A Higher Aim
As exams creep closer around the corner, I can’t help but look back to the good old days. What good old days am I talking about you might ask? The Eastern Ontario ACF 2018 retreat, that’s what! Not even a month into the school year and we were whisked away into a weekend full of team building and the uplifting word. Here are three of my takeaways from that weekend!
1. Teamwork makes the dream work
That Saturday afternoon we were broken up into 5 different teams. Now I was not in a team since I was in charge of taking photos, but this allowed me the unique experience of being able to see how each group completed the challenges. One of my favourite ones to watch was the low ropes course, as they had to get their whole team from point A to point B by only standing on the platforms as they could not touch the forest ground. Every single group started off the challenge the same, one person would swing across to the second platform and send the rope back to the next person, and all groups soon realized that they all would not be able to fit on the second platform. This is where the methods started to differ. Some groups still tried to get everyone on the platform, while others decided that only the two on the platform would figure out the next step. They would go back to the beginning to try and brainstorm what to do next and keep pressing on, even with each failed attempt. It showed me that there can be many ways to accomplish the same goal, and that the team you are with can make all the difference.
2. “You want to aim high, you want your ministry to go far, let go and actually not see a person as a sinner, see a person as if you are seeing yourself” – Pastor Garcia
Part of this weekend was learning about how we can reach our own campuses. We had “Build your own Sundays” which encourages each person to choose 3 topics they wanted to discuss. Some of the topics that were talked about were Ministering to Secular Friends, LGBTQ+, How Do I Achieve My Full Potential, Relationships, How to Give Bible Studies, How to Be More Approachable etc. These topics were chosen because we as young people are growing up in a time where our faith conflicts with the mainstream ideas. So, having these talks to help us as we move forward with campus ministries on our secular campuses helps us understand the best way to approach things. One line to keep with us while being light bearers for Christ is “How far are you willing to go for your friend that others think are not good enough” -Pastor Garcia
3.“Press On!”
This saying became the mantra of the weekend. Whenever it was said it was almost always followed with a strong response of “Towards the Goal!” as the verse for the weekend had been Philippians 4:13, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” No matter what you are doing if God brought you to it, he will take you through it! During the activities when someone felt unable to do something, you could just say ‘Press On!’ Even months after this retreat happened, we still use the phrase ‘Press On!’ in our conversations to give each other encouragement and just to have a laugh here and there.
This weekend was one of the most lit weekends that I have had at Camp Iawah. From being super hyped singing songs around the camp fire, to Saturday Night games with the group cheer off, to all the inspirational words that were said through out the weekend, I’ll never forget the memories I made during these days. It was the best way to start off my school year, and if you don’t want to take my word for it, the smile on the faces of those who were there says it all. With that being said ‘Press On!’
