Freshmen Ministry Practicum

Hey, this is Karissa Little. I am a freshman student here at NBC. For our Freshman Ministry Class there were four teams that went to four different locations for one week. The four locations were Timber Bay Bible Camp, Big River Bible Camp, Regina Urban Centre, and Kinistin Reserve. I went to Big River Bible Camp with a team of seven people. We stayed with Jason and Anita Boucher who are the missionaries who run the camp. Big River is a summer camp, but Jason and Anita live there year round. When we got there it was about 6:30 and pitch black and we trudged out in the snow for about 10 minutes to get to the cabins we were staying in. The cabins were heated by wood stoves and had no running water; therefore, no showers or toilets in them. We had outhouses and had to heat our cabins with wood. The guys stayed in a cabin that had a nice big fireplace, but our cabin had a little cooking stove which was about ¼ the size of the guys’ fireplace. Although we had a smaller place to have a fire, we did get an electric heater as well. On the second day we just settled in, met the family, and went over some rules and expectations. During the course of the week we went to three different reserves; Sandy Lake Reserve, Whitefish Reserve, and another one (I can’t remember the name, we just went there once!). We spent most of our time at Sandy Lake Reserve hanging out and skating at the indoor rink. It was amazing to see how many people wanted to come play hockey with us. Through this ministry we got to meet people and build relationships we may have not been able to if we were just there handing out tracts. Although we were having a good time skating we still had the ultimate goal in mind, to let people know about Christ. We were having so much fun skating and playing hockey that it didn’t seem like a Missions trip at all, and we felt kind of guilty for having so much fun. Although we had lots of fun at the rink, we also had youth group on Friday night, taught Sunday School on Sunday morning, and had a Bible Study on Tuesday night. There were also general chores for us to do such as feed horses, do dishes, chop wood, shovel snow etc. Jason had a work shop at his house that had a lot of snow piled up on it, so we decided to shovel it off one day. The only thing we didn’t realize was that the roof was tin….. and therefore extremely slippery! Even though the roof was slippery we got all the snow shovelled and only a couple people slid off the roof. We ate all of our meals in the house and Jason’s wife Anita cooked for all of us; there were 13 people at every meal and there was so much food! After each meal we would choose two people to do dishes and the rest of us would get ready to do other work or do other chores or just hang out with the kids. On the weekend there were three girls that came from the reserve to stay with Jason and Anita for a few days. They were really cool and we hung out and got to know them more. Dutch Blitz was a game that took up most of our time on Sunday after the church potluck and on Monday because there was a blizzard outside. Some of the girls stayed out in our cabin on Sunday night and we stayed up really late just talking and laughing. On Wednesday we had breakfast and read our “Top Ten” lists that we had made of our ten favourite things about the trip. After that we all packed up in the van and started our trip….to the end of the driveway. A couple of guys fed the horses and we stopped at Tim Hortons in Prince Albert and continued travelling. We got back to Nipawin around 5:15, just in time for supper! Overall it was an amazing experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything. I learned so much about team dynamics, communication, Native culture, and most of all how to love people and how showing that love is most often more meaningful than asking them if they want to become a Christian right then. During this trip God taught me so much that I will treasure and use throughout my life.

That Good O'Hockey Game

This years annual hockey tournament went very well. This year we had only 4 teams total, but other teams expressed interest in the future. Millar College of the Bible, a team from a church in Osler, and the DZB Blazers (a team from Whitefox and area (close to Nipawin)) came out. NBC did well. We started off a little shaky, but by the time the first period was over, we were confident and scoring. We won our first game 4-2. Millar and Osler tied their first game 3-3, so we knew that competition would be tight for the rest of the tourney. Saturday morning rolled around bright and early, and with several guys on our team getting very little sleep, we still managed to pull out a 2-1 victory over Osler, a team we haven’t beaten before (that I know of, which goes back 7 years). We played very well as a team, and the only slip-up in that game was a defensive error from the player/coach (ie.me), who was not really a D-man, but learned really quick the importance of not fiddling with the puck at the blue-line again!

Millar dominated DZB, although the Blazers goalie pulled some amazing saves out of somewhere. After that game, the Blazers were a little bit tired, having only 2 lines, but they still scored quite a few on Osler, losing 9-5.

Then came the big game as far as our team, NBC, was concerned. Millar. The game started off very back and forth, very even, very fast. Finally we started scoring, and then things opened up. The game stayed close until the beginning/middle of the second period, when Millar was leading 4-3. We tied it up and then walked away. (Millar guys probably wouldn’t say ‘walked’ away, but hey! J) We won the game 7-4, scoring with 4 seconds left again. It was wonderful, sweet victory, as they beat us in the final last year 3-2. Then came playoffs. We beat the Blazers easily, the 1st vs. 4th matchup. Osler and Millar were close, but Millar won 4-2. Then the final. Millar got out to a fairly early 3-1 lead, but I begged my guys to keep playing hard, and it paid off. With 5 minutes left, we tied it up, 3-3. With that Millar picked it up a little, and the action got really intense. We got really scrambly in our zone, and failed to get the puck out several times. We finally did, but just barely out, and they rushed back in and got a shot away. Our goalie played awesome for the whole tourney, and of course, made the save. However, the rebound went to the side of the outstretched goaltender, who got a piece of the puck with his paddle, and the puck trickled over the line. It was one of those Matrix moments. You see the bullet coming, and you do that thing, and, well, yah. 1 minute left in the game, but we couldn’t get the puck in their net, even after pulling the goalie and getting a few chances. Losing a gut-wrenching game, 4-3, once again, to Millar.

I will say though, it was probably the most fun tournament I have ever played in. The competition was fierce, but anger was kept in check by our Lord Jesus who we constantly asked to help us play with good attitudes. Everyone I know of had a really enjoyable time playing and fellowshipping. God was definitely the key factor in making the tournament a success once again!

Black and Whites Bring Peace

Before I was in Kindergarten my mom gave me the chores of feeding the baby calves on our Dairy farm. I remember some things like giving them hay, making sure they had fresh straw and filling up there water buckets. But one clear memory I have is Grandpa Wiebe asking me every time we visited, "How are the black and whites," because that was our code name for the calves. Now i thought that would have worn off after we moved from the Dairy 15 years ago but to this day he still asks how are the Black and Whites.

It would have been so appropriate to have Grandpa Wiebe at Nipawin Bible Colleges Cantata this Christmas. As the singers walked on the stage in their black pants and white shirts starring at the conductor waiting for the music to cue. It was almost like a bunch of calves waiting to get fed.

The theme for Cantata was, "Peace on Earth," and what a message for all who participated and came to watch. Mark Koop the conductor did an amazing job preparing the singers, working with the soloist, checking the sound and dealing with all the small details.

Over three hundred people came to watch and hear the choir sing. It was a great opportunity for those students that love to sing. Lots were able to perform solos, play in the band and harmonize with 27 other singers.

Grandpa the black and whites were very good.