Reflection Paper On Retreat

So we set off to the campsite only a 10-15 minute drive from Ben nevis for the weekend. It was a beautiful campsite with extraordinary views and lovely people. I was very anxious, but my dad made sure to reassure me that I could achieve anything and take as many stops as I needed. I didn’t sleep well that night too many thoughts

It was a balmy July morning when my family and I drove out to Lycoming College to begin my week at PFEW. An uneasy feeling set in as I realized that I will be surrounded by strangers in an uncommon environment for a whole seven days. Adding onto this stress was the fact that I have never been away from my parents for more than one night. Upon my arrival, all of the camp participants were ushered to a large auditorium and given a welcome presentation. Looking around at all the unfamiliar faces, I felt the urge to call my parents and avoid

I let out a big sigh and tried not to think about how stupid I would look on stage when I fell out of the turn and continued with class trying to distract myself from the worries. Another 45 minutes went by and class was over. She dismissed us and I walked to the front corner of the rectangular room to grab my sweatshirt that I had placed on the floor earlier that class. I then headed to the door and was about to exit the class when I heard a soft voice.

Waking up 6:30 in the morning isn't common for me but July 28th was the day I was driving up to Athens for Dawg Camp. I was waiting for this day since I was fortunate to receive a scholarship to go to Dawg Camp Discovery thanks to the UGA Parents Leadership Council. Every UGA event I attended, convinced me that Dawg Camp was an once in a lifetime opportunity. I was beyond ecstatic when I found out I was one of the recipient of the reward. Once arriving at UGA, I walked into Ramsey startled by the excitement coming from the basketball court. All of the camp counselors were beyond theatric when all of the campers came in one by one. As the day went on, I began to connect with my group, Silver 4, more and more. We were able to talk about our

The Carolina Day Key Middle School had an overnight in September 2015 at a place called Camp Timberlake for Boys so everyone would get to know each other better. On our last day we went on a canoeing trip in the French Broad River and some of our canoes flipped over! One of them was Lacy, Aubrey and Mr. Flamini’s canoe. Lacy and Aubrey were in the canoe, and then Mr. Flamini tried to get in….. and the whole thing flipped. They haven’t even started! Then, about ¾ the way into the ride, Nick, Mac, and Michael's canoe flipped over as well, and they were in one of the most calm parts of the river. The guide had to canoe all the way back up, against the current, and help them get it back right side up. I was in front of mostly everyone except for

On a blazing hot summer early morning with the city traffic roaring! And the hot sun blazing, birds chirping and the smell of fresh green grass. Me and my family were packing and getting ready for our yearly powwow trail trip. My mooshum and kokum were they’re usual selves laughing and cracking jokes, I and my cousins knew they weren’t that funny but laughed at their jokes anyways. After we were all packed and ready we all piled into my kookum’s van and set off to our destination with the hot sun reflecting off the black pavement. The drive to Muskoday reserve was long and tiring, the van was humid and making us irritated, so I decided to roll down my window to let the summer air cool us off, the cool breeze was flowing and the music was booming! A bit later we arrived to our destination with our eyes popping taking in all the scenery around us, mind you this was our first time being in the reserve Muskoday. The excitement of being there and meeting new people was over whelming, the anxious feeling of just wanting to run off and enjoy the scenery with my cousins and friends I had met before from the powwow trails we took yearly.

Life can be pretty stressful, and at times I feel the need to escape. When life’s pressures build to a critical mass my favorite place to go is Collier Township’s Panhandle trail, with its long hiking, and bike riding path, the more secluded hiking trails set deep in the woods, and fossil cliff it’s the ideal place to escape this mad mad world. I begin my journey at the start of the trail that stretches from Pittsburgh to Washington DC. The sound of tiny stones crunch under my feet as I walk, birds fly through a vibrant blue sky, and come to rest perched high in the trees that frame the walking, and bike trail. I continue down the trail for a quarter of a mile reading the small signs placed on the edge of the path set there to inform you of

Chief Logan Scout Reservation is my home away from home; I grew up attending Chief Logan, earning plenty of merit badges and bonding with my friends in the troop. Starting fires and tying knots have consumed over 2000 hours of my life in the span of 3 years. After my friend and I completed NYLT, he came to me and said we should do Chief Logan’s Counselor In Training program. After coming back to Chief Logan a second week the following summer, our eyes were opened to the making of the “camp magic”. I never had a counselor who I looked at as my hero, but once I got on staff the year after CIT, I finally understood how our camp was

On Sunday, I was playing in the yard after church like always with Abigail and Elizabeth, my two closest friends. Abigail was always first to grow cold and beg to go in, which we always complied. We first pulled off our heavy down coats to hang, then we cleaned up our shoes so we wouldn’t track water in the house. Elizabeth and

I was standing in line with my friends Liya and Kathryn and my dad who was buying four Six Flags tickets. Our bodies were all sweaty from the hot burning weather. My mouth slowly opened and I hardly breathed like some crazy animal was chasing me. It was so hot! I grabbed the dark green tall water bottle from my dad’s blue backpack, and pressed my lips against the little plastic straw and started hungrily drinking the fresh clean water. Then my hands quickly put the water bottle in the small black pocket of the backpack.

In July 2016, I had a wonderful day planned. My girlfriend, Audrey, and I were prepared to spend a full day at Lincoln State Park. After eating breakfast at Denny’s, we pulled into the entrance of the state park. With our swimsuits on and backpacks strapped, the hiking began. To say the least, we had a long, long hike with minor incidents including a small snake that caused me to scream like a little girl and a tower we climbed even though I am afraid of heights. To wrap up the day, we swam in the lake infested with little, microscopic minnows and took our turn at canoeing, which ended up getting us stuck in the middle of the lake. All in all, the day of adventures with Audrey was relaxing and refreshing, but unfortunately, the excitement was

I was the only camper in the entire camp; the busses from Chicago didn’t arrive until three in the afternoon. My counselors took me with them to the mess hall where all of these girls on staff were in their Uggs sweatpants and sweatshirts eating breakfast. It’s June, who wears ugg boots in the summer? After hours of sitting on my cold hard mattress on the top bunk, as I wasn’t allowed to unpack until the rest of my cabin arrived, there was an announcement, “Attention all campers and counselors RUN RUN RUN to the top of the hill the busses are almost here!!” I had never seen a more excited group of people in my entire life and I had no clue why. I get to the top of the hill where the counselors are singing at the top of their lungs “we welcome you to Chippewa were mighty glad you’re here” the girls started filing out of the three huge coach busses and tons of hugs were exchanged. There were tears of joy along with sad tears, many squeals and overall just an indescribable vibe. We all made our way to the center fire circle where cabins were announced. I was in the first cabin, the youngest cabin. I gathered with my soon to be best friends and walked back to my cabin. I was looking around, these girls had just spent 6 hours together on the bus and they know each other from home. Are they going to hate me? How do I make friends? These were

7am. That was the time I arrived at the parking lot of the First Presbyterian Church in Woodbridge, New Jersey. The destination was Montreat, North Carolina and I was about to embark on a journey with twelve other kids to attend my first Montreat Youth Conference, a retreat focused on strengthening and shaping youth’s faith. The number of stories I’ve heard of what a week in the black mountain area of North Carolina entailed led me to crave the formation of my own stories. This trip was reputable for being “life changing,” and Montreat was supposedly a “thin place between heaven and earth,” but before going on the trip I was perplexed as to what those words meant and if they were ever going to hold meaning for me. However, after a twelve-hour

I swung from my brightly colored hammock, camouflaged amongst the other teenagers in their enos. I was famished, uncomfortably hot, and drenched by the pouring rain that fell from the sky and dripped down the bridge of my nose. I didn’t mind though, and neither did the other eleven campers that also futilely attempted to keep their bibles dry while listening to our counselors over the rain. There at Camp Lake Stephens, I learned that sometimes giving up your life can help you find it. The Holy Spirit reigned at camp, and people came there to worship him. For eleven years, I have been growing there, and it’s changed me as a person.

were walking out, there was an eerie silence among them. When they got supplies, they went