Hold onto your packs and paddles SOD we're going on a week-long canoe trip! First we had to split our group into two teams. Team 1 leaders were Mark and Mary, a cute "little" couple. Team 2 leaders were Travis (fox), Jolene, and Kara. After an hour of training, which was somewhat successful, we piled our bags into the canoes and set off to the first of four islands. The lake was so peaceful we had good weather until the last two days. Then It rained and was a "bit" windy giving us some white caps to battle! Most of us ended up having wet shoes by the end. Nils even had wet underwear! Being surrounded by God's nature gave us a sense of belonging and closeness to him. Solitude was encouraged everyday, so we had time to bath in the goodness of God. Every night after supper we'd have a discussion and worship around the campfire. There were so many awesome view points and words of wisdom shared. We grew to know each other and God in a deeper way. The meals were very good. We especially enjoyed the "Wild wise special". A bagel smeared with cheese whiz, Bulls Eye BBQ sauce, and sprinkled with bacon bits. The teams met up with each other at the half way point for lunch. It was great to see each other again and to swap stories. Travis's group set up sails and was able to sail in to the island with the wind behind them. Mark and Mary's group decided to show up with charcoal war paint on their faces. We had a chance to explore and old gold mine and search for fools gold in soapstone. We slid down rocks into the cool refreshing lake water (all thou some of us did this on purpose…some of us just fell in while getting out of the canoes. That was the closest thing to a shower that we could get. By the end we were very cold and tired but looking back it was quite an accomplishment. We learned how to canoe, how to dig make great biffy holes, and how to live in one-two pair of clothing for a week! GOD HELPED US THROUGH IT ALL!

Hilary Kennedy