Just got back from the Grade 12 Spiritual Retreat in Anyer. It's about two hours away and a beautiful beach! We had a fantastic time together and it was fun yet relaxing. It is designed as a chance to really encourage the kids in their walks with God and to let them relax before the pressures of exams and IB completely take over their lives.
One of the main components, aside from the sessions, is One-on-One conversations. Each student picks one of us teachers to have a conversation with. We ask them about their families, their friends, their dreams, their struggles, their accomplishments, their walks with God, their purposes in life... all sorts of heavy questions. The talks last anywhere from 20 minutes to a couple hours. I had 8 kids to speak with over the course of the time away and it was incredible. It's great to be able to sit under a palm tree and watch the waves and just be able to talk to the kids. Rarely did it feel like pulling teeth to get answers from them. These kids had things to say and wanted to be heard. Some of their stories were heartbreaking. The most heartbreaking things came from the seemingly happy and content kids. Makes me wonder how often I just look at them and see what I want to see and not what's really there. Anyway it was fantastic because I really felt God was leading me in these conversations and giving me the right words to say in response to their questions.
We had a lot of crazy fun as well.. banana boating and boogie boarding in the sea and sand castle competitions on the beach. (sure beats hanging out in a classroom all week!) We also had some insane games.. relays where they had to drink a glass with water and a goldfish.. hold the fish in their mouths.. run across the room and spit the fish into a bucket! It was hilarious! (and I'm so glad that as a teacher all I had to do was cheer!) They also did bobbing for pears... in a big bucket. Pears because pears sink as opposed to apples. The only real trick being that into the bucket of pears they dumped a whole pail of EELS! Yes.. live eels! So as the pears sank.. the eels swam up.. it was so nasty but these kids are nuts and just went for those pears!
So it was fun... I loved doing the camp counselor thing with the kids, I loved seeing them having fun and I have a whole new list of things to pray about. Please keep them in your prayers that the spiritual high they are on right now will continue and that God will draw them closer to Himself.
Now that the Retreat is done.. next stop: London!
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