Fall Retreat

I've been going to a young adult group for a good amount of time now and while I meet lots of people, it's hard to really meet folks and get to know them in the half hour we have for fellowship. I can't stick around after because I have to get home before it gets too late. This leaves me feeling a little on the outside.

Don't get me wrong, everyone I have met there is SO nice and friendly!!! It's just that there isn't really connection or community.

Last year, I was still new enough when Fall Retreat came around that I knew I'd be very uncomfortable going. I didn't even have many "shallow" connections. Plus, I have a limited travel budget and I was already going to another weekend event. This year was a different story.

I was so excited to go and really try to connect with people and I feel like I succeeded! Right off the bat, my car-mates and I had great, deep discussion. We shared ideas and opinions and talked about theology and other hard things. It was fabulous!

Everywhere I went, I tried to introduce myself to the person next to me. I did sit with my car or house-mates when I could or someone else I knew. Then there was the prayer wall. Even though you don't know who you're praying for, somehow, that act bonds you with people. As does hanging out on the beach and going for a night hike to the Prayer Tower, while first wandering around trying to find the entrance to the trail :)

Our theme for the weekend was Prisoners in the Promised Land. God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and gave them freedom. In Christ, we have been set free from our own slavery, but we often stay enslaved or go back to it. The idea was to identify what things are enslaving you. That's the first step to freedom. It was amazing to see the lies people were identifying. It was all anonymous, but it was heartbreaking. It was also freeing. Anything written meant it was no longer hiding in the background but had been identified and now the person could start fighting for freedom in Christ.

Besides the time in the Word and the community, the best part was the environment! I LOVE being by the water. It's one of my happy places. I spent as much time at the beach as I could, even though the water was too cold for me to get in. It's so calming and serene.

I'm so excited to go to SOZO (that's my group) on Sunday and see the people I met last weekend! I'm hopeful that a few of these connections will become friendships!

View from the Prayer Tower