Last week the high school students took a three day retreat to Camp Fairwood to kick off the school year. Victoria Fabrie, senior and president of Student Council, and the Student Council Committee put together different activities and competitions for each class to compete in, such as a synchronized swimming contest, a skit, and many other fun and friendly competitions.
“I really liked the obstacle course,” Fabrie said. “I’m really competitive, so that was my favorite activity to plan.” Each class had a team of 10 people that had to work together to complete the whole course. The first few steps had to be completed by the entire team before individuals could advance. One of the hardest parts of the course was scaling a 12′ vertical wall - many team members pushed and pulled to make sure the whole team made it over. It was a great way to build teamwork within each of the classes.
Among the other competitions were a balloon toss, Kuub, a Survivor Puzzle, and Infiltrate the Trenches. On the last day of retreat skits were also performed by each of the classes which were judged by faculty members. The seniors won with their horror story spin-off. There was also a synchronized swimming contest, which was really fun for the students to plan, as well hysterical for each of the classes to watch.
Of course there was a valiant effort made by the Senior boys to prank the Senior girls. They put toilet paper and string all over the girls’ cabin so they wouldn’t be able to walk through, and they even put a baby mouse in the bathroom! Unfortunately, they were caught, but it still made for good laughs. The girls got back at them by putting the boys’ mattresses out on the dock in the middle of the swimming lake.
While the retreat was a time of fun, it was also intentionally set up so that students and teachers alike would grow closer together and closer to Jesus. The bonfire and small groups were a great way for all of the students to connect with each other on a deeper level. “There were some really amazing moments around the bonfire. Some students just spoke from their heart and were really intentional with what they told others,” said Kurt Flemming, the Director of Discipleship at Westlake.
“The small groups really showed a lot of us that we can be spiritual leaders, even if we don’t think we can,” Fabrie said. “Our small groups had some really great talks and there was a moment when we just stopped and prayed over (fellow Senior) Ethan and I think that moment really showed us that we can lead spiritually.” They realized that the skill of spiritual leadership and ownership is one of importance and is good to be learned now before the voices around them compete even louder for their attention.
This year’s spiritual life theme is “Voices.” Daily we are bombarded by voices; some good, some bad. Advertisers, friends, culture, the Spirit, and others are all competing for our attention. Alex Connell, youth pastor at Mundelein Church of the Nazarene, preached at the retreat on various voices: the voices of possibility, our voice, the voice of forgiveness, the voice of service, the voice of power, and the voice of change. The students enjoyed Alex’s fresh and funny perspective. Many of his sermons were focused on the disciple Peter and how “sometimes Jesus calls us to do the impossible.” One of the major takeaways was when we listen to the voice of Jesus and let all other things fade away, that is when we truly can do the impossible.
Overall, students grew in ways they didn’t even imagine. Allowing the students to disconnect from everything else at home made their experience more intentional.
Thank you for the prayers of safety and growth for the students. If you would like to see photos and videos of the retreat, head over to Westlake’s Facebook page and check them out!
Leave a Reply