2023 Christmas Newsletter

Merry Christmas! As we approach the season where we celebrate the birth of our Savior, we want to personally thank all of you who have prayed for and supported what God has been doing at camp this last year. Camp could truly not happen without the hundreds of prayer warriors, volunteers, summer missionaries, and faithful donors. Camp is not only a place to introduce children and youth to Christ but is also a place to try new experiences and have fun! We have been reflecting on the past summer and have some great stories to share about the ministry that happened.

One of the blessings we have as a camp is that we have some donors that make it possible for kids who can’t afford the cost of camp be able to attend. We were able to help one family attend camp thanks to the hard work of a believing grandparent. One of the kids came to camp for the week carrying a lot of hard burdens from home. Our speaker that week really focused on the true love of Christ and how we can share it with others. This camper was deeply impacted by God’s love and care for them and ended up making a commitment to Christ with their cabin leader! We are grateful that they have a grandparent and community members that can walk alongside her as she grows in her faith.

It was really exciting this last summer to also have 3 baptisms take place at camp. One of our summer missionaries, Abbie, wanted to be baptized and chose Stoney as the location due to the huge impact it has been in her life. We also had one camper who wanted to be baptized as well at camp so at the end of the week they were at camp we were able to baptize her in the presence of her friends and family. It was also exciting for Jen and I, as our daughter Autumn also chose to be baptized this summer. It is exciting to see young believers take this step of outward expression of faith.

At camp we are always looking for new ways to have a lot of fun! This summer, during Teen camp, our LIT leaders and Work Crew designed and built Stoney’s very first Ninja Warrior course. Each cabin was a team and had to go through a number of challenges and the team with the best time won. This course included many physical challenges and tons of mud! The whole event was a highlight for many campers and the staff so it will be an activity that will definitely be on the list again for Teen camp next year.

One of the areas of skill re-investment we did this last summer was the purchase of a new-to-us speed boat. This boat was a huge enhancement to the watersports skill as the entire skill was able to ride in the boat at the same time. This allowed for many relationship building moments amongst the campers and summer missionaries. We had some kids who just enjoyed riding in the boat during the skill! This boat is capable of doing a wide variety of watersports such as wake surfing, wake boarding and water skiing as well as the crowd favorite – tubing! Thank you once again to our faithful donors who have made this purchase possible.

One of the areas we love about camp is the discipleship of our summer missionaries. We are blessed to have people like Jason and Pam Kellington who are a huge part of the staff’s spiritual development. This last summer we were able to move some of our Work Crew campers into LIT roles for the last week of camp. It was incredible to watch them carry the responsibility that was placed on them with such joy. Our senior summer missionaries continued to amaze us all through the summer with how they handled each situation that was brought their way with maturity and grace. We are truly indebted to their hard work and sacrifice.

We were really encouraged to receive a message from Jocelyne, who was one of one of our summer missionaries, this past week. She shared with us that she has had the opportunity to continue discipling some teen campers throughout the fall and winter. She has been having a weekly bible study through Facetime and her campers have all been faithfully attending. This has such an incredible impact on the lives of the young ladies that she is discipling as well as helping Jocelyne grow in her leadership and faith as she leads others.

As each one of you prepare to spend time with friends and family over this holiday season, may God truly bless you in those interactions. We pray that you will have opportunities to share the hope of Christ to your family and community. Thank you once again for being a part of the camp community.

Merry Christmas!

Jay & Jen Leo

We work very hard to keep the cost of camp affordable for all of our camper families. The actual cost of camp this last summer was $790/camper. This means we subsidize roughly 50% of the actual cost of camp through fundraising and donations. Few people realize that we pay our senior staff a competitive wage so that they are able to pay for their college/university schooling. Because of this, one of our major summer costs is payroll. Coupled with the ever increasing cost of food and utilities, it's a challenge to keep our costs down. We heavily depend on monthly and yearly donations in order to function.
This last spring we had a major capital project of replacing our entire septic system as our old one could no longer be used due to public health regulations. This new system cost us $233,000 to have installed. This project replaced all of the shallow buried septic lines with deep lines that can be used in the winter. We also had to replace two septic tanks to be in accordance with health regulations. While this was not an exciting project, it was necessary for us to continue doing the ministry that has impacted so many lives over the years. This new system also opens the door for winter ministry opportunities.
As costs continue to increase, we are in need of continued financial support. Would you prayerfully consider making a year end donation, or becoming a monthly donor. Every donation helps keep the facility in good functioning order so that we are able to do the crucial work of bringing the Gospel to our children and youth.

How can I Donate to Stoney?

If you feel led to donate to the ministry of Stoney, here are the ways you can:
1) Send a cheque to: Box 3717, Melfort, SK, S0E 1A0
2) Send an e-transfer to slbcinv@gmail.com. Please put in the memo that it is a donation, or a specific donation.
3) Call the camp with your credit card at 306-873-5537.
4) Become a Monthly Donor. You can choose to give regularly to Stoney by setting up a pre-authorized monthly donation. You can choose the amount you wish to give each month, whether you want it to go out on the 1st or 15th of each month. Give the office a call, and Stephanie can walk you through the details.