I came to you a little more than a  year ago. I was a total stranger when I arrived.

I was broken. Beaten down. I was an empty soul.

I hated myself, life and the path that I was on. I didn’t see a future let alone think I could have one. Through your love, support and guidance, today that is all different.

I can never thank all of you enough for everything that you have done for me over this last year and a half. The time and effort that you have put into me and helping me achieve some goals while I have been here. Well there just isn’t a value that I can put on that.

I have sincerely enjoyed my time here.

Without all of you here it just wouldn’t have been the same experience.

I am sad to leave but it is time for me to take the lessons that I have learned here and take them into the world.

I came here in pieces and you all have had a part in putting me back together.

Thank you so much! All of you!

Love Colin

P.S. We will always be family now.

Over the years, so many miracles have happened at Cedar Lodge, stories of recovery, healing, reconciliation and deliverance.  Suzanne is in the process of writing her second book which is to contain just some of the encounters with freedom that visitors have had because of their journey to this very special place.  The following is a recent accounting by Elaine Cook, whose website is www.kingdomgospel.net.  Elaine has been in ministry for decades and is the absolutely one of the most precious of saints to have ever visited Cedar Lodge.  You can find this transcript at her website under her October 09 Newsletter.

From Elaine Cook’s October 09 Newsletter –  See www.kingdomgospel.com

It is not uncommon for a person to walk all of her life under the shadow of false messages given to her from a child. After a while, she takes them to be the truth and acts accordingly. I have a dear friend who had such a problem, though I never knew the depth of it until recently.

We felt led of the Lord to visit our new-found friend, Suzanne Olaski of Cedar Lodge in Saskatchewan, Canada, a two-day drive from here. Although Bill wanted to go, at the last he didn’t feel he could sit that length of time in a car. When I looked to the Lord as to what to do, He dropped Carol’s name into my heart. She is a faithful friend from Spokane and was delighted to drive me and to spend time together. She also is a terrific driver.

On the road there and back and while we were there, she shared deeply from her heart. It took that long to be able to express what she needed to say. It was then that I realized that she walked under the shadow of the false message: “I’m not worthy to be loved.” In truth, she is lovely, kind, and deeply spiritual.

The enemy had convinced her that others were thinking she was ignorant. She became so confused and upset that she was unable to express herself clearly when she spoke.

She was so lovingly received by all at Cedar Lodge that she began to be able to speak smoothly, which greatly encouraged her.  She told me that, for the past two months, her body seemed to be shutting down. It didn’t want to receive food and she struggled to eat at every meal.

It wasn’t until we were on our way home after a delightful visit, that the Lord gave me ‘light’ on her problem. She had started giving her body the message: “I’m not worthy to live” and it responded by shutting down!

I’m pleased to report that she broke the power of that lie through prayer and took hold of her acceptance in the Beloved. A big part of her deliverance was recognizing that she had believed a lie all those years! The enemy of our soul doesn’t have to come to us in a gargoyle costume—he just needs to insinuate a thought into our minds (as he did with Eve) and if we do not recognize the origin of it, we are caught in his web of deceit! I encourage each one who reads these words, to check your thoughts which can come from any of three sources: our own mind, the mind of Christ, and the enemy’s mind.

We should know that neither we nor the Lord are going to say evil things about ourselves nor accuse our friends of doing so. (One saint said: “What other people think of you is none of your business!”)

Only the accuser of the brethren would do such a dirty deed and do it so subtly that we would believe him!

My friend has returned to life and her body is responding and her speech is smooth because she now believes the truth: she is accepted in the Beloved!

Elaine Cook challenges us by saying “Are YOU believing a lie?”

I don’t think there is any other retreat locale (and I have been to a number of them) quite like this one. Cedar Lodge is a wonderfully rustic complex that overlooks scenic Blackstrap Lake and its beautiful surrounding woodlands.

The rooms are well appointed and very clean; all of the normal amenities are provided. What is really striking about the place, however, are the staff and the menu. There is an ease and natural friendliness in the manner of the staff, who make every effort to meet one’s needs, including providing specially requested meals, meals at odd times of the day, and snacks (home-made cookies or muffins, for example) at mid-morning and mid-afternoon.

The food tastes as if it were cooked by your mother (or father!) and there is much variety in the meals (and snacks) served from day to day. It is no exaggeration for me to say that I haven’t had Yorkshire pudding (the real thing!) like that in years!

The retreat meeting space was a spacious room with large windows overlooking Blackstrap Lake. We all found ourselves staring out those windows from time to time throughout the weekend and this brought a contemplative and peaceful atmosphere to our work, which turned out to be of a very high quality.

I cannot thank the staff enough for all of their efforts to make our weekend a success. They are truly wonderful people who treat their visitors as friends, putting them at ease from the start and making their stay a memorable one.

My warmest regards to all the staff at Cedar Lodge.

Cheers
DCS

Don Story
Chair, Governance Committee
Board of Directors
Saskatchewan Soccer Association

Thank you again!

Sandra Janzen, Legal Assistant
MacPherson Leslie & Tyerman
Law Office, Saskatoon
Sept 2007

Reg and Geeta Regunath, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

And this place is a lighthouse.

Anne and Dave Rennick, Carleton Place, Ontario

Since opening its doors in 1997, Cedar Lodge has been host to more than three thousand events of the greatest variety including conventions, seminars, weddings, banquets, baptisms, family reunions, government
retreats, health and wellness sessions and so much more. Our business continued to grow steadily with no advertising. Word of mouth of the excellence of service and cuisine has brought us bookings years in advance.

Hosting both national and international events Cedar Lodge has given us the privilege of catering to people from 23 countries, WISSA being just one of those events.

Some of the Rave Reviews from WISSA looked like this:

“I have traveled all over the world and have found nothing to compare to the hospitality, the food and the service at Cedar Lodge.”

“I wish we had something like this in OUR province.”

“I came here stressed out and fed up! You have cheered my heart and made me able to face life again.”

“I came here skinny and I go home fat … but happy.”

“We WILL be back!”

“… A little piece of heaven.”

A lady visiting from EUROPE during WISSA wrote to us on her return:
“If there is a heaven on earth, then Cedar Lodge has got to be it!”

Leon Thunderchild, Thunderchild First Nation

Here are some comments from one such retreat.

Thank you all for everything, your meals were all so wonderful and creative. And you made me feel very welcome and comfortable.

A million thanks to the Cedar Lodge staff and all the wonderful things you provided for us. I truly appreciated all the good things.

I have truly been blessed with your gracious hospitality once again. Thank You.

Thank you for your hospitality. We have felt very special and appreciate all your efforts for us! This is a very special place – and people!

Thank you for sharing your gifts God has given you. You all do it with so much care and love – we carry these gifts to others. God Bless you all and your families.

Thank you for everything and helping me find myself.

Thank you for taking such good care of all our needs and making our stay a wonderful experience. God Bless you all. Thank you.

Thanks for all the excellent meals and hospitality. Thanks for taking care of us – we really felt the love.

Thank you everyone for being who you are. Till again …