Young people from Salvation Army corps in Winnipeg, plus many of their friends, gathered together at Camp Arnes for the second annual Youth Winter Retreat. The theme of the weekend was UNITE. Throughout the event, young people were challenged to unite with God, the truth, each other and the world. The theme was embraced by all who attended and many youth experienced a re-uniting in their relationships with each other and God.

The UNITE-themed challenges were presented with enthusiasm and passion by Daniel Wallace, who was the special guest. Wallace heads up a very successful camping ministry just outside of Kalamazoo, Michigan, and this was only his second trip to Canada. After getting over the initial shock of the wind chill on the Canadian prairies, Wallace threw himself into the weekend and to everyone's amazement had memorized every person's name within two hours of arriving. His message hit home with the young people and the majority of them considered his teaching the best part of the weekend.

In addition to hearing Wallace present the truth about God, young people had the opportunity to enter into high-energy praise and worship led by a group of Salvationists from the Toronto area. Also, they were able to participate in activities such as broom ball, tobogganing, singing by the camp fire and swimming in the indoor pool.

Many of the youth experienced a life-changing encounter with God. There were a number of young people who accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour for the very first time. A significant number of recommitments and rededications occurred throughout the weekend as well. The focus on uniting with God became a turning point for many. When asked for feedback, one young girl responded: “I now believe that I truly believe.”