While the rest of the world started watching the Winter Olympics, our youth group took part in the action as we journeyed to the mountains for our annual Winter Retreat! We rode the slopes on skis and snowboards for hours on end; traveling up on the ski lifts and sliding down the side of the mountain hills as a few skilled and daring friends leapt over snow mounds. I love the rush of adrenaline I get following friends down the hills just to ride back to the top to do it all again. I was often caught between wanting to slow down to take in the picturesque scene and the gravitational pull that kept me moving! Yet, being surrounded by friends as we glided over the snowy mountain sides that overlooked the beautiful Czech countryside, I was filled with God's peace as I thanked Him for this special time with the youth group and for His hand on this outreach ministry.
Ready to Ride the Slopes!
Skiing Buddies
Some of my favorite still shots from the 2 hours of video on the camera!
When we weren't weaving down the slopes or skating circles around the ice rink, we all gathered back at the Retreat Center for more wonderful group bonding. There were always games of cards to jump into, and running games of Live Action Mafia and Mystery Bell Person to keep us all alert even during free-time. Tea cups were constantly being refilled and the unlimited supply of homemade baked goods kept us all circling the snack table for a treat during the day.
Winter Retreat Group
In traditional fashion, we gathered in four groups each night for team competitions! The youth pastor and his wife compiled many different mini-competitions together that brought out various strengths in the team members. From physical strength to memory and teamwork activities, everyone found their place in the competitions and helped their team reach their highest potential.
Team Time
I'm not lying when I tell you that I look forward to Winter Retreat all year! It will be the middle of summer, and I will still be thinking about going back to the mountains with the youth group. There is something so special about this time with the youth group, and it is clear how God is reaching these youth kids. One girl who came with us isn't yet allowed to come to youth group, but her parents gave her permission to come with us on retreat! This retreat was extra memorable because instead of having one or two main program speakers, we asked 11 youth group members (plus the youth pastor and me) to prepare one part of the Bible Study time. We studied the story of Joseph together, and I was most impressed with the new speakers! They began talking with the other speakers about their parts of the story to see how their themes fit together and can continue off each other. I watched as they would spend the hour before giving their 10 minute talk reviewing their notes, reading the passage again, and praying. The presence of God is clearly growing more visible in our youth group!
Watch a short clip of Winter Retreat here!
I apologize if the video is a little shaky - it is harder to keep the camera steady while skiing and when laughing!
One of the most rewarding parts about our work with kids is seeing how God uses us to touch their lives. We had an emotional club a couple weeks ago as three brothers, who frequently came to our youth club in Boskovice, told us they were moving. As six eyes brimmed with tears as they said goodbye, I realized so strongly the impact these youth clubs have on the kids. Many of the students come from broken homes or rough family situations, and many times we are not aware of their home environment - but we see them for who they are - children of God, and we become a safe place for them in the midst of life's chaos.
Last week, we had Movie Night in our Boskovice Club! The kids stretched out onto the many sofas and club "wrestling" mattresses with sleeping bags, blankets, and handfuls of snacks. It is always an enjoyable bonding time with the club kids to have movie marathons, even though I only made it through two movies before I was caught by sleep.
I introduced the girls at club to pony-bead animals, and they got hooked! They started creating new designs and patterns for the little animals and after the first couple caught onto the pattern idea, they began coaching the other girls! I simply stepped back to watch the little leaders take their stage as they guided their friends and consulted each other in pattern colors. The time with these girls is definitely treasured, and the joy from a dozen little girls is completely contagious.
Focused Workers!
Little Beaded Lizards
Kid's Class students are working on putting together sentences using the words they are already familiar with and completing sentence structures! We are still moving through our theme of Elephant and Piggie stories, and the students practiced using adjectives to describe their friends. The best part of this lesson was that we all wrote encouragement notes to each other using the new English vocabulary and sentence structure! Everyone, even the translators, enjoyed roaming around the room with a pencil and writing short notes on the pages of friends and students. The joy the kids had as they read their own encouragement notes lit up the room and gave all the kids new energy and confidence!
Kid's English Class Activities
From the beginning of the year, my adult class has been studying English by reading about famous landmarks in the USA and playing games to enhance their conversation. We rarely finish all that I had planned for the day as questions build onto new questions and suddenly I have filled and erased the board multiple times with vocabulary, definitions, and hastily drawn pictures. Some of the adults recently realized that nearly all my materials, discussion worksheets, and games are handmade. One asked me why I don't use a curriculum to teach the class, so I said, "I know what you want to practice and what skills you already have in English. A curriculum doesn't know you personally like I do, and I want to make sure you get the most out of this class." I like to reuse materials from other classes that I have taught, but I enjoy the challenge of creativity that designing the lesson offers before each class.
Teen Class had a favorite theme last week - food! Complete with American Jelly Beans, these students practiced describing flavors and looked through old American Restaurant Menus on a scavenger hunt for flavors. I had told the students the week before that we would be practicing food, but many of them told me after the lesson they didn't realize they should have prepared for the lesson by eating before coming or by bringing a snack along! Apparently, a bag of Jelly Beans split seven ways was not enough to satisfy the hunger brought on after an hour of speaking about food and looking through menus!
Sorting Food by Flavor
Last week, the Littles went fishing, sorted through sea creatures, and danced in bubbles as they explored an underwater theme!
Fishing
Underwater Puzzle
Bubble Exploration
The weather has been more spring-like here in the valley with the sun peeking through the clouded sky and warming the softened ground. Occasionally, there is a dusting of snow, but the inches of snow that covered the village have now aided to the rushing of the river. Last Sunday morning, we were surprised by a heavier snowfall in the night and the kids were anxious to play in the snow before the afternoon sun melted it. Knowing that they would be in church, this group of girls gathered up some of the snow in a bowl to carry along to Sunday School! Maybe we should have considered having church outside to admire the bleached blanket God laid over the city that morning.
