May 16, 2024

Hello Glenbrook!

What a lovely week it has been so far.

This past Tuesday, we had a wonderful time gathering for soup lunch and movie. We had a large portion of the ESL class join us (around 17 people from ESL!) in fellowship with the congregants of Glenbrook. We enjoyed four different kinds of delicious soup (lentil/veggie, creamy tomato, chicken mulligatawny, and ramen noodle) while being in the company of one another.

We then had coffee, tea, and some of the most delicious baked goods ever!

With our bellies full, we went into the sanctuary and enjoyed “Wonder (2017)” projected onto the big screen. Thank you to everyone who helped out with setting up, tearing down, and baking!

You also may be thinking “hang on why is Sam sending this out on Thursday?”

Great question. I will be out of the office on Friday and on my way up north for a weekend of backwoods camping!

A few friends have rented canoes, and we will drive into Algonquin, canoe for a few hours, portage for about 2km with all of our gear, canoe a little longer, and then find a nice campsite along the lake!

It is arduous, but for some reason one of my favourite things to do.

I am really looking forward to disconnecting and focusing just on nature and fellowship with friends.

It looks like it will be raining allll weekend in Algonquin, but we have lots of giant tarps, rain gear, and hot water bottles.

On these kinds of trips, you need to pack LIGHT because you have to carry everything on your back including the canoe over a 2km hike through woods.

So we have water filtration system (to filter lake water instead of bringing water jugs), freeze-dried food packages, and tiny, portable camp stools.

We’re leaving 4am Friday morning, and will be returning Monday evening! Please note we are going deep enough into the woods that there will be absolutely no cell service, so I will not be available for calls, emails, or texts until I return on Monday.