Florida

Hey everyone I made it back from Florida! It was so much fun, we took three days to drive down there and started canoing on the 31^st. Our days started off anywhere from 4:30 to 6 in the morning and then we would paddle 10-20 miles a day. The temperature was amazing and the hottest day was around 110 degrees, unfortunately that day there were no clouds so we were pretty toasty to say the least. I saw so much wildlife it was incredible! There were at least five alligators per day, dolphins, sharks, many birds, flying fish, two snakes and one fourteen foot crocodile! One of the snakes (a burmese python) lived in our outhouse at the chickee. Needless to say we decided that we didn’t want to spend the night with it so we paddled an extra three miles to get to the next chickee. We normally got to our chickee’s at around noon ate lunch and then set up our tents. After that people would take naps or read, I decided to journal every day so I did that but basically our afternoons we spent just chilling out trying to stay cool. The sun would go down around 5:30 so we tried to have supper cooked by then and once it got dark the bugs came out so we would normally retreat to our tent. So my sleeping pattern was severely messed up because I was often asleep by 8:00! Since you are only allowed to book one end of the chickee we had to split our group in two. Which was kinda sad but it was neat because we had a rest day on the 5^th at Highland beach. So we got to swap stories and hang out. The beaches in the Everglades are crazy one was pretty much all shells and the other one didn’t have as many but it didn’t have sand it was just finely crushed shells! I guess it’s because not many people go through there and they have a limit on how much you can take out. After ten days paddling I was so happy to get to a shower and real washroom but when we went to get our van, it was dead. So we were stuck at Flamingo Bay for over 24 hours. It was actually one of the best times of my trip, we got to know most to the rangers by name, we saw our first crocodile, and we hunted for coconuts. But don’t worry we got it fixed and made it home in no time.

Shirley Temple

Hey everyone its so good to hear that you are all enjoying my blog and please give it to anyone who wants to know what I'm up too. You don't have to ask me first! So this week was intense, we did wilderness first aid. First we learned simple stuff like how to fix a broken femur. Its crazy because in wilderness first aid everything is slightly different than standard first aid. You have to set bones, and take out embedded objects. (I know all you standard first aid people are freaking out right now but when your two days away from help you have to do crazy things!) One of the next things that we learned was how to get across a gorge with a injured person. We learned how to set up a rope system so that you can hook your harness onto a pulley and pull yourself across. After we learned how to do that I got to pretend to have a broken leg and arm, and everyone else in LDP had to splint my ligaments and send me across the river. Unfortunately I riped my pants on a really pointy rock that could have actually injured me and I would have had to get first aid. But no worries I'm fine, I just need to find a cool patch and I'll be set. The next day we did the same thing but we wrapped Anna in what is called a burrito. It is what you'd use for spinal victims and it actually looked really comfy! Then on Saturday night after supper we did a search and rescue scenario where Michael took us out into the bush and became the 'victim'. He told us his friend was lost in the bush but didn't know where, so we had to find him. After about an hour of searching we found his friend (one of the year round staff) half way down a cliff (well very steep hill) with a broken shoulder clinging onto a tree. I got assigned the task of talking to the victim, which was really fun because then I didn't have to set up a bunch of ropes in the dark.
The best part of the week though was the fact that since we did class at night Michael gave us Friday off! This weekend four people went home and two went to a first aid course. That left Esther, Dave and I, so we just hung out and relaxed, which was a nice break. Esther and I didn't want to get bored so we decided to curl our hair using rags, its actually quite fun and you kinda look like Shirley Temple afterwards.
Oh excitement, so next Tuesday we are making our way by van to FLORIDA! We are going on a ten day canoe trip in the everglades, and I'm so pumped! We are going to see alligators and possibly dolphins. Since there isn't a lot of beach spots to set up camp we sleep on these things called Chickie's most of the time (they are wooden platforms a couple of feet off the water) Its going to be weird though because only six people can fit on a Chickie at a time. So we have to split into two groups and go in opposite directions.
Thats about all I know for now but if you could keep me in your prayers that would be awesome.

P.S. For those of you wondering the camp that I'm at, which offers LDP (Leadership Development Program) is called Medeba. If you want to check out their web site its www.medeba.com

Purple Shoes

Hey guys, so I'm doing awesome, and there is lots here to keep me busy! Last week I was an assistant to the leader of the week which means you help the leader wherever needed and you help do the bible studies in the morning. Also I am assistant again next week so for the last five weeks now I have either been working on projects for the next week or doing a mad rush to get ready for the next day. Normally we have a group in on Wednesday to Friday and we facilitate for them, and use everything that we are learning in a practical sense. But November is supposedly a less busy month so we don't typically have a group in during the week. Which means that on days that we would normally facilitate we get to do stuff around camp to improve it. For example the next few days we will be building our ice climbing wall. I'm so excited to do it because you are about forty feet up in the air attached to ropes and using power tools! Other things that I have done are dig a trench for pipes, stacking wood, checking fire extinguishers, and putting boats away for winter.
Our classes are not set up like most bible schools, how it work is each class is only a couple of hours and then its done. I really like this because then I never get bored of the topic and we are always learning something new. The last couple of classes I really liked, they were about biblical adventure and how they fit together. Bruce taught it and he is actually writing a book on the subject!
Cool story, k so most of you know that I am the type of person who doesn't like confrontation and wont bring something up unless I absolutely have to. Well I have been really challenged in that area here. As with any group all of us were starting to get on each others nerves and there were issues that had to be brought up so that we could coexist peacefully again. (stuff like how often we should clean the homestead (thats what we call our house) and that some people don't like the T.V. on all the time, etc.) So last week we decided that we needed to have a meeting to resolve some of the issues. So Laura and I were going to head up the meeting since she was the leader and I was assistant, but Laura was nervous about doing it I offered to mediate the meeting. I was so nervous because I could just tell that people didn't want to be there but God was so awesome and by the end of the meeting we not only got all our household issues out of the way but we started sharing our personal struggles. So I'd like to say that we are all perfect now but that would be a lie, but we are all definitely getting along much better. Its funny how God can take your worries and in turn amaze you!
This last weekend Melinda, Esther and I went on a road trip to Melinda's house. It was so good to get away from camp for a while even if we were only an hour away. So most of our weekend was spent shopping and I got some amazing deals! My favoretest find were these old style purple high heal shoes for 12 dollars!!! Ohhhh another exciting thing was this weekend was my first time change ever. Because Saskatchewan is the center of Canada all the other provinces change their time around us of course. So I stayed up to watch the time change from 1:59 to 1:00 it was so weird!
Well thats about it for now so have a great November week everyone!

Leadership

Hey guys so thanksgiving was awesome. I got to hang out with Esther's family and eat lots of food, yum! Her household was pretty loud but I don't think it was any louder than mine usually is. Esther warned me before I came that her family likes to stay up late, so I'm thinking maybe twelve o'clock, ya not quite I don't think we went to bed before three the whole weekend! The craziest part was that most of her family stayed up late too not just the two of us!!!
Rock climbing at Rattle Snake point was so fun, the weather was great except for Tuesday so we went to Niagara that day. We got to sight see and view the beautiful falls, its crazy how wet you get just from the mist! If you have never been there the main tourist street looks like it is out of some Hollywood movie, everything is bigger than life and there are about three wax museums and seven haunted houses. So back to climbing, there were some pretty tough climbs especially because it is a pretty popular place to climb so there are a lot of climbs that the rock has actually been smoothed and it is so hard to stay on the cliff! (don't worry we are attached to a rope so we wouldn't actually fall) Ohhh so the weather was really nice the rest of the time but then on the last day these bugs called asian beetles which look exactly like lady bugs but orangeish came out in swarms and they bite!!!!! So we were trying to climb these slippery rocks while swatting these freaky bugs and it was a challenge let me tell you!
So last week I was leader of the week which means that I had to plan a day trip for LDP, plan a bible study for each morning (called PLAID for prayer, leadership thought, announcements, interaction, and devotion), and make up a schedule for the school groups that came in on Wednesday. (hence the fact that I didn't write a blog) So at first I was worried about doing the PLAID's but then once I started to plan them I found it easy, my topic of the week was passion in case you wanted to know. The day trip that I planned was so awesome! How it worked was we had a list of thirteen geocaches and we had to find as many as we could before supper. Geocaches are boxes hidden throughout the world that people put the coordinates onto a website so that if you are near one you can find it. In the box are trading items if you take something you have to leave something and there is also a log book so that you can say you were there. We were in groups of three and all we had were the coordinates to the geocashes, a riddle of where they were hidden, and a GPS. I gave points to each cash according to how hard they were to find or how far away they were. So you had to be strategic about when and where you wanted to go. My group went to find a cash that was in the middle of the woods and as we parked our car we noticed all these trucks parked along side this road, which was kind of weird because we were pretty much in the middle of nowhere. We ignored them and went running into the woods (Melinda and I were dressed up as fairies and David was Zorro...for team spirit of course) then we thought about what we had seen again and realized that there were also men in bright orange. Realizing that we were nowhere near a prison and that there is no orange hat mens group we came to the conclusion that they were hunters. So instead of doing the smart thing and turning around we continued on talking very loudly to make sure we weren't mistaken for deer. But no worries we all returned home safe and sound.
The next part of my week was actually pretty fun, as leader I don't have a small group to lead but I just help everyone out when needed and make sure the group is happy. So I had two school groups in which is a bit more complicated because you have to make sure their schedules don't overlap, and when I realized that I somehow had made theirs overlap on a few occasions, only minuets before giving it to them, I madly figured out a way to make it work and they never even knew! The only thing that I didn't like was the fact that I had to do all the group talks such as the rule and at each meal I had to tell them what was going on.
So this weekend I had off which was nice so I started working on my missions statement (which is due just before Christmas) basically you are supposed to sum up your passions and goals in life in a short paragraph. But since you all know me I decided to do a painting instead and I might incorporate words if I feel the need.
So today we went on another day trip which was canoing and when we stopped for lunch there was this place to go caving and there were cliffs that were forty feet high. It was crazy how nice it was out, we all had to put sunscreen on so that we wouldn't get burned! With such nice weather and such tall cliffs Laura, Anna, and I decided that it was a shame not to cool off in the water by jumping off the cliffs. So I'm happy to say that today was my first time jumping off an actual cliff and it was so much fun!
Well thats about it for now so have an awesome week everyone and I'll try to keep you updated as to whats going on with me.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey everyone so to start off with it was brought to my attention that some of you don't have my e-mail address so if you would like to e-mail me you can at kendra_rae_@hotmail.com I love hearing from you all just know that it might take me a while to respond! Also some of you wanted my phone number so its 1-705-754-2444 and the extension number is 233, so if you don't want to wait for a e-mail response this is the way to go.
So on to more exciting things on Tuesday we went white water kayaking at this place called palmer rapids. It was a class 2 rapid (pretty small stuff) where we learned how to get down rapids and do some fun stuff such as "surf" a wave. This is where you point your boat up stream and position your boat so that your hips are at the white part of the wave. Once you get in this position your boat will kind of just sit there and you can move side to side....or so they say I wasn't able to do this too well but eventually I will.
So how a typical week works is Monday and Tuesday we have classes or day trips. The classes are not like ordinary bible school classes because they are usually only a couple of hours long and then there done. So some of the classes that I have taken so far are Effective Communication, Philosophy of Leadership and Conflict Resolution. Then on Wednesday to Friday if their is a group booked in we get to facilitate them. So we normally get a group of 10-12 people and lead them through different activities that we have here. This week I had a group of grade 8 kids and lead them through archery, riflery, rappelling, zip line, GPS, and high ropes such as leap of faith. One of my favorest things to teach the kids is rappelling because when you are up on the tower most people are scared to go down and you get to help them get over their fears and once they reach the bottom they are usually really happy that they did it. Then on Wednesday night we have a bible study at Michaels house (he's one of the leaders), this weeks we brought peanut butter with us (because Medeba is a nut free facility) and ate it by the spoonfuls yum! Thursday night there is an open gym in Haliburten and they either play volleyball or soccer so I went to that and it was fun but their weren't many people there although it just started so hopefully more people will join. Then on the weekends we can choose to join the fee reduction program where we facilitate groups the same as during the week. You only work every other weekend though. So thats kind of how my weeks look.
This next week we are going on a rock climbing trip from Sunday night to Friday morning. We are going to be right by Niagara Falls so we are going their too!!! The only thing that is bad is that I am cook of the week with Drew so we had to plan all the meals and get all the food. Its really difficult to plan for meals with 13 people! So right now I think that we have enough food for everyone but I'll have to tell you how it goes later. Oh and there are two girls who can't eat wheat so that makes meal planning interesting but I made them wheat free muffins yesterday that they turned out pretty good!
So I just realized that I haven't told you about everyone else in my program and you are probably confused as to who I am talking about. So I will briefly tell you about everyone. So first there are Michael and Bruce they are our leaders. Michael is the sporty guy he would much rather be outside than teaching. Bruce loves the outdoors but he is really wordy and can tell you anything about the bible its so cool. Then there is Anna and John they are the married couple and are really nice. I love them because they have really high standards and keep us all accountable. Then there is Melinda she is really outgoing and loud and has the awesomest laugh and is running a half marathon this weekend. Laura is from Australia and is a fruitaholic we have gone through so much fruit its crazy! Heidi is fun she's a couple years older than most of us but shes a blast to hang out with. Esther is awesome she comes up with the crazyest ideas such as shrink wrapping Michael's car (which we haven't done....yet anyways) but is also the sweetest person you'll meet. Drew is also a fruitaholic along with Laura, he's also a magician and has some sweet card tricks. And lastly there is David he's really quiet but once you get to know him you find out stuff like he writes poems and stories all the time.
So as you all know thanksgiving is coming up and I thought I should let you know that I am going to Esther's house for the weekend so don't worry I'm not alone. Its going to be awesome because there are nine people in her family ahhhh craziness! So I'll have to tell you all about that too. Well thats it for now have a great week and an awesome thanksgiving! Kendra

Bunny Hollow

Alright I’m back, sorry guys but my internet has been down for a while now so I’ll try to fill you in. So let’s see last week was my solo it was really awesome I took a bunch of pictures and got some much needed sleep. It was so beautiful I would recommend that everyone take a few days out of their schedule and spend time alone with God its awesome. Then last weekend we went to Canada’s Wonderland which was so fun! We went on all the rollercoaster rides and ate cotton candy. Then on Tuesday a school group came in so we got to lead them through all the activities that we have learned in these past few weeks. That was pretty fun but also intense, it was hard to go from learning everything to teaching it but I feel like I did a good job. Then after the school left we went to The Gull which is an intense river with rapids about a half an hour away. We learned how to swim and do rescues, it was so fun!!! Then on Thursday we went to Bunny Hollow which is a rock cliff about a half hour away. It’s kind of funny because it’s just this rock cliff about thirty meters to the side of the road. It was so much fun and I can’t wait until our rock climbing trip! And now it is the weekend so I’m just hanging out in my pj’s letting you all know that I’m alive and well.

Week One

Hey everyone well I made it to Medeba finally and am settling in. There are nine people in my program five girls, two boys, and a married couple. This week was intense we are learning many skills such as canoeing, kayaking, rock climbing, mountain boarding, and high ropes. My most favorite thing so far is kayaking I learned how to roll after the second day! Each day has started off with a group meeting to focus on God and to get connected before starting the day. Then we have been learning and practicing all our new skills and ending the day around five or eight each night. So what happens is we learn all these skills and then when a group comes to the camp and we get to teach them and facilitate their stay. We also each get to plan and lead a trip this year which will be cool but challenging. Also next week is our solo trip which is three days long, we canoe to different spots on a lake and get to fend for ourselves. That's about it for here so I'll talk to you all after my three days of solitude.

Kendra

Our Journey

Well to begin with I should tell you that Erica and I made it safely to Ottawa, but now let the story begin.

We were traveling down highway number two (which goes on forever in the states!) and we had been going about three hours with only seeing two small very deserted looking towns. As we were going up a hill my very beautiful well kept car started making this funny noise and shaking. I looked in the rear view mirror to see a billowing cloud of smoke following us. So I pulled over to the side of the road and popped the hood. Erica and I got out and used our great mechanical knowledge to our advantage and determined that my engine smelt of burning parts. As well there was a big puddle of liquid under my car. Luckily there was a house across the highway so we walked over to ask for help, the first house was deserted so we went the the next house. This house had all these wind chimes and it was pitch black so we were a little freaked out but knocked anyways. Luckily it was a very nice lady that lived there so she called the tow truck for us. So we got a tow into a town called Iron River about two miles away. After we dropped the car off at the shop the tow truck dude drove us to one of the two motels in the town. As we were checking in a young guy came in asking if there was a room available. We found out that we had just got the last room in the whole town, how cool is that! (ok well it was cool for us but definitely not for the poor guy who had to drive to the next town to find a place to stay)



So the next morning we woke up and called the repair shop to get the download, and boy was it good! My beautiful Skylark Buick (her name is....or was Lilly) transmission broke and needed to be replaced. It however was going to cost more to repair her that than I had paid for her. So I decided to leave Lilly in Iron River to better serve the people there. So now Erica and I are stranded in the middle of nowhere with no transportation. We headed over to the the garage to talk to the people there. They gladly helped us find a flight leaving from a town an hour away and heading to Ottawa. Next on our agenda was to get transportation to the town with the airport. Well what do you know they were willing to drive us there! So we took our overnight bags from the hotel back to the shop, in the rain. Yes I said rain, you know in the movies when everything imaginable has gone wrong and then it starts to rain? That was us but this story is no where near being over. I should now mention that my car was packed full, and by full I mean that there would have been no way another person could have fit in even if we really wanted to. So now the dilemma was how do I get all my stuff to fit on a plane. So I decided to give away some of my stuff to lighten the load. So I'm running around this car garage asking people if they want my hanger, bedding, canvas, basketball and so on. Ok so my next dilemma was I had packed all my stuff in boxes and I needed to get all my stuff on a plane so I asked the people where I could buy luggage. Their reply was: no where in Iron River. Then this guy named Dennis was like "I have some luggage you can use if you'll send it back once you get there." What!?! Ok I'll take it thanks!!!!! So we headed off to Marquette (I believe that was the name) and got a room at the Holiday Inn. The best part of this hotel was that it had a shuttle service that went strait to the airport. So since our flight was at six in the morning I called and asked if they could pick us up at four thirty so we would have time to catch our flight. So four thirty rolls around and they aren't there. I called and no one answered....wonderful. So then the hotel was like oh well we could get our maintenance guy to drive you. So we got to the airport and got in line to check in. I give them our confirmation number to find out that our flight wasn't paid for. It turns out that my Visa limit was well below the cost of our tickets so I had to call and get them to change the limit of my card. As you can probably guess the Visa people weren't open until seven and since our flight was at six this wouldn't work very well. They wouldn't take my Debt card, or allow us to use our parents Visa cards. So we had no way of paying for the flight, but then I remembered that I had a check book and guess what they took it!!!!! So by this point it was after six but praise God the flight was delayed.....for two hours which meant we missed our connecting flight in Detroit. The airline was very good though and they instantly re booked us a flight for a later time which just meant that we had to wait in Detroit for about three hours. By the time we got on the plane to Ottawa we were praying that we wouldn't crash into an ocean because with our luck we weren't sure what would happen, but God was faithful once again and we made it safe and sound.

So that is the end of our journey hope you liked it because we find it quite hilarious now and we are contemplating making a movie about it. Although I'm sure there is one almost exactly like it out there! Oh and don't be expecting many entries this long because you will get disappointed.

Missing you all, Kendra