We survived our annual Fall Retreat!  It was a great time for the group in spite of rainy weather that hung around until our last couple hours there!  We actually went to a new spot for our group this year, Sandy Hill Camp.  One of the major reasons I wanted to make the switch, besides cost (we were able to shave $25 off the sign up cost from last year’s retreat), was the ropes course!  Check out the photo below; all of the high elements were team based.  People were literally strapped together in groups of three and HAD to work together to conquer the element.  I really loved seeing the ropes course be such a team building dynamic – and honestly, I’ve never seen a rock wall betfore where people were tied to each other like that!

Our theme for the weekend was Simplify Your Life, based on a series from Simply Youth Ministry.  I chose it because a reoccurring question we get from our students is ‘how do we follow God when we’re so busy?’  It’s a good question!  It was fun to hear about the discussions that came out of the small group times and teaching times; a lot of kids made some decisions to make some more room for God in their lives this weekend.

Of course, we also had some messy games (see below)!  Lots of prizes, competitions, contests, canoeing, swimming, sports, and more!  It was a packed, fun weekend!