This past weekend was our annual Family Retreat!

We were a packed house with lots of families joining us for the weekend. Everywhere I looked there were families enjoying one another from Pacific Woods Lodge to Q-Town! What a great weekend for families to step into a whole new world at Qwanoes and spend time with each other and God.

Every morning we kicked off the day with a BIG breakfast, pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, hash-browns and all the fixings! The families would come in and sit down together as a family and the staff would serve the families at their table. All the parents were loving not having to lift a finger as everything was taken care of for them! I saw one camper stack up four waffles one morning with whip cream and berries…he was in Heaven!

Q-Towns were very special as we got to hear a few of the brand new songs from the NEW album “Out Of This World”! My favorite new one I heard was the one with the Hawaiian sound! I couldn’t get it out of my head all day! “Oh Oh Oh on the Island” – If you are coming this summer, you will love hearing Russ “The Squirrel” on his ukulele…Island style!

Every morning and night there were programs for all ages! The smaller kids headed up to the Sky Deck for an awesome space theme program that they rotated through. The adults stayed up in Club Coco for a challenging message and worship. Later on that morning the whole camp came together to enjoy some fun family games!

Afternoons were of course filled with all our Qwanoes activities! So many choices and so much free time, it was great watching moms and daughters and fathers and sons enjoying the Challenge Course together!

Fireside times were also a big hit with funny skits, singing, powerful dramas, challenging messages and of course S’mores! (Oh – and no one will ever forget watching Dan join the ‘Lunks bobsled team!)

If this sounds like something you are interested in, it’s not too late!

Two great family programs coming up soon!
Family Work Weekend #2: June 4-6
A whole week at Qwanoes with your family! Aug 1-7

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So many great things happened this past weekend at Qwanoes!

On Friday night we had three events kick off at the same time!

Young Adults Retreat – The retreat was a partnership of Qwanoes and “Ethos” the Young Adults ministry of Coquitlam Alliance church. Anticipation for the weekend had been building for weeks and then it was finally here! As the buses rolled-in the fireworks went off and the music was pumping from the qrok tower! What a great start to the weekend! “Jonny Mo” (Jon Morrison) was the speaker for the weekend and he did a great job!  So many great things happened on the retreat from activities like the “Sky Scraper” to great food and fellowship on our Sky Deck. One of the highlights on the weekend was on the last night of the retreat when everyone made their way down to a special mug-up at the qrok tower – smores, cinnamon buns and hot chocolate! After filling up on mug-up we went down to the campfire for some great worship, skits and sharing about what God is doing in our lives. What a fantastic weekend!

CIT Training – The first CIT (Counselor In Training)  event launched on Friday night! It was a fun weekend of learning the ropes in the challenge course! Many had the opportunity to belay someone up the climbing tower or send someone down the “Screamer”! The weekend was also full of tasty mug-up times and deep training and sharing times on the role of a CIT during the summer. Thanks to all our CIT’s who came out and we look forward to having you back soon!

Counselor Training Seminar – The third event of the weekend was a seminar for a group of 2010 counselors! The seminar covered topics from leading evening cabin devotions to tips on being a great camp counselor. The excitement is building every day as we get closer and closer to our first camp of the summer. We can’t wait to have all our campers here soon!

We are looking forward to the Family Retreat coming up this weekend! Stay tuned!

Coming up next!
Family Retreat: May 21-24
Family Work Weekend #2: June 4-5

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What a great weekend at Qwanoes!

The Warmland Crofton Youth Group came in on Friday night to get ready for their workday on Saturday. It was a great time of working together and getting Qwanoes ready for all our campers who will soon be here! The weather was so nice, the guys did a sleep-out on the dock! Stevie-G was leading the group and even spent the night on the dock joining in on the adventure!

Other happenings included a Qwanoes board meeting at our Guest House, our first ever Health Care Workshop, and our annual Music Team Workshop! Our new theme song “Out Of This World” was rocking inside Club Coco and all over camp for the very first time!

This week we will have even more summer staff making their way to Qwanoes as they join “Advance Crew” and all the preparation that is underway in getting ready for our campers!

Young Adult Retreat is happening at Qwanoes this weekend!  It’s not too late to sign up!

Mellow-out and retreat with friends! This will be the place! Take some time to yourself or with friends and just step back from the rush of life and relax in a beautiful setting right on the ocean.

Take your faith deeper! That’s what the Young Adults Retreat is all about. Jon Morrison (“Jonny Mo”) will be our speaker and his passion to follow Christ is contagious. Prepare for an awesome time to reflect on what’s really important and go deeper in your faith.

Looking for adventure? Qwanoes land activities will be in full swing. Step into the challenge course and experience high-thrill activities like our Screamer and SkyScraper…hangout at our concrete skate park or sand volleyball court…explore Maple Mountain…or just relax at the beach.

Who’s it for? From high school grads up to late twenty’s…all are welcome!

Want the details? Mark your calendar for May 14-16. Go online to find out more and to register: http://www.qwanoes.ca/retreats/youngadult/

Coming up next!
Young Adults Retreat: May 14 – 16
Family Retreat: May 21-24
Family Work Weekend #2: June 4-5

This past weekend at a glance!

The women’s retreat went really well! The sun was shining, the fellowship was wonderful and everyone was impacted by what Grace Fox our speaker shared.

The first of our many training workshops took place and it was a good time for new summer staff to get trained and ready for the summer!

Qwanoes was at SouthRidge Baptist Church this past Sunday and we enjoyed connecting with many people about all the opportunities that are coming up right here at camp very soon.

Parents are you looking for a way to spend some quality time together as a family? Then Qwanoes family programs are just for you! Step into an unforgettable and refreshing family program at Qwanoes. Experiences like this are where great memories are made that will last a lifetime!

Our family programs offer something for everyone and we mean everyone! Great food, no cleaning, complimentary baby-sitting, quality program and activities and adventures for all ages! Visit our website to get all the info on Qwanoes family programs.

Here are two we would like to highlight!

Open House. (June 12 – FREE) You are invited to be our guest for the day! All are welcome and there is so much to do. Meet our staff. Try a few of our 75 activities for yourself. Enjoy our very first Q-Town of the summer, plus a free lunch and BBQ dinner! This will be an unforgettable day. (We even provide free bus transportation from the Duke Point ferry terminal.) Experience a great Vancouver Island Summer Camp for a day and see what it’s all about!

Family Work Weekend. (June 4-6 – FREE ) Have you ever been on a mission’s trip? This weekend is a chance for you to experience just that…and as a family. A great blend of Qwanoes fun, friends, Q-Town and being a part of the Qwanoes team by helping to get ready for the summer! Go online to our website to get all the info and see some great pictures that say it all!

Coming up soon!
Summer work weekend #1: May 7-8
Music Team Workshop & Health Care Workshop: May 7-8
Young Adults Retreat: May 14 – 16
Family Retreat: May 21-24

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BC Christian news has published an article on Qwanoes! Here is a brief excerpt from the article and then you can click on the link to read more!

“Music is God’s idea and it is one of the trademarks and traditions of a week here at Qwanoes. And it has been right from the start. Music is woven into the fabric of each day, and campers love it!

Since 1995 Qwanoes has produced original music filled with vision, hope and life. Our world needs some extra hope right now…it needs a vision for what real life is meant to be, and CAN be with Christ. We all it “life like no other” around here and Q-Town music is FILLED with this message.”

Article continues… http://www.canadianchristianity.com/bc/bccn/0410/25qwanoes.html

Qwanoes is coming to Greater Vancouver! On Tuesday we will be at Valley Christian School in Mission and on Tuesday night we will be at Ladner Church visiting with Awana! Be sure to stop by and say hi, we would love to see you!

Russ Smith, aka “The Squirrel,” is back in the studio this week cranking on some new songs for the new Q-Town Album called “OUT OF THIS WORLD.”

Sneak Peek Just For Q-Life Readers: Next week stand-by for some very exciting news as “Stevie-G” and “The Squirrel” head off on a road trip all the way to Calgary! This is all part of a new music video for the new album being released this summer!

Special Announcements and important dates!

Kaleo Grad coming up on April 17th

Advance Crew for Summer Staff – starts April 28

Women’s Retreat – April 30 to May 2

On Friday night around 8:00 pm our first Juniors Retreat Campers started to arrive from all over Vancouver Island, soon after our campers from the mainland invaded Qwanoes too! You should have seen it! The spotlight was shining, smiles were flashing and the music was pumping! It was a pretty exciting weekend to be at Qwanoes.

The first night was filled with Q-Town music, games led by Stevie-G and crew, and a great talk from our speaker Jonny Mo who started us off with the weekend theme of “Anything is possible.” I remember being at the back of Club Coco with Grandma and Grandpa and thinking to myself “it is so good to have campers back here at Qwanoes!” and I’m pretty sure everyone was feeling the same way!

On Saturday afternoon everyone was outside enjoying the sunny weather! As we looked around it was hard to tell whether it was a Spring Retreat or a Summer Camp! Campers in shorts and t-shirts and all activities were in full-throttle as you can see from the picture of the stake park. What a great weekend of friends, fun and learning how anything is possible with God!

Yes – spring is here so that means that summer is just around the corner! I invite you to sign-up for a week of kid’s summer camp on Vancouver Island today!

Yesterday we hosted our Qwanoes Seniors Luncheon in the afternoon! Many of our guests were at Qwanoes from the very beginning. We love hearing their stories of when Qwanoes all began…during the times when the kitchen and dining room was out at Huckleberry Hideout! And when there were no bathrooms at all, just outhouses! As we look at summer 2010 coming up very soon, it does look a little bit different, but the great thing is that the reason why Qwanoes started remains the same! We love kids!

Special Announcements and important dates!
Kaléo Grad coming up on April 17th
Advance Crew for Summer Staff – starts April 28
Women’s Retreat – April 30 to May 2

Ladies, has something been stirring in you lately?

Perhaps you are sensing you need some time to step back from the rush of life and just slow down. The Qwanoes Women’s Retreat is a perfect time to do just that.

Maybe you are sensing you need to dive into some deep fellowship with other women, a time of reflection, a time of spiritual renewal, or maybe it’s a time where you can just kick back and have fun with some other women, no cooking, no cleaning, just focused time on you. The Qwanoes Women’s retreat is the perfect location to do just that too!

Fabulous Speaker: Grace Fox

Grace Fox is an international author and speaker described as “deep, daring, and devoted.” She’s written hundreds of magazine articles and four books including the 10–Minute Time Out devotional series and Moving From…read more
We are very excited to be able to welcome Grace back to Qwanoes.

Welcome to the women’s retreat and prepare for a life–changing weekend together!

Special Announcements!

Bikes For Sale! Our 2009 Rocky Mountain Bikes that were only used for 10 weeks last summer are on sale for an amazing price! Don’t miss out on this fabulous last minute deal! Good timing for the great summer weather! Contact Qwanoes for more info.

Juniors Spring Retreat (March 26-28) for campers ages 9 to 11