MS Retreat

The Annual RiverStone MS Retreat was this past weekend (now 2 weekends ago). We went to Cahutta Lodge up in N. Georgia. The cool thing about our youth group that’s different than others is that we have a highschool leadership team that plans pretty much everything. Cory, our youth pastor gives direction, but then this all-star team takes it and runs. Marie Claire and Ashley were the two point-people for this particular retreat. They were SUPERSTARS! I’m so unbestinkinlievably proud of them. Best MS Retreat we’ve had yet… They were running (Marie-dancing) around like crazies. And the best part is they were smilling the entire time. Lots of stress and pressure to pull something like this off – but they did it with absolute grace. Other awesome highschoolers – Grace Ann, who gave the girls break-out group talk (SO good), and she helped a lot with the planning as well; Kurt Miller, who also gave a talk Saturday afternoon and was a team leader… Best Mario I know! Also many others I didn’t mention but am equally proud of…

It was so cool to step back and watch. Cory asked me on the way up if it was weird not being in some kind of leadership role… Truthfully, it is weird. Even kind of hard! But I had more joy this weekend, sitting watching these kids carry out the retreat they’ve carefully planned and worked so hard on, then I EVER had at a youth retreat.

The most rewarding part, I’m sure they would agree, is to sit in worship and watch the middle schoolers press into the heart of God, and seek his face and be filled with the joy of realizing who they are in Christ.

Now I’m crying, so here are some pics… :)