Outtatown Site 1 Guatemela

Sun, Spanish, And Peeling Skin

2012-02-22T15:42:00.000-08:00

Hello friends and family in Canada and other places whereyou may live. Here in Central America we have spent the last week in thebeautiful town of San Juan doing all kinds of fun things. We have been learningSpanish every morning and in the afternoons we have been up to all kinds ofshenanigans, including service projects, small groups, and soccer games. Wealso were working on recovering from the sunburns that some of us acquired overour weekend in Monte Rico. On Thursday at 8 we all piled onto a school bus foran epic road trip to El Salvador. After seven hours of sweating and strangesmells we made it to our resort. Overthe weekend we have had many opportunities to burn the nice new layer of skin.We have also been swimming in the ocean and a few brave souls even attemptedsurfing. All is going well as we plunge into knowing yourself week.

Love Jutters

Our hometown; walking home after worship.

The typical Guatemalan home, colourful.

A morning sunrise in El Salvador.

Surprise Snow

2012-02-14T15:22:00.001-08:00

HolaCanada! Our dear little Outtatown crewhas recently been surprised with some cold weather. Today we built a snowman,went bobsledding, and nearly froze to death in an igloo. Oh wait. No we didn’t.Becaaaaauuuuuusse we are in super sunny Monterrico!!!!!

We are frying our toplayer of skin, being destroyed by ocean waves, playing catch with coconuts andgenerally having a fan-freaking-tastic time doing beachy things and lovinglife! For the first time since landing here it truly feels like we are in atropical country and can be warm all the time. It comes as a nice break fromour somewhat mentally taxing Spanish classes in our beautiful (butsignificantly colder) home of San Juan del Obispo.

Life in San Juan has beenrelatively normal; we have been working very hard to learn Spanish and ourcommunication skills have been improving. We are finally at the point where wecan translate for newcomers who speak even less Spanish than we do! We arealready halfway finished our homestays and are starting to realize how fastthis is going and how soon we are going to have to say goodbye to our newlittle families.

On Thursday for worship we walked aroundto pray for this place that has become our home away from home and we did aprayer walk. In groups of 3 we walked around and started to pray for the placesand people that have been so much to us. It was a really sweet night where ourgroup refocused and reset our goals for the year.

Yes,dear families back home in the cold and snow, life is starting to look verygood. With more wonderful days to come in San Juan, and El Salvador just aroundthe corner- life is looking very good indeed.

Trynot to get too jealous.

Written,directed, and starred in by:

ElyshaRoeper

A Wet Unforgettable Adventure In Coban

2012-02-08T16:58:00.000-08:00

This past week we embarked on a grandadventure. This included hiking through the cloud forest, exploring caves,swimming in a river, and becoming very well acquainted with mud. We got to hikedown a mountain to get to church and then hike back up the mountain, thankfullythe hike back up was after a delicious meal served to us by the village.Several of the guys on our site got to demonstrate their great strength bychopping down massive trees with an axe. A number of us, including myself, gotto wield machetes and chop the bark off of the fallen trees. Then the majorityof our group carried those trees out of the forest. This task required not onlygreat strength but excellent teamwork.

Hiking through the cloud forest


Rob teaching us about the program.

During our time in Coban we were led by RobCahill. Rob and his family live in Guatemala and run an organization calledCommunity Cloud Forest Conservation. They work to protect the cloud forest andprovide the communities that live in and around the could forest with betterways to earn a living without destroying the cloud forest. They also offer a 25day program to Indigenous girls teaching them about better ways to use theland. This program not only educates the girls about agriculture andreforestation but also provides them with a scholarship that allows them tocontinue school ing past grade 6, which is the highest grade the small villagesoffer. I mentioned that we chopped down a few trees, which may not make senseseeing as Rob is all about saving the cloud forest. We chopped down eucalyptustrees which are forgien trees so that trees indigenous to Guatemala can beplanted in the future. Our host Rob is avery passionate and energetic man and we really enjoyed our time with him.

After 2 days of backbreaking work we headedoff to our Kek’chi village homestays. This included a long drive and a longerhike. We finally arrived at the village and were warmly welcomed. We then metour host families and in group of 3, headed off to their houses. We immediatelynoticed the differences between the houses in the village of Seselche what we wereused to in Canada. For one, most of us had a long walk to get to the houses westayed at; for many this walk was up a very muddy hill. The houses were verysimple, with wood walls, tin roofs, and dirt floors. Turning on the light meantlighting a candle and making supper required building a fire. However primitivethese conditions may have been the Kek’chi people who welcomed us seemed strongerbecause of it. I can’t begin to describe how blessed I felt by my host family.I counted 4 beds in a family of 7 people, and for the 3 nights we stayed withthem they gave us 2 of those beds. Around the fire there where 3 or 4 chairs,all 3 of us girls got a chair. Not only did they sacrifice some of their owncomfort for us, they also made us a part of their family. In my house, and Iknow in many others, we got to help them make tortillas for supper one day.Although some of us were told our tortillas looked like a map of Mexico (whichis apparently a tad bit insulting) the women gladly let us participate in theirlives. These are only some of the ways that I felt blessed by my host family,and I know others have many more stories.

Playing with our host family.

Our time in Seselche included2 group lunches, some tree planting, sitting in on a Passing Of The GiftCeremony, and a lot of waiting out the rain. The village we stayed in waspartnered with the organization led by our host Rob Cahill. They had originallyprovided a few families with animals such as rabbits, sheep, and turkeys. Thosefamilies raised the animals and then passed them on to a few more familiesteaching them how to raise the animals along the way. In the ceremony wewatched a few sheep being passed on to new families. After our second grouplunch we were given the opportunity to buy bags and hammocks made by the womenin the village. The second lunch was held at the house I was staying at and sothat morning the three of us girls staying at the house got to help preparelunch. We helped make something called ‘poch’ which is basically a corndumpling wrapped in a leaf. Although we were laughed at a bit, apparently ourtechnique wasn’t perfect, we had a lot of fun and felt very welcomed by thekitchen full of Kek’chi women. We allspent a lot of time with our host families, and communicating was interesting.I learned that being able to laugh at yourself is key. Despite the rain andcold weather we had an amazing time during our Kek’chi homestays. We left on abright note as the sun finally came out, which meant a much warmer truck rideback to our hotel near Coban.

Planting trees to prevent wind damage to the precious fruit trees.

This past week was incredibly full ofadventures and learning experiences. Our prayer as a group, and perhaps what could become your prayer for us, is thatwe would continue to be impacted by our Coban experience. We hope to not walkaway with only the thought that “Wow, I’m so glad that my life easier thanthat.” We don’t want to feel blessed by what we have so much as we want to feelblessed by what the Kek’chi families gave us, open arms and open doors.

- Kelsey

Adjusting And Discovering

2012-01-25T16:02:00.000-08:00

“Yes, Our Town Is Located On The Side Of A Volcano.”

My good friend Justin was going to write this blog entry, but he has been kept quite busy of late, and I have the privilege of filling in for him. Justin along with a number of others has been occupied in fancy rooms with white porcelain chairs. They have been undertaking many scientific experiments, testing substances in a laboratory to determine if it is infected with unhealthy bacteria and parasites. This dedicated team of “scientists” travelled to the lab yesterday and got various results on the substances. A few of the substances have been deemed unhealthy while others might have passed with flying colours. In case you were wondering what it is that I write about, I will only tell you this: some of us have been struggling with some sicknesses but everybody is on the road to recovery. In fact they all have been incredibly chirper and have not let their sicknesses slow them down. I give you permission to interpret my above description of their ordeals however you wish.

Enjoy Coca-Cola; living advertisements.

Besides our debatable health, we have most certainly been having an incredible time in Guatemala thus far. Just two Sundays ago we began our homestays, where each of us stayed and are staying in the home of a family here in Guatemala. Despite the obvious language barrier, I think I speak for all when I say that this is an experience unlike any other. It truly is an honour that these families have opened up their homes to us and our struggling Spanish. While the language may certainly be difficult, we are certainly learning every day. Each morning from 8-12, we have Spanish class with two or three other students. While this is intensive and for some of us a struggle, it also is evident in helping us understand Spanish. As each day passes we can feel ourselves slowly improving in the language. We are discovering though that it is much easier to understand people talking to us, than it is to say anything back. During these homestays many of us are enjoying doing laundry by hand in the pillas in town. It is quite an experience, truly there is nothing quite like rubbing soap over your sweaty shirts to make you feel incredibly down to earth. Not only that but we have the privilege to enjoy Coca-Cola properly; that is, in a glass bottle! I’m telling you, Coca-Cola tastes better coming from a real glass bottle.

A mass wall of graves

Over the weekend we travelled into Guatemala City, for what you could describe as an urban plunge of sorts. On Friday we toured the city with a tour of the governmental palace and a museum exhibit titled “Why We Are The Way We Are.” The palace was a glorious building, and the museum exhibit was intriguing as is it sought to delve into the stories behind people’s faces, the reasons for prejudice and demonstrating the differences in people in Guatemala. The following day was an intensive, busy and heavy experience. Saturday we saw a side of Guatemala not many people know of, a side apparently few Guatemalans are even aware of. We started the day by visiting the city cemetery. Even in death there can be an evident difference between the rich and the poor. The rich could afford lavish mausoleums, some of which were reminiscent of a pharaoh, these mausoleums were large and some easily bigger than your average backyard shed. The more common site though was a wall of graves that continued on for hundreds of metres. Unlike back at home, these gravesites are really just rentals from the city. In order for the body of your loved one to stay in the grave, it is necessary to pay an annual fee to keep the grave maintained.

At the edge of the cemetery was where the real shocker began. The ground disappeared into a giant ravine, and masses of vultures circled overhead. It wasn’t until you looked down that you could really see what was going on. This ravine was the city dump. Garbage was being continually dumped into the ravine, and eventually the garbage would likely fill in this giant crevice in the land. However the amount of garbage isn’t what really draws your attention to the realities of Guatemala; nor is it the vultures. Instead it is the people, the dozens of men and women running around the garbage trucks, dodging the bulldozers and scrambling over the piles of trash. Called “scavengers” by many, they work the garbage dump, scouring it for anything they can find that has the potential to be sold. Selling items from the garbage dump is how they make a living; it’s how they put food in their stomachs. The dump is not an easy place, it’s toxic and unstable, the bulldozers and trucks are dangerous, the tires sometimes running over more than just garbage. As we looked down into the ravine it came to a point where it was hard to distinguish between person and vulture.

Just outside of the dump were communities, communities where people lived. Brick houses, tin houses, small spaces, lots of people, and lots of need. We had a chance to walk through the communities, and see different projects that were taking place to improve the communities. Thanks in part to an organization called Potter’s House; houses are built for families in need with the priority being families with children. Potter`s House works and helps in the community, striving towards creating a safer more humane place to live, working for paved streets, water and electricity. Potter’s House is about being the hands and feet of Christ, and in all they do they glorify the name of our God. It is Him who is working in the communities. They gave all the praise and thanks to God. In the afternoon we had a chance to talk and pray with families in the communities offering encouragement and support by just being there for people. It was an honour to be allowed into their homes, to hear their stories and their inspiring faith. Families that had dreams for their children and faith that better days were ahead, they trusted in God to provide for their needs. We couldn’t have had a greater opportunity in this day to learn from the people God places in our lives. Surely He works in miraculous ways. We ask you too to pray, pray for the families. Pray for strength and endurance, pray for work and safety, for health and support. Pray that they may have a future. If we have learned anything thus far this year, it’s that prayer changes things. Prayer changes lives.

- Raymond

Bienvenido! (Welcome!)

2012-01-18T09:48:00.000-08:00

We are here! We are alive and well. Our plane safely touched down on Wednesday into a warm and tropical feeling Guatemala City. We loaded our luggage and boarded our bus to head to our first stop in Guatemala, McDonald’s! Hey, if you have to eat healthy and on the road, it may as well be McDonald’s I am right? After this delicious meal on bus wheels, we continued to travel outside Guatemala City to a camp in the rural mountains. It was here that we had the opportunity to reconnect with the people that are Site One! We spent four days at this camp, days well spent laughing, playing Frisbee, resting and getting re-acquainted with the crazy, compassionate people we know and love.

However there is this wall that divided us, the camp, from the rest of Guatemala, and while it was there for a reason, it had certainly helped to create an itch in us to truly experience Guatemala. We couldn’t help but peer over the wall and wonder at what was (and is) to come. Curiosity, adventure and even some nerves might have been grabbing hold of us.

The adventure has come; we head to our host families today. Antigua is in the background of this shot, and our Spanish experience is only just about to begin.

- Raymond

Meet Our Site!

2012-01-04T07:43:00.000-08:00

There is a good-looking number of people that make up Site 1 Guatemala, as a matter of fact, they are ALLgood looking. Not only that, but they are encouraging, insightful, hilarious, creative and caring. As we've been traveling across Canada, we have gotten to know each other quite well. After all we have been living in community 24/7 for three months. However as our readers, you might not know us very well, or be able to put a face to our names. I invite you then to watch this short video to help you become acquainted with the people that are Site 1.

Enjoy!

- Raymond

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

We've hit the road one last time, we're making our final trek across Canada. That's right, it's that time of the year where we say good bye for now. We part ways and each head home to our different parts of the country. But we will meet again in a distant airport; where our adventure begins again, and we fly down to Guatemala. So as we leave this first semester, we wish to bid thee all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We will see everyone again in just a few short weeks!

Looking merry at the Christmas Banquet

Kawkawa

2011-11-20T13:00:00.000-08:00

So this blog entry is a little late, okay a lot late, but itseems things have been happening so fast lately. It’s hard to believe that it’sthe middle of November already, which means our first semester is coming to aclose. I’m taking you back to our second week after Thanksgiving.

After reuniting from being apart during girls and guys week,we drove out to Hope, BC. We arrived at Camp Kawkawa just in time for adelicious welcoming supper, which was the first of many wonderful meals. CampKawkawa was on beautiful Lake Kawkawa which we could see out of the large diningroom windows. They had a fake, but very warm fireplace and some comfy couchesthat we used quite often. The camp had canoes and kayaks that some of us madeuse of. We very quickly began to think of Kawkawa as home.

While in Hope we got to go ice skating at the local rink andswimming in the pool, activities which many of us enjoyed. We also had theopportunity to do laundry – yay! Many of us made use of a local café called theBlue Moose, which had good coffee and free wifi.

There were many fun things to do at Kawkawa but we also hadclasses. Our first speaker at Camp Kawkawa was Steve Klassen. (No, not theleader from site 2!) Steve and his wife Evy run a place called the MARK Center.He taught from the book of Mark and touched on ways to hear God speaking, withan emphasis on the importance of silence and solitude. At the end of the weekwe had a day of silence where we spent time alone with God. Some of us had great God encounters duringour time of silence and other struggled to hear God. Despite our differentexperiences I think most of us took something away from that day, either throughour own experience or from hearing someone else’s.

We all enjoyed our first week at Camp Kawkawa and werelooking forward to see what the next week would bring.

Kelsey Friesen

The West Coast

2011-11-15T13:14:00.000-08:00

Stanley Park, Vancouver

Did you know: One litre of water, eight teaspoons of sugar,and one teaspoon of salt can save someone from dying of diarrhea? Did you know:Sikhs are incredibly generous and some of their temples offer free meals withno strings attached on a daily basis? Did you know: There are people in our own country strugglingto get by from day to day? Did you know: Each and every person has a story totell. Did you know: Prayer changes things?

Over the past week we’ve been doing a lot of learning,discussing, and experiencing. We recently came back from a week in Vancouver,most of which we spent exploring the streets and meeting new people on an UrbanPlunge arranged by YWAM Vancouver. Before we dove into the plunge, we had theweekend to ourselves to explore bits of the city. Some of us went to theaquarium and saw dolphins, sea turtles and belugas, taking city transit and walkingthrough the city’s parks. Some of us hooked up with family and friends in thesurrounding area, while still others cruised around the shopping centres.

Before heading into Vancouver, we heard rumour of two thingsinhabiting the hostel in which we would be staying. The wonderful guestsstaying with us at the hostel included cockroaches and bed bugs, but we were inluck and did not suffer too much grief from these creepy crawlers. Instead wetold ourselves this is still a place to stay that is better than the concretesidewalks. Besides the bugs are just a preparation for the critters we aregoing to find second semester.

The Urban Plunge itself was something of a different beastthan the bugs in our beds. Our first day we spent on the streets was a day ofexperiential learning. We explored culturally diverse shops attempting to finddried lizards. We talked with people and shared life with them, by attempting toshare our extra lunch. Our goal was to sit down with them and enjoy lifetogether. For some of us, that was no easy task, while others found people totalk to. But the experience does not end there. We were challenged to sit inour groups of three on the sidewalks in the commercial sections of downtownVancouver, watching the people that would pass us by. We paid heed to theireyes and body language as they walked by, and felt privileged if we got a nodor even a friendly greeting.

That first day was still does not end yet. For the night’smeal, we had no money and nothing packed, so we were on our own on the streetsof Vancouver. This meant we had to get creative or find a place in which wecould get food. Groups of us decided to be on the receiving end of where we areoften the help: soup kitchens. We got food handed to us, rather than handing thefood out. Others of us met a man on the street who was overjoyed at thepossibility of having guests come to his church’s free dinner. Even with hishospitality, we still went hungry because of time restraints and having toleave before the food got started. Still others of us busked and asked aroundfor free food. For example, a local bakery handed out pastries that were customordered but never picked up.

In the following days we partook in touring a Sikh templeand a Buddhist temple, as well as an Islamic mosque. We also helped localmissions serve food and hang out with their clients. We stood on street cornerswith signs reading “Free Prayer” and smiled at the people passing by. Engagingwith those who wanted prayer, we went about not preaching theology but simplydoing our best to love. We got creative and did an “Impact Vancouver” whereteams of three or four split off and came up with a way to bless Vancouver. Wedid all sorts of things, like write encouragement letters to the police and tothe local missions, or just play basketball in the park. The letter to thepolice was so well received that it will be passed on to all the officers inVancouver. We played with local children and handed out free hot chocolate andsmiles. And yes, a smile should always come free. :)

Still the week didn’t end there. On our final night we gotto join a night of Justice and Worship put on by an organization called Stepsof Justice (www.stepsofjustice.org).It was a great way to wrap up the week by challenging us to take the next steptowards justice. We watched videos on water demands and on the sex trade, welistened to people share their stories and passions. One of the key points fromthe night was that obedience is critical to taking these next steps andcarrying out God’s work. It was an encouraging way to end the week, lookinginto the future and counting on being obedient to God.

Raymond

P.S. Check out this video from Charity Water, an organization introduced to us through Steps of Justice.

More Than A Thousand Words

2011-11-06T16:25:00.000-08:00

The saying goes that a picture is worth a thousand words. 8 pictures then must be worth at least 8000 words. Here then are a variety of pictures of our gang from over the past while.

Body Surfing

No we're not crazy.

Seeing Double? Twin Day

Hello!

Outtatown On Ice. (A musical coming soon to a rink near you)

Ferry + Picnic = happy people

Peek-a-boo

Hair-whipping at the Seattle gum wall.

Girl Week

2011-10-28T11:34:00.000-07:00

I definitely feel like us girls got the better end of the deal in regards to Girl/Guy Week. A beautiful hotel on Banff Avenue, late night hot springs reserved specifically for us, and an incredible view of the Rocky Mountains. We also were reunited with the girls from Sites 2 and 3, it was a great opportunity to share stories and make some new friends.

Our speaker for the week was Sharon Peters and her main theme was how to live lifeful (yes, “lifeful” is indeed a word, meaning “full of or giving vitality”). We discussed a variety of topics relating to how we can be completely comfortable in our own skin, this in order to live life to the fullest and how God intended us to. One of the ways we experienced this while we were there was a night of Zumba, a workout involving different styles of Latin dance. This was a major highlight for a lot of the girls I think, we were free to just have some fun and not worry about how we looked. Another interesting part of the week was getting the chance to do a question and answer with the guys. Each group came up with a list of questions for the other gender, the lists were exchanged, and then we answered each others questions. After that was done, some of the site leaders switched groups for the morning to report the answers. It was definitely a learning experience and we were left with a lot of useful truth to apply to our current/future relationships.

Our week in Banff was so much fun and it was great to be immersed in so much of God’s beautiful creation. The people, experiences, and food were awesome and we ended the week with more friends than we started with. However, even though some of us may not want to admit it, we were very glad to see the guys again, we need them to balance out all of those hormones and high pitched voices ;).

-Danielle Schmidt

Guy Week

2011-10-26T11:23:00.000-07:00

Manly things, manly talk, manly food and manly activities. Incomplete honesty that’s a basic summary of guy week. Or at least that is whatwe would like to tell everyone, this way we seem manly. Guy week was the weekwhere we split off from the ladies (it was a struggle for some men) and stayedin beautiful Canmore, Alberta.

Being men we had the option of climb the nearby mountain,with an elevation change of 700 metres, or to play Frisbee golf. But this wasnot the end of our impressive manly skills. On one night we went out in smallgroups to eat food, and by eat food we mean devour large portions of food. Oneof our groups had the most delicious poutine from La Belle Patate (go there if you ever are in Canmore, you can get apoutine with BACON!) while the other group grilled up steak back at the hotel.

We also had two wise gentlemen come and speak to us aboutsome of those deep manly topics of life. For example, sex, relationships andwhat it means to be a man of God. We got the opportunity as well to firequestions off the girls, questions that were smoldering in the hearts of men.Luckily the ladies were able to give us some answers that help explain theircomplexity, and beauty.

Possibly the biggest highlight from the week was Saturday. Ifyou were to have been walking around downtown Canmore, you might have seenwomen and girls receiving roses with the note attached “Enjoy the joy ofpassing it on” You might have also seen three men on a street corner with a cardboardsign reading “Want Prayer?” If you were lucky you might have even seen atalented young lad juggling! Deciding to do something different, we were sentout into Canmore in groups of 3 or 4 and had been randomly given an amount ofcash with which we could use to bless Canmore. Some of the men bought roses,and when the cashiers heard of their motives they were given more roses withwhich to do their good deeds. The beautiful part about it was that their roseswere passed on from hand to hand. People were legitimately enjoying the joy of “payingit forward.” The group standing on the street corner with their cardboard sign encounteredpeople in unique ways too. Some skirted around them while others approachedasking for prayer, or asking where they were from, still others wanted to prayand bless them.

Guy week ended and we met up with the girls again, feelingagain a tad at home in our community.

Thanksgiving

2011-10-08T13:01:00.001-07:00

Packing our bags, cramming our stuff, we are heading home - or at least some of us are, and the rest of us are staying at friends places for this weekend. Thanksgiving is the reason we're leaving our site crew and community for a couple of days. After an intense week on the urban plunge and talking with Nathan Rieger, it will be nice to relax for a while.
When we get back together as a site on Tuesday, we're traveling west for 16 very exciting hours. There the guys and girls will be separating for guy/girl week.
We're splitting off now, and even just on these few short days apart our community is fearing missing each other. We have certainly grown together into a well-knit community; living and loving together 24/7.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

- Raymond

2-way Traffic

2011-10-08T13:00:00.000-07:00

A lot of our group went into theWinnipeg Urban Plunge thinking about what we could teach to all thepeople of Winnipeg's inner city, not realizing how much they wouldteach us. I remember seeing a sign on our way into Winnipeg thatread: “Remember: 2-way traffic.” How fitting for the next 3days.

It started with the scavenger huntaround the North End of Winnipeg. Split into groups of three, we weregiven our clues with destinations of ministries to stop at, wheresomeone would be waiting to talk to us about another aspect of innercity life. We were dropped off at our different ministry startingpoints, and we started walking.

It's not enough to just hear aboutthings that are going on in the North End, you have to actually seeit. And boy, did we ever! Experiencing everything from people askingus for change, to the business people who won't look anyone in theeye; from prostitutes who don't really look the part, to gangs boldlyshowing of their names on buildings.

But after that heavy first day ofseeing people with addictions and supposedly simple-solutionproblems, we realized our own issues in the form of prejudice againstthem and misunderstanding. People get trapped in the circle ofpoverty, and often they don't end up on the street because theychoose to. We judge them and assume it's their fault and they'vedone something to get themselves there, yet circumstances make italmost impossible for them to avoid ending up there.

The next two days, Tuesday andWednesday, consisted of going to different small ministries ororganizations, some of which we had visited on Monday. Both dayswere different for everyone. We were separated into five groups ofsix people, and some served at places like Siloam Mission, whileothers did behind-the-scenes work such as painting tables or muralsat the Vineyard Church, and so on. And just to experience thecultures there a little more, we went into four groups to differentethnic restaurants. That turned out to be quite an experience forthose of us who had never had Ethiopian, Mexican, Vietnamese orIndian Cuisine.

We had a full three days and learned alot about the realities of poverty, homelessness, and the North Endof Winnipeg. To quote Jesus' words: “God blesses those who arepoor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven istheirs.” (Matthew 5:3)

By Kaycie Kehler

Oh Deer!

2011-10-07T07:29:00.000-07:00

If you've never heard of Pinawa, Manitoba, I wouldn't be surprised. The town is pretty silent and few people are even on the beach or at school, but the streets and parks and front lawns of Pinawa are certainly not dead. They run rampant with wild, though very approachable, deer. They are literally everywhere, alone or in small groups, staring at you as you tip-toe past them. Never in my life have I seen so many deer!

But staying a week at the Wilderness Edge Retreat Centre in Pinawa wasn't all about the deer (though they did provide a lot fodder for jokes and photos). We were well-fed (roast pig and cheesecake – jealous?!) by the kitchen staff, well-soaked in the hot tub, well steamed in the sauna, well-sunned by the phenomenal weather and great places to be outside, and well-connected to God through a transformational morning of silence. Body surfing and tubing at the rapids at a nearby dam were a definite highlight, as were numerous games of near-professional or entirely disgraceful volleyball.

During the week, we had two guest speakers lead us in a number of sessions on topics that forced us to know God, know ourselves, and know the world. On Tuesday, Gavin Hall, youth pastor from Assiniboine Community Church in Winnipeg introduced us to the topic of theology in his 6 two hour-sessions on “Thinking Theologically, Living Faithfully.” Through structured debates, cool videos, and interesting lectures, we were exposed to both sides of sticky issues. We addressed these questions from the perspective of the Wesleyan Quadrilateral: by considering Scripture, Reason, Experience and Tradition. Gavin also described the three central Christian images of kingdom, community and creation and related these images to other Scripture passages, to our everyday lives, and to issues of concern in Guatemala. He was not only extremely informative and very engaging but he gave us a lot more questions to chew on throughout the week.

On Thursday and Friday we also had the privilege of Gail and Alex Zahradnitzky give us a thorough understanding of Guatemalan geography, history, and culture while exploring the opportunities and privileges presented by each. In their 15 trips to Guatemala with the Rotary Club of Winnipeg, they have not only learned many of the tips and tricks of travelling through Guatemala, but have also developed a love for the people and landscape which they were eager and ready to share with us.

Both speakers gave us valuable information to absorb and ponder over the course of this semester and next. Turns out there was more to our stay in Pinawa than a ridiculous number of deer!

By: Ally Siebert

Roseau River

2011-09-28T20:50:00.000-07:00

After four days of hard paddling and sleeping outdoors on the canoe trip, it was refreshing to finally sleep in a bed and take a nice hot shower and Roseau River Bible Camp. It was especially nice to have the whole group back together again and being able to share all the funny stories from both canoe trips. But more importantly we got to hang out with some of the Anishinabe people from Roseau.

Our first day with them on the reserve was very rainy and cold, but the warmth of their greeting and hospitality seemed to push aside any gloom from the weather. Each day we had the opportunity to sit around a fire, listen to their stories, eat lots of delicious food, and learn about their different traditions and rituals. Throughout the week we also got to visit a few landmarks which are sacred to their culture.

On our last day with the Anishinabe people, we had the opportunity to participate in a sweat lodge. While some decided not to participate, the rest of us (including myself) decided to see what this experience was all about. So the guys all changed into their bathing suits and us girls changed into some scandalous ankle length skirts (which we rocked by the way). Inside the sweat lodge we sat in a circle around a pit of hot rocks which initially makes the lodge a decent temperature until you start poring water on the rocks... And then its like a wall of instant sweat that hits you! So we sat in the lodge praying and singing some traditional songs (in which we didn't know the words to but sang along anyway... Or at least tried). During one of the songs, they asked out to shout out as loud as we could, so we did that two or three times and then on the fourth time we all shout out and then there was a slight pause... And someone from our group yelped out "Kikaw!" Naturally we all started laughing, and Peter who was leading us, started laughing along with us and said "That was a good one!"

After the sweat we were all invited to a Pow-Wow demonstration where we all made fools of ourselves attempting to dance to the beat of the drums (which, by the way, looked hilarious). It was a lot of fun and a great honor to participate in something that is so important in their culture and to their people. The sense of openness and community was clearly felt in the air and will not be forgotten.

Thank you Anishinabe of Roseau River!

Christina

Canoe Trip!

2011-09-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

Paddles digging into the water, waves crashing against canoes, voices singing out multitudes of songs. These are but some of the sounds and sights experienced on the three night canoe trip we went on. Our site was split into two fearless groups of 15 students who paddled through many waters. Group A was the sightseeing travelling group and went exploring into the abandoned gold mines around Shoal Lake and paddled through various lakes, while Group B powered through 65+ km of canoeing.

On day one a canoe overturned in the waters, causing wet items and people. However our fearless trip leaders rescued and encouraged us all. We paddled through giant headwinds and larger waves than most of us had ever been through. But we decided to work smart and not hard, when the wind was with us we rigged a sail and flew down four kilometers of water instead of having to paddle. While some of us had colds and leaky canoes, nothing could stop us from singing out many a song on the water.

The trip was an incredible opportunity for us to just relax and be natural. We left our watches, deodorant, toothbrushes, and makeup (for the girls) behind. Waking and sleeping when it felt natural we made the most of our nature experience. Each and every day we saw the beauty of God's creation, on the sunny and overcast days. Our meals were delicious, with dirt gracefully added to the mix; the additional protein was always appreciated.

Beauty was certainly seen on these canoe trips, as was the brokenness our trip leaders pointed out. Beauty in the brokenness is what life is all about. Our adventures will continue long after these canoe trips, just maybe now with cleaner forks and dryer clothes.

- Raymond

Group A with trip leader, Troy. (Clara absent from photo)

Group B with trip leaders, Dantz and Steph.

The first 4 days!

2011-09-14T16:59:00.000-07:00

Wow, it’s only day 4 and, while I can’t speak for everyone on Outtatown, I know that for me it already feels like I’ve been here for so much longer. I feel that I’m well on my way to forming some amazing friendships. After leaving CMU, our parents and the comforts of home behind, we arrived at Bird River Bible Camp just in time for a delicious supper. (the meals that have followed have been just as wonderful) Later that evening we had A.N.C.H.E.R (Announcements. News. Concerns. Humour. Encouragement. Reflection.) which will happen every Sunday. The next day we had a few icebreaker-type-games and a mini-session with the leaders. In the evening we were blessed to hear Natalie’s life story.

Class with Wendy Peterson

On Tuesday we had a speaker come out, Wendy Peterson, who described herself as a pigmentaly challenged Metis. She took us through 4 amazing sessions about Indigenous people in all corners of the world. We were challenged to rethink the ideas and stereotypes we have about Aboriginal people. Personally, I found her lessons extremely refreshing; she spoke from a Western worldview and then from an Aboriginal worldview. The only knowledge of Aboriginal people that I have has come from what I learned in school. Most of the teachers I had stressed the negative things that Aboriginals experienced. While I can understand that it’s important to know the struggles these people have gone through, I felt that teachers often over-stress the negative and had nothing positive, no glimmer of hope, to offer concerning Indigenous people. While Wendy gave us the true, sometimes difficult, facts she also had so many positive stories to tell us. Over the years she has met many different aboriginal people and seen the positives that are so often overlooked. Because of that, she was able to show us the hope that there is within the Aboriginal communities and in the communities that Aboriginals, in turn, impact. She also gave us a look at the difference between a Western worldview, which is often seeing the material value of things, and an Aboriginal worldview, which is much more community and relationship based. I think that being able to get a glimpse into how Aboriginal people view the world helped us understand more about a people group that we don’t know as much about and shed a light on aspects of Indigenous culture that we can definitely learn from. At our last session with her we had a talking circle, where we all shared what we appreciated about her presentation. Many of us commented on how we were really impacted hearing positive stories that gave us hope that things are changing for aboriginal people. It may be a slow process but there is hope. One point she made that I found amazing was that there are a number of aboriginal people who are missionaries. Hearing her speak was such a blessing to our group.

On Tuesday night we had a night of worship and got to hear James’ life story. Afterwards we continued singing and I felt so blessed to hear all of our beautiful voices raised in song. I often connect with God through song so that was definitely a highlight.

These first four days have been incredible and I know I’m excited to see what God has in store for us this year, and I’m sure that many others feel the same way.

By: Kelsey Friesen (Edited by Elysha Roeper)

Our New Blog

2011-09-13T17:22:00.001-07:00

Welcome to our new blog. We are Outtatown Site 1 Guatemala and over the course of the next 8 months please follow us in our travels, our discoveries and our learning here on this blog. We are excited to start this year and we know this is only doable because of the support and prayer of our parents, relatives and friends. Over the course of this school year we will try to update this blog as frequently as possible (hopefully at least once a week). Come here if you are looking for stories, pictures and videos of our life as Site 1. So make sure to follow us and to check this site often.

Rafael