The Best is Yet to Come

Hello Friends and Family,
So I just realized that I kind of left you all high to dry on what happened for the end of Kaleo as well as what is going on in my life right now. For the last nine days of Kaleo we went back to Mount Washington to snowboard for the first day which was the last day the hill was open so on our second day of being there we were able to have the whole hill to ourselves as we had three hours of solitude to reflect on the past year we have had as well as to look forward to next year. It was so gorgeous to look out and see the mountain peaks in the background and take time to worship God and to thank Him for all he has done. After the time of solitude we all got back together at the lodge and had a time of sharing different memories from our time at Kaleo which was a good reminder and refresher of all we had done and had been through. After coming back to Camp Qwanoes from that three days the final time was spent finishing up essays and homework and playing lots of Volleyball. We also had a banquet with the staff and our youth group did a goodbye party for us. Time flew by and before we knew it it was our last couple of days. The day before my grad all of us Kaleo students went for a night out on the town while some of their families stayed back at the camp checking everything out. We went to a place called Just Jake's and were given a huge surprise as during the meal Jordan our Kaleo intern for the year proposed to our other intern Jen! We had no idea what was happening when Jordan who had recieved a huge concussion during our Mt. Washington trip had given all the guys flowers and had them line the stairs so once Jen had came out of the bathroom she had to go up the stairs and was given roses from every guy and then finally got to where Jordan was standing and that's where he proposed. It was such a eventful night! After that we went to Victoria for dessert and walked about out to where a lighthouse was where some of the past Kaleo's decorated it with paper bags saying Kaleo6 Be the Light and it had all of our names as well as the names we were given at the beginning of the year and the names we gave ourselves on our last chapel to be remembered by in prayer. So mine was Quixotic and Sacrificial Love as that was how I wanted the Kaleo's to pray for me, that I would have sacrificial love first of all to God and second of all to every person I come in contact with. It was absolutely beautiful, we had a time of worship and then went back to camp where we were able to meet eachothers families. Unfortunately Ryan's car engine seized up so he wasn't able to make it then but thankfully he came the next day. On graduation day one of the fellow students Ben was baptized which kicked off the great day. Then that afternoon some of us played football and rehearsed for the worship service then around 2 was our graduation. It felt like it wasn't really happening to be honest. I was sitting there at the ceremony thinking this does not feel real but right after the banquet dinner that followed he had to say goodbye to the first one to leave which made it become a reality. That evening was such a blast though as most of us stayed up for a all nighter and we were able to go down to the dock and talk as well as play ultimate frisbee which Ryan loved. But our attempts to make the night longer only helped for awhile as daybreak came and it was time for breakfast. After breakfast people started to leave so we all huddled together to surround those who were leaving in prayer than hug them goodbye. Once one started to leave though after we were done praying for them another one would announce they are leaving so we spent at least a hour and a half there before it was my time to go. It was heartbreaking to say goodbye to them thinking that I have no idea if I will ever see them again. Even the boys who hadn't cried in years had been sobbing, some even uncontrollably. I never thought that it would be this hard. I knew that I would miss them but we were all a mess as we did our final hugs and wishes before leaving. What a year. Looking back now to these final days of Kaleo has been sad but a good reminder. It has been over a month since leaving and the things I learnt at Kaleo are still with me and ever more challenging. At Kaleo the main lessons I learnt were from that community of people. Learning how to live with them and learning what it means to stick with them through thick and thin. I know prior to Kaleo I had trouble with giving up on friendships if they required way to much time and energy but I learned the significance of standing by that person no matter what was happening and no matter how much I was feeling drained but to try to love them sacrificially. In the end that helped develop amazing friendship through the iron sharpening iron process. I also learned how to be more vulnerable and real as to how I am doing. I became more emotional too (haha) but thats emotional in a good sense. I learned how to cry with others who were having a bad time, I learned how to be empathetic which was something I had so much trouble with in the past as I'm one to brush things aside too easily so it was hard for me to understand when others weren't having a good time. But thankfully I did become empathetic and was able to not only cry with them but I was able to be true to how I have been doing and believe it or not I too was able to cry and have others cry with me at times. I learned what it means to be a leader. Funny thing that at this leadership training school I learned that being a leader does not always mean that you are in charge but rather to be a leader you also need to be a follower. I learned about being a servant as basically everything I've ever been a part of prior to Kaleo I have always seemingly been in leadership positions but not in positions where I am not involved with leadership but rather am there to strictly serve. I found out that in order to lead it is crucial to know how to serve and to have a servants attitude and do it with joy and feel satisfied with serving even though leading has always been my task. Through the classes I was definitely challenged in my view of missions. I learned how important it is to be people of action and with everything we do to do it for the glory of God. I learned that I need to be part of social justice (matt 25) with caring for those in poverty, those who have been abused or neglected and through going to India i realized that fighting for social justice and caring for those kind of people is a passion and desire for me. Also I learned that care for the environment is another part of our mission as we need to be looking out for that as well as be good stewards of the earth. A more shocking one is education. To study for the glory of God and to have God's purposes in mind when we are doing that. To have God's purposes as our drive to learning more about him through our studies in sciences, or psychology, or other fields gave more inspiration and incentive for me to go for further education and to take it seriously and to do my best in it. In Gospels I was challenged with the cost of being a disciple and that its a high cost that demands your complete devotion and it reminded me of the importance of complete surrender. In Spiritual Formation I was challenged to continue growing in my faith and to take up some spiritual disciplines to keep me in a living relationship with God. There is much more I can list off but these ones are what has challenged me the most when looking back. Being home has definitely been a challenge as I do not have that community around me but it has been good to take time to reflect on the changes that have occurred and the new things that God has been stretching me in while here in Bonnyille. Right now I am working at Moose Lake Provincial Park selling firewood fulltime and I have been very fortunate to have this job that pays very well. Next year I have finally decided that I will be headed to Calgary for Ambrose University where I will be taking Intercultural Studies. I am so excited as Jahnaya and I have decided to be roommates which will be such a blast! I can't wait for that! As far as prayer requests go, if you could pray that I will be able to keep these truths about the Gospel that I have learned. If you could pray that I would grow into my new name Sacrificial Love and to further that if you could pray that I would be a Unconditional Servant of Christ who continues to strive to devote my whole life unconditionally in that relationship and as well as continues to strive to be a servant before a leader. Thank you so much for all of your support both during Kaleo and now after I can't thank you enough!
Daneille