Still, leaving my church is kinda hard because of the relationships I've built there. Especially in my work as a youth counselor. I've worked with the youth groups (especially the junior high) since the month I first started going to this church. 8 years. That's a long time. I've met dozens of friends. I've seen once-6th graders go on to college. The other counselors are like siblings to me.
While youth group is not over for the year yet, this weekend was my last youth group retreat with this church. Ever. I didn't actually realize that until we got to the Wesley Woods Retreat Center in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. As we drove in, it looked familiar and I recalled being there twice before. That got me thinking a bit about my retreat memories: people running into the lake in January, booby-trapping windows to prevent kids from running out in the night, and skiing down a hill on my face.
Here's the house we stayed in this weekend:
On Saturday, I walked down the hill from the house and spotted through the trees a cabin sitting way back in the trees from the rest of the camp:
When I saw it, I realized that this was the retreat center where I first came as a counselor with my church. Then it hit me: Wesley Woods was the site of my first retreat--and now my last. Weird coincidence.
This long red cabin was where I first came on a winter retreat 8 years ago with a big junior high group that I hadn't met until the night we left for the retreat.
This was the red cabin where I had to park my Grand Prix up against the bedroom door so the boys wouldn't run out in the middle of the night (we had a pesky group back then.)
This was the red cabin where a 6th grader first told me that I was his friend.
This is where my youth ministry started. Before that weekend, I hadn't ever worked with church kids before. I didn't even know I liked youth ministry!
And so, this weekend was kinda sentimental. I did a lot of reflecting on where God's brought me since that first youth retreat. I thought a lot about my youth group memories. And I thought about where God is gonna use me next. Will it even be with youth (in addition to the magazine I work for)? I hope so.
Other than all that mushy stuff, I played a lot of volleyball and ate a lot of junkfood. I also spent a lot of my time being creeped out by the house we stayed in. It had this Blair Witch basement (with a lock on the outside of the door -- creeepy!) and this painting:
I can't even explain why it weirded me out--I guess because of the eyes materialize out of nowhere. But it was spooky.
2 comments:
You had to go and make me cry early on this Monday morning. I wish I had been on your last retreat... I was on your first and so many in between! I can't even say how much I will miss you!!!
Awwwww! Yah, I thought about you a lot this weekend. I wish you could have been there too! You're a big reason why this is so hard and memorable! Although, you will be happy to know that Matt and I impressed all the kids by knowing where Saturn and Venus were :)
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