Baseball Challenge '08

Team "Party People" lining up to bat.


The view of first base.


Tessa at the plate.


Big swing by Tim.

Having fun on the slide.


Vijoy and Kevin.


Merry-go-round, the most dangerous playground toy invented.


Chet being creative with the swings.

The birthday boy Tim golfing.


Janell and Sarah, they mean business.


Preparing to portage.

Portaging.


Charles relaxing on the rock.


Kris tending the fire.


Paul mid sentence.


Dave and Charles, the bearded men.

Unloading the boat.


Katy and Kelly.


Setting up the tent.


Sam and Kyra.


The Ladies.

Dave, Kelly, and Kris.


Sam and Becca.

Preparing for the night.


Camp cook Tobi doing her thing.

Kristen and Heather.


Steve with an epic rock, paper, scissors victory over Lisa.

Lisa mastering the skill of paddling.


The dining hall at Pioneer Camp.

The cheese cake crew.

Canoe Trip Part Two

After getting to know each other at the Wilderness Edge Retreat Centre, we were ready for adventure. On the weekend of the 19th through the 21st of September the Outtatowners set out for a three-day canoe trip from Manitoba Pioneer Camp on Shoal Lake. Some of us were seasoned outdoor orienteers while others experienced our first canoe trip. It didn't matter. Everyone was able to find their place whether it was setting up tents and packing the canoes, preparing meals, or taking leadership in the canoe.
After a jittery start in which I accidentally flipped my canoe, we trekked over 27 kilometers including a 900-meter portage in both directions. I was in charge of navigation during day one. Learning how to take compass bearings with the aid of a topographical map was difficult at first, especially in a moving canoe. By the time we had arrived safely at the campsite I had it mastered. The portage was a first for me. I'm glad I didn't know I had to do another portage until after the first was finished! On the final day I switched from the bow to stern of the canoe. I must admit, it may have seemed like we were playing bumper boats at the beginning, but I was able to navigate my canoe back to Manitoba Pioneer Camp the same way I navigated our group to the first campsite
Each person sees the world through a filter through which we interpret the world. During the out-trip we were challenged to set these filters aside in order to fully understand how beauty and brokenness can be present side-by-side in Creation and in our own lives. The harshness of the wilderness is often contrasted with its beauty that can only be experienced by being part of it. For us that meant living in respect with Creation without the conveniences that accompany the brokenness of modern living. The adventure left us feeling physically and mentally exhausted, even broken. The camp was a welcome site when we returned.
Ryan Caldwell

The Glorious Canoe Trip

Chet doing what he does best.


Preparing for supper.


Aaron and Shayleen.


Flotilla.


The sunset.

Canoe Trip Part One

Natalie and Tim, professional canoeists.

Canoe Trip
What comes to mind? Campfire? Sleeping bag? Yes, all of that, but also a time to connect in an interesting way with a community of people. As a group of 21 students we left from Manitoba Pioneer Camp to paddle Shoal Lake. Canoe trips are always a lot of fun, laughing and talking with a unique group of people. As we were in God’s creation we were to be looking for His beauty. It’s September therefore the leaves are turning colours, and it’s absolutely beautiful. The sun was shining, the wind was on our side and it was so nice to be on the lake. As we canoed, we got to have some time with our new friends either one-on-one or in a group of three in the canoes, which helped us get to know one another. As we sat around the fire admiring its beauty we talked about our feelings about the trip, and it is just so amazing to have the opportunity as a community to express our thoughts on our journey. A personal experience of mine as we were away was the last night, I took some time to sit and reflect and think about some of the things we’d been learning, and thoughts I’d been having. I just sat on a rock looking at the stars in the middle of the lake. God really spoke to me in that time, as I was struggling with healing from past pain I was reminded that God wants to help us, not harm us. Tobi, one of our site leaders, came and talked to me about God, and His love. He brings pain to the surface when He thinks it’s necessary to deal with it. I just was enthralled in His beauty and His love that night, and it was a moment I will forever remember. What an excellent way to kick-off our adventure as a site group!
Natalie Kay

Reflection on Gerry Michalski

To start off our journey we found ourselves at Wilderness Edge Retreat Center in Pinawa. It's a beautiful little place with almost as many deer as there are people. The speaker we had for the last few days was Gerry Michalski who is the pastor of Soul Sanctuary in Winnipeg. Our first session was at 9:30am on the morning of the 15th. Maybe it was because Gerry started off with a basic summary of his life but he gave off the impression that he was an approachable guy. Gerry's big thing that he wanted us to get was the need to understand people in their cultural context. Once we grasped that, he said the only thing left is to share the gospel in that context. Clearly the guy believed in this because even his power point presentations were filled with images and clips to contain our generations fleeting attention. Gerry even took it to the big screen, the profit of our culture, by breaking down and showing us significant truth in The Guardian. The last day contained a comprehensive look at the first piece of the armour of God: the belt of truth. After three days, Gerry left us with a lot to think about. When he left, I felt like a conversation had ended, even though he was the only one speaking. The seed has been planted and we will just have to wait and see if we can harvest something. He maybe even gave us a few insights into questions we didn't even know we had yet.
Joshua Krueger

Welcome to the Outtatown Site 3 blog!

We have safely arrived in Pinawa and are in the middle of three days of instruction from Gerry Michalski. Gerry is a pastor at Soul Sanctuary in Winnipeg and is passionate about informing young people of the importance of sharing God's love to those around them in a relevant way.
Two days from now we will be preparing for the Canoe trip at Manitoba Pioneer Camp.