I have only been in the Kaleo program for 12 days! I had to count twice because I was certain it has been longer. The relationships that we have built with eachother in such a short period of time are phenominal. I suppose when you get a group of like minded people together all striving for the same goal of getting closer to God, great things are bound to happen. We are already seeing some great things happen as we work in ministry together.
I have been blessed to be able to attend Warmland church. Myself along with two other students have a great opportunity to serve in this church. We are already involved with the youthgroup, which takes place on friday nights. We are working together with some other interns from camp Qwanoes under the leadership of a couple, Steve and Alycia. Last friday was our first time able to attend the youthgroup. 12 youth showed up, which is almost double what they had during the summer but still less than half of what were attending the previous year. We are hoping to rebuild these numbers as quickly as possible by running a new format which can draw in a broader age group. Every other friday we plan to do a big crazy event just to have fun and build relationships, on the opposite fridays we will have a more formated night with worship and a message where we can have deep conversations with the youth and help them build a foundation in Christ. Working with a new group has been a stretch for me. In my home church I was able to help lead the youthgroup but I already new everyone very well. At Warmland church, all of my relationships are starting from nothing. I believe that I am going to learn at least as much as the youth will during my time at Warmland church.
Another place I have been able to grow in is right at camp. All of the students were trained to work in the challenge course which is something I have had little experience in. This last weekend there was a retreat at camp from Trinity Western University. The role the students played during their time here was to run different events such as the challenge course, water park, skate park and ice cream stand. My position was a belayer on the climbing wall. This was my first time doing this without supervision and I was doing it for people my age or older. It was intimidating at first, knowing that some of these people would have more experince than me and if I made a mistake it could cause a serious injury to someone else. As the day progressed I gained a lot of confidence in skill and was able to enjoy the company from the passing students, I noticed that I am becoming more outgoing which is something I have been working on over the past couple of years. I'm excited to continue to grow in these areas!
There are several musicans that I have been able to connect with. At first I was a bit self concious to play with other people, not knowing their styles and skill level. Fortunatley we mesh really well togther and my confidence in playing with other people is growing every day. I signed up to be on the worship team for our students chapels. I feel that it will be a great opportunity for me to both contribute to assist leading my peers in worship along with a lot of personal growth as a musician, leader, team mate and servant.
The opportunities I have already had amaze me. I am so excited for what is in store for the next several months. There are so many ways I am able to grow here. The journey has only begun!
