Boundary Waters Experience (BWX)

2010 Trip Dates...

We have limited availability for summer 2010.  Call to reserve your trips today!

How you can help...

This year we have two financial goals that we are asking for your help in realizing.  If you would like to contribute to either the BWX Scholarship Fund or the Trail Equipment Capital Project, you can contribute using: checks, cash, stocks, debit-cards, or the United Way.

1)    BWX Scholarship Fund: Each year the BWX helps raise scholarship money so that it can be given it to groups who would otherwise not be able to join us.  We have a strong tradition of providing scholarships to 15% of our groups each summer. This year 15% of our business will be seven trips, which amounts to $21,000. If you would like to sponsor a full trip, you can do so by giving $3,000.

2)    Trail Equipment Capital Project:  After ten years of responsible use, it is necessary to replace much of our trail equipment.  We are asking for financial gifts to help us replace canoes, tents, and sleeping bags.  The total cost of this project is $40,000.

In her own words...

By: Jennifer Grassman, Youth Director

For the past three summers, more than fifty Inner City Minneapolis Latino Youth from Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, Espíritu Juvenil Youth Group, have had the opportunity to participate in the Boundary Waters Experience.   The uniqueness of these trips hasn’t solely been the “shear nature” of the wilderness, but the true exposure through hands on experience with God’s creation. 
The challenges faced throughout the adventure often times present themselves well before we even set foot on trail.  95% of our youth are unable to fund their own trip and lack the proper gear.  BWX has been truly gracious to us by supporting our efforts in the form of scholarships available for all youth even down to helping us get the kids dressed and ready to live in the wilderness for a week.  The challenges faced before, during and after our annual Boundary
Waters Experience trip are what make these kids physically and mentally stronger…and yes, it can happen in one short week!  It is difficult, and all the kids will CONSTANTLY remind you of that, however they are never ready to leave and always eager to return. 

The unique experience felt throughout each group is the true reason why our group returns year after year.  A special family-like bond is developed over the week between each youth, chaperone, and the professionally trained BWX guides through the teamwork, compassion, truth and humility.  We purposely place the youth in pre-planned groups so that they are able to meet new friends. 

What does it mean to experience God?  How will I be able to experience God out in the woods if I don’t at home?  These two questions often run through the minds of our kids because of the reality of their own lives.  Gangs, drugs, depression, pregnancy, immigration, deportation and single parent homes are just a small list of the ever-growing heartaches, which 
our kids are faced with on a daily basis.  To step out of the streets of South Minneapolis and into the beauty of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is like entering into heaven on earth.  Most youth have never seen trees (in mass groupings), swam or fished in glacier created lakes, seen Native American pictographs, fallen asleep to the howl of wolves, woken up in the morning to the call of the Minnesota Loon, experienced numerous mosquito bites or just  “surviving” in the wilderness.  

For myself as a youth director, seeing God in the form of nature is fascinating, however, I truly feel blessed to see Him working in the lives of each and every kid, especially when they have their own chance to be enhanced through such a great opportunity, the Boundary Waters Experience.  

How is the BWX doing?

It is well.

The Boundary Waters Experience (BWX) started ten years ago as a small intimate ministry that was being run out of a garage.  In the first years the BWX facilitated a handful of trips.  The excitement and positive feedback from these initial trips propelled us to invite more people to participate in this experience. 

Over the last decade, we have had the privilege of hosting, serving, loving, and sharing the things of God in the BWCAW with exactly 200 groups of people.  These groups were made up of over 1,600 people who spent over 11,000 days in the wilderness with us. 

They have come from a great breadth of backgrounds, traditions, and ages.  We have served middle school youth, high school youth, college people, families, ministry teams, senior citizens, support groups, and many, many urban and multicultural groups.  In fact, 37% of all of the trips that have participated a BWX trip were multicultural.  

Another statistic that we are quite pleased by is that each year the BWX has donated 15% of our trips to urban and multicultural groups who would not have been able to participate due to financial hardship.  This has been made possible by the generosity of financial supporters of the BWX.  To date we have given away 30 fully scholarshipped trips, serving 240 people!

Celebrating...

The Boundary Waters Experience was wonderful this summer.  The BWX community loved, served, conversed with, taught, and lived in the ways of Jesus with more people than ever before.  We are quite pleased.  God loved, provided for, and was apparent to our campers and staff in many ways.  It was a privilege to share God’s love and ways in His beautiful creation.

The people that composed our Trail Guide Staff this summer were creative in loving each other, campers, and the community of people we interacted with in Ely.  I give much thanks and appreciation to these fantastic people who chose to voluntarily serve as Trail Guides this summer.  Quite simply… they are wonderful folks!

As for my family, we are well.  Summer is a special time for Abby and I, because we get to raise our little girl (Selah) in the woods with ten big sisters and brothers.  They love and treat her well.  Two months hence, she still asks where all of her “friends” are and prays for them by name each night.  We have a great job.

Already we have excitement about what God will do through this ministry in the coming year.  I take pleasure in knowing that there will be many more people joining us on trips, that there will be another staff community that will amaze me, and that all of us together will try to follow our God in the ways of Jesus.  It is for these reasons, that the Boundary Waters Experience exists, and is a special way of living.

Marcus

Thank you to the 2009 BWX Staff...

You all did a great job.  Thanks for serving so many folks this summer.

2010 Summer Registration is open...

The BWX has opened registration for the 2010 summer.  Some of our weeks are filling quickly.  Take a look at the website for further details and pricing.

Trip Dates for 2010

• June 19 - July 25 - (Limited Availability)
• June 26 - July 2
  
• July 3   -  July 9
• July 10 -  July 16
• July 17 -  July 23
• July 24 -  July 30
  
• July 31  -  Aug. 6 - (Limited Availability)

News from the trail...

So far this summer has been the most challenging and most rewarding of my life.  I am continually challenged to grow by our camp director Marcus, my campers, the rest of the BWX staff, and God’s word.  It really is amazing to be part of a community that collectively looks to glorify God while edifying each other and our environment.  I can only hope that as I grow here, the principles we have practiced will carry over in how I love and interact with my community when I go back to school in the fall. 

I have had some amazing experiences here, one of which was with a trip from Hope Lutheran Church in Fargo, ND.  I had the opportunity to co-guide this trip with Mary and we were continually amazed at the fortitude and friendship demonstrated by our campers of whom the average age was fifty-two.  These women all had responsibilities at home, families to take care of and people dependant on them.  The highlight of this trip for me came after a week filled with canoeing, hiking, rock-jumping and Bible studies.  We were able to do a foot-washing and serve the ladies in a symbolic and tangible way in the example that Jesus demonstrated to us in the Bible. 

I also had the opportunity to take out a group from Bloomington Lutheran Church in Bloomington, MN.  This group consisted of a co-ed group of students who grew up in the same church, school, and community and were transitioning from high school to college.  They all played instruments and took every opportunity to sing about anything; as I learned, “there’s a song for everything!”  Overall, the thing that impressed me about the BLS group was their joy.  Despite the fact that we capsized a canoe in the first hour, had a run-in with Hagrid the Forest Ranger, battled rough winds and rain all week, they didn’t complain, but instead kept a positive attitude throughout.  The highlight for me was celebrating Christmas with this group and being able to share the birth and incarnation of Christ with each other.  They were FANTASTIC and I have no doubt that wherever God leads them they will affect the world. 

Steph Lally

News from the trail...

I have had a great first couple of weeks at BWX.  The wilderness has been a great setting to learn and teach about God and life.  I have had the privilege, thus far, of taking two inner-city high school/middle school groups of boys out on the trail.  I have been blessed with amazing weather and even better people.

The first group was six young men from the Cristo Rey Jesuit School in Minneapolis.  We learned a lot about nature, life, God and leadership.  It was a great experience filled with challenging wilderness and interesting conversation.  We even survived a very intense lighting storm laughing through the whole thing to Chuck Norris jokes.  They never ceased to amaze me, and I have never laughed so hard in my life.

Next, I took a group of Junior High guys from San Miguel Middle School in Chicago, IL.  This group was comprised of half 2nd year Boundary Waters Vet, and half first time adventurers.  We spent a lot of time hiking and paddling trying to explore everything the wilderness had to offer.  Not only did the guys learn from me, but I learned how to catch the Holy Spirit and what it sounds like to ‘WADE IN THE WAAAATER!’.  It was another great experience and I can only hope that the rest of my trips will be as exciting, eventful, inspiring, and fun as the last two have been.

Nick Nolting

Views from the Trail...

Steph Lally...

My name is Steph Lally and I hail out of Princeton, New Jersey.   I’m a senior at Crown College which is located thirty minutes west of the twin cities.  I have two majors in business administration and Christian studies and three minors in human resource management, psychology and counseling.  I love working with people, learning from them and building relationships.  Athletics is a huge part of my life and I love integrating it with my faith in Jesus Christ by challenging my body through physical competitions.  I am beyond excited to work with BWX this summer in God’s creation doing something I love to do. 

Cooper Ternes...

My name is Cooper - I just graduated from Bethel University in Theology and Philosophy.  I am really looking forward to my first summer at the BWX! I've never worked in the BWCA before, but I have worked in camping ministry for about five years and I absolutely love it.  Some things about me; I really enjoy wood working.  Other things I like to do are to cook and make music. I love getting to know new people. And being out in God's creation.  I love to talk about new ideas and perspectives. Also I am looking forward to both the community of BWX and the solitude of the BWCA. Most of all though I am exited to see both what God has for me and what he has for me to do this summer.

Nick Nolting...

My name is Nick Nolting and I am  22 year old student at Miami University in Oxford OH.  I am a Business-Economics and Decision Sciences Double major.  I am 6' 6'', I require an extra long sleeping bag, I wear size 38'' pants, and no...I don't play basketball. 

I have been attending the Boundary Waters Experience since it's infancy about 6 or 7 years ago.  I have had the pleasure to find myself as well as the love of Jesus in this amazing place.  While in the Boundary Waters you are constantly surrounded by the presence and beauty of God.

I am ecstatic about meeting new people to share the beautiful wilderness, as well as the love of God with.

See You Out There...

Jeff Sugden...

My name is Jeff Sugden.  I am a 3rd year student at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, MI where I am majoring in Computer Engineering.  I am also a student intern at GE Aviation, where I help design electrical testing equipment for avionic components.

I enjoy many outdoor activities including, cross country skiing, scuba diving, rock/ice climbing, biking, and canoing / kayaking.  One of my favorite things to do is go on trips to explore new places.  I am always amazed at the beauty that God displays through nature.  I also like to talk and discuss ideas with other people.  This will be my first summer with the BWX, and I am excited to meet and explore the wilderness with all of you this summer.

Erin Gilliland...

Hi my name is Erin Gilliland, and I am from North Minneapolis, Minnesota. I will be a senior at Bethel University this fall, majoring in Studio Art with minors in Communication and Leadership Studies.

This is my second summer with BWX, and I am so excited to experience it again. It is such a blessing to be able to live up here, serve this camp, and meet so many people while doing it!

Here are a couple things that I absolutely love: being outside and alive in God's creation, spending time with friends and family, eating ice cream, being spontaneous, making art, and having long conversations about absolutely everything.

The Boundary Waters Experience is a place that I have come to connect with God in a different way than I have ever experienced.  Having the opportunity to discuss, question, learn and love in community this summer is one of the things I am excited about most! Hope to see you up here!