We had a fun, relaxing, and reflective Sr. High Youth Spring Retreat! This year, we decided to combine the retreat with a 24-hour fast for the first half of the weekend. Both leaders and students ate their last meal at lunchtime on Friday and broke the fast together with lunch on Saturday. Appropriately, we spent our lesson time remembering the fact that many people around us - in our own schools and abroad - go hungry, though not by their own choice. We studied how God has compassion on the poor and desires us to be His hands and feet in serving them, in addition to how and why fasting can be an important part of our faith. Dwight challenged groups to build shelters by gathering materials in our surroundings and bartering with others for items needed. This offered students just a glimpse of the types of hardships others face in addition to hunger.

After we broke our fast, Smith’s Knob along the Loyalsock trail offered a beautiful and rewarding view of the surrounding valley. In the evening, we enjoyed stories and s’mores by the campfire. Sunday morning held breakfast and one more lesson before making our final stop at the famous Eder’s Ice Cream. Our challenge and continuing prayer is that the Lord would instill in us a generosity like His to selflessly give, and an undistracted heart wholly devoted to Him.