Over the first two weekends of 2020, Camp Friedenswald welcomed over 200 youth, sponsors and volunteers to the very first retreats of the decade. How did they go? Here are 5 things you should know from the weekends:
1. We made the most of the weather – Although there was not any snow on the ground for either weekend, we had fun playing games that are hard to do with snow, like soccer and Frisbee. We also enjoyed sitting inside around the fire and playing card games and chatting. It was quite cozy!
2. We came from all around – We had folks from at least 5 different states in attendance – Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Kentucky. There were also at least 14 different youth groups attending from such churches at 8th St (Goshen, IN), Assembly (Goshen, IN), First Mennonite of Bluffton OH, First Mennonite of Indianapolis, Berkey Ave (Goshen, IN), Hively Ave (Elkhart, IN), Salem (Kidron, OH), Huntington Church of the Brethren (Huntington, IN), Columbus (OH) Mennonite Church, College Mennonite (Goshen, IN), Silverwood (Goshen, IN), Paoli Mennonite (Paoli, IN), Milwaukee (WI), and Kern Rd (South Bend, IN).
3. We learned a lot – At High School Camp Jes Stoltzfus Buller (MCC Peace Education Coordinator) spoke about Healing our Wounds. Through personal stories, Bible stories, and activities we learned about healing and resilience amidst pain. As for Junior High, our speaker was Timothy Troyer who spoke on the theme of You are Loved. We learned how to think differently about and question the world’s definition of success.
4. We had lots of great volunteers – The retreats would not have been possible without the help of volunteers. We had 25 volunteers each weekend, with 7 of these helping out two weeks in a row. They helped with everything from doing dishes, playing music for worship, making food, leading activities, and much more. Thanks for all you do, volunteers!
5. We went home exhausted and looking forward to next year – With all of the different activities, many of us slept in the car on the way home. But we wouldn’t have it any other way. We’ll see you this summer at camp, and next year for Winter Youth Camps. Thanks for starting 2020 off with a bang!
See you February 14-16 for Winter Family Camp!