EcoFaith Intern Haylie Isaacson is working and collaborating with our other high school interns Michelle Piscitelli and Chase Isaacson on the Returning to the Rhythms of God retreats offered throughout 2016.
Returning to the Rhythms of God by Listening for God’s Heartbeat in the Wilderness of Lent – Feb 27, 2016
Getting ready for the February retreat was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. The leaders and interns got together and shared ideas within a safe space and came up with a plan on how to make the retreat enjoyable for everyone. I had a wonderful experience with the Returning to the Rhythms of God retreat lead by Pastor Solveig. My favorite part was when all of us sang ‘The Way of the Wilderness‘ and called out people that were in our hearts and minds. I also loved how we decorated the font with pieces of God’s creation that we found in the Sanctuary of the Firs. I also enjoyed both of the one to one conversations. For the first conversation, I partnered up with someone that I did not know and loved how it was a safe place to share our feelings and what was on our hearts. When the retreat was over I did not want it to be done, but it made me more excited for the next one.
I am excited to see what Bishop Dave does with his retreat in April. I wonder what activities he will have us participate in and how it will be different from the February retreat. I am hoping that the time in the Sanctuary of the Firs will be a little longer, since the time went by so fast during the last retreat.
Getting ready for the April retreat was very similar to the last retreat in February. The leaders met, a couple weeks before, and discussed the plan for how we wanted the community to participate. I loved hanging out with Bishop Dave and hearing all of his great ideas. The art project was definitely my favorite part because no project was the same. We all took straws and used them in our own way to make it the way that we wanted it to look. I also loved sharing the devotion with Michelle Piscitelli. I thought that it was cool how Bishop Dave gave us a visual of the literal story. For visual learners, like myself, it made the experience so much cooler.
I loved the retreat and like last time, I was sad when it was over. I really enjoyed how both Solveig and Bishop Dave’s retreats were different and unique, to the way that they wanted it to be. For example Pastor Solveig shared music, but Bishop Dave shared an art project. I am excited to see what the third retreat (on September 17th) will be like considering that we will have new leaders; Pastor Robyn and Pastor Terry Moe. I am looking forward to see their unique interpretation of the new theme.
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Stay tuned for more from our high school interns.
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