Fall Retreat

Last weekend Adam and I spent a weekend with 200 high schoolers (I know people are jealous). Friday we jumped on a bus and drove 4 1/2 hours to get to a little place in Maxwell, Ne...Maranatha Bible Camp.  Adam and I always have mixed feelings about this weekend of "fun"...:) Staying up til 2 and getting up early is not our typical weekend. But we were very excited because the majority of our small groups were all going! Plus, my parent's foreign exchange student, Belle, decided to try and take it all in as well:) 

The theme for the weekend was "Shaped". Basically, how we are clay in the Potter's hands. The Potter being God. Letting God take over our life and "let His will be done"...We worshiped, we listened, we drank coffee, we laughed, we talked, we cried, we danced, we watched as Nick (in Adam's group) stood on the chairs during meal times and challenged others (while he himself participating) to do ridiculously gross things like soak somebody's sock in milk and drink the squeezed portion, devour a dollar bill, down cinnamon, consume hand sanitizer (and that was someone our age...hmm..Matt?)...and the list goes on. Totally disgusting, but I will admit I was entertained beyond belief. We went on a Wal-Mart Invasion where the kids brought $10 each and we pooled it all together and picked out clothes, food, diapers, laundry detergent, etc. for a particular family and then got to deliver it. My group of girls cared so much. Some of them gave more money just so they knew that a child wouldn't be going to school without a winter coat this winter...It made me so happy to see them desiring to help so much!

One of the biggest challenges for my group was....our room. On Friday night around midnight we grab our luggage, sleeping bags, pillows, etc. and took the trip to find our cabin in pitch dark. We would go the wrong way. Stop. Put everything down. Wait. I don't know what for...And then pick up our stuff and try again. Finally, we found our cabin...exhausted, mind you...and walk into this itty bitty room...for EIGHT of us! We all just sat and were confused. :) But it ended up fine. We just had a lot of close bonding time:) Basically, since I had to get up earlier...I would just literally roll over on Taylor since she was in a cot basically touching my bottom bunk, and then slither down to a space where I could stand. Hmm.

Me=polka dot pillow...Taylor=right there. Ang-right there. Belle=right there. Sleep Tight.

 All in all it was a great weekend. Adam and I sleep for pretty much 12 hours straight Tuesday night to regain what we had lost. Not only did this weekend challenge the students, but it also challenge me as well. God knows what He is doing. We need to just rely on Him and trust He knows what is best. The life we live is basically a blink in all reality. Think about that.

Check out the Fall Retreat Highlight Video!

 “But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand.” -Isaiah 64:8