My dream weekend... well... my birthday party

My dream weekend will be my birthday party. I am inviting 7 friends and I hope that they can all make it. I know these friends from camp and from youth group, and they are an awesome group of friends to spend time with (especially for entertainment!). If the weather is sunny, I would like to go swimming in the pool and also in the hot tub. We will have supper together (farmer sausage!), and ice cream cake for dessert. We can play dutch blitz and taboo. Hopefully, we can make a fire, roast marshmallows and make s'mores. We'll stay up really late just having fun and making jokes. My friends and I are great at making anything a fun time. I have wanted to tent out with friends in my backyard for a while now, so I really hope that everything goes as planned!!

The month of June

The month of June will be very busy for me... but it will be very fun!! Lots is going on next month. It starts with June 1st - my birthday. On this day, I will be turning 18 years old.

June 5 we have commencement, and June 12 is our last day of school! Although the first two weeks of June are busy, filled with final exams and finishing courses, it's alright because I have no final exams after school is done. I have one final biology exam in class, and no provincials during the exam weeks!! So when I walk out of school on that last day... I AM DONE!

Then, on June 12, it is my birthday party and I am having a sleepover from Friday to Saturday. I am really looking forward to that because it should be really fun! We can go in the pool, hot tub, play games, and sit around a fire. Hopefully the weather will be really nice and sunny (especially if we are going in the pool, which is heated by solar panels!). We will be tenting out in the backyard overnight.

During exam week, I plan to relax, have fun, enjoy the sun, and hang out with friends, before I go to camp. On June 25 is the grad dinner and dance.

Then, on the 26th of June I will go to Camp Squeah!!! We will start staff training (which goes for about a week). I am very excited for camp this summer, as I will be a camp counselor for the first time! The month of June should be very fun and busy... I am really looking forward to it and all the activities it brings!!!

If I could live anywhere in the world...

If I could live anywhere in the world it would be Costa Rica. However, I would not want to live there for my entire life. I would only wish to live there for a short or limited time. Costa Rica has the beautiful white beaches as well as the tropical rain forest and jungles. It has a very lush environment and the scenery is absolutely astonishing. The warm weather is very appealing to me because I like hot weather! I have been to Costa Rica so I know how wonderful it is there. Also, there would be many opportunities to help the local people. Many families are very poor in Costa Rica and do not know Jesus as their Saviour, so it could be a great missionary experience as well!

My Favourite Sport: Hiking

My favourite sport is hiking because it is in such a nice setting in nature and it provides great exercise. I am not a fan of running, so hiking is an excellent alternate. Hiking with friends can be a good outing to do on a weekend. Spring is a very pretty time to go hiking because everything is blooming and bursting with colours. The mountains in summer are so fresh and calm. During summer camp at Camp Squeah, we do a lot of hiking. Every day we do a short hike to Chapel in the Sky, where we do singing and worship in the evening just before going to bed. Also, every week we do an overnighter to a camping spot on the mountain. The counselors hike up with a group of campers to their overnight spot. I have also been on a four-day hike and I throughly enjoyed it!

My First Day as Staff at Camp Squeah

As a camper I admired Camp Squeah. The friendly staff, beautiful surrounding nature, the presence of God, and the summer season created a wonderful environment to be in. I always looked up to my counselors when I was younger and I knew that one day I wanted to be a counsellor as well. I wanted to experience what they were experiencing a be a part of that team.

Before I knew it, I was old enough to apply to work at camp. I emailed in my application with high hopes for the summer. I had done the Junior Leadership Training (JLT) course the summer before, so I knew a bit of behind the scenes work already and I knew my way around from all those years as a camper. I was ready to serve God that summer.

During my interview with the camp program director in the spring, it was mentioned that I was still fairly young, and therefore I might not get to be a co-counsellor, like I had hoped for. I really love working with children and that is why I wanted that position. After the interview, I was somewhat upset or discouraged about the way that my summer might turn out. I wasn't sure what to expect now.

In June, I found out that I was accepted into work crew at Camp Squeah. I wasn't sure what work crew was, or what it entailed. There was no job description, but I figured that wherever God leads me, I should go. If I was needed in work crew instead of co-counseling, I'd be willing. Then it was time to pack and head off to camp...

The days before going up to camp, I was really nervous. I didn't know what kind of work I would be doing there or what to expect. Most of the staff there were older than me, and I would be one of the youngest. Also, staff there from previous year would already have their friends, and I didn't know how I would fit into the staff group.

During the drive up to camp I was somewhat anxious of what I'd be doing, and who I would meet. But as soon as I got out of our SUV and I walked into the lodge, I was welcomed with warm smiles and open arms. Four other people from my JLT program were there, so I knew some people. Also, I recognized and knew some people who were on staff from previous years.

I got to know all the staff and made many new friends. Some people I worked with on work crew that summer I still get together with now and on weekends. Working at camp in the summer was SO MUCH FUN and I can't imagine not having many of those friends now. We had many laughs during our work there, and working has never been so fun in my life!!

It didn't matter whether we were clearing trails, stacking firewood, cleaning bathrooms, doing dishes, or hiking all over the mountain to take down the campsites at the end of summer... we made every job given to us a pleasure and we always had something to laugh at. I am very close to these friends, and I am so glad that a few of them attend my school as well. My nervousness at the beginning had quickly passed once I met all these new wonderful people!! I look forward to going back to Camp Squeah again this summer. =)

Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns

Chocolate Slaves

Have you ever thought about where your chocolate comes from, or how it is made? One of the key ingredients in chocolate is the cocoa beans. Did you know that slave labour is involved on cocoa bean farms in countries like Africa? Ivory coast is the major supplier for Nestle. More than 109,000 children are slaves to Ivory Coast's cocoa industry. The children do not know what they are getting into when they begin. They suffer long intense hours, frequent beatings, and they handle poisonous pesticides - all with little or no pay. Fair trade chocolate ensures that the workers get paid for the labour that they are doing. Please read the article, Think About Chocolate Slaves, which I wrote and got published in the Chillwack Times last year.

Hi, my name is Amy Fedrau and I'm seventeen years old. I grew up and currently live on a Dairy Farm, I'm quite accustomed to the farm life. I am in grade 12 and will be graduating in June this year. After graduation I plan to attend UFV, to pursue my dream of becoming an elementary school teacher. Last summer, I volunteered at Camp Squeah (in Hope, BC) as work crew (kitchen and maintenance work). I greatly enjoyed that experience and am planning on going back to camp this summer.

I really enjoy traveling around the world. I have been to many places, such as Hawaii, Mexico, Disneyland, Disneyworld, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, the Caribbean, the Panama Canal, Columbia, and England. I like doing excursions like parasailing and canopy tours.