A Reflection on the Waypoint Youth Winter Retreat

A Reflection on the Waypoint Youth Winter Retreat

By Olivia Hofheinz

I have been a part of the youth group for a little over a year, but it wasn’t until recently that I really felt a part of a family. I didn’t know a lot of people that well in the youth group and felt a little disconnected (I admit this was due to my own selfishness, everyone was so welcoming). However, this winter retreat was a heart softening experience for me. It wasn’t about the place but just spending time with these incredible people.

Friday night after dinner, every girl squished into one bunk to talk about everything a girl can talk about. I found that all of these girls not only were super sweet but quite funny. I don’t have many girlfriends, so to know that I was making friendships with other girls was so encouraging; that God was placing these girls in my life for a reason.

Zip-lining was an adventure with this crew. Between Jimmy screaming 24/7 and Rodrigue getting stuck in the water, it was very entertaining! It was also incredible to see other people stepping out of their comfort zone and trying something new. The encouragement that came from other youth when someone was nervous at the top was enlightening and just made me smile.

The youth leaders shared many experiences, great words of wisdom, and important life lessons. It is a luxury that we have such amazing leaders to look up to and talk to whenever we need it.

Though there were many lessons learned that weekend, what stood out to me most and has still been on my mind is, Jesus doesn’t just fit into our agenda when we want Him to. Jesus didn’t die for us to only give Him time on Sundays. Giving up what we want in order to follow God can come at a cost, but that cost will mean absolutely nothing when God shows us what He had planned was better than what we could’ve done on our own.

Through this group, I have grown closer to God because they’ve motivated me to be better, and they’ve given me a place to express my faith. For this I am very grateful and look forward to the future trips together.