Catch the Wave Guam

It's the 20th Anniversary of Catch the Wave.  Catch the Wave is the youth retreat that I started in 2006 so that kids could have some kind of a camp experience since we can't have camp

Kicking off the retreat was tough. I'm coming off of mega cranky day. Then because of needing to communicate with my students/former students rescuing Sweets to the vet, the vet, my parents about Sweets, I had to keep my phone on.  I barely got over 3 hours of sleep between calls and notifications pinging on my phone.  And I was going to a youth retreat where one has no sleep. AAAAHHHHH

We kicked off the retreat at the church at noon. We enjoyed some lunch together.  During this time I discovered that the kitchen air con stopped working after the storm.  UGH.  After lunch we had a church and parsonage shutter take-down party.  Maybe not-so-much party, but at least the job is done!

Our retreat was held at Garden Villa hotel in Tumon.  I had driven past it a million times and had no idea it was there.  The rooms were super awesome for a retreat. (Not fancy. Just perfect for a bunch of teens.) They had a kitchenette, fridge/freezer, two double beds on one side and two twin beds on the other side with a tv, sitting chairs, and table/chairs in the middle.  Then what I learned after being there about six hours, is the rooms have TWO BATHROOMS!  How amazing is that when you are cramming 7 people in a room?  The girls room is where we had our sessions/games and the boys room is where we had our meals.

This year our retreat title was Catch the Wave: Stand Firm. How does one stand firm?  By putting on the Armor of God, of course.  So in four sessions we covered all the aspects about the Armor of God. 

Session 1: Ephesians 6:10-18; There is a real spiritual war happening, and we are all a part of it. When life gets uncertain, our faith can become shaky. But God wants us to stand firm in Him and His strength, so He has given us His armor to help us in this battle. When we fully rely on God’s power, fully dressed in His armor, we are able to stand and fight!

Session 2: Ephesians 2:1-10; The armor of God is not something that we can work for or earn; it’s God’s gift to those who put their trust in Him. When we believe in Jesus as Lord, He gives us salvation, which we can wear as a helmet, as well as righteousness as a breastplate. These crucial pieces of armor are ours only through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.

Session 3: John 14:1-14; Spiritual attacks and temptations can happen at any time. In order to be prepared, we must take up the belt of truth and the shield of faith. These pieces of armor are vital tools to help us stand firm and follow God in any and all situations.

Session 4: 2 Timothy 3:14-4:8: Every piece of the armor of God is important and needed. Our one offensive weapon is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Bible. God’s Word and prayer are powerful and help us better understand and put on the shoes of readiness given by the Gospel of peace. Equipped with the whole armor of God, as well as fellow believers around us, we are ready to stay alert and stand firm in our faith.

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When we checked in for our rooms, I noticed a few kids in the pool.  We were told it would be three more days before it opened from the storm, but it was OPEN! (My crankiness was turning around.)

We enjoyed Session 1 followed by pizza. (Can you really have a youth event without pizza?  Little Caesar large pizzas are $6, up from $5 from previous years, on Fridays. The line is 1-2 hours long. If you don't do that, pizza is silly expensive. They waited in line for 1 hr 20 min for our pizzas.)  Because of the pool, we got to have a couple of hours of pool, "hot" tub, and water basketball.  We had our second session at 9pm.  Then they played games until midnight.  Me? I got in my bed and dozed...interjecting occasionally or getting up for a snack while they played. I felt bad not playing, but there was just no way. I'm sure my half asleep commentary was more exciting anyway. lol

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The boys cooked breakfast.  By boys, probably Ezekiel--the youth leader.  We had an island breakfast of spam, eggs, and rice.  And it was delicious.  I was surprised to see a watermelon because they are always so expensive.  When I asked how much that tiny watermelon cost, the receipt showed almost $17.  

After breakfast and our third session, the kids had about 1.5 hours for more swimming before we checked out!

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After check out, we had our fourth session back at the church, followed by leftovers and sandwiches.  Then because of the typhoon damage to the sanctuary, we sat up the tents/canopy for outdoor service on Sunday.  

Perry and Laura had a great weekend! Hopefully, the teens had a great youth retreat.