I'm praying that God will help me to recall the many wonderful experiences I've been blessed with this weekend.
Friday
I got up at 8 am to play tennis with Johnny and we were hitting pretty well. Only thing was, we were both really sore afterwards and there was no time for a nap. Patty, my mom, and Dayna dropped me off at church where we had our team meeting. After going through the schedules, we headed toward the Parish Center where the kid came to check in their luggage and to socialize before we left. It was nice to see the parents and their children talking to each other, which reminded me again how strong the community of Saint Callistus was! It was fun checking bags and getting to know the kids in a joking manner. Eventually the buses arrived and we had to load all the kids stuff in the storage compartments. I couldn't believe how heavy their bags were and how much stuff they were bringing: it was like they were planning to stay a whole week or something.
Johnathan and I rode in his car filled with drinks, food, music, and spent the next few hours in traffic on the 91. Although it was really irritating the pace we were going, we did have a good talk and even made contact with Johnny and Vince who were coming late and catching up with us. We eventually got there and I was reunited with my partner Carolyn. Dinner was served and the kids were treated their first round of singing, dancing, and a talk. Later that night, the "mask" activity took place, which I won't describe in detail in case a student reads this, but it too was an amazing experience for me and my kids: Sophia, Rowena, Branden, John, Brian, Alexis, Peter, and Raul. At night, we had adoration with Father Ben, and I was able to perform with Coco a few songs to help the mood. It's always nice to be able to play music and serve God; two things I love to do. The night ended with me rooming with Vince, Luis, and Johnny in room 8. We ended up staying up pretty late baking cookies, but it was a lot of fun even though we were tired. The hardest part of the night was dealing with the back pains coming from playing tennis earlier: I slept on the floor with a thin sleeping bag and though the cold didn't bother me much, just getting a good position to sleep was impossible. I wanted to hike the next morning but I woke up much too late, besides I definitely needed the rest!
Saturday
The morning came and I went down to get some breakfast with the kids. We listened to several more talks, and did a few more bonding activities, so finally me and Carolyn were able to meet the kids and start getting spiritual and emotional. I love the interaction and the bond that developed between the kids and also with us, their leaders. I performed in a skit that was a lot of fun, which led to another skit later that night which was very intense! All in all, the kids were able to find Christ in the chapel through everything the leaders gave to the kids. Again I was able to rest in the music and song while we all rested in Christ's arms. The night ended with affirmation, and this time I was able to get much better sleep. I was glad to see my old kids touched by my gifts for them :)
Sunday
I woke up JUST in time for the meeting, and then we had breakfast. We took the kids to the chapel for more talks and serious bonding activities. By this point my relationship with the kids became so strong and I really loved them and wanted to support them. Adam's talk and Brian's talk broke my heart, and I was glad to see the end of the retreat really brought out the best in the kids. Fastforward to going home, we celebrated in a special way prior to mass, and afterwards I headed home to rest. I'm currently waiting for food to come home while resting in my very soft bed =] I know this was all brief but, I definitely did not want to say too much!
Kev
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