Faith

Before my last retreat, I often got into arguments with my mom and my older brother, Steve. I was just really bored with everything like school and I really wasn’t passionate about anything. Everything at school and church school was fine when it came to friends, but I realized that I mainly went to church school to see my friends more than learning about God. Our class wasn’t really talkative and I didn’t feel a bond with everyone in the class. I always got really irritated when it came to JaMs because it felt like people from my class shows up just because it was mandatory rather than wanting to actually to go. The first day of the TS1/TS2 retreat didn’t really make me feel any different because during JAM, not a lot of people were participating and it really made me upset. But on Saturday and Sunday, the things that we did on those days really made me think about everything that was going on in my life. The activities we did made me feel closer to my classmates since we were teamed up with people we normally wouldn’t talk to, which made us able to communicate with one another and work cooperatively. Thay Long’s scripture share made me rethink how I was treating some people in my life and it really made me appreciate my parents more and to listen to what they have to say instead of talking back. Thay Binh’s talk about dating helped some of my friends that were going through difficult situations. And the green and yellow card activity really made me feel like we all really tried to work together and I felt a closer bond with everyone. When I got home, I look backed on everything I learned at retreat and I started being nicer to everyone around me and I noticed that our class started talking to each other more and trying to include each other in activities. We started acting more as a family instead of just individuals with our own group of friends. I also started to think of how I was treating people like my mom and Steve, and I realized that the way things were going before retreat were pretty bad and I decided that it was time for a change. I chose this scripture because I really want all of you to open up. We are the salt of the earth. We are the light of the world. We are all called to be God’s servants, to serve with humility and goodness. But if we do not do that, then what are we good for' We should all be open with one another and let this retreat help you with any of your problems. Be open with your classmates so that when you’re going through rough times, you have people to lean on. And most of all, open up your hearts and let God guide you into goodness.