The Adventures of Bungee Jumping

These are the pictures of our Bungee Jump day in Whistler, B.C.

Jill and Linda showing the way to the bridge.

One of the workers that helped us during the day- he's showing off his shirt.

Kristin was the first person to go bungee jumping.

This is what we saw before we jumped. Can you believe that we still jumped even though there was rushing water below?

The bridge and the river below. Someone is in mid-jump.

Is Mel ready to jump?

Carolyn jumping backwards thinking it would be easier, the first 2 seconds were great and happy but in the end there was terror in her face after she jumped!

"Praise God!" Lindsay

Jenna waiting to be towed up to the bridge after a successful jump.

Life is so much more fun when you do things together. Lindsay Martin and Shanin strapped themselves to the bungee, held on tight and screamed all the way down.

Nice starfish pose Kelly.

Jeremy ready to get back on the bridge.

Jason our Site Paparazzi for the day, equipped with an umbrella to cover the camera equipment.

Ethan was very giddy after his jump- I think he really enjoyed it!

Steve- just chillin' anywhere as per usual.

The Whistler Employees were amazing, they were fun, exciting and helped us get the courage to jump. In this picture they are reassuring Jill before she jumped.

Chris went head first! Brave!

Perfect pose Chris.

Holly falling...

... and falling...

Good thing Holly and Heather brought their rain jackets- it rained all day but that didn't ruin our spirits, everyone was happy and wet.

Janine about to jump off...

... there she goes!

Nikkita, Kelly, Jason and Kristine watching people jump from the bridge.

Rachael getting strapped in.

Heather getting checked to see everything is working and tight.

Alida- you jumped! We are all so proud!

Ashley in mid-jump off the bridge.

Whistler Bungee Jump: 160 feet

And after our jump we all got free t-shirts! Carolyn and Lindsay were pretty excited!

Bungee Jumping

The countdown may be the best part of bungee jumping. All eyes are focused on the jumper as he prepares himself to jump off a bridge into absolute nothingness. When the last number is shouted, there is a split second when you make the decision to actually jump, and then there is panic that you really have jumped! At least, that was my experience last Saturday. After a challenging week in Vancouver doing our Urban Plunge, our group was ready for some exhilaration on Whistler. The driveway itself was the beginning of our adventure. It may have been the nerves, the excitement, the adrenaline already beginning to pump through our systems, or a combination of all three, but as we wound around potholes up the mountain we were singing and laughing loudly. The bridge itself was 160 feet high, spanning a narrow canyon with rushing water below. After signing our lives away in waiver forms, we found out that we got free t-shirts for jumping, and some of us jokingly decided that was the reason we would jump. I got so excited watching people jump! The looks people had when they were being harnessed up were priceless, and it was awesome to pump them up and calm them down enough to jump. Some were terrified, others just smiling away. We had the choice of being harnessed to our torso or ankles and we could jump either forwards or backwards. The best jump I think was Darin’s amazingly graceful back flip! And the best rebound might have been Rachael’s, when she all of a sudden realized she wasn’t terrified, and started flapping like a dodo bird! I was so pumped to jump, less nervous than excited. As I was being harnessed in I was all giddy, and decided to jump backwards. But as soon as my feet left that bridge, I totally panicked, and my mind was scrambling the entire time! It was a while before I could comprehend anything, and then I realized that I was swinging and it was amazing! Honestly, it was the best adrenaline rush of my life! I was so shaky afterwards and very cold, but it was so worth it! The general consensus is that bungee jumping was probably the best day so far this semester. I have personally been thinking about taking risks, and that being safe is not always the best or what God wants for me. Bungee jumping I guess sort of symbolized that whole lesson for me, especially in light of how nervous my mom was (thankfully, I took the advice of my brother and threw caution to the wind!). This was the biggest and best risk I have ever taken!

By Kendra Matheison

Jodie Smith Teaches OT

This week we had the pleasure of having former site leader Jodie Smith speak to us about the Old Testament. Each day we would begin class with prayer- singing the Doxology. We talked about the six misconceptions of the Old Testament, relative to the new. There are different interpretations of the literary structure and overall meaning of the scripture throughout the Bible.

We discussed the Ten Commandments and how they can be applicable to today. The first thing was learned was people's view of God and their relationship with God. She spoke to us about Genesis, outlining the key events, such as the seven days of creation and genealogy beginning with Adam and Eve up to the 12 tribes of Jacob. We also learned about the different ways of interpreting scripture. One form of literature is poetry. We learned how to identify these in scripture. Even though they are different each share a common thread.

On the last day we practiced an Old Testament sacrament. In preparation we each were to collect and find a rock. During the ritual we all gathered around in a circle. One by one we each said something that we have learned or that God has shown us, over the course of the week. Then we placed our rock on top of the other rocks creating one big pile.

I would have to say that one of my favorite parts of the week was analyzing the lyrics to a John Mayer song "Why Georgia?" We talked about the possible reference to both faith and scripture. It gave me a whole new perspective on the song and its meaning.

Alida Santos

Jodie Smith

Jodie teaching us Old Testament stories.


Jodie and her daughter Sonova.

Knowing Yourself Unit and Hike

The whole team at the bottom of the mountain before we started climbing.

Little did we know we would be in for a long day of climbing.



Keep up the quick pace Kristine.



View from halfway up.


Break time... again.


Don't get blown off the edge Shanin, it's a long way down.



How does if feel Ashley to be on top of the world?!


What an amazing view of Canmore, Alberta from the summit.



"What the heck did I get myself into?" Jason from flat Saskatchewan.


Cold, windy, content and a permafrost smile.


Marisa: Just chillin'.

Knowing Yourself Week

This week we learned about the five love languages, different personality types, dreams we have for our lives, some of the different ways God talks to us, and about the different values that shape our lives, that we use as a measuring tool to make decisions.

It was really great to talk and learn about those different topics and learn about why we do things the way we do and why we process things the way we do. It was a good week getting to know ourselves better, and getting to know more about the other people on our site too.

Another thing we did during the week was a hike up Ha Ling Mountain (also known as Chinaman’s Peak). A beautiful though challenging climb. The view from the top made it all worth it. It was a highlight of the week, such an amazing example of how overwhelmingly big God is. It was a really amazing experience for all of us.

Kristine Bartel

Technical Difficulties...

I am not sure what happened about the blog but some weird things were happening so I deleted 2 posts and I will try to post them up again soon. I will try to figure out what has happened. Sorry about that!!

Also our site is in Hope, BC and we will be here till Dec.3rd. We have 2 speakers and then a debrief time. Then we will drive back to Canmore, Alberta and then go skiing in the mountains for a day and then drive the "wonderful" 15 hours back to Winnipeg!!! And then Christmas break begins. I am sure all of the parents out there are all wanting to see your children and hug them and kiss them and spoil them when they get back! Don't worry that will be soon!

For all of you parents who heard that we went bungee jumping (I am sure a couple of you questioned us leaders about our integrity and responsibility- fare enough.), well we did and it was awesome! Everyone is accounted for and looking good! All of your children are safe and sound and had a wonderful time jumping off a bridge and free-falling for a couple of seconds. Soon there will be some amazing photos of that too!!!

Well signing off for now,

Carolyn Kolm- a very responsible site leader!!

Girls Week

All of the girls from all three of our sites came together for a week of self reflection and self realization to learn about womanhood and what it means to be a women in God's eyes. The topic of the week was Imago DEI (myself, others and the dirt). We were fortunate to have Sharon Peters as our speaker for the week. Along with her she brought her adorable little boy Elliot. Throughout the week we were encouraged to ponder the following question: Who are we as women of character and faith? A question that I have personally struggled to answer or understand.

The following day we read through Genesis one. In groups we picked out phrases, ideas or images that resonated with us. There were a couple of verses that stood out the most, representing the overall topic of the week. Genesis 1:27 "So God created man in his own image... male and female he created them." In his eyes we are the most beautiful of all his creations. For he created us and it was very good, to which neither a flower or a sunrise can compare. As Kristin put it, we are like a piece of art that was carefully crafted by God. But we, the art, have severely critiqued ourselves. If you were an artist and created a masterpiece and your art was critiqued, how would you feel? What we forget to realize is that we are not only hurting our selves but God as well. I never really thought about it that way. It creates a whole new perspective about how we view ourselves. It is truly powerful. God created each of us as special and unique. Though we are different, God's beauty shines through all of us. His love for us is unconditional and ever lasting. Only from him do we find our true value, for we are all equal in his eyes.

Society however paints a different picture. "Unless we value ourselves and feel good about ourselves we will not be truly happy." As result most have turned to seek acceptance from an outside source to determine their value. By doing so we are losing more of our selves, over concerned with meeting the expectations of others. For better or worse theses are some of the things that shape our view of ourselves. We discussed the different types of relationships and the importance of keeping relationships with other women. In our site groups we were given an outline of a women, inside it we wrote words describing who we hope or aspire to be as women. These are some words that we got: adventurous, loved, and driven. These words are women that God created us to be.

By Alida Santos

All of the Site Girl Leaders strutting their stuff.


Don't we look excited to be in class?!



This is our speaker Sharon enthusiastically talking to us.



Awww, this is Sharon and her baby Elliot. Charissa loved him so much!




Christina, Elizabeth, Rebecca and Alida- roomates.



Kristin, Melodie, Rachael and Rebecca participating in Mini Golf.




Janine, Kendra, Charissa (photogenic as always) and Marisa Mini Golfing.




Shanin and Lindsay sporting very cool Go-Karting helmets.




Marisa and Janine getting ready to go.



Nikkita- Ya Baby!




Charissa is terrified at the thought of Kendra driving the Go-Kart.




Linda in action!!




Jill driving a moment when her go-kart was actually working.




Lindsay with the wind in her hair.




Shanin having the time of her life. Jill is not having the time of her life because her kart broke down a couple of times and she had to be rescued a few times.




Christina coming to the finish line.




Linda and Elizabeth at the end.




Our fearless leaders all decked out as the Pit Crew.




All the girls from Site 1!!!




Holly posing in front of the sign where we hiked- Johnston Canyon.




Rebecca, Melodie and Lindsay on the hike.




Marisa enjoying the amazing view.




Waterfall.




The dance studio where we went for a hip-hop lesson.




Rebecca, Linda, Marisa, Charissa and Kelly looking fabulous as they sport 80's outfits at hip-hop class.




Carefully observing the instructors so that we properly executed each step.




A bunch of the girls feeling great after an evening of exercise and fun!




Kelly, Linda, Rebecca and Jenna posing in their beautiful outfits!




Carolyn, what a babe!




Shanin, what a look of concentration for putting make-up on Rachael.




Nikkita, Shanin and Lindsay all dressed up for Site 1 girls supper.



Holly and Kristine smiley and cute.




Looking good Ashley!




Heather and Holly showing the rest of us how to hold chopsticks.




Emma, Ashley, Alida and Kristine posing at the Japanese Restaurant.



Kristine and Kristin in costumes provided by the restaurant in celebration of their birthdays.




Holly nicely sharing chocolate with an excited Emma.




Spa Nite: Ashley giving Kristine a hand massage.




Emma giving Holly a wonderful hand massage.




Rachael applying a clay mask on Linda.




Careful Holly! That's your eye! Peel off the mask slowly!




Toes, toes and more painted toes.




The wonderful massage train during a break from class.




Charissa, Linda and Kendra having a great time during PMG Day. We spent the day in Banff and walked around downtown. Our mission was to have fun, hang out and to buy a present for another PMG.





The leaders from all 3 sites dressed up and sang Christmas Carols for our PMG (Peer Mentor Groups) Christmas Party (a little early ladies?!)! After we exchanged gifts and sang more Christmas Carols.