The last of the men from our Men’s Retreat just rolled out of Qwanoes, and with their departure ends our Fall retreat season at Qwanoes. It was a great weekend with the men, with so many great memories to take away. We had an awesome band here from The Meeting Place in Nanaimo. They bring a lot of energy and excitement to the stage as we enter into our worship times together. Steve Sundby from Saanich Baptist church in Victoria was our speaker, and he got right to the point in many areas as we talked all about what the Bible says it means to be a true man through the series “Play The Man.” So many men commented on how it was just good to be at Qwanoes with friends, good food, and a quality time of reflection and time to just be together as guys. On Saturday night after a great session together, it was cool to see some watching the Canucks win yet another hockey game! Others having a big fire down at the fire circle and still others having a soak in the hot tub. So many great options over the weekend. Some of my favorite times were having a great steak meal together, plus late night nachos and chicken wings! We already can’t wait for next year… but we hope to see many of the men back for our family events soon.

Qwanoes looks a little bit different during the winter, and there is one place right now where that is very obvious. Remember where the tideline usually ends during the summer? You can always usually take a walk on the beach or at least on the rocks by the beach. Well, as you can see by the picture that is just not the case right about now. Julie Bayley, our Associate Program Director, couldn’t believe her eyes when she snapped this picture. Can you believe it?!

And as a chapter is quickly coming to a close here at Qwanoes another exciting one is about to begin! That’s right – SUMMER 2012!! And we all can’t wait for our campers and their friends to start signing up for camp on January 3rd at 9:00 am. Be one of the first ones to go online and check out the new summer theme which will be unveiled on our website on January 3rd! Russ, the Squirrel, is working hard in the studio coming up with a brand new full-length album including our new theme song. The 2011 theme “HERE WE GO” brought us so many great memories and things we learnt that will always stay close to our heart… but as we look ahead to summer 2012 and the unveiling of our new theme, we can’t wait for it to start all over again!

Stay tuned for more info on what is coming for 2012!

On Friday night our senior high campers descended on Qwanoes for an out of the ordinary and fun packed weekend! Many of our campers this weekend have been to camp before and it has been so good to welcome them back! Some come with friends that have never been here before. I talked to one camper that said now she knows about Qwanoes and she is for sure coming this summer with her friend!

This afternoon I ran into our camp speaker for the weekend, Storm Moore. It’s great to have Storm back once again! I have to be honest though…I didn’t really run into Storm, I went out looking for him during activity time and I knew it wasn’t going to be hard to find him. You see…it was a little chillier today, and I knew Storm was in one of two places, he was either going to be warming up by the Club Coco fireplace or lined up for a nice warm drink from the Coco Hut. That’s right if you guessed it! He was at the CocoHut! Storm said he was excited about two things this weekend…  1. talking about how God makes a BIG difference in our lives and 2. a piping hot drink from Club Coco!

Club Coco is one nice, warm place to be to be on a chilly day – that’s for sure! If you take just one look around you’ll see so many different options to kick back with some friends and have some fun. On one end there was a roaring fire going that was warming up the whole room. There’s only one thing that makes a nice fire even better on afternoons at Qwanoes during a retreat… playing Mario Cart! I saw a few campers battling it out on the big screen! If you turn around to other parts of Club Coco there are options galore! There were campers playing carpetball, foosball, battle top arena, bubble hockey, and some were just kicking back with friends. Got to love Club Coco… especially after being outside on a Fall fun-filled afternoon swinging from trees or climbing to the top of the Elevator in the challenge course!

The night is still young at Qwanoes! There is still so much left to do! It’s Q-Town right now, and then an awesome night game coming up right after that called “Firestorm!” I heard it involves water balloons and fire! Now that’s going to be exciting. Then off to invade the town wave pool, water slides and hot-tub! Oh and don’t forget about Mug-Up!

It’s been a great retreat season for our students in our Kaléo leadership program! They have been involved in every retreat and done an amazing job! You can see lot of pictures of our students serving on our Kaléo program blog.

It’s hard to believe how fast time flies as our retreat season is quickly coming to an end. The Men’s Retreat is coming up in just two weeks and it’s not too late to sign up! Our youger campers have had their turn, and now it’s time for the men! If you would like more information or want to register, visit us online today!

Christmas? Yes, that too! But something else that is two month away is the first day to register for SUMMER 2012 at Qwanoes. We can’t wait to welcome you into what promises to be another great summer. Stevie-G is thinking up new games, Russ the Squirrel is working on the secret new theme song and a brand new full length CD! I wonder what the theme is going to be!?? Well come on back in just under two months and you’ll be one of the first to find out right on our website. For now… put on your camp DVD, or Q-Town tunes, kick back and think warm summer thoughts!

Some of our campers aren’t waiting until the summer! They are here right now during our Junior High Retreat! Everything that is great about the summer packed into an action packed weekend. Today has been filled with great food, awesome games, Q-Town talks and cabin discussion, activity times, music, Club Coco and more! Tonight we think warm thoughts and take over the town pool & hot tub and more Q-Town time!

Dan King, who is the youth pastor from a church in Parksville, is our speaker this weekend. I caught up with Dan on the Club Coco deck and he had this to say about what the challenge is for this weekend: ” Our theme this weekend is ‘Brighter Yet’ and we are talking all about how Jesus brings light into the darkness and shows us what real life is all about and how we can walk with confidence in who he made us to be and created us for.” What a great message for the campers as they dive into all the fun of camp including some pretty big challenges on life.

I ran into some girls who just  finished getting off the Sky-Scraper and then headed to Club Coco to hangout and have some treats. I asked the girls how they were liking the retreat and boy oh boy…are they ever liking the retreat! All of them at the same time answered my question! I heard, ” I love the food, my counselor is the best, the Sky-Scraper was soooo fun!” Nicole mentioned that staying in the Qwanoes Pacific Woods Lodge is like staying in a hotel for kids! Shannon said: ” I love the warming feel and atmosphere at Qwanoes, feeling loved by everyone.” That was all very cool to hear!

There are still two more retreats coming up to conclude our Fall retreat season. We have the Senior High retreat coming up next weekend followed by the Men’s retreat! So it’s not too late to jump in on the Fall retreat action. See you soon!

On Friday night we had an awesome kick off with Quixotic. Click on the picture and listen in! Qwanoes Q-Town

Many wonder what happens during the non-summer months at Qwanoes. Yes, we sometimes break into a spontaneous all out finger rocket war in the offices… hey we are at camp! The other times we are busy getting ready for a retreat, recruiting summer staff, running the Kaléo program or making sure summer 2012 will be the best it can be for our campers! I heard at staff meeting this week that the Squirrel (Russ Smith) is back in the studio writing a whole new CD. That’s right…a full-length, all-new CD! So get ready campers for brand new songs this upcoming summer, I know that I can’t wait! Be sure to tune into qrok.ca every week and send an email to the Squirrel saying hello or give him an idea for a song! Who knows – it might inspire a song!

Last week our leadership students in the Kaléo program were out on adventure in Tofino to go cold water surfing. Did you know that Tofino is the surfing capital of Canada?! It was a fantastic trip with lots of fun together plus digging into God’s word in the evening and morning. God’s creation is a wonderful thing! The trip was highlighted in our Kaléo 2012 blog. This past week they were deep in academic study. Don Taylor, a professor from Briercrest, flew out like professors do for all the classes and was teaching on Old Testament Literature. The students said they learned a ton, and had fun doing it as they made a video that highlighted the Old Testament story.

Retreats, Retreats and more RETREATS! So far we have our women’s retreat, Juniors retreat and still to come is Junior High, Senior High and then Men’s retreat. This is a perfect chance to come on back to Qwanoes and spend some time with God at camp. Life can be busy, but something special happens when you step out of the ordinary and go to camp. We hope to see many of our campers from this past summer and their friends! Junior High is coming up this weekend!

Right now we have many youth groups here from the Fellowship churches from the greater Vancouver area. This youth retreat is put on by a group of great youth pastors. I can hear them upstairs right now rocking out with their band. I ran into Chris Synesael who is the speaker this weekend and Rob Schweyer who is a youth pastor in Maple Ridge and both past Qwanoes camp speakers.  Are you in a youth group? If not check out our youth group church finder on our website. It’s a great place to connect with people at camp, school friends and youth pastors who really care about you. Stevie-G just told me he was off to a finger-rocket battle in Q-Town, so sounds like lots is going on!

Hope to see you at  Qwanoes soon!

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Wow! What a great start to Juniors retreat last night. Something is just different at Qwanoes when campers are here, it makes Qwanoes come alive!! It’s hard to explain, but I think this video will help – Check it out !

Club Coco was transformed, and we started off the night with having Q-Town right in Club Coco! What a special night as the Squirrel (Russ Smith) was back on the stage leading Q-Town songs once again with the rest of our band Quixotic. Our Juniors campers got a very special surprise last night, as something happened that was very different! Russ didn’t leave the stage after we were done singing! What!? That’s right for those that guessed it…for the very first time Russ the “Squirrel”  is our camp speaker, and he is doing an amazing job! Our theme for this weekend is “Something’s Different Here” and Russ is talking all about how Jesus did some things that were a little bit different, and said things that were a little bit different. Something else that is a little different at Qwanoes this weekend is Scott Bayley led All Star games on Friday night! Now that is very different, but it’s all part of our very special weekend!

Mug-Up, cabin devos, cabins eating together in the dining hall, All Star games, this weekend is packed with so many great things. This afternoon campers spread out across Qwanoes for activity time. The Sky-Scraper was swinging through the trees, campers were hanging in Club Coco, and screams of delight could be heard loud and clear from the “Screamer.” I even saw campers lined up at Ice-Cream Island enjoying some great tastes of summer.

Right now the campers are engaged in an epic battle called “Under Siege.” They are sneaking around the forest trying to infiltrate the enemies territory, defend their own territory by catching those who dare cross the line, and seeking to attack the enemy base with “grenades” and even rockets! It’s anyones game right now, RED, BLUE, GREEN and YELLOW, when the gong goes, someone will be victorious!

So much more in store for this weekend! More Q-Town, more All Star Games, more friends and the town invasion is coming up tonight where all the campers head to the pool and take over!

Junior High and Senior High retreats are coming up fast and it’s not too late to sign up! The theme for these two retreats is “Brighter Yet?” and you won’t want to miss it! Go online to find out more about the theme.

There’s Going To Be Tons To Do! Late Night Madness, Town Invasion … The Hot Tub & Pool Are Ours!, Outdoor Adventure, Awesome Counselors & Staff, And Always… And Always A Few Surprises!

If you’re looking for something completely out of the ordinary…welcome. If you want something different…this is it. If you’re tired of the same old same old…sign up now and prepare for the unexpected. Go online to find out more!

What a great weekend to have a women’s retreat! The sun is shining, the cool Fall breeze is just right. It promises to be an awesome weekend for women to connect with each other, good food, fun activities, spiritually challenging and excellent weather! The speaker for the weekend is Patti Larsen. She brings to Qwanoes a wealth of experience in ministry to women over many years. The women this weekend can expect to be challenged to know Christ, and to go deeper and wider in their relationship with God to be used for His fullness. The women’s retreat kicks off tonight!

Here is a quick recap of what has been happening at Qwanoes and what’s coming up!

Qwanoes students head off on a sailing trip! What an exciting trip for the students in our Kaléo Leadership Program. They started in Victoria and spent a whole week together on a big sailing ship! They learned a lot about each other, leadership and God. You won’t want to miss the pictures and the blog post on our Kaléo Program blog site.

Stevie-G is married! Our very own Stevie-G got married over the weekend to a past summer staffer by the name of Alycia! Many staff from Qwanoes headed all the way up to Williams Lake to be part of the celebration. It was a wonderful wedding day! The ceremony took place in front of a beautiful lake outdoors, we had a BBQ, campfire, and fireworks in the evening. Stevie-G even led us in some All Star Games! Okay, I’m kidding. Be sure to congratulate Stevie-G next time you see him! We wish Stevie-G and Alycia the very best and we are so happy to have both of them a part of our Qwanoes family 🙂 (Williams Lake is also where Scott Bayley, our Executive Director, was born…so he also enjoyed seeing his old home town, as did his parents Ken & Betty Bayley.)

Thanksgiving for all! We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. One of our highlights here at Qwanoes is our annual staff and student Thanksgiving dinner. What a feast! Our head chefs prepared a delicious home cooked Qwanoes meal, and it was a a great time of sharing with each other what we are thankful about. Many of our Fall staff are from Brazil, and this was their very first Thanksgiving in Canada!

Retreat Season: We have many retreats coming up for campers to choose from! To check-out the line up of opportunities to be a camper here in the Fall, you  can go online to our retreat page.

Four locations in four days! First it was in Victoria on Sept 28th, and then over to the mainland to Ladner, followed by Abbotsford the next day, and ending with the grand finale back on the island in Parksville!

It was a whirl-wind tour of seeing campers, staff, meeting new friends and connecting with many, many youth groups. I was just at the Parksville Road Tour location, and it was a blast! There was a giant welcome with the “Rocket” greeting everyone at the front door, and then as soon as you walked in there was Beach Betty manning the Tuck Shop! Staff were everywhere and I could hear the Q-Town music pumping in the background. We started off the night with some great Q-Town music led by the ‘Squirrel’ (Russ Smith) and then Stevie-G hit the stage with some front & center games. I never knew someone could eat a banana that quickly!  Scott Bayley also jumped in and gave away some prizes – one person even won a free camp registration to a Fall Retreat!

There were so many favorite parts of the night, but one of my favorite had to be when we had the giant box All Star game right in the middle of the church. There were finger rockets flying, boxes being stacked like a fortress, doctors saving people, it was an all out battle!

Getting closer to the end of the night now…the speaker, Dan from Parksville, came up to do his talk and he challenged all of us to make sure we are plugged into a church youth group, because that’s where a lot of growth is going to happen when you aren’t at camp. So if you aren’t plugged into a youth group yet, let me encourage you to check out our webpage where it lists a lot of good churches!

And of course no Road Tour would be complete with out Mug-Up! Mug-up! Mug-Up, got to get yourself some Mug-Up! I love that song and I love Qwanoes cookies and juice.

If you missed the Road Tour, no worries! There are still plenty of chances to stay connected with Qwanoes. Did you know you can come to camp when it’s not summer!?? If you haven’t been invited yet by anyone, let me officially invite you now to come to a Fall Retreat! Check it out online to get all the info. See you soon!

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Trinity Western University leadership students arrived last night to a lively Qwanoes welcome with bus horns, fireworks and a steak dinner! This is the last event for the Trinity leadership students to wrap up their training and orientation for being leaders on the TWU campus. Q-Town was alive once again with chapel last night and this morning. It’s so great to have a speaker on the stage again with awesome worship music. The weather is just fantastic! This afternoon the TWU students will be in the challenge course, being pulled behind our three Tige wakeboard boats and shooting some hoops on the sports court. The sun is so bright, the Sky Deck is full at meal times, it almost feels like summer again… except one little thing, our campers are university students!

What a great first week for our very own Qwanoes students! (Kaléo Leadership Program) This past Sunday we gathered together in the Qwanoes Leadership Centre (Pacific Woods Lodge) and packed our backpacks for what promised to be an adventure like no other! We headed up to Mount Washington here on Vancouver Island to attempt to summit Mt. Albert Edward. The purpose of the trip is to bond as a group, learn about leadership and God in a whole new way…. and indeed we did! What a great way to learn perseverance!

Mt Albert Edward, standing at 2093m, is the 6th highest peak on Vancouver Island and one of the most nicest to summit of Strathcona’s giant peaks. The trail takes you through the tranquil alpine area of Paradise Meadows and ascends up the gentle-sloped ridge to the summit, providing outstanding views of the snow-covered peaks of B.C.’s oldest provincial park. With this being the 1st backpack trip for many of our students, it stretched many outside of their comfort zone. I personally loved it because that’s all part of the training! So did we make it? Is what you probably wondering???!!! Well I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves!

Coming up next week is Qwanoes Road Tour week! The Squirrel (Russ Smith) & Stevie-G are packing the van and could be heading to a town near you. This is a great chance to reconnect with Qwanoes…a wild night of music, fun, mug-up and togetherness! Enjoy a typical Qwanoes evening- from the energy of Q-Town to many crazy, interactive events! There’ll be lots of staff from our Summer 2011 Staff Team-plus youth groups from all over. Invite your friends! All Junior High’s & Senior High’s ages 11 (or turning 11) to 18. Whether you attended camp or not…this is a night for everyone!   Don’t forget the Fall retreat season as well!

Our campers are back in school and we are gearing up for Road Tour… it feels like just yesterday when our campers were on the grounds enjoying summer camp! Just a couple weeks ago now we completed our ninth and final week of summer camps – and what a grand finale it was! Youth Camp is always such an extra special week. The weather was ideal…especially the last full day where we enjoyed an outdoor banquet and fireworks.

Sunday, September 4th was a very sad day at Qwanoes as it was the last day of what was an amazing summer with over 3700 amazing kids. All of us at Qwanoes already can’t wait for the next summer. Until then, we invite you to a fall retreat, a Road Tour event…and we will be praying that all of our campers have a great start back to school. We would like to send a BIG thank you out to all our campers and staff for making summer 2011 so special! THANK YOU!

Our students have just arrived and the Kaléo Leadership Program is well underway. On Wednesday our leadership students rolled in from as far away as Newfoundland and as close as Vancouver. We are just loving the energy these students bring. Our hope for them this year is that they would hear God’s voice and discover His will for their life. That’s what the word “Kaléo” is all about! “voice” and “to be called.” The theme for the Kaléo program is “inspired for life, called to lead” – and we have confidence that it is going to happen for all of these leadership students. It’s been non- stop action since they arrived…settling in, staff and student day, orientation, meeting their church they will be serving at and activity training today, just to name a bit of their schedule so far. Tomorrow we will be packing our backpacks and getting ready for our backpacking trip at Mt. Albert Edward. It promises to be an awesome adventure, and a great way to learn about leadership and get to know each other even more! Our student’s year is going to be filled with academics, ministry, leadership development, community and lots more adventures! Stay tuned…