Emmaus Youth Group Winter Retreat 2012

This weekend, we had our annual Winter Youth Retreat. It was a really amazing opportunity to remember how trustworthy God is and how reliable he is when it comes to providing for us. About a week ago we found out we had nowhere to host our retreat! It was a bit of a panic but we tried to keep a cool head and remember that God wouldn't let us down. And He definitely didn't!

We were blessed with the use of Isaiah 40, which is conveniently down the street from my house, has proper heating and tons of bathrooms. We managed to have a brilliant weekend there and were blessed with tons of space to use and a really comfortable environment. The Spirit moved in amazing ways, and we managed to have a bunch of fantastic discussions about Spiritual Gifts and our value in Christ. The teens all had an amazing time and the leaders did a great job.

I think the thing that stood out most about this weekend was the incredible sense of family. We had two teens with us who aren't regular members of the group and mostly just come out for special events like this one, but it really felt like they had been around forever, and that's such a beautiful dynamic. Everyone was in good spirits and getting along well, and it was just such a comfortable time for everyone. We spent probably about 5 hours praying for and encouraging everybody, one at a time, and I'm not ashamed to admit I cried at least 14 times during those prayer sessions! It was just so beautiful seeing God at work in our community.

Now I need to get some rest. Good night!