the Potter’s hands. It is with an attitude like this that you will grow the most and truly learn to serve the way God wants you to. 
Ministry will not always be easy. But serve with love, passionately pursuing Christ in all of it. 
I pray that this year will spark a fire in you to serve.  To serve in 'official' ministry and outside of it. I pray that you will serve selflessly, only bringing glory to God.  1 Peter 4:11b- "if anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ."

A word from last year's valedictorian.

I’ve asked last year’s valedictorian; Mitch Hogeveen to write a letter to you as you prepare for all that September has to offer. The Kaléo program valedictorian is chosen as the person who best embodies all the elements of the program. The valedictorian is one who shows tremendous growth in their faith throughout the year, a hunger to learn, and displays leadership in all components. Mitch is a solid leader and I’m so excited to see the wake of changed eternities he will leave as he continues his journey following Jesus. As the summer progresses I’ll continue to post letters from last year’s award winners. Here’s Mitch:

Kaléo 2013. Congratulations on being accepted! God has given you a great opportunity to grow and flourish in many different ways. However just as it is a great opportunity, it is also a great challenge.

The best thing that you can prepare yourselves for is to love knowledge. This means that you seek out correction, advice, and counsel. Obviously the easiest place to learn is through the classes and so I urge you to strive for excellence and discipline as you complete assignments, read books, and take notes. Also I encourage you to discipline yourselves in your devotions. Set apart time to spend in the word daily and time to just listen and talk to God. If you come into this year humbly searching for knowledge and wisdom, you will not be disappointed. So ask your leaders, professors, and the Qwanoes staff questions about the Bible or just life in general they are more than willing to help.

Take advantage of the Christ centered community that you are in by asking tough questions and having the awkward conversations. Do not let the blessings that you have go to waste. Take advantage of your leaders! They are your leaders for a reason and they are a valuable resource. Seek counsel from them and apply what they teach you and you will soon understand why they are your leaders.

Also be bold! God has prepared you for everything that you will do and he will be with you in everything you do so do not be afraid! One of my favourite quotes is this: “Do not let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” One of the ways I conquer fear is through prayer. Prayer should play a huge role in your day-to-day life at Qwanoes, wherever you are now, and wherever you go after. If you are constantly aligning your will with God’s through prayer you will be able to do immeasurably more than anyone can ask or imagine. My hope for you is that you would learn and grow as much as I did this past year if not more. If you actively pursue Christ centered growth in every area of your life then God will provide abundantly. 

Welcome!

    Welcome everyone to the official Kaléo 2013 blog site. This site is the place to get updated on what's happening in the Kaléo program. We'll be posting periodically throughout the summer as we begin preparations for the year ahead and then once the program begins we'll be posting updates each week. If you're a Qwanoes student, I encourage you to share this link with friends, family, and church supporters so they can get a feel for the program and some of the experiences God has in store for us.

     As I have written in previous documents, I will continue to look forward to Kaléo 2013 with a spirit of expectancy. I pray that we will all come to the year expecting that God will do a mighty work in each of us, and through each of us, yet I will not set expectations on how Jesus will do it, I will leave those specifics to God alone. We have an amazing year planned and we pray that within the structure of the Kaléo program that each of you will encounter God in an amazing life-stretching way.

     One thing I can assure you is that it will not be an easy year, so prepare yourselves for everything that God has in store for you.

• Prepare yourselves academically - take up the discipline of reading (if you haven't already) and read good books this summer. 

• Prepare yourselves physically - our first out-trip is a three day hike up a mountain! Go on walks, be active, and don't shy away from a challenge.

• Prepare yourselves spiritually - prepare to be stretched and challenged. Dig deeply into the word, pray regularly and fervently, and establish a community of believers at home to which you can return and share your growth with.

   Kaléo 2013 exists for one reason in your life: to prepare and equip you for every year that follows.  I expect God will challenge each of you, stretch each of you, and also unite each of you together as you walk side by side into spiritual growth and leadership development.

In His Grace,

Andrew
CIT, LIT, and Kaléo Program Leader
Camp Qwanoes