Here and Now!

Dreams and Summer Bliss

2011-05-25T14:21:00.001-05:00

Good morning/afternoon/evening and “way-past-your-bedtime“. 
I am so excited to see this blog up and in action.
My life since camp…hmmm…to be honest, it is very difficult to tell you how my life has been since camp, because I have trouble remembering all that life has brought. So instead, I will tell you about my few last weeks.

I went on a motorcycle trip 2 weeks ago and trust me, when you’re on a motorcycle for 6 hours a day, there’s not a whole lot to do but think. So my mind kind of went completely berserk and I just found myself daydreaming the whole time. And something that God brought to my attention in my daydreams is all the beauty in this world. Really, if you think about it, the earth is one huge playground for kids and teens and adults. There are trees to climb, and lakes to swim in, hills to roll down (if you’re anywhere but Manitoba of course). But there are so many beautiful and wonderful things. It makes me so happy and excited inside that it makes me want to swim the length of the ocean and run millions of miles and other such insanity that clearly I’m not capable of doing. Basically, what I’ve come to see is how much God has given me in my life, and how much he continues to bless me with.
I think of that, and then I think of people who don’t realize that all of these things in the world weren’t made just by chance, but they were made especially to bring beauty and joy.

Essentially, what I would like to share with everyone today is this, God loves you. God loves me, you, your best friend, the weird nose-picker in your class, and basically anyone you know, have met, or will meet. I want to share God’s love with you, because He has been sharing it with me.

So please, the next time you’re outside enjoying the beautiful weather, do not just enjoy it, but also realize that there is wonderful things to enjoy because God loves us.

Have fun,
Have love,
Have peace,
Megan Jane Eloise Krahn

God is Everywhere

2011-05-05T12:03:00.000-05:00

Where have I seen God lately? This is a hard question, in the way that I can’t just pick one thing, because He seems to be everywhere in my life. University for me this semester has been the hardest, busiest, most stressful semester yet, but at the same time I have never enjoyed school more. In January 2010 I wrote a blog post about how I had decided in grade 12 that the one thing I would not go into was Engineering, and now I have just finished my second year of Electrical Engineering. I find it amazing how God leads me down paths I never thought I would take, and continually makes everything work out. As long as I do my part, He always does His. Whenever I am worried about school, or think that I just can’t do something, I just tell myself this, "God will ensure my success in accordance with His plan, not mine." And His plan is always better than mine.

Enough about school. In January of this year I became an Aunt for the first time, and it has been such an amazing experience. I will always remember going to the hospital on the day he was born, and holding this little person, just sleeping in my arms, so perfect.

Sometimes we focus on the bad things in our world, and talk about how messed up it is, and wonder where God is, but when looking at a newborn baby, I can’t help but think how amazing God is, and everything bad seems to be overshadowed by this perfect little person who just entered the world. It is amazing seeing this little boy growing up, and everything he has already learned to do in about 3 and a half months. It’s also amazing how much I care for this guy, and how much I love him without him even doing anything to earn my love, which just reminds me of how much greater God’s love is. That guy up there must love us a crazy amount! When I am around my nephew, no matter how busy or stressful my life is at the time, nothing seems to matter except him.

Have you ever made a baby smile so much that their whole face just lights up? Because that is one of the best feelings in the world, because babies completely express what they are feeling. I always see God shining so much through my nephew, but when he smiles at me, it’s as everything good about God is shining through that smile.

Remember, God is everywhere. If you look for Him you will find Him. He is in the buds of spring, the snowfall in May (I know that kind of sucked, but you must admit, it was pretty) and even shines through in difficult situations. And if you feel like you can’t find him, God is good, so everything good in your life is from Him.

Melanie Dyck
Counselor - Camp Moose Lake

Horse Story

2011-04-20T17:00:00.002-05:00

God teaches me through the horses I work with. One of the lessons being taught to me is by my friend Rusty, a 10 year old Tennessee Walking Horse. Rusty is a rescue horse, he was saved by a kind woman who nursed him back to health from starvation. When she found him he could barely stand. I met Rusty part way through his healing when a friend of mine went to purchase him as a project horse. We went out to take a look at Rusty and what we found was a horse whose body was young, but whose eyes were old and tired. We wondered what this horse had seen in his relatively few years to make for such a worn look. I saw Rusty again a few days after he arrived at my friend's house. His body looked the same, still fragile, but his eyes were completely different: they were very much alive with the look of a fighter. My friend and I both chuckled as we wondered if the horse we had expected to be a quiet kids horse would turn out to be quite something else. Rusty promptly started his training and after about a week of his new routine his expression drastically changed again. I walked onto the yard one morning to find Rusty with his same body, but yet again a completely different expression. His eyes had lost the wild look and instead held excitement for life. His eyes were calm and trusting, not angry or afraid.

In two weeks we saw Rusty change into a new horse. We had the privilege of watching Rusty work through the baggage he brought with him (horses just like people carry their past experiences wherever they go) and learn to love life and trust people again by knowing consistent care, fair expectations and lots of love. God tapped me on the shoulder at that point and connected my experience with Rusty to the experiences I have working with people everyday. God used Rusty to remind me that if I am intentional in treating all people with love, consistent care, and fair expectations no matter whether they have learned to approach people and the world with hostility, sadness, anger, or any other number of emotions, they too will heal from the wounds of their past and learn to open up, grow and trust again. I think this is how God approaches each of us everyday: with love, consistent care and fair expectations; we just need to be open to it.

New Places - New Faces

2011-04-06T18:26:00.002-05:00

I’m starting to believe that spring is finally here! Yes, I know that not all the snow has melted yet and there was still frost on the roofs this morning, but there are puddles on the sidewalks, the grass is showing, and this morning I heard some very spring-like birdsong on my way to the bus stop. As my school year ends, I am really appreciating watching spring come because it reminds me of the way God is working to bring new life to the world, and also because it means that camp is just around the corner!

But that isn’t what I really wanted to tell you about in this blog post. This year I started going to school at the University of Manitoba so that I can get an agriculture degree that focuses on sustainable agriculture (Agroecology) because I am passionate about food and working to fix our broken food system (but that is another story for another time). Because I was starting at a new school, I didn’t think that I would know anyone. Before this year, my schooling has always been at small schools where it is easier for me to get to know people and where I have always easily found my place. My classes at the U of M all have lots of people in them and I didn’t think I would make any friends or even talk to anyone at all. Have you ever gone to a new school and felt that way?

Looking back on my year, I’ve realized that it didn’t quite turn out the way I expected. Does God ever cause things to turn out exactly the way we expect them? My classes were big and I don’t talk to very many people but some of the classes also have labs where the students are split into small groups or pairs, so I was able to get to know some of my classmates. I also discovered that there is a Mennonite chaplain’s office where Mennonite students as well as students of other denominations get together to hang out, eat lunch and have discussions. Here is another place where I have met some familiar faces and begun to make some new friends. Even more exciting is that I sometimes meet other camp staff in the halls!

This year, God has definitely been showing me that I can find a place to belong at U of M, and helping me to see how God is working through the people at U of M. Whether you are nearing the end of your school year, or you still have a couple months left to go, or even if you are not in school, I hope that you can see God working in the places you spend time at and the people you are with.

Enjoy your spring and see you this summer!
Megan Klassen-Wiebe
SPD Assiniboia 2010 and 2011

Belief Maintenance

2011-03-23T13:06:00.003-05:00

Hello! I hope you are all as joyful as I am that we are on the cusp of spring, which means summer, which means closer to camp. Yay! Let me tell you about a few things I’ve been pondering this year. To begin, you need to know that I am an extremely goal-oriented person. Every year I write a list of things I wish to accomplish in the coming year. Usually this spans 20-40 goals. This year however, with a quality over quantity approach, I chose to mentally note only 3 goals. One of these goals was to write a sermon. Fear not, I’m not going to put a whole sermon up here, just a brief summary.
First, let me tell you a little about myself. I’m a 3rd year Psychology student (I also reserve a large place in my heart for Biology). In my social psychology class we learned about something called belief maintenance. This was the grounds for my sermon.
The majority of psychologists agree that the best way to predict one’s attitudes and beliefs is through one’s behaviour. A small example from my own life was when I made the choice to sign up for a half marathon last year. I had always enjoyed running, but I must admit that in the first few weeks I wasn’t always excited to jog. Sometimes I just wanted to curl up with a good book, or head to the park instead of pushing through 10 or 15 gruelling kilometres. But, I set a goal for myself and I forced myself to hit the pavement five times a week. Since then, I’ve slowly come to love running, and I feel antsy when I go too long without lacing up. The more I run, the more I love it. Simply put; how you act strengthens what you believe. Now let’s connect this to faith…
This means that one of the best ways to strengthen your belief, and ultimately relationship with God is to work for God. The Bible, especially the New Testament emphasizes how important service is. Jesus and his disciples went out into the world to teach others about God. What better way to do that than to work at camp? Camp has allowed me many opportunities to teach others about God, through PEG, bible, fireside, and many other times. When I serve God at camp, I strengthen my own beliefs and faith. When you serve God, you not only help somebody else out, but you remind yourself of your own beliefs, and that makes them stronger!

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” -1 Peter 4:10

- Erin Braun-Janzen
Windsurfing instructor and counsellor 2010

Reflecting in God

2011-03-17T11:49:00.004-05:00

To be honest, right off the bat here, I find it rather difficult to think about where I see God in my life. It’s not something that often just pops into my head, and when I really sit down to think about it I can see how anything could be interpreted as God acting in my life. It could be the nature around me, a cozy room, or a friendly face I see on the street, at work or anywhere. And I didn’t want to just write about anything. I mean, had I wanted, I could have just ripped this off in five minutes or something. But who would want to read about that? So, I’ve been thinking about this. I’ve thought about it as I work or in the evening by myself, or while walking on the coast. And I think I’ve finally found how I’ve been seeing God of late.
First, though, some quick background.
In case you didn’t know (why should you? I haven’t told you yet) my name is Dustin Loewen. I have worked predominantly at Moose Lake, but this year won’t be returning, for the first time in six years, this summer. This is due to the fact that I am living in the Netherlands for the year. I decided to do this right at the end of last summer, and have sacrificed some pretty big things to make it happen. I work at a little conference center/ group’s accommodation. It was started by Mennonites, and still runs in part through the Mennonite Community of the Netherland’s continued support. My job consists of lots of cleaning.
Now, to the point. This year, along with the opportunity to live and work in the Netherlands, I’ve been given the wonderful opportunity to take a year out. I’ve been awarded this amazing chance to be able to reflect on my life, to take a step back from it all and see what is important and what is not. I am really thinking a lot about what I want to achieve with my future, or things that I want to stop doing, or what I want to stop hiding from. It isn’t often we get to do this in the hectic lifestyle we have created for our modern selves. And despite being a fairly reflective person, it was something that I almost never did. It is really easy to just continue to live in all the exact same ways that we have been, and sometimes it take such a removal to open our eyes to the fact that maybe we don’t want to anymore.
It was a couple of months ago that I realized that this is what my trip is going to be for me. But! I must say it is interesting to attribute this special gift to God. Because, really, that is what this is. It has been a beautiful gift, and I am happy to say that I am seeing God in the changes that are happening in my life, and hopefully will continue to happen in my life.
And of course I also see God in all the cool things I do, and wonderful people I meet, and walks on the beach, and beautiful emails, and exciting news, learning a new language, and, and, and…

Groetjes en tot straks (greetings and see you later),

Dustin - 2010 Moose Lake Summer Program Director

Awesome God

2011-02-24T09:55:00.001-06:00

Do you ever walk to school, or drive somewhere, or get home at the end of the day, and realize that you don’t remember anything you saw, or what happened along the way, to take you to that point? It’s easy to go through a day, or a week, or sometimes even a month, without having really noticed what happened, or how the time passed – almost like you’ve tuned out. I have a bad habit of tuning out, especially when I’m busy or overloaded. This ensures that I don’t add any extra worries to my plate, but it also ensures that I often miss out on chances to appreciate both the people and the world around me – God’s awesome creations.

Recently I took some time off of school, work, and my regular daily routine to go traveling in Asia. Yes, it was fun and exciting (we went surfing, ate tarantulas, slept in hammocks in the jungle…) , and yes, I got to spend 3 months living with some of my friends in a different continent, but one of the best things about the trip was the amount of time I had to stand in awe of God’s handiwork. We had no schedules, no agendas, no places to be or people to see…there was nothing that needed to get done, and no deadlines to be met (besides getting home before Christmas to appease our families!). It was so different than my life in Canada; I actually had time to observe everything around me, and appreciate it properly. One day in particular (one of my favorite days) we went on a hike part way up a mountain in Vietnam, and spent a few hours at the waterfalls. We hiked in and around the falls, which was great by itself, but the best part was when we were at the bottom, and stood behind the rushing wall of water with the sun coming through the top. We looked up at the bright white light, heard nothing but water pounding the rocks, and got completely soaked. I remember my mind being blank of almost everything besides the word “wow”.

So while I am currently back at school and still incredibly busy, having practically every second of my days packed and planned out, I try to find times where I can look around at, or listen to, my surroundings and think about how incredible it is that I exist, or that there are such things as waterfalls or thunderstorms, or even the fact that God made us all different and excellent in our own ways. Searching for things to wonder at can be very refreshing, and gives you and God a chance to connect on a different level!

- Sam McDougall
Summer Program Director(Koinonia)

Not the What, but the How = ME

2011-02-09T10:58:00.004-06:00

I bring this message to the world of blogs via the “left handed-pecking method” of typing. You see, my right wrist got bamboozled pretty hard on our school ski-trip a couple of days ago and has thus been rendered useless. Enjuring it hurt, but now comes the painful part: the persistent awkwardness of everything.

Post-camp life has been pretty busy for me this year, and I’m generally happy about that. I play volleyball and basketball, sing in 3 choirs, have a part in the musical, and still manage hangouts with friends. But, with this right arm of mine, my high school lifestyle is going to have to change. And it’s made me realize some things.

I think sometimes in the odd realm which is high-school, people can get caught up in goals and achievements, and trade those things in as depictions of their personality. When I realized the consequences of my injury, I felt as though I was limiting the person I could become. My basketball career, most likely over, my winter camping retreat, probably impossible, and my song for talent show, never to be heard… etc. etc. But, we shouldn’t think of our accomplishments as ourselves, they’re just aspects of our life. It’s something that camp reminds me every year.
I’ve forgotten the spark that I’m always left with after a week of camp; the way of life which brings awesomeness to the mundane, and seemingly “filler” moments. It’s hard to explain the extent of profoundness I’m getting at, but I found inspiration when my youth sponsor told me he had spent an entire week of his life holding a wooden spoon for no reason whatsoever. Who you are isn’t marked by the feats you accomplish, but it’s how you do them and what you give them. That’s where I see God. When people spark life.

-Paul Dyck, councellor (Moose and Koino)

Exercising "Self Care"

2011-01-28T10:08:00.001-06:00

So, I have a brand new calandar and a new set of ideas for 2011. I am the type of person who always has a goal or something to work towards. For this new year some of my resolutions include stretching every night before bed, doing pilates twice a week, and cooking an elaborate supper with my husband once a week. But probably one of my most important resolutions was my goal to get to know myself better.

I recently participated in a crisis counselling training session which lasted several months. They strongly emphasized that everyone engage in regular "self care". This could be anything from taking a run, to journalling, to playing music, to praying, or even to playing with your pet. The only catch is that it must be intentional and nurturing. In order to care for myself I decided to become my own friend. I am journalling and reflecting; figuring out what really makes me, me.

As I engage in this process of self acceptance I am starting to see myself as God sees me. I see myself as a whole person who sometimes succeeds and sometimes fails, who feels happy and sad, and who has unique values and perspectives. And, surprise, surprise, this process has helped me to see others as whole people too and has helped me learn important lessons about grace. So take some time to care for yourself and accept yourself as a loved child of God.

Stephanie Ens - Day Camp Director and Integration Coordinator

King of Kings, for ever and ever, Hallelujah

2011-01-12T16:33:00.003-06:00

Just before Christmas I was in a performance of Handel's Messiah. It was a very cool experience where I got to be a part of a choir of about 100 people which sang with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. The Messiah is a work that quotes different scripture passages about the prophecy, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. I always find that one of the best ways for me to worship is by making music, and it is very powerful to be singing all these wonderful things about Jesus with so many other people who are all singing with such integrity. For me, the most powerful part of the performance was when we sang the Hallelujah Chorus. Traditionally, the entire audience stands up while the choir sings this song. When I had heard about this, I thought it was a little cheesy, but when it actually happened, it was very cool. I often think of Jesus as my friend- someone who can help me and listens to me- but I don't think about how Jesus is King, as often. When everyone stood up, I was overwhelmed with the reminder that Jesus is our all powerful King and sometimes we can spend time praising God by standing in awe and singing "HALLELUJAH "!

-Gabrielle Wiebe Nature Instructor at Moose Lake 2010

Song and Silence

2011-01-05T09:52:00.004-06:00

The golden days of summer are long passed and I now find myself in the frozen Winnipeg tundra. I’m sure many of you are in the same predicament, trying to relax this Christmas break from the busyness of school before everything starts up again in January.
This fall and winter I have found myself pining away for simplicity and relaxation, something I don’t experience often. But I have learned that finding the time to be quiet and breathe is not only important for my mental health, but in finding the quiet times, I believe I find God as well.
I recently had an experience that reminded me of this. I had caught a monster of a cold (I blame it on the little ones at the daycare I work at) which robbed me of all vocal capabilities. Not only was talking painful, but singing was impossible. And I really love to sing. At church, singing is my favourite part. Singing is an opportunity for me, personally, to contribute to worship, to concentrate on God, to feel at one with the whole congregation. So when I went to church I was quite sad that when everyone else was singing, I would be standing there, close lipped.
In the end, though, whenever songs were sung that service, I was gifted with a beautiful and peaceful moment. Instead of concentrating on my own singing, I was able to listen to the people of Home Street Mennonite Church bring their voices together and worship God. It was very peaceful, to be surrounded by the harmonizing voices of young and old. I was forced to stop thinking and moving, and just be calm in God’s presence. It hard to find words to describe the feeling, but I am quite blessed to have had a cold that Sunday, and been given the chance to step back and listen and be completely at peace.
I hope that all of you are also finding times to be calm in God’s presence in your lives as well. I hope you all had a very merry Christmas, and that your new years are full of exciting opportunities and growth.

Amanda Abrahams - Bible Instructor

The "real world"

2010-12-16T10:08:00.003-06:00

It’s December 14th today, which means that a) there are 11 days left until Christmas, b) there are 12 days left until my birthday, and c) I’ve been working at my first “real job” for a whole 3.5 months. It feels weird saying that I finally got my first real job at the age of 22 because while people seem to separate employment in the for profit world and employment at Camp, there are many ways in which Camp work would seem to be a lot more work than a “real job”. At Camp you are on duty 24 hours a day and you see your coworkers all the time. At Camp you are responsible for the well-being of all the campers under your care, but more than that you also hold the task of teaching them and learning from them. Upon consideration, this may seem a daunting task, but it is these same things that make Camp such a worthwhile endeavor for both the staff and campers. In my seven summers at Camp I learned how to communicate effectively with my campers, my coworkers, and how to better communicate with God. I learned how to balance my responsibility for this week’s Campers with my own needs and how to care for myself under stress. I learned about the proper functioning of a team and about respect for myself and for others.

It could be said that most of the important skills I have learned have been learned or honed at Camp with the support of others doing the same, and it is the most enjoyable classroom I have ever had.

Now, in my new job I have been trying to take what I have learned from my summers, and build on it. While it will always be a challenge for me and for many others to carry the Camp spirit home with us, it is important to remember that with God’s help it is possible. As for my job, well, it’s not as fun or challenging as Camp, but I have a lovely new team to work with now and we’ll have our good times too. If only I could incorporate the game Styx somehow...

Nicholas Ewert
Counselor, Kitchen Helper, Head Cook

Sometimes God has this way of putting me in my place.

2010-12-06T10:19:00.001-06:00

I am a planner, an over-thinker. I read into situations and I generally like to feel very in control of things happening in my life. I know that trusting God is an important thing to work on as I grow in my faith but there is a difference in knowing this and doing something about it. You see, things have worked out pretty well (and gone generally according to plan) without putting my full trust in God. I am absolutely aware that it is only through God that I have the ability to make choices about where and how I will use my time and gifts. But it still is a challenge for me to completely surrender my naive notion of self-determination.

This fall I began my fourth year of university studying Education. I had put in a practicum placement request for an inner city/alternative education setting months back thinking it would be an amazing opportunity to be challenged. I received word of my placement in June, and needless to say, it was basically the opposite placement of where I had requested. I have ended up in a Grade 2 classroom in a private Mennonite school. I knew that I had to make a attitude adjustment and go into this new school year with a positive attitude, but just couldn't shake that feeling that I should be somewhere else--this wasn't how I had planned it!

And then I began my practicum. And it was like God was saying, "See, I told you so." I had underestimated how much I would value being able to contribute to and take part in a Christian environment. In many ways, it reminds me of camp--staff prayers, worship time at chapel, devotions. But it is also encouraging to be surrounded by a group staff who are actively living their faith, which reminds me to constantly work on deepening my own. It was a humbling reminder to discover the lessons, gifts and fulfilment I would get out of this practicum yet had not even really wanted in the first place.

God threw this curveball into my well thought out plan. And I was reminded to loosen my grip on control, because sometimes these unplanned detours can teach us a lot!

I hope you are all enjoying this advent season!

Kate McIntyre.....SLT Director 2010

Acknowledging God...

2010-11-17T18:59:00.002-06:00

It's November. In my first year of University! And I haven't failed out!! Not that I thought I would, I just didn't think I would do as well as I am doing! Something that has become pretty important to me lately is acknowledging God. Giving Him the credit fo everything that's going on. So I thank God graciously for keeping me focused on school and driven to do it well!

Another thing that has happened is something majorly life changing. And it's really hard not to give God full credit on this one. It's the first time that I understood what it means to be called by God. After two and a half months of school, and my entire high school career, I've finally decided what I want to do with my life! It has nothing to do with any of the classes I'm taking, it just kind of came to me one night while chatting with my church group. And it's really exciting and I'm just praising the Lord right now!

So something for you to think about is just acknowledging God in the big things, little things and everything in between! If you made a sports team or got a part in a performance, thank God for that. If you're in school and you got a job, or you got a scholarship, thank God! God has a hand in everything!....So take the time to acknowledge and give Him the credit.

And don't fret! Camp is only 8 or 9 months away! (Okay, I'm being positive, but it's better than, "Ugh! There's still an agonizing 9 months til camp!!")

Til we meet again, I'm thanking God that it's time for bed!
Cheers!
Cici F.-Counsellor & Wall Instructor - Camp Koinonia

Where am I seeing God in my life?

2010-11-03T11:20:00.002-05:00

All over, and still too often I miss the Creator’s obvious presence. Like the poem, footprints in the sand. The difficult places where there is only one set of footprints and we think God has forsaken us are often the times when we are not aware that he is actually carrying us. Sometimes difficult times blur our vision and our minds.

When I received the registered letter in 1993 to turn in my driver’s license because of vision loss, I thought, "What, can’t drive anymore?" But I was blessed with the memory of Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” That’s not just in good times. God continues to be my shepherd, and the blessings continue, often in completely unexpected ways.

This summer I saw God at camp, in the way staff and campers interrelated. I appreciated the way biblical stories were connected with our everyday lives. All were included. I was reminded of the book, “Jesus in Blue Jeans.” The author had a dream and saw Jesus in blue jeans. Why? Jesus’ response to her was when he came to the people in the Bible, they wore robes, so he came in a robe. Today we wear blue jeans, so Jesus comes to us where we are, in blue jeans. Another highlight for me at camp this year was how I was not only seen as a grey haired old man, but as a fellow pilgrim, a part of God’s larger family. I say Thank-you!

God is good.
Blessings to you all!

-Egon Enns, maintenance at Camp Assiniboia.
Summer 2010

Time Flies.....

2010-10-20T15:46:00.002-05:00

Hey! It's hard to believe it's October, but here we are! School is well underway, the leaves have changed (I don't know about you, but here we at least have a couple leaves left!), and Halloween is coming fast. It’s one of my favourite holidays for sure (Costumes and candy. What else do you need?).

It's been a wild ride since camp, as it no doubt has been for you. Midterm season is almost at a close for us university students, and that also means a lot of tests and the like for high school, I'm sure!

After that, it’s November, and its fast pace (for some of us guys, it’s called “No-shave November”. But that’s beside the point) and maybe some snow.

Before you can blink, it’s December, with Christmas and all the rushing around. It gets crazy, and sooner than later, you realize that everything has passed you by.

My advice? Slooooooow down. Take some time just for you and God, to relax and just sit in the presence of the Lord. I personally enjoy listening to some music and just breathing deeply. If a day has really got you down, just ask yourself, “Am I trying to do everything all at once?” Trust me! Slow down and take some time....for you, and God.

Have fun out there!

Brad Z.
Counsellor/Ropes Instructor
Camp Assiniboia

Family and Stress...and when things just work out.

2010-10-07T09:01:00.001-05:00

Look outside. Go for a walk. Go for a bike ride. It’s beautiful isn’t it? I’ve been biking to university every day I am there and I just feel extremely blessed to be living in a place that has seasons. I cannot imagine having only summer all the time with maybe a rainy season thrown in here or there. Even though the leaves are dying, I feel genuine life in the crisp fall air.

As I said I am going to school this year, taking quite a few classes that incorporate a lot of writing and I am also working a couple days a week in a café so life is kind of busy. I am amazed when I have time for anything else. My family has been such a great support. After the first day of school I came home and was pretty stressed about a couple of my classes. In one I had a 10 page paper to start right away and the other I felt like it was kind of over my head. That night I could hardly sleep because I was stressed whether I should risk getting a bad mark or just drop the course which would have been the easy way out. I talked to my mom about it and she reminded me that it was only the first class and that I could do it and everything was going to be alright. I felt such a sense of calm after that and I realized I wanted to learn about the topic of this course and it didn’t matter if I didn’t do so well. My family and those around me are what count and I’m sure they were affected when I was stressed and complaining the whole time.

Now that class is one of my favourites and I enjoy doing the readings and challenging myself. I am always amazed when things just work out and I just know that there is an ultimate plan for me.

Naomi Langelotz
Counselor, Moose Lake.

Inside Out

2010-09-27T13:52:00.001-05:00

It’s officially fall out there, with the leaves turning colour and the wind tossing everything around. Someone at work the other day said they couldn’t understand why anyone liked this time of year, because to her it was all about things dying. But I’ve always liked the briskness of it, the new things that fall brings (school, jobs, etc.). This year I’ve started working in the Legislature as a provincial government intern. I really like it so far, but I’m having a hard time getting used to is staring at a screen all day. Growing up, I was never very athletic and I loved books, two things which meant that no one expected me to like being outdoors nor did they really push me to. That’s one thing about guys that I really like. Being outside and finding random things to do seems to be a lot more part of the guys’ culture than it is for girls. So all in all, I got pretty complacent about staying inside.
Now, as I get older, become Nature Instructor, go on a few more campouts, I realize not being sportsy doesn’t mean I’m not outdoorsy. I’m reading a book right now about this guy in the 70s who built a medieval leather boat and sailed it across the Atlantic to Newfoundland to prove that the Irish Saint Brendan could have done the same thing in the 6th century. This story makes me want to hop on a boat and go on a really big adventure which may take up all my time and energy and push me but which I would remember for the rest of my life. So, in general, I guess the gist of this blog post is how much I feel God pushing me to both appreciate the beauty of the outdoors but more specifically to take on the briskness of it, the edge to it—it’s not as comfortable as being curled up in a chair in my temperature-regulated home. There’s a time for that, but not all the time. Going on adventures makes memories, whether that’s walking through the city or careening through the backwoods of Assiniboia on a lawn mower. I don’t do it enough. It’s easier, especially with my new job, to spend all my time in front of a computer screen. So now it’s fall, the time for new changes, right? At least we can start. I’m going outside.

Kelsey Hutton
Camp Assiniboia Summer Program Director

September?!

2010-09-01T15:09:00.002-05:00

Hello my friends!
Summer is over? When did September happen?! Summer was glorious and wonderful and memory making and trying new things and meeting new people etc.....and September is busy (with school and sports and life and many other wonderful things!)! It is my hope that you can take what you experienced this summer and run with it, far into the fall:)

God has been at work at Camps with Meaning this summer (and I'm sure God will continue to be at work in the life of Camps with Meaning!)...and it is our hope to continue this blog to help share with you some of the ways that the summer staff see God at work in the world around them (because coming home from camp sometimes can be difficult!).

So...keep looking back (if you are reading this at all?!) and read more!!!!!

Cheers,
Kristy Letkeman
Interim Program Director
Camps with Meaning

Summer is half over?!

2010-08-04T12:51:00.002-05:00

So, today is Aug 4! Three and a half more weeks of camp! Summer is flying by!

Over the course of the last four weeks, I have had the pleasure of going out and visiting each of the camps. I got to see the staff, and the campers and nature....and God at work during the week. It was SO wonderful to see.....

I hope that if you haven't had your week of camp yet that you are looking forward to it....and if you have been at camp already this summer, that you had a wonderful time. There is something special about going away from your normal summer activities and schedules and going to camp.

For me....Camp is a place where I know that I can meet God...without fail. But when I can't be at camp or when I can't visit camp....or during the year when it's snowy and cold....then I have to be creative when I have a hard time seeing God in my life. I have to be creative and find pieces of nature in the big city. I have gone to the park, I have stared at the sky and I have sat by the river. Sometimes I have to work to see God....and I know that even when I can't see God....God is there, waiting for me to make space in my life! God is ready and waiting...always.

SO...even if you have finished camp for the summer...of if you are counting the days until your week begins, God is ready for you, wherever you are.

Prayer, Mustard Seeds, and the last one....for now!

2010-06-17T11:42:00.003-05:00

Hello Camp Friends…..

Are you counting the days until the end of school? Are you counting the days until your week at camp? Do you want to come to camp yet? Talk to your parents….tell them to call the camp office to see if there is still space for you!!!

Anyway…I’ve been thinking a lot about prayer lately. I have been trying to pray, not just for what I want, but for a God inspired outcome. Sometimes, this outcome is what seems good for me and good for the situation, and sometimes, it seems harder to see why a certain outcome is in fact good. Sometimes I have to look hard to see God in a certain situation or a certain outcome. This blog was set up so that staff could share with you about where they have been seeing God in their every day life.

So, like I said, lately I have been seeing God when I pray, and when I prepare for a most excellant summer. One way that I have found to be a good reminder of God is a mustard seed. Do you know about mustard seeds? They are very small…tiny even. Maybe as big as this letter “o”. Sometimes they are used in cooking, to season soups etc. In the Bible (the New Testament), Jesus talks about having faith the size of a mustard seed. Matthew 17 verse 20 says “For truly I tell you, if you have the faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain ‘move from here to there’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” So…even if you just have a little bit of faith, God will continue to be present with you and you will be able to do great things with God's help. It’s not like you will actually be able to move a mountain, but when you have faith, you can see that God is with you and big things can (and do) happen!!

Because I need to be reminded a lot lately....I planted some mustard seeds in a pot in my office. They are huge…and a little out of control. I didn’t know that something that big could grow out of something so small. In the same way, our small amount of faith…can grow into something big and wonderful.

In closing…..we want you to keep reading about where we have been seeing God…so you can look in those places too! God is there for us when we are sad or too busy or happy or joyous, or disappointed…WHENEVER!!! It’s so good! So…while this is the last blog posting for a while, please don't forget about us! There will be a posting mid summer and then we’ll start this all up again in September. So be sure to check back!!!!

Have a wonderful summer…make sure you take a look around you and see if you can see God (or maybe try planting some mustard seeds on your own:)!!!

Cheers,
Kristy Letkeman
Interim Program Director
Camps with Meaning …Summer 2010

Thoughts on LOVE.

2010-06-02T09:17:00.002-05:00

May has been a crazy month for me! I have been to three of my friends’ weddings and one 50th wedding anniversary celebration!

The three weddings I went to were beautiful expressions of love. They were filled with the hope and promise of a bright future together. Speeches at the receptions indicated that these people were loved by many family members and friends. It is amazing to see so many gathered supporting others’ decisions to get married.

My grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary celebration in the midst of all of the weddings was really something special for me to witness. 50 years is an incredible amount of time to spend with another person! It was quite touching to see how much they loved each other still and how that love had grown. When we tinkled our glasses, I got to see, for the first time, my grandma and grandpa kiss and it was just as perfect as when I saw the three other couples kiss.

Now I am planning my own wedding for the end of August (to be held at Camp Assiniboia!) and I wonder if in 50 years we will shyly kiss in front of our friends and our adult children. God sees this big picture and that is something that fills me with awe and wonder. God created us to love each other and gave us the gift of marriage.

This summer at camp we get experience love. It may sound hokey but it is an exciting thing! Campers and staff get to be in an environment where they are loved and accepted just because they are people and that is an exciting thing! And who knows… maybe in 50 years you will still be talking about the love you felt at camp.

Questions about God...

2010-05-20T12:03:00.003-05:00

The other night I was at a College and Career group with my friends from another church. We were reading through Romans, and we got into some pretty deep discussions, which ended up going in circles because we were trying to understand how God can know everything we will ever do, yet we make our own choices. It is just really hard to understand how you can make your own choice when God knows the choice you are going to make. At first I was quite confused, trying to wrap my mind around this, when I realized that I am never going to completely understand God.

I am someone who really enjoys learning how things work, and the more I can know about the world and everything, the better. I really enjoy gaining knowledge, and explaining how stuff works to other people. I used to want to completely understand God, and why He did what He does, and just everything about who He is. This seemed possible when I was younger, when everything seemed so simple, but as some of my simple questions were answered, that just developed into more and more questions.

A while ago I accepted the fact that I will never know everything, but God does know everything, and He will let me know what I need to know. It's a comforting feeling to know that God, who is taking care of me knows everything, past, present and future. I realized at the College and Career group that I am actually happy with the fact that I will never even begin to understand God. You may wonder why this would make me happy, but if I can barely even understand who this God is who created me and is protecting me and is in charge of my life, He must be incredibly powerful.

I am often amazed by things humans create. For example how we can design a vehicle that can go at such incredible speeds, and be able to run for many years. Or just the fact that an incredibly heavy plane can stay suspended in the air (I have learned the real reason as to how that works, but it is still incredible to me), or a cotton candy machine. It's amazing how this sugar can turn into powdery goodness. Then I just think of everything God created, and how He actually created humans, who create all these incredible things, and how I can't even begin to understand my creator.

Our relationship with God can kind of be described as a parent to a very young child. A parent knows quite a bit about the world, and knows big complex words that the child can't even begin to understand. So the parent uses very simple words to talk to the child and explain things, but the parent can barely even begin to explain everything they know. Yet since the parent knows so much more, they can protect the child, and take care of him/her. God is like this parent, we can barely even begin to understand God, but He tells us what we need to know in “simple” words, and He takes care of the rest.

This concept has been on my mind a lot lately, and I just love the fact that God is so much bigger and powerful and loving than I can even begin to imagine. It is always good to ask questions and get more information and to wonder about God, but it's also good to understand that you won't get answers to all your questions, and that is a good thing. Keep asking questions, because God might even give you an answer to a question you didn't expect to get answered.

Stop, look, and listen.

2010-05-10T16:07:00.002-05:00

As the deadline was approaching for writing this blog, I had no idea what I was going to write about where I had seen God lately. I was busy finishing up exams and right after that work started so I was busy with both of those along with adjusting to a new schedule, among many other things as well.

One of those mornings getting up for work, very early, I was supposed to get picked up by my coworker to head to the job site. I had gotten up late and was rushing to get ready in time so he wouldn’t have to wait for me. I got ready just in time for when he was supposed to arrive but it turns out he wasn’t there yet, so I just sat outside waiting for him.

In those 5 minutes waiting for my late coworker I saw God in the brief pause in the busyness when I observed the beautiful things around me I am often too busy to notice. In this case I noticed the sun was rising, the birds were chirping and playing, and the rabbits were running around my yard on a fresh morning, and this was refreshing to just to see God’s beautiful nature carelessly play itself out under the caring and watchful eye of God.

This pause in the busyness was also reflected in the weekend I just returned from, where as young adults from my church we went on a Sabbath retreat where the goal was to do nothing. Just to rest, relax, enjoy each others company, and take a break from everything to recover with each other, and reconnect with God.

I saw God in the small things we often don’t stop and pause to observe and enjoy. I would encourage you to stop and try something different, see if you see God, even if it is just something small. Often we can see God when we stop being busy and just watch and listen instead, to let God surprise us. Hopefully a week at camp this summer can also be an exciting break from your year where you can experience God in fun and exciting ways with your friends!

-Kevin Kampen, senior Camps with Meaning staff

Patience...

2010-04-20T09:59:00.002-05:00

I’ve been struggling with what to write about for this blog posting. As a younger camp staff, I often felt like I didn’t have any stories to share at fireside, but then I realized that I might have more than I think. With this blog post, it was a similar situation. Then, just this morning, I had a moment that I thought would fit perfectly.

I think I wrote last time that I’m a student in translation at St. Boniface College. Most of my classes are in French, but I had to take one English class this year. This particular class was all about how to write university-level essays. I’ve been told that I’m pretty good at writing essays (and I have the marks to prove it), but I really don’t like it. I never feel like my thoughts get organized quite the way I want them to and I often feel like I don’t make a lot of sense. So, this English class was not one of my favourites, mainly because we had so many essays to write, and they kept getting longer every time.

Well, in this particular semester, I got really busy with a bunch of things, which resulted in me falling behind with some of my homework. For me, essays are bad enough at the best of times, but they’re even worse when you have to catch up on them later. To make a long story short, I finally got to the point where I had three essays – including my final research paper – that were so late that I’m still surprised that my prof didn’t just fail me in the course. And no matter what I told myself or what motivation I gave myself – including the whole “you need to pass to get your GPA up” talk – I just couldn’t get going on these essays.

Finally, I decided I just couldn’t do it all anymore and I decided I was going to do the other two essays, but not the research paper; I didn’t really have a topic, not much research and I was running out of time, and I didn’t know what else to do. I went to talk to my prof to tell him what I had decided and he managed to talk me back into doing the research paper. He helped me get my topic sorted out and to just generally get back on track and refocused. And I felt a whole lot better after I’d been to talk to him.

Now, you may be wondering, what does this all have to do with God? Well, some of the qualities that my professor showed are like what God does for us. One of my friends said recently that God “never stops believing in us, no matter how hopeless we feel.” My professor did the same thing. When I was ready to give up and lose a huge chunk of my course mark, he helped me see that I could still get the essay done. Before the situation got this bad, I had also set up deadlines for when I was going to get these essays in, but I never managed to make it and I was really starting to feel like I was letting my professor down. But he was patient and still let me keep trying. God does that for us too. No matter how many times we might feel like we’ve let him down, he still loves us and encourages us to keep doing our best. The important thing is to always remember that God is always with us and will always help us out, no matter how bad things get.

-Megan Friesen (Camp Counselor extraordinaire...Camp Assiniboia)

So much to write about...

2010-04-06T15:34:00.002-05:00

I feel like for this entry I have SO much to write about.

Easter has passed, the new Christian year has begun (or at least I think that is how the year works!), but also I am writing my blog entry from the city of Bangalore in India. This is a huge trip for me. Many new experiences, many new challenges. And despite the fact that I am in a country where there are very few Christians surrounding me, I am feeling extremely close with God.

All around, lots to write about.

Today I am choosing to write about something that one of the woman that I am staying with has told me. She had just crafted my travel companion and I one of the most delicious meals I have ever tasted, and she looked at us and said:

"When you give a person money, he askes for more. When you give a person nice things, he askes for more. Even if you give a person nice clothes, he askes for more. But once you give a person enough food, they will say 'no more, I am full. I am totally satisfied. Food is the only earthly gift you can give to satisfy a person."

This is a woman who loves to give food to guests. She takes great pride in her cooking, and will give everything until you are satisfied. This woman showed me a glimpse of Jesus. In my reflections of Easter, I realized that this is similar to what Jesus was doing for us. Food is the only way to satisfy our bodies, just as Jesus is the only way to satisfy our spirit. At Easter Jesus has given us the ultimate gift, Himself. Jesus has provided us with ever lasting life, and satisfied our spirit. We as Christians can be full of Gods grace, and satisfied with the love that God has showed us with Jesus.

Dustin (Nature Instructor Camp Moose Lake 2009......SPD @ Camp Moose Lake 2010)

Countdown till Summer !

2010-03-20T10:56:00.003-05:00

If you're like me, when I was younger, you're counting down the days till summer, and also counting down the days till camp starts! Its been a long winter, spring is in the air and you can just feel the anticipation. Its like the whole world is just waiting to "spring" forward into a new year of growing.

When I think of nature, and trees, and outside, I think of camp... and then promptly start missing camp. It seems like camp is a world away, I mean, I can't remember what I did 2 weeks ago, let alone 7 months ago. Some of the friendships I made at camp have fallen by the wayside, maybe sometimes I'll facebook them, or tell them about my latest farmville score, but for the most part I've forgotten a lot of what camp was. I don't remember the sound of the cottonwood trees blowing in the wind, I don't remember the feeling of the lake at Koino (I do however remember the awesome game of broomball I had at Moose Lake a few weeks ago! :) The point is camp seems very far away right now, and I'm here to say, hang in there!

I see signs of spring everywhere. I see the sun melting the huge pile of snow in my front yard. I can feel the trees just waiting to send out their new leaves. I even see more people out... its like as soon as the temperature goes above zero people come out of their holes they've been hiding in and welcome a new season. I was woken up by birds yesterday! If spring is here, then summer is right around the corner.

If you're at all like me then you're totally sick of school by now. Whether you're in grade school or post-secondary you've been in school for what seems like an eternity. I'm ready to be done with late night essays, projects, homework, reading and all those other things. I'm ready for a change, and good thing that change isn't too far off. I'm ready for the intense refreshment of summer!

So here's my challenge to you (whoever you are). Take the time to think back on camp, think about what it was, the things you did, the nature out there... then think about the people you met, and if you can, get in touch with one or two of them, and remind yourself and them what camp was like. After all, camp is only a little ways away.

-John Neufeld....Camp Assiniboia Bible Instructor 2009

PS. March 19=100 days until the first week of summer at Camps with Meaning!

Just feel.

2010-03-02T09:58:00.002-06:00

Recently I had the chance to participate in some interesting conversations regarding the Camp Assiniboia forest. Many of you know of the feelings I had expressed regarding the forest—feelings of fear (of the forest being destroyed years from now), feelings of respect (for the forest and for the people who spoke up about the issue), and feelings of frustration (for those who just would not listen).

Recently I have also had the opportunity to listen to an Aboriginal elder as he teaches one of my university classes. He emphasizes that there are four parts to each person: the physical aspect, the mental or intellectual aspect, the emotional aspect, and the spiritual aspect. So often when approached with an issue we focus on the mental part. Again going back to the forest issue, I found that people would only listen to me if I had something intelligent to say, some reasoning behind my feelings.

This has brought me to wonder, do we as people of God emphasize the mental aspects of ourselves over the emotional and spiritual aspects? Yes I agree that we need to think things through and come up with logical solutions but perhaps it is equally important to also pay attention to our feelings and our intuition.

I feel beauty and truth often through song and especially when this is set in a natural setting like camp. I hold on to those firesides outside at riverside (for Camp Assiniboia). I am filled with a deep connection to a community all singing the same thing while also feeling connected to God as an individual.

I encourage everyone to remember that while yes study and learning is important, it is equally important to express and engage in activities that strengthen you emotionally, spiritually, and physically. It’s okay to just feel.

-Stephanie Ens -Integration Coordinator 2009 (Day Camp Director 2010)

Only Connect!

2010-02-24T11:35:00.000-06:00

I was watching an episode of “Joan of Arcadia” when I first heard the E.M. Forster quote “Only connect!” I forget the full context, except that Joan was trying to make her mission from God more complicated than it really was. Sometimes God asks us to do big, scary, things. Sometimes it’s more it’s a little more straightforward.

This fall I got to reconnect with a family I used to babysit for years ago. By chance our paths crossed, and I re-met my two girls, who were now nine and eleven! They were so old. It was lovely and awkward at the same time, because of course I remembered them better than they remembered me. But then the older sister told me something special. I’ve always wanted to be a writer, and I often made up silly stories for the girls. The older sister told me that she wants to be a writer, too! And not only that, but she always remembered my stories as one of the things that encouraged her to be a writer. I’d had no idea.

In my life I’ve moved between countries, neighbourhoods, and schools. I meet interesting people all over the place, some who I keep in contact with, and some, like at camp, who I only meet for a week. And that’s OK. Some people, God puts in our lives for a little while only, but that doesn’t mean that relationship was a waste of time. I’ve also realized I can become friends with people I used to dislike. (If you’re curious, ask former Director Gabrielle how we first met!) This is especially hard. I am not always good at swallowing my own words. But when God helps me connect with people I haven’t seen in a while, or never thought I’d see again, it reminds me that God wants to give us as gifts to each other. And what a great gift it is! Forster’s quote ends with these words: “Only connect…and human love will be seen at its height. Live in fragments no longer.”

--Kelsey Hutton, former Assiniboia Bible Instructor

In the Little Moments...

2010-02-03T09:26:00.002-06:00

The Disraeli Bridge is the gateway that looms between North Kildonan and the downtown, Winnipeg. Actually, it is two bridges; two very steep bridges, and to me, a winter cyclist, these bridges are obstacles that I dread. I look forward to them just about as much as you would look forward to a very difficult test, or getting up for school on a Monday, or getting your teeth pulled without having your mouth frozen first. I don’t often stray that far from my cozy niche in Osborne village –all my friends live close-by and the bike ride to CMU (where I go to school) is quite flat (though very icy these days). No, I don’t often have to face the monstrous Disraeli. But, the other night, the great and terrible bridge became unavoidable.

I am part of the Mennofolk committee: a group that supports young Manitoban artists that are somewhat connected to the Mennonite church. And we hosted a show at Sam’s Place, which incidentally lies just beyond the Disraeli. I thought about taking the bus there, but for whatever reason I chose to don my three pairs of socks, long johns, big black balaclava, and coat of many layers, and have a pleasant bike ride in the minus 30 degree weather.

By the time I reached the Disraeli, my toes were slightly numb, my legs were burning from the cold, and my eyelashes were coated in a glassy layer of ice and frost that made them feel heavy when I blinked. I was cold (obviously) and I was getting tired. Still, I pulled out my last reserve of energy, and I pedalled as hard as I could, uphill, against the wind. It felt like it took fifteen minutes to get up the bridge- my thighs ached, yet I kept moving them rhythmically, pushing and pushing the pedals until I finally made it to the top.

Once I was at the top, I could see everything: the big dark sky and the river and buildings far in the distance and bunches of trees. I was in the city, but it felt like I was out in nature, alone and free.

And then began the descent downhill. If you have ever pedalled fast while going downhill, you’ll know how I felt. I was going so fast I was almost worried that I would lose control. The cold wind was refreshing in my face. I felt like I was the fastest person in the world; I felt like I was flying.

This gave me momentum, therefore, the second uphill on the next bridge wasn’t so bad, but the second downhill felt much the same as the first. I was flying again, like some strange bird with crisp white frosted eyelashes and wisps of hair.
This whole bridge endeavour took no more than five minutes out of my life; and yet, I have chosen to write about it in this blog as if it were one of the most important things that has happened to me since camp. And, you must be wondering: what does God have to do with any of this?

Well, I have little moments like that all of the time; moments when I have a huge feeling of joy or freedom so deep that I can barely describe it. And in a few days I often forget about them, or store them somewhere in the depths of my memory. But it is in these little moments that I see God the most. Just a small thing, like biking down a bridge in the middle of winter is beautiful to me. And I feel like all beautiful good things come from God. Often, it seems people look for big meaningful moments to experience God, but I think that it is in those little moments, in the moments that I glimpse something small of wonder and beauty, that I see and feel God the most.

-Amanda Abrahams, 2009 Camp Moose Lake Bible Instructor

The future....and God's way.

2010-01-20T08:56:00.001-06:00

What are you going to do after high school? I remember this question well. I graduated from high school last year, and I remember the feeling of 'what am I going to do next year' so well. The way I normally make my decisions is by process of elimination, so near the beginning of Grade 12, I knew some things I did not want to go into, and I knew one career path I would for sure not take. I was positive that I would never go into engineering.

By about February of last year, I had pretty much decided what I would be taking in university, when one of my friends asked me why I wasn't going into engineering. Even though I had a bunch of good reasons why I didn't want to take engineering, I couldn't get that question out of my head for the next week.

I was even more confused about my future than before, and I really did not know what to do, so I prayed a lot, and pretty much begged God to tell me what I should do next year. I went to a tour at the university to help me, and I had to decide by the next day if I wanted to go into engineering. I came home from the tour even more confused than previously. I didn't feel that God had really told me anything at all, and I was sitting at the computer ready to send an email to switch into engineering, but I did not know if I wanted to send it. My mom said something to me which helped me make my decision. She said “If you don't send that email, will you regret it?” And I knew I would, so I sent it and felt instant relief. And I knew God wanted me there.

I am loving university, and the courses I am taking. Everyday I am reassured that God wants me here, in engineering. I do not think I could enjoy anything else at university more than engineering. Personally I see God a lot in science. When I learn more about the world, and how stuff works around me, I can't help but think how amazing God is for creating all this. Because a lot of my classes are science based, I see God everyday in my classes. I am constantly reminded how much I enjoy what I am doing, and that this is not at all my doing, but completely God's doing.

I have to make some more important decisions for next year, and somehow I am not too worried about them. I know I am where God wants me to be, which is one of the most amazing feelings in the world, and I know that he will continue leading me as long as I am willing to follow. I have no idea what my future holds, but I am so excited to see what is to come, and I have learned that not listening to God, and trying to make my own plans doesn't work so well.

So my encouragement to you is God has such an amazing future in store for all of you. If you are trying to make decisions about your future, definitely look into your options, but make sure you ask God, and pray about what you should do. Even if you think you know what you want to do, pray about it, because God may have an even better future in store for you. If you think you might really dislike the way He is pointing you at the time, in the end, it will be better than you could have ever expected. So many times God has completely changed the plans I have made for myself, and I now know that God's way is truly the best way.

By: Melanie Dyck – Camp Moose Lake

Picture this....

2009-12-31T09:52:00.002-06:00

Well, Christmas day is over, the presents are open and we are now just enjoying what is left of our holiday break!

As we all get caught up in flurry of Christmas, it makes it easy to forget who Jesus started out as, so let's picture this:

Mary and Joseph (Jesus's mom and dad) find themselves pregnant and unmarried and are therefore outcasts in society. They don't fit in! When Mary is finally in labour, they can't find anywhere that will take them in. They end up settling for what ever they can get - bunking in with farm animals in a barn with their scratchy hay and manure. By today, Jesus would have only been a few days old and Mary and Joseph would still be adjusting to life with a newborn baby - organizing feedings, enduring sleepless nights, and worrying about where they would go next and how they would do it with a new baby. All the while, attempting to manage the constant stream of visitors who made their way to see their child (shepherds, kings etc). And yet, this is the Son of God.

As Jesus grew up, his family was probably poor and worked hard to have enough. Maybe the kids from his village laughed at him for his ratty, dirty clothes or his family that were thought to be the "weirdos" of the town. Maybe Jesus had a chore list from his parents, or a list of rules that he was expected to follow...just like the rest of us, maybe Mary had frustrated moments of thinking "This can't possibly be the Son of God!!!".

Learning carpentry from his Dad, Jesus took up the trade in young adulthood. It was not a high class job, thats for sure, but he probably got along fine. The manual labor was exhausting, but he worked hard. Then he began to draw followers, as he told stories that seemed totally unbelievable. To most people, they seemed backwards, and totally contradictory to the society of the day. He was mocked and laughed at, and right up until he was killed, some people thought he was just some crazy person claiming to be the Son of God.

Today, it is easy to categorize people and their potential contributions to society based on their social standing...whether they were part of the "in crowd". Throughout Jesus' life, he was seen as an outcast, challenging us to see beyond people's clothes or job or the neighborhood they live in. As we continue to celebrate the humble birth of Christ, we must also now look to the ordinary lives we go back to. During this Christmas season, we sometimes see Jesus as the almighty King but we also must consider the realities of his existence - an outsider with a humble message. And as we head back to our ordinaries, lets challenge ourselves to take notice of those who we consider outsiders in our society today.

(And here's a quote, because I like quotes!!!)
"It's good to remember that Jesus grew up as a poor Jew in a poor town. His life was not about having great material possessions, but about living for God in this humble and modest way." - Stephen Chapman, associate professor of the Old Testament at Duke Divinity School

Posting by:
- Erin McIntyre, Koino Bible Instructor 2009

Venturing Out

2009-12-17T09:00:00.000-06:00

Hi blog readers! This, like John, is also my first post for the CwM blog and even writing this makes me remember camp, and the special place it has in my heart!

Many of these other posts have been about where we as camp staff see God. I’m going to take this from a bit of a different perspective: I tend to feel God when I need to find Him the most. Let me explain this a little more…

In a matter of days…(DAYS!!!)…I will be off to Ireland for a 4 month volunteer term, plus a couple months of travel afterwards. I am going to work with an organization that does respite care for adults and children with disabilities. It’s an exciting prospect—adventure, independence, the unknown—but it is starting to mean something different for me as my days in Manitoba dwindle away. I am going to be alone for 6 months. I won’t have my friends and family or the things that make me feel comfortable or safe. And although that fact is starting to scare me, it's also starting to force me to dig a little deeper to search for God, and is pushing me to put more trust in Him than I have ever had to before.

It’s during times like this that I have to rely on God. I have to put my trust in Him because when everything else falls away, He’s who I’ve got. He’s my “person.” As I am preparing to venture out into the unknown, I am comforted by the fact that God is always going to be with me. Regardless of the changes that happen around me, God remains a constant. When I really need God is when I look the hardest to find Him.

I want to encourage all of you to look out for God. Sometimes, if you’re like me, it’s when you need Him the most that you can feel Him the most: when you are getting ready to go back to school after a great week of camp and feeling like the people at school just won’t understand, or you’re moving to a new place, or you family is having troubles. It’s during times like this that we need a constant, and it’s exciting to remember that God is that constant—both in our ordinaries and in those times we are venturing out into the unknown.

So here’s to adventures and new experiences…and to looking for God in these things!

Kate McIntyre--SLT Director 2009

Since camp has ended...

2009-12-07T09:05:00.002-06:00

So, this is my first blog post to the CWM blog. I'm super excited about it, and hoping that campers are too. If you are excited, add a comment, respond to a post, let us know what you think, because really, you are who this is for!

It is now 3 months after camp has ended (longer for some of you) and right about now is the time when I start to wonder what happend to the person I said I was at camp. Perhaps he decided to take a vacation, and fly south for the winter months, perhaps he got lost in the busyness of school, or perhaps they never existed. Maybe that's not your experience at all, but if you're anything like me, you're probably wondering those things.

I was one of the Bible instructors at Camp Assiniboia this last summer, and one of the things that I tried to do at the end of each week at camp was let everyone know, staff and campers that although camp is ending, the things that happen at camp don't have to. One of the themes of this blog is "Where you see God?" and I think we can all agree that at camp, its pretty easy or at least easier to see God.

When I was a camper, I saw God in my counselor when they helped resolve conflicts between people in my cabin, I saw God when they shared their stories around a campfire, and most of all I saw God when we would talk together afterward. They showed me that God was with me no matter where I was, that I could pray whenever I wanted to and most of all, that you could be a Christian and still be a really cool guy... but months down the road those lessons, and the friendships and relationships of camp are long gone... which makes me wonder "Where is God?"

As well as being in school, I also lead the youth at my church, Grain of Wheat and every week, we ask our youth that question. Some people see God in nature, a beautiful tree, or their garden... those people sometimes have trouble when winter comes round. Some people see God in their friends, when they feel supported and cared for... they get stuck when their friends seem to be turning their backs on them. Still others see God in music... but what about when the music fades, or you just don't "feel it" anymore. Well, to be quite honest, I don't always know. We all have times when God seems far away and that's normal. In a funny way though, just knowing that is a bit comforting because its hopeful. If we all have times when we feel that God is far away, then we have times when God is close too.

Recently, I've been seeing God in the baby girl that is growing in my wife's body. I am constantly amazed that eventually that thing moving and growing in her is going to be a person some day. It makes me marvel at the mystery of creation. I realize that God is good, and that there's something amazing happening in the world, and it has some special meaning around Christmas time because Christmas is when God came into the world. And the miracle of Jesus coming into the world is made even more incredible by the miracle of my baby coming in April.

So there you have it, I hope I've made you think, and if anything I hope you've said a little "awwwwww" at the cutesy-ness of the last paragraph.

This is John Neufeld, Camp Assiniboia Bible Instructor signing out.

2 Places I See God...

2009-11-18T09:00:00.002-06:00

So, when asked about where I see God, I can never really give just one answer. I see God in lots of places. In thinking about writing on this blog, I was trying to come up with one place I saw God, but no one place seemed like quite enough. So, I came up with the brilliant idea to talk about more than one place I see God. I know you can’t believe it took me that long to figure this out, eh? I’ll just mention two of the many places where I see God.
So, the first of these two places is in music. I will be the first to admit that I am a music nut. If I don’t listen to anything for a few days, I start going crazy. I have what I consider a fairly wide range of musical tastes – folk, country, pop, some rock, etc. And in all of them I see a little bit of God. But it’s not just the words that help me do this….even though I enjoy musicians like Steve Bell and House of Doc (both Christian), I believe it’s possible to see God in music that isn’t exclusively Christian (although this depends a lot on the messages in the words and the type of music the words are set to). Many people make music purely because they love to do it and that beauty and that joy that they create and share with others is, to me, a gift from God.
My second place is through other people. This year has been a bit of a challenging one for me so far. I’m in my second year of university, studying translation, in my second language (French), which can be very difficult at times. I also have a very full course load right now, and it doesn’t help that I procrastinate like crazy. Because of this, I get stressed out quite a bit. My friends and family, both at home and away, have been really great at helping me see that I’m not the only one who’s tired and stressed out and to generally help me stop worrying so much. At such times, it’s as if, through them, God is saying, “Okay, calm down. Breathe. You can do this. I’m always with you and I’ll help you get through all this.” This is a very comforting message to hear, when I’m all stressed out.
By: Megan Friesen --Camp Assiniboia

Getting to work...

2009-10-30T08:51:00.001-05:00

October 30, 2009

I live in downtown Winnipeg and I bike to work. Or, at least I will if it isn’t raining or snowing or really windy…basically the sun needs to shine and then I bike (I wish I was more hard core than that, but I’m just not). These last couple of mornings it has been chilly. The grass is often white with frost, you can usually see my breath and wearing my long johns has become permanent thing when I ride! BUT, the sun was shining (or at least trying to), the leaves on the trees are turning their yellows and reds, some nearby geese were honking and there were other cyclists out on the road…all these things made it feel warmer, but perhaps not for the reasons you think. Let me tell you why:
1. The sun itself makes sense…Sun=warm.
2. The trees were turning yellows and reds and oranges and browns….all of these colours warm me just to look at them.
3. The geese…while really annoying a lot of the time remind me of the changing seasons. The geese just know what to do in order to prepare for winter….it’s incredible how they just know. I also “just know” (because the thermometer says so) how to prepare for winter…it means big cozy sweaters, leg warmers, hot chocolate and afghans. All these things=warm.
4. The other cyclists and joggers….well, those things just made me feel not so alone…and when you are with people, then it just feels warmer.

But I think above all….it was these things because all of them together reminded me that these are the things that God created. It wasn’t the road, or the cars or the buildings that made me feel warm, it was the nature and the animals and the people….God’s creations. Sometimes, living in the down town of a city, God feels far away because nature is sometimes hidden in the “big city.” But this morning I was reminded that not only is God here, so are God’s creations….sometimes you just have to look a little harder!!
-By: Kristy Letkeman (the new program director of Camps with Meaning:)

Welcome to "Here and Now!"

2009-10-15T12:13:00.005-05:00

This came about at an end of summer meeting with the Bible Instructors from all three camps (Moose Lake, Koinonia and Assiniboia) and we were thinking of ways to extend that "summer feel." After summer, for campers (and staff), the high that we find ourselves on often disappears. We made memories at camp, we sang, we learned, we laughed, we ran! We were able to see God in nature, in each other, in the things we learned and now….it's back to every day life. Sigh. Every day life is often challenging, boring and it's often hard to see God. But guess what (even if you already know this, it's good to be reminded!)?! God is in the every day stuff! God continues to work and to love and to take care of you…whether you can see it or not. Isn't that fantastic?

"Here and Now" is a space where staff from this past summer will take a minute or two to share about the spaces and places that they were able to see God in their own lives and in their every day interactions. It might happen on the bus, in the classroom at school, at church or youth group, at the grocery store or simply walking down the street. God is everywhere, and there are a few staff who want to tell you about it. Sometimes, we need reminders of where God is in other's peoples lives when things are not going so well in our own lives….or even if things are going great in our own life, God is still at work!!! So, read and enjoy…make comments or share your own experiences.

Side note: This is on a bit of trial basis. We are going to make this happen (ie post about 2 times a month) until next summer…hopefully enough of you will use it and enjoy it and inform others about it….and if it all works, we'll keep it going next year. :)