Hola!
Well, we have been back a few days from the retreat and I wanted to finally send an update on how it went. It was an amazing weekend with tons of activity. Thanks to each one of you for your prayers. It was greatly appreciated.
The weekend began as I drove to the school with the kid's suitcases. After a brief information session, the 250 of us piled onto 6 tour buses and began our drive up to Nurnburg, Germany which is in north-eastern Germany - in Bavaria. It was a longer drive than expected as the bus I was on got a little lost and in a stau (traffic jam). But we made it in time for dinner for which we were grateful. After a good German dinner of noodles and sausage gravy, we walked up 3 flights of stairs to the Great Hall where we would hold all of our meetings for the weekend. The hostel we were staying was formally the Imperial Stables of the castle that we were right next to which was pretty cool. :) We gathered and split into our groups - I was partnered with a fellow RA Matt and we were in charge of 10 freshmen - 5 girls and 5 boys. They were a fun group of kids. We got to know each other that night by going on a scavenger hunt for letters throughout the walled city of Nurnburg. It was a blast! We came back and had our first session with the Bridge Band (who were excellent) and Phil Carnuccio who spoke. He talked about how we don't always like to accept the love of God - we harden our heart to it instead of absorbing it so we might share it with others. We met with our discussion group after and had a time to pray about the weekend. It was a night of going deeper which would be a precedent for the rest of the weekend.
Saturday morning, after a good German breakfast of cold cuts and musli, we settled back into the Great Hall and worshipped the Lord together (amazing with 250 voices together). Phil spoke about the power we have from the Holy Spirit - an authority we don't use very often. He emphasized that light (of Christ) wasn't meant to be in the light but to be shown in the darkness. He spoke from Ephesians primarily. It had a powerful impact on the kids. It got them asking more questions. We talked about how to be a light of Christ even at BFA where we are surrounded by Christians - and how we can make an impact even we don't realize it just by living out Christianity and truly loving others.
In the afternoon all of us were given free time. I had the opportunity to go to the Documentation Museum with a group and learned about what Germany was like during WW2 and how the people gave so easily into the propaganda of the Nazis - it was WW2 from a different perspective - I am glad I went. I toured around the city and got dinner the remainder of the visit with some friends.
After dinner we watched videos from the video editing contest and then headed into our session.After worship, we talked about the beauty of sex, why it was created (story of Adam and Eve) and how it needs to be kept in marriage and how important it is to one's heart. This night truly impacted the kids and many were praying together and finding people to talk to and crying. I had a good conversation with some of my freshmen about it and was able to share a bit of my life with them which was cool. I some other good moments with some of my own girls from my dorm. I went to bed truly exhausted.
Sunday was our last day - we talked about honoring our parents and how key it is in our relationship with God. We had a special time of communion afterwards. We had a time for a group picture and then met with our discussion groups one last time. It was such a gorgeous day that we all decided to meet outside and spent some time sharing thoughts from the day. Then we headed home after lunch, arriving at around 8pm - it was a long day, but good.
I am glad I had the chance to participate in the retreat this weekend. It was a good chance to get to know some different kids and be a small group leader. I didn't always feel adequate or prepared in some ways - esp. since I was basically thrown together with my coleader at last minute and so we didn't always meet my expections as far as leading groups. Our freshman could be a quieter group as far as discussion goes as well. Yet, somehow God worked through us and this weekend. I really enjoyed the freshmen - I realized how much I love that age group. I enjoy ministry - that was refreshing. I learned to appreciate my Witt girls more this weekend since I didn't get to see them as often - I missed them. I love my girls and am so glad to be in this dorm.
Here are some praises from this weekend:
*Safe trip to and from Nurnburg - and while there!
*Great chances to connect with students both new to me and those who were familiar
*Students had a chance to really connect w/ God and to ask the deeper questions, truly evaluating their lives.
*The discussion groups went fairly well - some are planning to continue to meet after the retreat is over
*Being reminded how much God loves us - it is mind blowing
Things you can continue to keep in prayer:
*That the kids would continue to ponder what they learned this weekend and ask questions and seek after God - that it might lead to good changes and that they would see how much God loves them and how He can work through them.
*Adjustments back into normal life - living out Christianity in the everyday (for all)
* A few of us came home sick - including me :( - pray that this bad cold/cough would go away soon - it is frustrating when you desire energy to serve - this weekend will be interesting since all 4 of us that are on working are sick! - pray for health and strength
Well, that is all for now! Sorry it is so long - I got into the details of it all! I hope you enjoy the account and thank you again for partnering me in prayer and praise! Have a great day!!
God Bless,
Christine
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