On Friday, November 15, our youth group departed from HAB to head to Warren Willis Camp & Conference Center in Leesburg, FL for Fall Retreat. When we arrived, it was cold! So, instead of games outside, we unloaded our stuff and settled in for the night.
The following day, some of the boys got up early to explore the campus. The Warren Willis Camp & Conference Center is beautiful campus situated by a lake. It offers a variety of activities for groups like ours to participate in such as a rock climbing wall, outdoor basketball courts, and a number of other fun activities. Once everyone was awake, we met for morning prayers. We gathered on the porch to pray and sing songs to greet the day. From there we went to breakfast where we were served a hearty breakfast with eggs, biscuits, and sausage. After breakfast we had some free time before worship.
Our worship services were led by Britt and our good friend Rusty Gunter, Minister of Music and Worship at Heritage Baptist Church in Cartersville, GA. After morning worship, we had lunch and headed out to do a ropes course. On the course we had a couple challenges to complete. Some were frustrating, but we bettered our skills in communication and teamwork. After 3 hours of team-building exercises, we cleaned up and headed back to the cafeteria for dinner. Following dinner, we had another worship service in which we were reminded that we are God's children, and just as God gave to us, we have the opportunity to give to others.
After worship, we headed over to the campire. Since it was so cold, we all enjoyed sitting by the fire and eating s’mores! This time also gave us the chance to be with one another while we relaxed around the fire. Once we finished up around the fire, we went back to the lodge where we played Apples-to-Apples and looked at pictures from the day. We spent a lot of this time laughing and enjoying each other's company.
On Sunday morning we all got up early to see the sunrise by the lake. Unfortunately it was cloudy and we didn’t get to see it, but we stayed out there for a while and enjoyed the time together. After breakfast, we had our final worship service. In this service we took communion and committed ourselves to loving and serving others as Christ modeled for us. Overall, our youth group had a blast! We grew closer to God and each other. We had such a great time, and we are already excited for next year's retreat!
