Northstar

I just got back from a 3 day retreat with the 6, 7, and 8th grade students at my school. It was an amazing time of enjoying God's beautiful creation, bonding through silly games and team-building activities, stretching themselves through rock climbing and mountain biking, and being challenged to go deeper in their walk with God. We stayed at Northstar, which is a Christian outdoor adventure ministry in Nagano, Japan. They provide an excellent program, delicious food, and great opportunities for relationship building.

One of the highlights for me was going hiking with a small group of students to a waterfall and then through some absolutely breathtaking scenery. It was such a huge reminder of how much beauty God has put all around us.

I also really enjoyed going on a night-hike with most of the students. Besides the fun of jumping out at one another in the dark, which the boys really liked doing to make the girls scream, we also spent some time in a huge open area, looking up at the stars and talking. At this point, some of my 6th grade girls opened up about their hopes and dreams for when they grow up, and I was able to speak some words of encouragement into their lives.

Another valuable memory was watching a group of 7th and 8th grade girls play a new version of "Truth or Dare," where all the dares are already written on cards and just funny, not dangerous. It was great to see them bonding with one another as they watched one another make ridiculous faces, do a model walk and (oh how scary) hug a teacher. It's great to see students who feel safe to just have fun.

I was also encouraged by how students responded to the music and messages during our chapel or devotion times. As we talked about our theme of "What Goes in Must Come Out," students were challenged to put "good stuff" in and keep away from the "garbage." One of the applications of this was to speak encouraging words and stay away from gossip or saying things that cut people down. Some students really connected with this, asking questions later on like, "Why do people make fun of other people?" Our retreat closed with a reminder that God is our greatest encourager, standing beside us to change us and help us, never leaving us on our own, and an opportunity for students to "cut out" the bad stuff from a giant heart they had made in an earlier activity. This activity was not we had planned, but just an example of how God fits things together to accomplish His purpose: the Northstar staff had drawn a huge heart and had students write things they would like to have people say to them on the inside, and things they would NOT like people to say to them on the outside. On the last day, students could take scissors and cut away the bad stuff while praying for forgiveness, as a symbol of leaving things behind and having a fresh start with God and others.

Thanks for your prayers for this time. It was really valuable and I trust that God will continue to complete the work He has started here.