Merry Christmas!

We've hit the road one last time, we're making our final trek across Canada. That's right, it's that time of the year where we say good bye for now. We part ways and each head home to our different parts of the country. But we will meet again in a distant airport; where our adventure begins again, and we fly down to Guatemala. So as we leave this first semester, we wish to bid thee all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We will see everyone again in just a few short weeks!

Looking merry at the Christmas Banquet

Kawkawa

So this blog entry is a little late, okay a lot late, but it seems things have been happening so fast lately. It’s hard to believe that it’s the middle of November already, which means our first semester is coming to a close. I’m taking you back to our second week after Thanksgiving.  

After reuniting from being apart during girls and guys week, we drove out to Hope, BC. We arrived at Camp Kawkawa just in time for a delicious welcoming supper, which was the first of many wonderful meals. Camp Kawkawa was on beautiful Lake Kawkawa which we could see out of the large dining room windows. They had a fake, but very warm fireplace and some comfy couches that we used quite often. The camp had canoes and kayaks that some of us made use of. We very quickly began to think of Kawkawa as home.   

While in Hope we got to go ice skating at the local rink and swimming in the pool, activities which many of us enjoyed. We also had the opportunity to do laundry – yay! Many of us made use of a local café called the Blue Moose, which had good coffee and free wifi.

There were many fun things to do at Kawkawa but we also had classes. Our first speaker at Camp Kawkawa was Steve Klassen. (No, not the leader from site 2!) Steve and his wife Evy run a place called the MARK Center. He taught from the book of Mark and touched on ways to hear God speaking, with an emphasis on the importance of silence and solitude. At the end of the week we had a day of silence where we spent time alone with God.  Some of us had great God encounters during our time of silence and other struggled to hear God. Despite our different experiences I think most of us took something away from that day, either through our own experience or from hearing someone else’s.

We all enjoyed our first week at Camp Kawkawa and were looking forward to see what the next week would bring.

Kelsey Friesen

The West Coast

Stanley Park, Vancouver

Did you know: One litre of water, eight teaspoons of sugar, and one teaspoon of salt can save someone from dying of diarrhea? Did you know: Sikhs are incredibly generous and some of their temples offer free meals with no strings attached on a daily basis? Did you know:  There are people in our own country struggling to get by from day to day? Did you know: Each and every person has a story to tell. Did you know: Prayer changes things?

Over the past week we’ve been doing a lot of learning, discussing, and experiencing. We recently came back from a week in Vancouver, most of which we spent exploring the streets and meeting new people on an Urban Plunge arranged by YWAM Vancouver. Before we dove into the plunge, we had the weekend to ourselves to explore bits of the city. Some of us went to the aquarium and saw dolphins, sea turtles and belugas, taking city transit and walking through the city’s parks. Some of us hooked up with family and friends in the surrounding area, while still others cruised around the shopping centres.

Before heading into Vancouver, we heard rumour of two things inhabiting the hostel in which we would be staying. The wonderful guests staying with us at the hostel included cockroaches and bed bugs, but we were in luck and did not suffer too much grief from these creepy crawlers. Instead we told ourselves this is still a place to stay that is better than the concrete sidewalks. Besides the bugs are just a preparation for the critters we are going to find second semester.

The Urban Plunge itself was something of a different beast than the bugs in our beds. Our first day we spent on the streets was a day of experiential learning. We explored culturally diverse shops attempting to find dried lizards. We talked with people and shared life with them, by attempting to share our extra lunch. Our goal was to sit down with them and enjoy life together. For some of us, that was no easy task, while others found people to talk to. But the experience does not end there. We were challenged to sit in our groups of three on the sidewalks in the commercial sections of downtown Vancouver, watching the people that would pass us by. We paid heed to their eyes and body language as they walked by, and felt privileged if we got a nod or even a friendly greeting.

That first day was still does not end yet. For the night’s meal, we had no money and nothing packed, so we were on our own on the streets of Vancouver. This meant we had to get creative or find a place in which we could get food. Groups of us decided to be on the receiving end of where we are often the help: soup kitchens. We got food handed to us, rather than handing the food out. Others of us met a man on the street who was overjoyed at the possibility of having guests come to his church’s free dinner. Even with his hospitality, we still went hungry because of time restraints and having to leave before the food got started. Still others of us busked and asked around for free food. For example, a local bakery handed out pastries that were custom ordered but never picked up. 

In the following days we partook in touring a Sikh temple and a Buddhist temple, as well as an Islamic mosque. We also helped local missions serve food and hang out with their clients. We stood on street corners with signs reading “Free Prayer” and smiled at the people passing by. Engaging with those who wanted prayer, we went about not preaching theology but simply doing our best to love. We got creative and did an “Impact Vancouver” where teams of three or four split off and came up with a way to bless Vancouver. We did all sorts of things, like write encouragement letters to the police and to the local missions, or just play basketball in the park. The letter to the police was so well received that it will be passed on to all the officers in Vancouver. We played with local children and handed out free hot chocolate and smiles. And yes, a smile should always come free. :)

Still the week didn’t end there. On our final night we got to join a night of Justice and Worship put on by an organization called Steps of Justice (www.stepsofjustice.org). It was a great way to wrap up the week by challenging us to take the next step towards justice. We watched videos on water demands and on the sex trade, we listened to people share their stories and passions. One of the key points from the night was that obedience is critical to taking these next steps and carrying out God’s work. It was an encouraging way to end the week, looking into the future and counting on being obedient to God.   

Raymond

P.S. Check out this video from Charity Water, an organization introduced to us through Steps of Justice.

More Than A Thousand Words

The saying goes that a picture is worth a thousand words. 8 pictures then must be worth at least 8000 words. Here then are a variety of pictures of our gang from over the past while.

Body Surfing

No we're not crazy.

Seeing Double? Twin Day

Hello!

Outtatown On Ice. (A musical coming soon to a rink near you)

Ferry + Picnic = happy people

Peek-a-boo

Hair-whipping at the Seattle gum wall.

Girl Week

I definitely feel like us girls got the better end of the deal in regards to Girl/Guy Week. A beautiful hotel on Banff Avenue, late night hot springs reserved specifically for us, and an incredible view of the Rocky Mountains. We also were reunited with the girls from Sites 2 and 3, it was a great opportunity to share stories and make some new friends. 

Our speaker for the week was Sharon Peters and her main theme was how to live lifeful (yes, “lifeful” is indeed a word, meaning “full of or giving vitality”). We discussed a variety of topics relating to how we can be completely comfortable in our own skin, this in order to live life to the fullest and how God intended us to. One of the ways we experienced this while we were there was a night of Zumba, a workout involving different styles of Latin dance. This was a major highlight for a lot of the girls I think, we were free to just have some fun and not worry about how we looked. Another interesting part of the week was getting the chance to do a question and answer with the guys. Each group came up with a list of questions for the other gender, the lists were exchanged, and then we answered each others questions. After that was done, some of the site leaders switched groups for the morning to report the answers. It was definitely a learning experience and we were left with a lot of useful truth to apply to our current/future relationships.

Our week in Banff was so much fun and it was great to be immersed in so much of God’s beautiful creation. The people, experiences, and food were awesome and we ended the week with more friends than we started with. However, even though some of us may not want to admit it, we were very glad to see the guys again, we need them to balance out all of those hormones and high pitched voices ;).

-Danielle Schmidt 

Guy Week

Manly things, manly talk, manly food and manly activities. In complete honesty that’s a basic summary of guy week. Or at least that is what we would like to tell everyone, this way we seem manly. Guy week was the week where we split off from the ladies (it was a struggle for some men) and stayed in beautiful Canmore, Alberta.

Being men we had the option of climb the nearby mountain, with an elevation change of 700 metres, or to play Frisbee golf. But this was not the end of our impressive manly skills. On one night we went out in small groups to eat food, and by eat food we mean devour large portions of food. One of our groups had the most delicious poutine from La Belle Patate (go there if you ever are in Canmore, you can get a poutine with BACON!) while the other group grilled up steak back at the hotel.

We also had two wise gentlemen come and speak to us about some of those deep manly topics of life. For example, sex, relationships and what it means to be a man of God. We got the opportunity as well to fire questions off the girls, questions that were smoldering in the hearts of men. Luckily the ladies were able to give us some answers that help explain their complexity, and beauty.

Possibly the biggest highlight from the week was Saturday. If you were to have been walking around downtown Canmore, you might have seen women and girls receiving roses with the note attached “Enjoy the joy of passing it on” You might have also seen three men on a street corner with a cardboard sign reading “Want Prayer?” If you were lucky you might have even seen a talented young lad juggling! Deciding to do something different, we were sent out into Canmore in groups of 3 or 4 and had been randomly given an amount of cash with which we could use to bless Canmore. Some of the men bought roses, and when the cashiers heard of their motives they were given more roses with which to do their good deeds. The beautiful part about it was that their roses were passed on from hand to hand. People were legitimately enjoying the joy of “paying it forward.” The group standing on the street corner with their cardboard sign encountered people in unique ways too. Some skirted around them while others approached asking for prayer, or asking where they were from, still others wanted to pray and bless them. 

Guy week ended and we met up with the girls again, feeling again a tad at home in our community. 

Thanksgiving

Packing our bags, cramming our stuff, we are heading home - or at least some of us are, and the rest of us are staying at friends places for this weekend. Thanksgiving is the reason we're leaving our site crew and community for a couple of days. After an intense week on the urban plunge and talking with Nathan Rieger, it will be nice to relax for a while.
When we get back together as a site on Tuesday, we're traveling west for 16 very exciting hours. There the guys and girls will be separating for guy/girl week.
We're splitting off now, and even just on these few short days apart our community is fearing missing each other. We have certainly grown together into a well-knit community; living and loving together 24/7.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

- Raymond

2-way Traffic

A lot of our group went into the Winnipeg Urban Plunge thinking about what we could teach to all the people of Winnipeg's inner city, not realizing how much they would teach us. I remember seeing a sign on our way into Winnipeg that read: “Remember: 2-way traffic.” How fitting for the next 3 days.

It started with the scavenger hunt around the North End of Winnipeg. Split into groups of three, we were given our clues with destinations of ministries to stop at, where someone would be waiting to talk to us about another aspect of inner city life. We were dropped off at our different ministry starting points, and we started walking.

It's not enough to just hear about things that are going on in the North End, you have to actually see it. And boy, did we ever! Experiencing everything from people asking us for change, to the business people who won't look anyone in the eye; from prostitutes who don't really look the part, to gangs boldly showing of their names on buildings.

But after that heavy first day of seeing people with addictions and supposedly simple-solution problems, we realized our own issues in the form of prejudice against them and misunderstanding. People get trapped in the circle of poverty, and often they don't end up on the street because they choose to. We judge them and assume it's their fault and they've done something to get themselves there, yet circumstances make it almost impossible for them to avoid ending up there.

The next two days, Tuesday and Wednesday, consisted of going to different small ministries or organizations, some of which we had visited on Monday. Both days were different for everyone. We were separated into five groups of six people, and some served at places like Siloam Mission, while others did behind-the-scenes work such as painting tables or murals at the Vineyard Church, and so on. And just to experience the cultures there a little more, we went into four groups to different ethnic restaurants. That turned out to be quite an experience for those of us who had never had Ethiopian, Mexican, Vietnamese or Indian Cuisine.

We had a full three days and learned a lot about the realities of poverty, homelessness, and the North End of Winnipeg. To quote Jesus' words: “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.” (Matthew 5:3)

By Kaycie Kehler

Oh Deer!

If you've never heard of Pinawa, Manitoba, I wouldn't be surprised. The town is pretty silent and few people are even on the beach or at school, but the streets and parks and front lawns of Pinawa are certainly not dead. They run rampant with wild, though very approachable, deer. They are literally everywhere, alone or in small groups, staring at you as you tip-toe past them. Never in my life have I seen so many deer!

But staying a week at the Wilderness Edge Retreat Centre in Pinawa wasn't all about the deer (though they did provide a lot fodder for jokes and photos). We were well-fed (roast pig and cheesecake – jealous?!) by the kitchen staff, well-soaked in the hot tub, well steamed in the sauna, well-sunned by the phenomenal weather and great places to be outside, and well-connected to God through a transformational morning of silence. Body surfing and tubing at the rapids at a nearby dam were a definite highlight, as were numerous games of near-professional or entirely disgraceful volleyball.

During the week, we had two guest speakers lead us in a number of sessions on topics that forced us to know God, know ourselves, and know the world. On Tuesday, Gavin Hall, youth pastor from Assiniboine Community Church in Winnipeg introduced us to the topic of theology in his 6 two hour-sessions on “Thinking Theologically, Living Faithfully.” Through structured debates, cool videos, and interesting lectures, we were exposed to both sides of sticky issues. We addressed these questions from the perspective of the Wesleyan Quadrilateral: by considering Scripture, Reason, Experience and Tradition. Gavin also described the three central Christian images of kingdom, community and creation and related these images to other Scripture passages, to our everyday lives, and to issues of concern in Guatemala. He was not only extremely informative and very engaging but he gave us a lot more questions to chew on throughout the week.

On Thursday and Friday we also had the privilege of Gail and Alex Zahradnitzky give us a thorough understanding of Guatemalan geography, history, and culture while exploring the opportunities and privileges presented by each. In their 15 trips to Guatemala with the Rotary Club of Winnipeg, they have not only learned many of the tips and tricks of travelling through Guatemala, but have also developed a love for the people and landscape which they were eager and ready to share with us.

Both speakers gave us valuable information to absorb and ponder over the course of this semester and next. Turns out there was more to our stay in Pinawa than a ridiculous number of deer!

By: Ally Siebert

Roseau River

After four days of hard paddling and sleeping outdoors on the canoe trip, it was refreshing to finally sleep in a bed and take a nice hot shower and Roseau River Bible Camp. It was especially nice to have the whole group back together again and being able to share all the funny stories from both canoe trips. But more importantly we got to hang out with some of the Anishinabe people from Roseau.

Our first day with them on the reserve was very rainy and cold, but the warmth of their greeting and hospitality seemed to push aside any gloom from the weather. Each day we had the opportunity to sit around a fire, listen to their stories, eat lots of delicious food, and learn about their different traditions and rituals. Throughout the week we also got to visit a few landmarks which are sacred to their culture.

On our last day with the Anishinabe people, we had the opportunity to participate in a sweat lodge. While some decided not to participate, the rest of us (including myself) decided to see what this experience was all about. So the guys all changed into their bathing suits and us girls changed into some scandalous ankle length skirts (which we rocked by the way). Inside the sweat lodge we sat in a circle around a pit of hot rocks which initially makes the lodge a decent temperature until you start poring water on the rocks... And then its like a wall of instant sweat that hits you! So we sat in the lodge praying and singing some traditional songs (in which we didn't know the words to but sang along anyway... Or at least tried). During one of the songs, they asked out to shout out as loud as we could, so we did that two or three times and then on the fourth time we all shout out and then there was a slight pause... And someone from our group yelped out "Kikaw!" Naturally we all started laughing, and Peter who was leading us, started laughing along with us and said "That was a good one!"

After the sweat we were all invited to a Pow-Wow demonstration where we all made fools of ourselves attempting to dance to the beat of the drums (which, by the way, looked hilarious).  It was a lot of fun and a great honor to participate in something that is so important in their culture and to their people. The sense of openness and community was clearly felt in the air and will not be forgotten.

Thank you Anishinabe of Roseau River!
 

Christina

Canoe Trip!

Paddles digging into the water, waves crashing against canoes, voices singing out multitudes of songs.  These are but some of the sounds and sights experienced on the three night canoe trip we went on.  Our site was split into two fearless groups of 15 students who paddled through many waters.  Group A was the sightseeing travelling group and went exploring into the abandoned gold mines around Shoal Lake and paddled through various lakes, while Group B powered through 65+ km of canoeing.

On day one a canoe overturned in the waters, causing wet items and people.  However our fearless trip leaders rescued and encouraged us all.  We paddled through giant headwinds and larger waves than most of us had ever been through.  But we decided to work smart and not hard, when the wind was with us we rigged a sail and flew down four kilometers of water instead of having to paddle. While some of us had colds and leaky canoes, nothing could stop us from singing out many a song on the water.

The trip was an incredible opportunity for us to just relax and be natural.  We left our watches, deodorant, toothbrushes, and makeup (for the girls) behind.  Waking and sleeping when it felt natural we made the most of our nature experience.  Each and every day we saw the beauty of God's creation, on the sunny and overcast days.  Our meals were delicious, with dirt gracefully added to the mix; the additional protein was always appreciated.

Beauty was certainly seen on these canoe trips, as was the brokenness our trip leaders pointed out.  Beauty in the brokenness is what life is all about. Our adventures will continue long after these canoe trips, just maybe now with cleaner forks and dryer clothes.

- Raymond

Group A with trip leader, Troy. (Clara absent from photo)

Group B with trip leaders, Dantz and Steph.

The first 4 days!

Wow, it’s only day 4 and, while I can’t speak for everyone on Outtatown, I know that for me it already feels like I’ve been here for so much longer. I feel that I’m well on my way to forming some amazing friendships. After leaving CMU, our parents and the comforts of home behind, we arrived at Bird River Bible Camp just in time for a delicious supper. (the meals that have followed have been just as wonderful) Later that evening we had A.N.C.H.E.R (Announcements. News. Concerns. Humour. Encouragement. Reflection.) which will happen every Sunday. The next day we had a few icebreaker-type-games and a mini-session with the leaders. In the evening we were blessed to hear Natalie’s life story.

Class with Wendy Peterson

On Tuesday we had a speaker come out, Wendy Peterson, who described herself as a pigmentaly challenged Metis. She took us through 4 amazing sessions about Indigenous people in all corners of the world. We were challenged to rethink the ideas and stereotypes we have about Aboriginal people. Personally, I found her lessons extremely refreshing; she spoke from a Western worldview and then from an Aboriginal worldview. The only knowledge of Aboriginal people that I have has come from what I learned in school. Most of the teachers I had stressed the negative things that Aboriginals experienced. While I can understand that it’s important to know the struggles these people have gone through, I felt that teachers often over-stress the negative and had nothing positive, no glimmer of hope, to offer concerning Indigenous people. While Wendy gave us the true, sometimes difficult, facts she also had so many positive stories to tell us. Over the years she has met many different aboriginal people and seen the positives that are so often overlooked. Because of that, she was able to show us the hope that there is within the Aboriginal communities and in the communities that Aboriginals, in turn, impact. She also gave us a look at the difference between a Western worldview, which is often seeing the material value of things, and an Aboriginal worldview, which is much more community and relationship based. I think that being able to get a glimpse into how Aboriginal people view the world helped us understand more about a people group that we don’t know as much about and shed a light on aspects of Indigenous culture that we can definitely learn from. At our last session with her we had a talking circle, where we all shared what we appreciated about her presentation. Many of us commented on how we were really impacted hearing positive stories that gave us hope that things are changing for aboriginal people. It may be a slow process but there is hope. One point she made that I found amazing was that there are a number of aboriginal people who are missionaries. Hearing her speak was such a blessing to our group.

On Tuesday night we had a night of worship and got to hear James’ life story. Afterwards we continued singing and I felt so blessed to hear all of our beautiful voices raised in song. I often connect with God through song so that was definitely a highlight.

These first four days have been incredible and I know I’m excited to see what God has in store for us this year, and I’m sure that many others feel the same way.

By: Kelsey Friesen (Edited by Elysha Roeper)

Our New Blog

Welcome to our new blog. We are Outtatown Site 1 Guatemala and over the course of the next 8 months please follow us in our travels, our discoveries and our learning here on this blog. We are excited to start this year and we know this is only doable because of the support and prayer of our parents, relatives and friends. Over the course of this school year we will try to update this blog as frequently as possible (hopefully at least once a week). Come here if you are looking for stories, pictures and videos of our life as Site 1. So make sure to follow us and to check this site often.

Rafael