Welcome to the Band Trip Information Page! 

We hope to keep you updated through this page while we are away.  We will be leaving on the 25th of March and return on the 31st of March.  Please check out this page during that time to see updates on the trip.

We would also like to thank all of our supporters for making this trip possible.  

The theme of the Mass Concert is "Band Together".  The theme comes from the text of Psalm 133, one of the selections that we will be performing, which states, "How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity"  

DCS BAND TRIP - DAY ONE

Today we made our way through some lovely driving conditions and arrived safely at the Winnipeg Airport.  With great anticipation and excitement, we checked our baggage and headed through security.  The excitement waned temporarily as we were told that the plane needed to be de-iced (for our safety) and therefore, we had to wait before boarding.  We finally boarded about 20 minutes late and the excitement was back.  Seats were found and soon traded in order to work out the ideal seating arrangement - very important for the long flight.  As the engines screamed and we were pushed back in our seats, we soon left the ground behind.  For the first time fliers, there was a small look of apprehension on their face, but that soon disappeared.  The flight was very smooth with the exception of a bit of turbulence over the Rockies.  We assured the first-timers that this was perfectly normal, and they slowly unclenched their fingers from the arm rests.   It was amazing to see the many lights of Vancouver as we were flying overhead.  We landed and proceeded to collect our baggage.  Heres Snijder and Arthur Deleeuw were there to meet us and escort us to the bus.  We almost made it without incident - except for one small little thing.  We managed to get all 47 of us to Vancouver, we managed to get all of our instruments to Vancouver, and we managed to get all of our luggage to Vancouver - almost.  Poor Sarah, her suitcase decided to head east to visit Toronto instead.  Air Canada was nice, they will fly it back to Vancouver and deliver it her house, but not in time for her to get her bathing suit out in time for tomorrow's wave pool .  Tomorrow we will do some exploring at Lyn Valley, take a boat tour, have a group supper and head out for some fun at a local wave pool and water slide park.  There is no snow here and the grass is quite green in some areas.  Everybody has had a great time so far and we look forward to an awesome trip.  Missing everybody back home, but we will all have really neat stories to share when we return.  Thanks be to God for His blessings over our travel today.

Thursday, March 26 - Day Two of our adventure

Today we met at the school at 9:00 a.m. for our long day of various adventures.  We are off first to Lyn Valley - a beautiful hiking area with a suspension bridge to cross over the gorge.  Arthur Deleeuw was our very capable bus driver who got us there safely and soon we were enjoying the sights and smells (cedar) of B.C.  Crossing the suspension bridge and making our way to the bottom of the gorge, we had many opportunities to see trees so tall that the kids were amazed (they don't grow that tall in MB).  We also had the opportunity to navigate over the rocks in the water at the bottom of the gorge.  Some only got their feet a little wet, but some couldn't resist and didn't stop with just the feet.  Several of our group decided that perhaps going as deep as the belly button or even the chin would be much better, but how do you do that when the water isn't that deep?  Simple, just slip off a rock and land on your backside.  No worries, the brisk hike soon dried the few out.  And after enjoying our lunch at this area, we were back on the bus and heading over to Steveston for our tour boat ride - actually, boats, as our group was so large we needed two boats to take us all.  The aim was to see if we could find any sea lions.  We were unsuccessful in that but we did come across a lot of bald eagles and a couple of harbour seals.  After the two hour ride up and down the Fraser, we finally docked and headed to the bus.  By this time everybody was quite hungry and off to Boston Pizza we went.  Did you know that it takes at least 18 really large pizzas to feed a group our size ( we had a few extra along for the day so our total was 56 people in all)  After everybody finished supper, we boarded the bus to head over to the Newton Swimming Complex for some waterslide and wavepool fun.  After two hours of that enjoyment it was time to head back to school and meet up with our hosts to take us home for the night.  It was an awesome day and everybody had fun.  many memories were created today.   Everybody was sure going to sleep tonight after all of that fresh air.  And sleep they will need because all of the bands are now here and it is afull day of practice tomorrow in preparation for the concert.  We miss you all very much and look forward to seeing you all again soon.  I don't think we are missing the snow at all, as we can walk around here, see the green grass and flowers and enjoy being outside without freezing.  We give thanks to God for His protection over us and for giving us the opportunity to see another beautiful part of His creation.  We also thank Him for the blessings that we have in order to attend this event.  Good night and sleep well!

Day Three - Friday, March 27

Today was the day.  This was the first day of practice in preparation for the concert.  Students started arriving at Credo Gym at 10:00 a.m..  It was obvious that many people were already hard at work from the early hours, as the gym was all set up with chairs, stands and the percussion instruments.  All the musicians found thier places and started to put their instruments together.  There was an air of excitement, mixed in with some nerves as they all awaited the first note.  Mr. Snijder opened the practicewith Bible reading and prayer and proceeded to welcome everybody to the concert practice.  He emphazied that all of this was not to our honour and glory, but to the honour and glory of the Chief Musician, our Father in Heaven.  We started the practice with the hymn "We Gather Together"  Very appropriate.  The sound that came forth was incredible.  It amazes us that in a few moments, 170 musicians come together to form one solid unit.  It was truly a spine-tingling moment.  (the first of many such moments that day).  That was also the start of a marathon practice.  We started playing at 10:30, stopping briefly for lunch (and a quick soccer game) and then continuing with practice until 5:00 that afternoon.  The kids were phenomenal.  Everybody worked hard and no complaints were heard, no matter how many times we rehearsed a difficult passage.  After rehearsal, supper was served and a games evening ensued.  There was a basketball tournament between Credo and Edmonton's basketball teams that everybody else had the opportunity to watch.  By 10:30 p.m., it was time to go home and get some sleep.  Tomorrow we are of on the Skytrain to Vancouver for a day of sightseeing.  Enjoy the pictures!

Day 4 - Saturday, March 28

Today was a day that a number of us went touring downtown Vancouver, while some us spent time with relatives or host families.  For those of us who toured Vancouver, the day started at 9:00 at the school.  We boarded the bus to head over to the skytrain station.  From there, we took the train to downtown Vancouver.  It was a cool, wet start to the day, similar to Holland (as those who went on the exchange said).  Once we reached the end of the line at the Waterfront station, some went to Gastown for some shopping while others headed onto the Seabus to check out Longside Quay in North Vancouver.  It was a short boat ride across the harbour and then a little bit of touring throught the dockside marketplace.  Very quaint - lots of fresh fish on display at the fish market.  Some of the group stayed at Longside for a bit while others took the Seabus back for a sidetrip to Stanley Park and the Aquarium.  Eventually we all took the skytrain back to Metrotown - B.C..'s largest shopping mall.  After everybody had their fill of shopping, it was time to get back on the skytrain and head back to our bus - waiting to take us back to the school for supper and a social evening of sports and swimming.   

Day Five - Sunday, March 29

Sunday - a day of rest - Today the students attended church together with their host families.  It was an opportunity to give thanks to the Lord for His multitude of blessings upon all of us.  These past few days, the students have had many experiences, have met many new friends and have had the opportunity to praise God abundantly.  This evening there is a dinner planned for everybody and afterwards a 'ring kring', an event in which all of the young people get together and enjoy a time of fellowship. 

Tomorrow is the big day, the day that has been in the planning for a long time.  This is the event that all of the hard work, time, effort and practice has gone towards.   We look forward to a great day of rehearsal and the concert.  It is to God's glory that this event is taking place, and it is to Him that we give praise.  The concert is entitled 'Band Together' and all of the groups have certainly done that.  It will be an evening that will live in our memory for a long time.  It is also an evening in which God remains central.  In fact, the last song that we will all play, and the audience will sing is Hymn 6 - "Praise God from whom all blessings flow" , a truly appropriate way to end this event. 

We wish you were all here to listen and enjoy this evening's festivities.  We look forward to seeing everybody soon.

Day Six - Monday, March 30 - CONCERT DAY!!!!!!

Well, here it is, the day that we have been working towards.  We started the day with an opening assembly with all of Credo High School.  This was a great way to start the day, singing praises to our Father in Heaven.  It is only through His love for us that we can do this.  Following devotions, we had a light lunch in the church and then boarded the buses to CHandros Pattison Auditorium.  Once at that concert venue, we quickly set up the stage and got down to our first practice of the day.  Every square inch of the stage was packed.  After a 4 hour practice, all was ready for the performance.  The students had an opportunity for a light supper, time to change and do their hair and await the start of the show.  The crowd started showing up at 6:15 for a concert start of 7:30 (very promising for a full house).  After the last few group pictures were taken, everybody headed backstage and got ready to go on.  At 7:30, the curtain went up and the concert began.  The concert was phenomenal.  The students played with energy and excitement.  All of the mass selections as well as the individual selections received huge rounds of applause and it was highly encouraging that all of the efforts were appreciated.  I was extremely proud of the performance of our students.  I am sure that they will have many more stories to share with you when we get home.  It is hard to believe that we have been here for almost a week and that tomorrow it is time to return to Manitoba.  We have been blessed while we were here and have many fond memories.  We look forward to seeing you all again real soon.