Gord & Beckie Klassen - Gem Lake Winter 2026 Update

Director / Gem Lake Wilderness Camp

Inner City Youth Alive

Winnipeg, Manitoba

Home church: Nassau Street Church, Winnipeg Manitoba

Last summer was a chaotic one as we worked around forest fires and operated out of an alternate location for part of the season. It was a gift to have a slower fall to recover from that pace. We completed our camp close-up work trip at the end of September but were unable to get our new boat up to camp before closeup. In October, we were blessed to find a company willing to help us bring the new boat into Gem Lake by helicopter. We’re very much looking forward to using the new boat next summer.

Four members of our summer camp staff team will be working this winter in the ICYA drop-in programs. It’s been great to see them continue using their gifts and building relationships with youth in our community. We’ve also been trying to stay more connected with our summer staff throughout the year. That has included Sunday lunches and afternoon hangouts, escape rooms, and even a Christmas dinner at our house.

We’ve had one winter camp so far but have really struggled with the poor ice conditions this year. Heavy snowfall on the lake early in the season created a thick slush layer between the ice and snow, making travel with snowmobiles and sleighs very difficult. Last week, while heading up to camp to open up for winter camp #2, we hit major slush patches on our lake trail and got really stuck. Thankfully, the temperatures weren’t too cold that day, and after a lot of work we managed to get out and get everything back onto solid snow again. It was disappointing to have to cancel the camp weekend scheduled to start the next day, but it would have been impossible to bring campers through those conditions. Please pray with us that the slush will freeze solid and allow for smoother travel for the rest of our winter camps.

After an evening mini-church, the girls were playing a night game outside while I worked on building a fire for night snack. One camper, who was tired, came and sat with me at the firepit. As we talked with another staff member who passed by, the camper mentioned something that connected to one of our earlier mini-church skits. When the staff member asked if she ever thought about the things we talk about in mini-church, she replied, “Yeah. After camp I think about all the mini-church talks.”

We often wonder how much of the teaching really sticks, so it was encouraging to hear how meaningful it had been for her. She shared about having been abused and how difficult it was for her to trust older men. I pointed out that I was an older man and asked her what she thought about me, and she explained that she trusted me (and Matt my camp co-leader), but no one else. Despite the trauma she has experienced, it was encouraging to know that she felt safe and recognized that we were different. Later, she asked me how old she would need to be to work at Gem Lake in the summer and what she could do now to become a good cabin leader. It was exciting to see God at work in her and her growing desire to serve.

Praise and Prayer Items

• Praise God for the good connections we were able to build with campers during our first winter camps.

• Praise God for providing a simple and smooth way to get our new boat up to camp this fall.

• Praise God for His protection and safety when we got stuck in the slush on the lake earlier this winter.

• Pray that ice conditions on Gem Lake will improve and that no further camps will need to be canceled.

• Pray for boldness for our staff as we interact with campers and share our faith with them.

• Pray for safe travel as we bring campers up to camp throughout the winter season.

• Pray that leaders would hear and respond to the Holy Spirit’s calling as we begin building our summer staff team.

• Pray for wisdom and clarity for Matt as he leads the Mini-Church times this winter.

• Pray that campers’ hearts would be open and drawn toward the message of Jesus shared at camp.

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This article was originally published in Recorder vol 63, No. 1