This retreat was truly a surprise.  After we received the theme song, we told ourselves, there’s cheesy, and then there’s cheesy.  It happened to be the latter.  We didn’t expect many people to enjoy it.  But after the second listening to the song at the retreat, we found ourselves in those circles, dancing, clapping, being a strong tree.  But let’s talk about the retreat!

The drive up was windy and filled with sing-a-longs and laughter. And as we got there, we explored the area.  We ended up driving around, getting stuck in snow, and freezing our buns off.  But as we got into McNeil hall to set up, we saw the kids beginning to swarm in.

This weekend, I was given the task of play the djembe.  Pretty much, it’s a drum, a single one, where you could make several noises.  It requires you to strike it with your bare hands.  I thought, “Hey, this couldn’t be that bad, it’s just like tapping on a table in class.”  By the end of the weekend, there were popped blood vessels in my fingers and plenty of bruises.  If I found out anything from this, it’s that Ken’s job is not easy.

I really connected to my kid side through this one.  I ended up playing countless rounds of tetris with the boys.  I also realize, I have this thing where I like to leave things in the sink.  I’m not entirely sure why I do it, but it just kept happening.  water bottles, soda bottles, flashlights, trash!  They still give me mouth about it now.

The food was great.  Filling that many stomachs could not have been easy, so I tip my hat to all the people that spent hours preparing our food.  The talks topped the food.  They were all heartfelt testimonies of how God came into their lives.  Honestly, if I ever get the chance, I’d want to be a speaker when I get older.

But to sum things up, this whole retreat was a pleasant surprise.  After being away from the mountains and the snow for a few years of my life, it was nice to be reacquainted.  It played as an allegory to me finding my much more childish side, and in turn, finding God.

P.S.  Sorry this blog took so long, we got really busy and I never got time to finish.