Cedar Campus was absolutely beautiful, and the ladies and I were blessed with a cabin that had a bathroom connected to our room, a great view of the lake, and that was close to the Meeting Center. After arriving and having a few hours to settle in, we jumped right into the week. Now, I have to be honest - I didn't really want to go to CFW. I wasn't sure if I was going to walk away challenged, retreats come with a price tag, and I needed to work so I could pay for college. But at the last minute, everything fell into place so I could go, and I was determined to get the most out of it. For the week, we were separated into different "tracks." The members of our leadership team would meet together everyday to plan what InterVarsity would look like for the next school year. Those who were going to be small group leaders were in the small group leadership training track. I was in Mark I with 2 others from my InterVarsity chapter, and we went through and dissected the first 8 chapters of Mark. Talk about intense! I was never very good at manuscripting, which is a specific way of looking at the text and picking it apart (focusing on who, what, when, where, and how, and spotting any references to other parts of Scripture - we were provided colored pencils so we could color code our findings), so I was incredibly intimidated. Not to mention we were split up into 6 tables, and our table made up our small group for us to share and discuss with. I was way out of my comfort zone, but God knew that was exactly what I needed. Throughout the week, the overarching theme we focused on in Mark was Jesus' authority, and how that authority should have an affect on the way we live our lives.
In the large group meetings, our speaker Rick taught on Moses. He connected it to us by saying that Moses was destined for greatness but he didn't know it - we, on the other hand, know that God is getting us ready for greatness. After all, there are no insignificant roles in God's big picture. We need to find our identity in Christ and be faithful, humble, and willing to take risks.
Now, something that my chapter does that I absolutely loved was "Secret Encouragers." The first night we were there we all drew names, and we got to encourage that person all week. People came up with some creative ways to secretly encourage, and I know I had a blast with it. But my secret encourager blew me away by drawing me this picture. Sled dogs, of course, hold a special place in my heart, and this picture is such a great reminder to me that I have to obey my Master and follow His direction. Not only was this picture an encouragement and a challenge, but it also serves as a great reminder to all the things I learned during CFW, and how I grew so much closer with all the individuals that went.
Every night we had "chapter time," to meet up and catch everybody up on what we were learning in our tracks and see what thoughts our leadership team had for next year. There were plenty of laughs shared, but we also got incredibly vulnerable with one another. God moved. He broke our hearts for our campus. He challenged us to be intentional with our summers. And for me personally, He taught me to not write people off as being too far out of His reach. I was face-to-face with someone I had known from before, and I knew wasn't a Christian before, but it was amazing seeing the transformation, and God convicted me of how easy it is to give up on people. But even though we might give up on people, God doesn't, because of His great love for us!
After a week like this, it was hard to leave and say goodbye. I had an amazing time and learned so much. I'm excited for what the future holds. God is awesome. Life is an epic adventure.
Some highlights from the week: running into my small group leader Hannah from Summit, the girls serenading the boys cabin with "I'll Make a Man Out of You," hiking to Gnome Rock, hiking Narnia trail, being prayed for by my track leader, having group time out on the Floating Bear (the pontoon boat) one night despite the cold, being a rebel and going to the other side of the lake with Justin to eat dinner our last night, and jamming out in the party car.
With that, there's only one thing left to say...
Go team.
