St. David's Youth Retreat 2010

On Friday evening I arrived in Long Beach Airport from an incredible week at St. David's Anglican Summer Youth Retreat.  The word "incredible" is used very intentionally, because that's exactly what it was.  I have been working with the program there for five years, and after this most recent week I can honestly say I've never been so thrilled by how everything came together.

A few of the students have been attending the retreat as long as I have, and the relationships I have had the opportunity to form form have deepened greatly over the years.  Yet all of the "returner" students are so loving that the noobies find themselves immediately welcome and included.  The joy is contagious; infecting.

Between games of capture the flag, ultimate frisbee, charades, Bible skits and some serious belly laughs, the students also learned quite a bit. The lessons developed by the good Deacon Faith (Chico), Father Davis (Washington) and Father Mautner (Napa) were easy to access, insightful, and relevant.

Instead of only celebrating Mass in the morning, we also had Mass in the evening a couple times.  The area where we set up the altar is literally in the middle of the woods, surrounded on all sides by pine trees and accompanied by a symphony of woodland life.  It was beautiful to be out there at dusk taking part in the Eucharist, and on the final morning it even sprinkled a bit.  The serenity of it made all the mosquito bites well worth it.

In some ways putting the experience of the Retreat into words potentially cheapens it, but I can't help trying.  Quite simply, the Lord answered our prayers by blowing our expectations out of the water.  Not only did everyone arrive safely (whew!) but the group gelled together immediately.  By the end of the second night, everyone felt comfortable with one another, and I was impressed by the level of attentiveness throughout the lessons as well as the abundant energy and sportsmanship during the games.  Even the youngest of attendees had thoughtful questions of all sorts that came up at breakfast and in the cabins.

The lesson theme was "Back to Basics" as we explored the way Christ's sacrifice makes sense when we look back at the traditions of the Hebrew sacrifices to cover sin, as well as the ways in which the Mass brings us to the table of Christ.  We also had a chance to explore how the Christian life looks today, as well as how we can make good decisions in the midst of the intense  pressure we feel on a daily basis from multiple (usually conflicting) sources.

By the last night, it was clear no one wanted to go home.  The Retreat is indeed a special place; free of the worries and stress of daily life, and this year the group experienced what it is like to live in a loving community the way God intends for his people.

I could tell dozens of specific stories, but for the sake of this blog length I have chosen only two.

The first is about a girl who came to the Retreat last year for the first time, sponsored entirely by her local parish.  She told me that upon her arrival last year, she didn't know what to make out of all the silly, weird, fun loving folks she had met.  This year, however, she learned to embrace her own goofiness and shared that the Retreat was the one place where she honestly felt she could be herself; it was a place free of the influence she receives from her friends to be a certain way.  Her spirits lifted by the promise of Christ and the fellowship of friends who love her the way she is, I was able to watch as her tender heart and quick laughter became a blessing and joy to all around her.

The next story is from a young man who was at the Retreat for the first time.  He attends a private Christian school and explained that his teachers are constantly telling him about God and referring to God, but the past week was the first time he felt like he really understood who God is and how salvation through Christ works.  (Yeah, since I had a similar experience to this when I was younger I totally cried when he started talking about that.)

As we parted ways, the students left encouraged and empowered, as did the staff.  Weeks like that are truly the memories on which our lives become shaped and our hearts grow, and I'm so grateful to be a part of it.

Once again, I'll be counting down until next summer.  In the meantime and if you are interested, Brenton and I have set up a youtube account where you can catch some of the highlights!  (The skits are especially fun, once they all get uploaded...)