I am coming away from one of the most incredible weekends EVER! I was invited by my youth minister from home to be part of the staff for their Confirmation retreat. I love working Church events, so I jumped on the invite! I had been looking forward to the retreat for weeks! There were 95 high school juniors there. Wow. It was insane! I was in charge of a small group of 7 retreaters, 3 boys and 4 girls. I could not have asked for a better group. They all opened up and shared with everyone else. They got goofy with me and we made up different cheers throughout the weekend. They were also so loving, and we had our signature group hug recurring throughout the weekend. It was so powerful to watch their transformation throughout the weekend. Friday night everyone came in not really knowing others. Then there was an incredible talk about dropping your nets for Christ. What are you holding onto in your own life? They were invited to write down those issues that they are struggling with and truly give the control to the Lord. Then on Saturday there was a healing service as well as Reconciliation. Watching so many youth prepare for the Sacrament was beautiful. I was touched over and over again throughout the weekend. Saturday night we went deeper into the meaning of Confirmation and the impact it will have on their lives. Finally, Sunday was all about continuing the journey. Retreats can be powerful and provide an environment for the Holy Spirit to move freely. However, once we are away from such a loving community and away from a retreat center, we are faced with the distractions that constantly tug at us in our daily lives. I am truly challenging myself to step up and engrain the themes of this weekend into my life, so that I don’t lose that fire. I am so proud of everyone in my team, and I am so blessed to have come away with such a powerful experience.
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