Journey North's ignite students attended Fall Fling at Camp Shamineau this week and a fantastic time was had by all! In spite of the constant drizzling rain, everyone thoroughly enjoyed the retreat. Many tried out the climbing wall while others competed in the volleyball tournament. We all tried our hand at dodge ball, as well. Plus there was campfire donuts, worship, challenges from God's Word, crazy interactive skits, the Bus Dance, cribbage, a scavenger hunt, breakout discussions, pizza, more pizza, late night talks, and lots of great relationship building.
The thing that struck me about this year's retreat was the relaxed atmosphere among our group members. There was no worries about who was not getting along or which person was upset about what. Everyone just thoroughly enjoyed being together. Plus we had fantastic adult sponsors in Doug, Justin, and Pam! They all have an obvious love for kids and a desire to see them follow Jesus, and each one models that faith in their daily walk! I am truly privileged to serve with these guys!
I was particularly impressed by our students during the volleyball tournament. We defeated two teams fairly easily and headed toward the final match on Thursday night. Although we have some healthy competitive spirit, we also just enjoyed playing together. It was disheartening to realize that our opponents in the final match were... let's just say that they were less than gracious winners. We played our first game and realized that this team would challenge our abilities. As they began to score their attitude became more obnoxious. I actually think our team would have had a stronger showing during the first game but we were thrown by their attitude.
As we prepared for the second game Pam gave us a great pep talk about being good sports and being positive even when faced with the kind of negativity that came from the other team. (Let's just say Pam's motivational speeches during Fall Fling are becoming an annual highlight - I just wish they weren't necessary! She is a very competitive person and so her encouragement toward good sportsmanship and being a good witness is particularly powerful. What a great role model!)
Our second game was more closely contested - the final score being 22-20. The thing we noticed was that as we became more intentional about cheering on our opponents when they had a good hit or spike, their own negative attitudes diminished... somewhat. Although it was frustrating to lose to such a cocky team, I could not have been more proud of our students (and sponsors) and their attitudes throughout the evening!! Way to go, everyone!
