It’s known as a Gap Year. A year between high school and university... a year-long break mid-way through university studies... a year away before starting a career. Whatever the case, people aged 18 to 28 will be excited to know that such a program starts at Pioneer Camps this fall.

The best news is that the program comes with no cost to participants. It’s built on an investment model: you invest through serving students who come to camp for outdoor education, and Pioneer invests in you through intentional training, teaching, and mentoring – in scripture study, personal development, and outdoor pursuits skills. Better yet, you receive monthly remuneration.

The program is being developed by Pioneer’s Alberta Ministry Director Rick Erlendson, based on the pioneering work of Carrie Herbert who has lead the Nikki’s Leadership Initiative (NLI) since 2005. It will extend NLI by adding the element of living in community for a full year, and by bringing in visiting scholars and teachers. Participants will develop an extensive ecological hike for use at both The Lodge and The Ranch. And they will join the spring program team and take various leadership roles at Pioneer's summer camps across the province.

According to Rick, the Gap Year “is about developing leadership in young people. We want to establish the conditions necessary for leadership development to happen. We are striving to equip a new generation of leaders with the strength of character, development of faith, and personal knowledge they will need to know God and make Him known.”

We have incredible facilities. We have connections with some of the best teachers in the country. We’re already deeply committed to leadership development. We have expertise in outdoor pursuits. We have a fall and winter program. We have Nikki’s Leadership Initiative (NLI) in place. It will all come together for a great Gap Year.

The 27th annual Peace Country rodeo took place May 31 – June 2 at the Balisky Ranch where it has always been held. But it’s now known as "The Amazing Race,” and includes an afternoon of team events throughout the sprawling Bar 71 Ranch. About 150 high school students participated, and this year another 150 younger children had their own events.

The Amazing Race attracted about 800 people, many camping overnight in holiday trailers and tents. Crowd-pleasing events include the people chuckwagon races (always with spills, tips and photo finishes), apple bobbing, and a paint ball race.

The weekend event includes a canteen, beef dinner, evening concert (this year with the Vion Family Band), breakfast, an outdoor worship service, and chili lunch.The event raised over $30,000 for the ministry of Peace Country Pioneer, most of which supports the 11 summer camps. Somewhere along the way about 15 pies get auctioned off, with an average selling price of $2,500. 

It’s known as Mark West, an intensive week for university students to study the book of Mark. For the first time Mark West was held at Pioneer Ranch, in early May. Students from VCF chapters across the West gathered with IVCF staff and ministry directors.

Says Al Anderson, IVCF's national director of campus ministries, of the Mark West manuscript studies: “It ends up being a vivid experience which has consistently impacted hundreds of students.” According to Mike Bennett, VCF staff in Grande Prairie: “Mark West was transforming” – for him and for students. One student, Carlos, described his before-and-after experience as going with a shaky faith and coming home feeling like a new house on a solid foundation.

Hillary McLean, a VCF staff candidate at U of C, explained: “Although the primary goal of the week is to be transformed by the book of Mark, something else really amazing happened: deep community. When a group of people spends 6 hours a day doing something really difficult together, unique relationships can’t help but happen. I saw people struggling together with big questions like, 'What does it mean to take up your cross and follow Jesus?' and 'What are you currently afraid of and how can that be a place of faith/obedience?'"

Jolene, a U of C student, expressed her experience this way: “An intense week of study in the gospel was a very impactful experience. The story of Jesus leading his disciples, teaching the crowds, and healing the sick paints a radical, relational, and powerful picture of who God is and his purpose for our lives. Seeing Jesus cross all man-made boundaries in order to reveal what it mans to love people and further the kingdom of God encouraged me to show this same love to every person I interact with at work, home, and campus.”

The past few months have been busy at Pioneer Camps. Aside from our Spring Program where we’ve hosted dozens of groups Monday to Friday at both central Alberta sites, we’ve also hosted groups and retreats each weekend. And we’ve run our own weekend camps.

Our new Photography weekend camp attracted people from across B.C. and Alberta. The weekend included 101 ways to improve your photographs, looking at over a thousand photos with our new digital projector, an outdoor shooting session, an in-house photo contest, and a pre-preview discussion of a movie made by Aaron Janzen, Joel Runka, and Graham Nelson. Based on enthusiastic reviews, we are planning a similar camp in 2009.

Easter Teens Camp was another highlight. Rob Holland spoke several times,examining the disciples' last days with Jesus and the implications of Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection. There were times to ride and play, an exhaustive wide-game, wonderful worship, an Easter turkey dinner served up by Edda Marx, and an emotional sunrise service in the middle of Crimson Lake below a beautifully colored sky.

Skills schools for wranglers and for canoeists have filled four weekends, as we equip our volunteer staff to teach and lead at summer camps.

In Alberta IVCF circles, it’s known as The Gathering – an annual assembly of people involved with IVCF ministries. 

The Gathering, held at The Lodge under the theme of “being blessed and blessing others,” brought together IVCF staff, Pioneer Ranch Camps staff, key volunteers, and student leaders from Grande Prairie to Lethbridge and everywhere in between.

The scripture teaching by Alice Mitchell, pastor of World Outreach at Bow Valley Christian Church in Calgary, focused on the Book of Ruth. Each session was followed by an engaging time of application facilitated by campus ministry directors Tom Greentree and Lisa Laird.

The weekend included a significant visioning exercise culminating in written focus statements of each of the ministries in Alberta: Pioneer Camps, high school (ISCF), college/university (VCF), and international students (ISM). And there was time to hike and ride, "network", and play – including a relay race with hundreds of mousetraps.

There is always room for a few more people. If you would like to join The Gathering 2009, please contact your local ministry director.

Pioneer Ranch Camps is saddened by the news of the passing recently of a friend and long-time supporter. Harriet Winspear was 103.

Harriet and her husband Francis (who died in 1997) became involved with Pioneer Ranch Camps through their friendship with Marj Long, longtime regional director of IVCF and Pioneer. Harriet and Francis both loved to visit Pioneer Ranch on Crimson Lake, and were pleased to see children and youth enjoying all that comprises a camp session.

In the mid-1980s the Winspears donated funds for completion of Cap’s Ranch House. Campers who visit the Ranch may not make the connection when they gather in the Winspear Room on the lower level, but the Winspear legacy will continue long into the future at Pioneer. A beautifully framed photograph of Harriet and Francis hangs, appropriately, in the Winspear Room.

The Winspears annually donated generously to the Pioneer bursary fund. Over the years, hundreds of campers have experienced the goodness of summer camp through this fund.

We’ve always been experts at offering outdoor education to school groups. In May and June it’s our spring program. We are also busy from September to April. In both seasons Pioneer hires college-aged students to serve our guest groups. This spring we have been booked solid – a situation we are most thankful for.

It’s a unique ministry, and one which serves as a leadership development tool for the young leaders.

A teacher recently took the time to send a note: “We would just like to say ‘thank you’ from our staff, students, and parents to everyone at Pioneer for another fantastic week of Pioneer Ranch fun. The students and everyone else raved about how great the activities were, and how well-organized and thoughtful the staff were. You are so good at what you do, and we appreciate your time and dedication in providing our kids the best experience possible.”

At The Lodge, Michelle Drissler lead the team of Daniel Hildebrand, John Vooys, Jessica Brown-Harrison (wrangler), Emily Schmidt, Keri Kisiloski, Katie Irvine, Anton Tokarchuk, Nikki Giguere, and Rebecca Esau. Hillary McLean has provided admin support to Kim Guzmanuk in the office. As always, Liz Cunningham is the head cook at The Lodge.

The Ranch team leader was Jono Vose, with Alanna Watton, Andrea Harmer, Jodi Dobson (wrangler), Allison Claire, Wing Lai, Kelsey Norton, Sarah Tyers, and Pylp Zvonkov. Christine Robinson supported Edda Marx in the kitchen, Cate Vose ran the office, and Matt Stanford was our out-trip coordinator.

We are grateful that God calls university students to serve His kingdom through our Spring Program, and we are delighted with all our excellent team members. If you see any of these young leaders, please let them know how you appreciate their good work with us.

By now you’re likely familiar with the photo that has marked all our publications this year – a teenage boy swimming his white horse. Here's the story behind the photo.

Colton Walter lives near Beaverlodge, west of Grande Prairie. He’s been a camper for many years with Peace Country Pioneer, and was one of ten lucky students on the Pack and Ride trip through the Kakwa high country last summer. The photo was taken when the packers were mid-way through the trip, near Kakwa Lake on the BC border.

Looking for an image that captured Pioneer for the cover of our brochure, in print ads, and on a massive banner for convention displays, we settled on Colton swimming Smokey. It portrays fun and adventure, as well as the kinds of new experiences that occur so easily at Pioneer.

Colton signed up for LIT and the Peace Country Pack trip this summer. He says of Pioneer: “I love the wilderness adventure and the horses. The food is incredible, and the staff members are amazing. And I always grow in my faith when I’m at Pioneer. It’s truly an amazing camp experience.”

In Lethbridge, the Urban Pioneer program is now just through its second year.

Under the leadership of James and Claire Penner, Urban Pioneer takes the form of weekend camps in the city, and trips up to Pioneer Ranch Camp. Essentially, though, the goal is to create a Pioneer experience in the city. In particular, James says “we hope to stretch the campers physically, spiritually, and relationally. We want them to experience God and care deeply for others.”

At Easter, 18 high school students (15 boys!) signed up for an intensive Urban Pioneer experience. The weekend included presentations from astronomer Dr. David Naylor, and chemist Dr. René Boeré, both U. of L. professors, and also from Jared Heidinger, a high school biology teacher. Campers asked questions about faith and science, and then the whole group went to the observatory to examine the night sky through telescopes. James explained that “campers received a letter from God during the weekend. One of the boys was particularly impacted by a statement about God being such a good father.”

On Good Friday the group visited three churches: “We talked about the 'mess’ we were in individually, and then nailed that mess to a cross, symbolizing the awesome gift of forgiveness. The sound of the hammer of the wood was absolutely beautiful,” James said.

On the May long weekend, Urban Pioneer took in the annual work camp at The Ranch. They rolled up their sleeves to serve God by serving Camp. They also engaged in trust-building games, and explored what it means to see God in nature. After the weekend, Ryan wrote that “all of nature exists without knowing what the Bible says. Animals know they will be provided for. Life seems so simple in nature. I too must trust that God will provide for me, and remember that I have an important purpose on earth.”

James mentioned that many weekend camps include a social justice element. Campers have run the soup kitchen in Lethbridge and have packed over 400 food bags for university students just before final exams. Some will help at Discovery Camp in July at Pioneer Lodge.

Two of the leaders in Urban Pioneer have longtime Peace Country Pioneer connections – Bev Johnson and Lydia Penner were both studying in Lethbridge.

What do Pioneer Camps and elite hockey players from Down Under have in common?

First, a new-found friendship. And second, we had the privilege of hosting the Australian National Women’s ice hockey team for almost two weeks.

The team was in Canada to prepare for the world competition in Finland. They trained at the Sundre arena and played several exhibition games. A recent issue of the Sundre Roundup newspaper included a half-page photo of the team taken in front of Pioneer Lodge, and the accompanying story highlighted Pioneer Camp’s excellent care of the girls.

Sundre mayor Roy Cummings, whose daughter is on the team, said “the girls were overwhelmed by the hospitality at Pioneer.” Team captain Kaylee White echoed Cummings' comments, adding that they “appreciated the warm welcome we received from all the staff at Pioneer.”

Head cook Liz Cunningham enjoyed the unusual booking at The Lodge. She worked with the team dietician for weeks prior to the visit; the menu included a lot of fish and protein. “We put on an Alberta beef dinner on their last night, including barbecued steak and baked potatoes. They loved it!" We're hoping they will come again.

John Vooys, 19, has made his mark on Pioneer Camps in lots of ways, but this year he really left an impression.

John-the-artist was asked by Pioneer to develop the images for all our clothing lines, and he was happy to take on the assignment. The results are spectacular, and staff at Pioneer are thrilled with the creativity – especially a design of our logo with a victorious rider on one of the three horses.

John is the son of Keith and Corrine Vooys of Calgary, and says he has been to every camp except Jr Girls and Girls Adventure. He is currently on the spring program team at The Lodge. Last year he was on the Ranch spring program team and was a cabin leader at Sr. Boys and Plunge. He was part of Nikki’s Leadership Initiative (NLI) in 2006-07.

John’s attachment with Pioneer is partly genetic. His grandparents Ruth and Ray Champion were the site managers at The Lodge for many years. In true Pioneer spirit, John recently returned from a 700 km hike in Spain. After a full summer as a lifeguard at Pioneer, John plans to attend the Alberta College of Art and Design.

Pioneer’s product lines are available online at www.pioneercamps.ab.ca, or by calling our office. And, of course, everything is for sale in our camp tuck shops.