I'm going to rewind back to the beginning of January when I came back to Qwanoes after Christmas Break. As soon as we got back, we jumped back into class. From January 4-8, we were learning about the Pauline Epistles. This class was very different from our previous classes. We were split into 4 groups and assigned a set of Paul's letters to research along with a contemporary issue found into the letters. In the morning our professor would teach but then Tuesday to Friday, each group would present for 3 hours on the research we found. It sounds crazy but our professor told us what information he required us to find and it did not take long to fill the time requirement. The reason our professor had us to so much research was that he wanted us to learn how to study Paul for ourselves instead of just giving us all the answers. We also had another group project. This time we were split into 2 groups. One group read Justification by N.T. Wright and the other group read Faith Alone by Thomas Schreiner . Each author presented a similar but slightly different view on justification as presented in the Bible. We then presented the authors view to the rest of the class and eventually had to write a paper on the topic. Needless to say, it was a very busy week and I didn't learn as much as I hoped or expected to but I believe that our professor's method of teaching will be beneficial in the long run as I continue to study Paul and the message he brings. This is a lifelong journey as there is so much to learn and discover.
The very next week we packed up and travelled up to Mt Washington for a 5 day ski/snowboard trip. I had never skied before so I was very excited. We stayed at an extremely nice chalet. It had 2 hot tubs and lots of room for lounging around. I enjoyed the evenings where we could relax, talk and have fun together.
We skied on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. I took lessons in the morning on Monday and stuck to the bunny hill. In the afternoon me and 2 friends decided to try a green run. We did not expect the hill to be as difficult as it was. It was steep and I had not fully mastered controlling my speed yet, so I ended up falling hard. I was scared and wanted to get off the hill. My 2 friends sat with me and prayed with me, encouraged and comforted me. Once I was ready we continued. I was very cautious and walked a lot of it. Although on the last stretch, God gave me the courage to do it. And I did! Without falling! I could not believe it! I know that I wanted to do the hill again. I did not want to be scared anymore but first I needed to practice my skiing skills. For all of Tuesday and Thursday morning I stayed on the bunny hill. Thursday afternoon I ventured back to that green run with 2 different friends. We took the run slow and it was incredible!! It felt like a completely different run. I even went down a second time :)
During this time I learned even more about the value of community and that it is ok to be vulnerable with them. God also showed me that I need to trust him to take care of me. I needed to stretch myself out of what is easy and conquer fears.
On Wednesday we took a break from skiing and tried out the tubing hill. It was a blast experimenting with different ways to go down the hill. There was hay at the bottom of the hill to slow the tubes down so I smelled like farm at the end and found never-ending hay on my clothes! But I should be used to hay, being from Manitoba, right?
On Friday, we ended our time by snowshoeing through the woods. Our guide also taught some winter survival skills. We learned how to use a compass, survival tips and equipment, how to build a snow cave and what to do if we get stuck in a tree well. It was interesting! We all had a blast attempting to run through the bushes on our snowshoes too.
While on the mountain it was foggy the majority of the time. One morning the clouds cleared for a couple minutes and we caught a glimpse of Mt Albert Edward (the mountain we climbed in September). It is the pointy one poking up from behind the trees.
Last Thursday we took a break from our studies and went curling. This was also a first for me and a few other students. I enjoyed it and even won my first game! The heaviness of the rocks emphasized my lack of arm strength but I did get one rock into the circle. Best part of the afternoon!
On Friday the Kaleo students ran a Cowichan Valley Youth Night. Many of the youth groups from the Island came out and joined us at Qwanoes. In total we have over 200 youth and youth leaders! Each Kaleo student was assigned an area to either lead or help in. We had staff members to guide us and answer any questions but in the end we ran the entire event. I was in charge of greeting and making sure people knew where to go for the different activities. The evening went really well and everybody had loads of fun. Each area was creative and organized well.
Thanks for your prayers!
Sabrina Thiessen
