Cars, Camping, Cooler Weather and Committments

This past weekend we took the youth from our church (RETO) on a youth retreat. We went about 2 hours away, up into the mountains, to a place called Tapalpa. And there were 27 of us who went...which is absolutely amazing considering a year ago when our "youth group" was 5 of us!! The location was an ideal place to get out of the city, to a cooler climate, into the "woods", and enjoying the relaxing feeling that comes with camping.

Cars: No good youth weekend is complete without some hitches before we even get going. Once again our car (Jen and mine) was the main cause! We were 10 minutes away from the church, entering a tunnel, when we heard a loud pop, and suddenly our car felt like it was dragging. So, we pulled over (all 5 cars in our caravan), eventually brought it to a mechanic, and it turns out we had blown a shock absorber. What a surprise in a country riddled with potholes and speedbumps!! So, we left our car there and found another car to use for our trip.

The retreat itself was a great time for our youth to get to know each other, and bond in new ways. This included a few people who have never attended our youth group before. Trever (our teammate) and Alfredo (our pastor) came along and gave excellent challenges on what it means to follow Jesus, looking at examples of other young people in the Bible. I felt equally challenged and refreshed as well as we took some personal quiet time throughout the weekend.

Camping: And of course there were great meals and great activities. We taught them how to play 4-On-The-Couch, which turned into a big cheat-athon as we played boys against girls (but how else does it usually turn out?). And of course there was lots of soccer...in the rain. I have to confess that it was nice to actually feel a bit cold this weekend after the intense heat of GDL.

Cooler Weather: We built fires in the cabin fireplaces, and were able to enjoy cozying up! It was entertaining watching the girls in my cabin try to build a fire...eventually they succeeded! And of course there was the group of girls who spent the weekend plotting pranks...but never were able to follow through on them. Always an entertaining bunch!

Committments: The highlight of the weekend was on Sunday afternoon, just before leaving, when Alfredo asked who had made different committments to follow Jesus on the weekend. Over half the group made some kind of re-committment, but there were 5 special ones who made first time decisions to follow Jesus!! We ended with a very emotional prayer time for these 5, and I ask those of you who pray to remember Julio, Ivan, Jesica, Monica and Antonella. It was an incredible experience to see them take such a step of faith, and I know that it won't necessarily be easy for them to continue following along this path.