I needed this weekend, although we didn't stay the whole time (due to the Scavenger Hunt), this was definetley an encouragement I needed. I miss being involved in youth ministry. The one interesting thing about my experience this weekend is when you don't know the kids, and you struggle with just learning names let alone seeing growth in their lives. It definetley has taught me a lot about the initial relationship building skills when it comes to teens. Not to mention the bonds you make so quickly with them, it was hard to leave saturday night. On a funny, but not so funny note, the constantly turning and unlit roads of Lancaster County, got alyssa and I quite lost, so the 2 1/2 hr drive turned to 4, and we arrived back to campus after 1 am.. haha... oh boy

The theme for the weekend was Solitude. It's always a good thing to remember, and to focus on. One video that stuck out to me was some statistics, such as estimated amount of time spent in front of the T.V. and it broke it down into hours a day, hours a month, and days a year. They even used crazy facts like time spent on the toilet compared to the average amount of time Christians spend with God. Lets just say that the results were shameful.

It was good to see some of the youth leaders again, ANNNNNNDDD.... I rock climbed...

yes, you just read that right. I have learned that doing things that you never thought you could do are the best things ever! It felt so good after touching the ceiling. It was probably one of the hardest things i've ever done physically and I definetley felt some pain in muscles I didn't even know I had. God really can give you the strength to do anything. One of the youth group girls cheered me on the whole way, encouraging me when I wanted to give up... it really was an example of finding good close friends who can cheer you on when times get tough, because God did not create us to go at this thing called life alone. When you find close friends be sure to hold onto them and keep pushing them to climb the walls and hardships in life. It was a good first time, and lyssy decided to climb after me too. It was probably one of the neatest expriences of the weekend. Another part of the weekend is you have to do skits, so our girls decided to do an American Idol spin off, I was Simon and surprisingly kept a straight face for most of it. It was good to see Sherry, Zack, Lenny, and Matty again, and meet some new friends- Christina and Marie.

It's amazing how you can meet people anywhere and really connect with their lives and impact them in such a short time, it once again makes me wish I could be in a bunch of places at once.

God is so good for letting me have this experience, it felt so good to do what I love to do :-)