Aimee's Picture

Hey All!
Here's me!


I am the one on your right, and Kristen (that annoying blonde who is always hopping in on our conversations, and not actually in Kaleo! ;)) is on my left.

Aimee

Guess Who?

What do you think of our newest addition to Kaleo 5?

Welcome to Kaleo 5!

Hey all you new Kaleoers! Well that's me on the left for those of you that I haven't met yet...

I hope you guys are ready for the ride of your life! I can't believe we're looking at next year...we still have another semester here and a summer, and I'm already getting so excited to see you all here. It's been so much fun watching God draw together yet another community of young people who seek to follow Him with their hearts and their minds. I have been so privileged to have the opportunity to work with Kaleo the past two years, and I'm excited that God has seen fit to keep me here in the future.

To give you a little background...My name is Amanda, and I've been working with Qwanoes since the summer of 2004. I was offered this position as the Student Life Leader at Kaleo during the summer of 2005, and I just never went home (which for those of you who I haven't met yet is California). During the summers I have the privilege of serving as the Head Female Counselor, and I have so enjoyed the opportunity to serve alongside so many people that exhibit the character of our Great God. I cannot wait to experience with you all that God has in store for you next year; this program will knock your socks off if you let it!

Wow! This is so exciting! Even though I know most of you already, it's been really exciting to read your blogs and see you interacting with each other. Jenny, I really enjoyed our conversation on the phone, and I'm so excited that we will be able to have many, many more this next year. Scotty, even though we haven't met yet, I'm totally stoked to know that you will also be joining us next year!

God Bless you all as you seek His guidance over the next couple months...keep blogging!

Amanda

Hey There Everyone!

Hey!

My name is Jenny and I am a grade 12 drama major at the Langley fine arts school. I've grown up in a non Christian home but still a good home! Sometime around grade four my sister became a Christian and married my Brother in law. They both became Sr. Youth leaders at Ross Road Community Church, and when I was old enough to attend, in grade 9, they invited me out. I loved it so much I began to go regularly. Later on in the year the youth group started to have regular small group nights. We studied Bible stories and read verses, which was so all completely new to me, at first I was nervous to go and sometimes didn't want to go because I was afraid I was going to miss pronounce something or be asked a question I didn't know. But as time went on instead of being nervous I became extremely curious about the deeper meaning behind these stories I was learning about, and especially about the end times. My brother in law gave me a Bible and I began reading on my own, writing down pages of questions and getting together with him for coffee to ask them all! It was really cool and I began to thirst for even more knowledge and this relationship with Jesus I had been learning about.

One night I was asked by my small group leader if I was a Christian, and I didn't know what to say, so I said yes, which was a lie but I was… I guess ashamed to say that I wasn't because somewhere I knew that all of the things I had been learning about were right and true! But I just couldn't seem to give my life to him, hand over that trust.

I was too afraid. You see I go to a public school where Christianity is often mocked and made fun of by the majority, including my closest friends. I was deeply; fearfully afraid that if I gave my life to Jesus and became a Christian I would lose my friends and I would be alone.

That summer 2004 I went to our church’s family camp. All weekend people who I had never met were asking me to come play games with them, eat at their table, work on a project with them or be on their team. Many others would genuinely come up to me and ask me how my day was, or even who I was and want to get to know me. That weekend God showed me that I would never be alone, these people as my Church community would always be there to support me and pray for me and just be my friend.

I spent the rest of that summer at my cabin reading my bible battling doubts. When I came home I went to a worship night held by CLA with my Brother in law. I was so done with being confused and afraid I just let it all go and put it into the hands of God. That was August 28 2004, the day I became a Christian.

Since then it’s been awesome! I still have all of my same friends but some new ones as well. Sometimes it’s hard to watch them fall knowing that if they just accepted Christ they wouldn't live the way they do now in fact they wouldn’t even want to.

God has given me so many opportunities in the last couple of years its sweet! I've gotten to fully admire his creation by doing a Senior Leadership program at camp Squeah where we went on a three day hike around some truly amazing mountains and marshes! I've gotten to cop-council two cabins of girls and help them out! I'm now a leader for the middle school youth group at my church. I also was a leader for a week long adventure camp that my church put on! It’s so cool the things I’ve already gotten to do and being accepted into Kaleo I know is going to bring on a whole new set of sweet things! I can't wait to be in the awesome atmosphere at Kaleo and learn and study the word of God! What could be better honestly!

Well I’m super looking forward to meeting and talking to you all soon!

Jenny

Hey!!!

Well hello there, um this is kindof weird and awkward, considering you folks already seem to know each other...but anyways on with me. I'm Scott, living in Aldergrove B.C., in grade 12, 17 years old, at MEI in Abbotsford. I also play hockey, and sports in general are kinda my thing.
Alrite my Jesus adventure; I grew up in a sweet Christian home, two older brothers and parents who love God with their whole hearts. I pretty much lived in the church as a young lad, um yeah sunday school, church plays, even singing on sunday mornings (I've since realized that I can't sing, so I don't do that anymore). I accepted Christ as a 6 year old, except even then it was somewhat of a parent-pleaser decision. Whatever made them happy, that's what I was all about lol. That's pretty much how I lived my life, going through all sorts of motions, I could recite any Bible story, I knew all the answers, and it was all goin good. High school came around and I had a reality check. I now had to make decisions about who I was gonna be friends with, there was lots of wrong choices being made all around me. I chose to stick with God, but even then, it was just because I thought the things that my other friends were doing was stupid. I'd say it wasn't until about last year, grade 11, that I truly experienced God's power and it left me almost speechless!!! He's AMAZING!!! So during the past two years or so, I've taught Sunday School, led in a middle school youth group, just to share with others that God isn't the boring thing that we make Him out to be, He's real and it's awesome to see what He'll do if you let him!!! Anyways, that's a bit about me, I'm totally looking forward to meeting you guys and talking in the future....I'm praying for an awesome year next year!!

Hey guys!!!

Hey! My names Chris...and I am definitely stoked for Kaleo!! Like oh man, I’ve been thinking that I would do it for a little while now (a year or 2) and now it’s actually coming and I’m accepted…WOW!! I’m so stoked that I feel God leading me so clearly and that it is to this program. From what I’ve seen, I don’t think there is a better way to start off than with the Kaleo program. So that’s my happy rant for the moment=) Me and God. So I have this amazing family, Mom, Dad, and older bro Matt who are all Christians…so the normal Christian fam, pretty sure I was at Sunday school the next Sunday after I was born! Being born into a Christian home, I accepted Jesus as my Saviour at a very young age that I can’t even really remember, probably around like 3 years old or something. Life was good and just normal, just doing the Christian kid thing of Sunday school and kid’s choir…then I hit gr 8 and youth group and playing on worship teams began. These gave me real opportunities to see other people living their faith, to be taught how to live my faith and to have older people like the pastors and leaders as role models. I’ve had amazing guys mentor me along the way from counselors to youth and worship pastors that have taken the time to hang out and share life with me. Then I went to Camp Qwanoes (It’s sounds kinda cliché to say it because Kaleo is at Qwanoes so it sounds like there’s just us camp kids going into Kaleo because it’s at our camp but it’s really not that so hear me out because it’s been an amazing place for me, and also somewhere that I’m very passionate about!!) I went as a camper and also got to be what we call a “staff kid” for a week or two a summer (my parents would help out for that time and I just got to hang out). So I got to not only be a camper and listen from the speaker and counselors and stuff but I also got to hang out with the staff and see the stuff they were going through their ministry and why they did what they did which was sweet! Then in 2005 I did the Counselor in Training program and I grew more and got to counsel for one week. Through that year 05/06 I was at camp lots on the weekends serving in different areas in the offseason…Then this past summer I did the Leader in Training program which was mostly junior counseling with some training which again helped me in becoming grounded in my faith and learning more about God and my relationship with Him. Through these years I was always involved in youth group and different worship teams which always helped me to grow. Then I must say even though there’s a lot of stuff that I did in those few years, I feel as though this past fall has been the most amazing in my walk with God. It’s like a line of connection has been opened up between us in a totally new way. He’s been teaching me things, about surrender and resting in His peace and so much more… and I’ve heard Him when like I read my Bible or do a devotion book and I hear what He’s saying to me and see Him in more things throughout the day. Like it feels like it’s been amazing….I’ve had definite downs this fall too but what God has been doing in me and teaching me is so amazing. So there’s me and God in pretty brief form! Hopefully it’s made sense, I’m recovering from my first ever all nighter that I did last night with my middle school youth group=) Well guys I hope more people are on here soon, can’t wait to hear from more and meet all of Kaleo 5…I’m praying for you guys!!

This is me!!!

Hey guys!! Wow as I am writing this I can not believe that I am posting on the Kaleo 5 blog, this is crazy how did I get here??? Well I guess it all started when I met a guy named Jesus!!

So was born and raised in an amazing christian home in Ladysmith BC, with 2 brothers and a sister (all older) and my wonderful parents!! I became a Christan when I was 4 and have been growing in the Lord ever since!! Ever since i can remember I have been going to this amazing place called Camp Qwanoes, every time I went there i would get on such a Spiritual high then go home and everything was the same, until I enrolled in the CIT program, that was when I started to get to know God on a different level it was amazing to hear God and see Him work in the kids and through that staff! I have had some rough times when I doubt and feel like God isn't there but He is sooo good and has made me stronger through those times! Well that is me in a nut shell, I don't know why God has chosen us to do Kaleo next year but I am sooo excited to find out! God Bless you guys and I am praying for you!!

SHERI

Aimee's Awesome Story

Hi Everyone!
So, my name is Aimee and I'm 18 years old. I've graduated from high school and I'm currently taking two classes at a local college. I live in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia and I play hockey(the best sport ever!)

Anyways, now onto my story of how I met Jesus!
I was born into a non-christian family and in 2002 one of my friends invited me to go to Qwanoes with her. I went and I had a blast but not much changed. I learned more about Christianity but that was it. I went back to Qwanoes for Youth Camp 2004 and I was very close to making a decison then but I didn't. When I got home at the beginning of September, I started to talk to God in the form of letters and I also was reading the New Testament that I had. Soon after I decided to follow Jesus. October of that year I went to a Qwanoes event called Road Tour, where I connected with my Youth Pastor Todd. I started attending youth group regularly and church semi-regularly. In January 2005, I applied for C.I.T. program at Qwanoes. I was suprised when I got accepted to the program because I was such a new christian, but I figured it was were God wanted me. CIT was pretty much awesome!, I learned alot about God and my faith. After the end of Summer 2005, my life was going that great. I pretty much stopped going to Youth group and Church. Things weren't going well untill after Staff retreat, when through going to Church and reading my bible, I reconnected with God. In April, I became a youth leader in my Youth group and I applied for the LIT program at Qwanoes. I got accepted to LIT and it was pretty much amazing! I had a blast and over the summer I was contemplating getting baptised. I talked with my youth pastor and I decided that I was at a point in my life were I was ready to be baptised. On October 15, 2006, I got baptised at my Church and shortly afterwards I applied for Kaleo and got accepted. So thats my story of how I met Jesus!
Lets hear everyone elses.
-Aimee

Welcome to the Kaleo Community!

With our hearts still very tightly wrapped around this year's Kaleo group and the ones before, we sometimes wonder how we will manage to include a whole new crew of students in our lives. But we know we will. A few of you we have known for a while, while others we have only talked with on the phone. God is drawing together a new community of Kaleo students and it is a wonder and a privilege to watch it take place. Anything can happen now!

This Blog is a place for you to come and meet your fellow students before the fall, to let family and friends know what you are up to during the Kaleo year, and to stay in touch with one another after Kaleo. Check out the other Kaleo years in the links to the right, and you will see how valuable this communication has been for us. Feel free to tell us your story, include some pictures, tell us your news. Please do it often!

At the same time, keep in mind that written communication is only a beginning. We find that the fall means getting to know one another all over again as we see each other face to face. Kinda what it will be like to meet Jesus one day, only then we will have an eternity to get to know him all over again. Yep, I guess Kaleo is a little taste of heaven.

We hope to see you here soon!