This past weekend I went to Rockbridge on a retreat through McLean Bible Church (where I attend Frontline). I was extremely hesitant about going - wasn't sure if I would meet new people, wasn't sure if I would even have fun, and I wasn't sure if I would get anything out of it. Boy was I wrong...
I flexed on Friday, and planned to meet Sacha and Heather at their place to leave for the retreat around 2ish. I was so glad I was able to ride with these girls because I would not have wanted to drive by myself. Also, I knew I wouldn't be in the same house as them, but just knowing they were going on the retreat was comforting to me. We were making great time, and made a little pit stop at JMU - at the Sheetz so the girls could get caffeine. I have never seen people consume as much coffee/soda as these two girls. Just riding to the retreat with these girls was so much fun - we were cracking hilarious jokes and singing silly songs at the top of our lungs. It was a good chance to really get to know them :) We somehow managed to get lost on our way to Rockbridge - apparently the GPS took Rockbridge a little too seriously, and when we reached our "destination", we found ourselves on a bridge over a creek outlined in rocks. We got it all figured out in the end - if anything, it was great to just spend more time with them.
Sacha, me, and Heather
By the time we got to Rockbridge, we put our luggage in our rooms. I was the first person in the room, so I claimed (what I think) was the best bed. We then went to the cafeteria and ate pizza. After dinner there was a newcomer meeting for the Tyson's campus. It was good to meet other "Frontliners" that attend McLean. If it wasn't for this newcomers meeting, I definitely would not have met Anne. Heather, Sacha, and I all met Anne at this meeting and we just instantly clicked. The four of us became really close this weekend - and we now have a lot of inside jokes.
The Elliott twins - Heather and Sacha
The theme of the retreat was "Schooled". Everything was about high school (another reason why I didn't want to go... Did I really want to relive those days? Um, no.) We were the Frontline Defenders: Class of 2009. Friday night was "first period". We read Revelation 2:2-4 (you have forsaken your first --of most importance-- love.) The question was asked: How in love with God are you? In the moment you love God, everything changes. The more you know God, the more you will love him. The crazy thing is, God already loves me (John 3:16, 1 John 4:10, John 10:14-15, Psalm 25:4-6). --->To talk about love for God, is to talk about what happened on the cross. After "first period" there was a school dance as well as a "are you smarter than a high schooler" activity. Unfortunately I was way too tired to go to these - but I heard they were quite funny.
Saturday morning we started off with personal quiet time. And as you all know, I don't have an inside voice. I met up with Heather and Sacha and we just talked about the message from the previous night. For breakfast, they assigned us to tables which was awesome because you were basically forced to meet new people. After breakfast we had "second period" where we discussed where our hearts were with God. Are you intimate with God? Is your relationship with Him personal? Are you in love with God? How do you sustain that feeling of being in love with God, consistently loving and growing with Him, for a lifetime? You want this to be a never ending crescendo... Your life with God does not mean any of the following: routine, mundane, etc. You were meant to be in love with God (Revelation 2:5). John, the leader of the retreat, listed three ways to keep this relationship strong.
1. Don't just read. Ingest. (Jeremiah 15:16, Psalm 19:14, Psalm 119:97-104)
2. Don't just talk. Pray. (Revelation 3:20)
3. Don't just sing. Worship. (Psalm 29:2)
I found these three things extremely helpful. There have been so many times where I have prayed to God solely because I needed something. It's almost like I'm giving God a "to-d0" list. And I'm sure God just wants to talk with me. I don't want to be talking at God - I want to be talking with Him. It's seems hard, but growing in love with God is not that complicated.
After this session, we did go back to our cabins to have group time with the other girls in our room. I knew three of the girls in my room from small group, but the other girls I didn't know were very nice. Although I didn't have much in common with the other girls, they definitely had some good insight into what John had discussed in the sermon. It was great to have this time with the girls in my room, because I ended up hanging out with other people on the retreat, and this was the only time I got with them.
We then had lunch, and again, were assigned to certain tables. It was honestly a relief for me though, because I remember the anxiety from high school from figuring out which friends had lunch the same period as you, and what table you would sit at. If I wasn't forced to have an assigned seat for lunch, I wouldn't have met as many people as I did. After lunch was "Free Time". During this time, you could attend optional Breakout Sessions which consisted of "Taking Back the Arts - Finding God in Secular Art", "God and Your Bod - The Fruit of Disciplines and Self-Control", and "Compassionate Leadership" among others. If you did not want to attend a breakout session, you could play flag football/powder puff, do the zip line, the climbing wall, the ropes course, the tree swing, or go in the pool. Heather and Sacha signed up for the ropes course at 1.30 --- Sacha had done it before, and ended up giving her spot to me. Since the ropes course took over an hour, I missed both breakout sessions. But the ropes course was totally worth it! I was so scared - sure, they strapped you in a harness, but we were up really high!! I was white knuckling the top cables as I would walk on the bottom cable. Heather went right behind me and was my encourager throughout the entire ropes course! She would coach me and tell me where to place my feet. There was a girl who was 2 spots in front of me who was partially blind, and she did the ropes course and did not fall once!!! How awesome is that?!? Guess how many times I fell..... 3! Haha, it was so awesome though!! The best part of it was, after all the ropes... you went on a swing at the end. You were on a 60' pole (of course they strapped us into a harness)... and then you free fall for a second, then rope catches you. It was so exhilarating!
As if I wasn't already sweaty enough, me and heather wanted to do the tree swing. It's made for three people, so we convinced Anne to do it with us. Everyone gets strapped in harnesses, and your butt sits in a swing. You get pulled up, extremely high might I add, and the person sitting on the right (Heather) would "pull the plug" - which decides when the swing falls. Each of us were surprising calm, but as it started raising us up, Anne begins to tell us that she is sweating and extremely nervous. Of course I'm begging Heather not to fake us out and pretend to hit the cord (I want her to say, "1....2.....3!") But as soon as we reach the top, Anne shouts "Pull it now!!!" So Heather hits the cord, and BAM... we all swung down and shouted at the top of our lungs!! Anne shouted, "I LOVE JESUS!!!!" It was awesome!
Heather, me, and Anne
Heather and me with our ropes course wrist bands
I was so sweaty after all these activities that I went back to my room to shower before the Homecoming Game. This tag football game was Frontliners vs Staff... of course the staff won, but it was cool because at the game they had snow cones, cotton candy, and popcorn. YUM! :)
After the game we went to dinner, and we could sit with whomever we wanted. I had been spending the majority of my weekend with Sacha and Heather, as well as new people I had met. I felt like I should really sit with my small group girls, so I ate dinner with them. And it was awesome to hear how the retreat was going for them. Everyone truly seemed to be having a blast!
Kaitlyn, me, Colleen (small group leader), and Annie
After dinner was 3rd period which I found to be very interesting. John gave the example that when everyone starts high school as a freshman, we all buy a BIG backpack (this was definitely true for me). I don't know why I thought I needed such a huge backpack when I was such a small size as a freshman. Anywho, John made the analogy that the backpack of Christianity is sin. Can I fully love God with the backpack on? Not the way I was designed to... This backpack makes you feel weighted down... (Psalm 32:1-5). Jesus became the backpack carrier of everyone on this planet! Everyone's regrets and sins... he took them to the cross. If I were to confess my sins and talk about the backpack, what would God's response be? (Luke 15). God would run to me and embrace me, hug and kiss me, and celebrate. :) Does anything actually change? Can I actually live without the backpack??? (Romans 6:1-14) (Romans 8:11). It's not easy, nor instantaneous. And you can't do it alone. You will be tempted again, and you may even falter, but don't give up, or stop trying, or stop believing.
After this intense session, a few people scheduled to get baptized at the retreat. This was awesome to witness. I had never seen anyone get baptized before, and it was so cool to see these people making this decision. It was very moving and brought tears to my eyes! After the baptisms, there was more free time. I first went to the bonfire to make some s'mores.... so delicious! After the bonfire, Sacha, Heather, Anne, and I went to watch the Talent Show. This was so much fun. We had a lot of laughs, and there were tons of talented people up there!! After the talent show, we all hit the sack because we were exhausted!
On Sunday morning, we could eat breakfast with whomever we wanted. We then had our 4th and final session. God has an incredible plan for our lives. When people say "Be the change you wish to see in the world" (Ghandi), this change is already in play (even if you work in a cubicle!) God wants to work through you to make changes in the world. The more we love God, the more God works through us. How much do we love God? (Revelation 2:1-5). God doesn't need our talents or our efforts - he wants our hearts. (Acts 17:25) If you are more in love with God, then you are more able to change the world for His purpose. People who love God stay pure in a broken world. (John 14:15, 21) (Ephesians 5:8-10). You would be surprised how one holy person can help a broken person. Whenever I see a good movie or find a good band, I always tell my friends... I'll say, "You have to check this out! It's so awesome!" And my friends get hooked on it so quickly. Or if you start dating someone new, you share about it and tell all your friends about your new significant other and no one tells you to do it. When you love something, you tell people about it. If they don't like it, you don't feel unaccepted by them, you just feel sad for them. The more you love God, the more you talk about him, you can change the world. People who love God are called to serve others (John 21:15-17). Go tend my sheep = go serve the world. You cannot be indifferent to the problems of the world and love Jesus. There is rescue, redemption, and grace... those who love God are used in massive ways.
After this amazing message, we all packed up to head back to Northern Virginia. Sacha, Heather, and I loaded up our car, and headed back east. I made some amazing friends in Goshen, VA aka the middle of no where. Who would have thought that I would have left that place feeling so different, so alive (Galatians 2:20). A group of 10 of us stopped at the Cracker Barrel on the way back to grab lunch. These are new friends we met on the retreat. It was a long wait at the restaurant, but well worth it. :)
Anne, me, Heather, Jenny, and Sam at Cracker Barrel
Me and Heather
The wait was so long at Cracker Barrel, I didn't make it in time to Frontline Sunday evening. I did meet Joey after church though to grab dinner and discuss my experience on the retreat. I also called my cousin Brian immediately to tell him about it as well. I can't stop talking about it!! I don't ever want to forget the way I felt on the retreat. I would go as far to say that it was life changing. I met so many new people. Not only can I call them my friends, but they are my brothers and sisters in Christ. I am so blessed!!
I follow a plan bigger than my own :)
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