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Cindy: Car Ride with hodge podge of frosh girls

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Cindy: Car Ride with hodge podge of frosh girls

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In my and Rachel's van were 4 frosh girls. One didn't know anybody. The other tends to have a FOD. I wasn't sure how the other two girls were with new people. We spent the majority of the time sharing our spiritual journeys which took up most of the car ride. Surprisingly they all bonded, talked, and paid attention to each other.

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Was a good place for those who wanted a quiet place to wind down. I got to have a nice conversation getting to know the students while making bracelets. Those who painted also had a great time. Thank you UVA sisters!

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Cindy: UMD girls bonding with each other 

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Cindy: UMD girls bonding with each other 

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After the retreat sense they are a lot more comfortable with each other. At the least they all know each other's names!

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Janice: DC sis car ride spiritual journey sharing

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Janice: DC sis car ride spiritual journey sharing

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I drove all 3 DC sis up to retreat early b/c it is their fall break. Thankful for their willingness to come early to help, also we got to share each of our spiritual journey/testimony in the car as sis M is kind of new to us. Thankful for this time as we get to bond so that makes smaller group sharing much more genuine and vulnerable

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Janice: DC Sr sis to take ownership of DC sis M & get to know other sis from different campuses

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Janice: DC Sr sis to take ownership of DC sis M & get to know other sis from different campuses

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I challenged the 2 sr girls from GW to really get to know sis M (Jr) in the car and be interested in her before we drive up. Thankful that they always looked out for her, S always get to sit with her. Both of the Sr girls shared that they got to know other peers from different campus deeper since we are in the same cabin & they also shared that this retreat structure helps them to get to know other students as well.

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Minjai: Car ride with a senior to the retreat

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Minjai: Car ride with a senior to the retreat

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Thankful for the chance to reconnect with a senior student who's been coming out ever since we planted UVA in 2021 and having candid conversation about his future. He asked the question to me on why I decided to stay with our church and got to share my experience and advice about the future with him. Thankful he seemed to enjoy the retreat overall and he took the chance to get to know more the freshman bro that came on the ride back today.

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Angela: Car ride with all UVA sis students

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Angela: Car ride with all UVA sis students

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During car ride up, had all the UVA girls share their spiritual background and also did the question game where each person asked a thoughtful question to another. Think because we had 6 hours total to be together in the car, it was a good bonding time and all the sis came away from retreat connected and grateful.

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Thankful for one of the third year asking about how the mentors are able to share so vulnerably with their testimony. He was shocked as he can never see himself ever sharing so vulnerably in front of so many people and got to share how like the samaritan woman with her shame of multiple husbands was able to change that shame to being able to proclaim God's forgiveness and grace. I shared that it first starts with addressing this honestly with God and then you can have the courage to share in a small group context which can eventually lead to confidence to share like the mentors are able to publicly.

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Kelly: UVA Girls getting outside of their comfort zone

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Kelly: UVA Girls getting outside of their comfort zone

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Thankful to see most of the UVA girls, even the more introverted ones, stepping outside of their comfort zone to get to know other students from different campuses. One student said it was her goal to talk to at least 5 new people but in the end talked to over 10-15 of them.

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I drove 4 students up to the retreat and hoped that it would be a good time for us to connect as it would be 2 upperclassmen and 2 newer students. As soon as we got into the car one of the upperclassmen was about to fall asleep so I prompted him to at least share first (on his upbringing and spiritual journey). Thankful for his sharing as everyone else was able to follow-up and we all learned a lot about each other. That bro ended up being awake most of the ride too 😄

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Our DC students bonded more and by the end of the retreat were drawn towards sitting together, laughing and talking together more. Thankful for the small group sharing time because they shared openly and got to pray for each other, so it was a bonding time. It was student M's first retreat, and while she was praying for me during the bonfire, she started crying because she felt really thankful for us, didn't think she'd ever find a community like ours, and she said it's made such a positive impact on her.

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It was nice to have the upperclassmen across different ministry groups together in one cabin as they were able to get to know one another more. When I came into the room, there were some sisters sitting on the floor just chatting and laughing. I'm not sure how it started, but it seemed like a natural way for them to get closer across campus groups. Maybe we can do this more often in the future retreats to mix across campuses (at least for upperclassmen).

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Austin: New student committed to seeking Christian Community

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Austin: New student committed to seeking Christian Community

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One of the students who came at the invitation of another was struck by the message about David's practical atheism and asked for a prayer that he could be more discerning about his friend groups and that he could find Christians that actually live out their faith. Very interested in Noblemen

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One UVA Student recognized that he didn't have a crew but needs one. Because he is constantly busy, couple with the fact that most of his study buddies are non-Xian, he recognizes that he has no time in his life to "find" his crew. He is trying to figure out how to make more time in his schedule (perhaps even dropping a class) so that he can take his faith more seriously

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The freshmen girls seem to connect really well with each other. And they seem very comfortable with one another too.

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2 students came up to me and vulnerably shared their struggle with addictions and was encouraged.

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Phil: two UMD bros asked for prayers or advice on girl issues - took the message on sexual purity to heart

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Phil: two UMD bros asked for prayers or advice on girl issues - took the message on sexual purity to heart

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IO came out to ask for prayers - confessed to girl issues and asked for prayers. Frosh bro, DA also asked for advice about how to keep purity with his gf. Took that message point to heart

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Every retreat for the past couple of years I've been praying for this sister to open up and PTL this prayer was answered at this retreat!

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Mike: First night unstructured hangout time

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Mike: First night unstructured hangout time

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I thought the first night with people all hanging around, playing basketball in the gym, eating and talking over late night ramen, playing ping pong in the side rooms was pretty fun for students. I thought Joy El's gym layout with the siderooms and the area to hangout right outside helped create this time.

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Think it was overall a good way to encourage cross-ministry fellowship as it gave a context for me to get to know them during free time or meal times and ask about how they started coming out to their respective campus groups. It also created a context for us to bond together to the point that at the end of the retreat red-team students came up to me to say bye and felt really warm the relationships formed through it.

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Andrew: Practical Atheism clicked for many of the bros

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Andrew: Practical Atheism clicked for many of the bros

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One brother shared that he realizes he has moments of thinking like a practical atheist often. Judging others and writing them off rather than seeing them as God's children, lustful thoughts, etc. and not really facing the reality of his sins. He wanted to figure out how to be more self aware of other ways he is like this. This resonated with all the other guys in my small group and sparked a neat dialogue over how they can do that with God's word and each others.

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Students were actively engaged and wanted to go a level deeper into Christian life (eg, being stumbling blocks to others, God's forgiveness, temptations in marriage, etc.). Really seemed to value older mentor's perspective on these issues.

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K from GMU realized (after Melissa's sharing and the Stand Down message) that she was loved and forgiven by God despite all the ways she blamed and had bad thoughts toward God for the unexplained pains she experienced in her past. She surrendered and gave her life to Christ "for real this time" (her words)!

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What was surprisingly helpful for students to feel more comfortable with each other was instructing students to know everybody else's name in 5 minutes. Because of that, students were forced to know one another. Even at different parts of the retreat, some girls would remember who they met briefly.

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Thankful for the car rides to and from the retreat with the UMD bros. The irregular freshmen got to talk more with our regular students and by the end of the car ride one of the irregulars asked for everyone's number.

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It was good to have a dedicated time for sisters and brothers

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One UVA sister shared during small group that she saw herself as a practical atheist and wanted to commit to following Christ. She saw how the media she watched/listened to could be a modern equivalent of "taking a walk on the roof".

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David: the Sup GMU Christian guys bonding more

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David: the Sup GMU Christian guys bonding more

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One prayer of mine was that Caleb and Ethan would grow closer to Matt and Jacob. The retreat really helped with their bonding as we shared during messages and at the fire time. Based on Andrews's Panel sharing about the stone that helped him, They took to heart my vision for them that they could be that community together that could draw in other non-Christians to desire to seek God if they learn to trust and depend on each other. They immediately started talking about ways they could start spending more time together, through meals and sports times.

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Ivette - UVA Sr Sis growth over the past 4 years

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Ivette - UVA Sr Sis growth over the past 4 years

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Thankful to see a Sr sis go out of her way to meet new people and connect with other students and staff across campuses throughout the retreat. I remembered how shy and reserved she use to be when she first started coming out to Axiom and joining our retreats.

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It was nice having the girls play games in cabins, and have more time to spend with one another at the cabin when we ended the night early. They felt warm.

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1 year ago at fall retreat, had a really tough time with one of the uva students as she struggles a lot with dark mental health issues and had a panic attack. at that time, she thought that God didn't love her because of the health issues she experienced growing up and couldn't fathom God forgiving her sins. was thinking it would take a miracle for her to become christian. fast forward 1 year later at this fall retreat. she made a genuine decision this summer and can see how God has really re-wired her thinking as she can now see how much God loves her through sending various people into her life, like her grandfather who kept praying for her at her lowest point. can see how she is took in God's word this retreat and listened with good soil. PTL!

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Andrew: One Soph bro who's been MIA came away with a renewed sense of God's grace and seems hungry to determine next steps

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Andrew: One Soph bro who's been MIA came away with a renewed sense of God's grace and seems hungry to determine next steps

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Justin - Frosh bro opening up and sharing vulnerably

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Justin - Frosh bro opening up and sharing vulnerably

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One of the frosh bros made a commitment to be more open to share vulnerably with people in his life. He said only 3 people know his salvation story and he wants to open up and share more about his life. This is a win because he is not very connected to many people in Kairos yet, but wants to take steps to getting closer to the bros. He also responded really well to the second plenary and recognizes his need for accountability.

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Some freshmen girls said they could relate to Melissa's testimony of being a Christian but not really understanding the Gospel, hiding their sins and goliaths, etc.

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Violet: student recognized need for a crew

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Violet: student recognized need for a crew

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One girl shared that she is trying to redefine herself in college and is searching for her identity. She said in HS her identity was her academics, friend group, etc but said in college she has been trying to find her identity. Thankful for the timely message on the need for a crew, as she committed to finding the right crew (aka Christians vs. non Christians)

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One of the guys shared how he had a hard time connecting with other guys at his home church and he found that the people at our church were really welcoming and also interested in talking about the bible. He was thankful for community being one of those stones God gave him in college.

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Couple students mentioned they like the David and Bathsheba message as they have not heard that preach before and is very practical and specific for them to think about boundaries and decisions they make

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Rona really enjoyed this time saying it was a great way to be able to meet all the sisters at the retreat and know everyone's name.

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One UVA bro shared on the car ride back home that he had an Aha moment when Pastor Will explained how small actions lead to big consequences. It gave him a lot to think about concerning the actions he takes

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During small group time, one person commented, "I didn't realize how much I sinned until I started writing them down. I realized even in the past couple days, I have sinned so much"

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2 GMU bros (Logan and Jacob) were sharing the gospel to Shri who is a non-Christian during one of the lunch times, asking questions about Christianity he had, esp given his Hindu background

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It was really nice to experienced students in my car asking each other questions, playing car games and being intentional with getting to know one another during the rides.

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April: Discussion after retreat about reddit

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April: Discussion after retreat about reddit

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One student, Shifa, mentioned how she already read all of the blogs and CT article before coming to our church, and even shared it with her parents and her home church. They encouraged her to pray about whether or not she should check out the church, and after prayer, she said she felt that God was telling her it was okay to come. During our lunch conversation about this topic, she was sharing how some of the criticisms were silly and how her home church have gone through similar things with name changes and being called a cult, which was helpful in setting the tone for the other girls listening in at our table. She then expressed how she's grateful that we were so transparent and honest about this topic, so I'm thankful that Pastor Will took the time to talk about this topic and that we could have an open discussion with our students afterwards.

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Student AT made a salvation decision

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I spent the message portions next to Shri, who's not a christian. I thought it was encouraging that he was asking questions to clarify what words like ministry and testimony meant. And after coming back from the car ride he casually commented that this was "the best trip." He doesn't seem to be coming to any decision but I'm glad he had a good experience at retreat.

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S, A UVA 3rd yr, just started coming out to our group this past semester. When he attended his first service with us he said that he still hadn't found a Christian community the past 2 years and is searching for one. Thankful he came to the retreat and for P.Will's last message on finding the right crew. He enjoyed the retreat and grew a lot closer to the other UVA bros.

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Austin: Student sharing about his addiction

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Austin: Student sharing about his addiction

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One student was moved by Brian's testimony and spoke at length at the campfire about his struggles with pornography. Said it was a relief to finally talk to somebody about it as he had kept it hidden out of shame.

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Sam: DC non-Christian student left wanting more

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Sam: DC non-Christian student left wanting more

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There's a non-Christian student who started coming this semester. He doesn't have much church background but has been spiritually hungry and wanting to learn more about Christianity specifically, coming from a Taoist background. At the bonfire, he talked about how what Pastor Will preached on was really impactful, and how he had a good time at the retreat as a whole. He brought up wanting to start coming to Sunday Service when he's free, and when we were leaving, he mentioned he wished retreat was a day longer.

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Prayed for bonding for the sisters, as they are all fairly new, and don't know each other well. The extended time together over the weekend helped as they roomed together, went to various activities with one another, and also getting to share w/one another.

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One girl was very convicted by the point of practical atheism, as she saw the ways that she was living as if God were not in the picture or didn't see her actions and thoughts. She recognized the need to live as if we will be judged in the end and with eternity in mind. She wants to recommit to live with God in the picture and with this spiritual reality in mind.

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I was praying the GMU sisters would bond a lot during the trip since that's what they were most looking forward to and we've kind of been in silos midweek. They are excited that we'll have a sis night soon and want to try implementing the "UM dates" the 2018 sisters shared about to continue growing closer together. This seems like the first GMU year where the girls naturally want to be friends and get close with one another without us driving it.

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David: Non-Christian Soph, learning about the gospel

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David: Non-Christian Soph, learning about the gospel

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S was a friend of Matts who has a Hindu background and accepted Matt's last-minute invitation to the retreat. Through the messages, Gospel sharing, and the small group sharing Question Time, he came to understand the concept of sin. I am thankful for his openness and desire to learn and will need to followup on his experience of the retreat as a whole

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Justin - Student volunteering for set up

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Justin - Student volunteering for set up

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3 UMD bros came up early to help set up and they all had a great time. They not only bonded with one another working hard, they also got to see what it takes to set up a retreat. Each of them already help with SWS set up, but it was great for them to learn and serve with other staff from other ministries

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Katie and I were surprised that student R joined us for retreat! She's really shy and has a hard time leaving campus. But with encouragement from the both of us and her mom, she actually came. Although she felt exhausted at the end, she said she was thankful to go a retreat since it's been a long time she came. The messages struck her.

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Thankful that the freshman girls were able to bond with each other!! Even though they are very different they were able to grow closer through the sharing time, campfire, prayer time, and car rides

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It helped having them collect their thoughts by writing them on a sticky note. They were ready to share and shared pretty openly. It didn't take much prompting for them to open up after writing it down on sticky notes.

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Students enjoyed the bonfire time! From burning away their sins, to singing and then the talent show. It was a lot of laughter and really memorable

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Yini: Videos of Students Helping w/ Set-Up

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Yini: Videos of Students Helping w/ Set-Up

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Thank you UMD and DC students!

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David: Student understanding his responsibility for sin 

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David: Student understanding his responsibility for sin 

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Based in the David and Bathsheba story, and the point about being where you are supposed to be, on student came to see that he has no excuse for the sins in his life. He is the one that puts himself into contexts that lead him to sin. He was able to recognize that, repent and wanted to commit to avoid situation where sin will pull him in.

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I have been praying for Sharon Cho to come to retreat as a week ago was still unsure. Thankful for April who drove the late car and waited for her! She said she really enjoyed the retreat and getting to know other people since she has been busy with her theater production. It has been hard for Sharon to get plugged in with our ministry and get to know other Xian in Mason due to their busy schedule

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Planned small group activity :D

thank you for whoever planned it.

But it helped the time be structured and be conducive to sharing. Esp the prayer request part, I think it helped some of the seniors open up and relate to each other in ways that they haven't before

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VioletUMD: People loved the cross-ministry time

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VioletUMD: People loved the cross-ministry time

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One Soph girl asked "when is the next combined event?" She has been lonely lately and even checked out other groups because she wanted to make more friends but she said she really enjoyed combining and seeing peers from other churches. She even asked if we can go to FH for service sometime so we can combine.

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Students seemed to be more attentive and ready to take in the message since the content time was shorter and there were more breaks in between. Think they needed more time to warm-up to us before they can take in hard messages.

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Fred: Student experience the gospel anew

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Fred: Student experience the gospel anew

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Fred:

Had a gospel conversation earlier with student R, during which he shared about his growing in the church and being pushed to be a student leader position at his home church all the while dealing with sins,  struggles, and doubts that made him feel like an imposter.  He shared about needing to find a new context where he could deal with his struggles without the pressure of being in ‘leadership’.

I’ve been praying that through our group he would have the chance to connect with God anew.

Thankful that at the retreat he was convicted of his sinfulness before God through the Bathsheba message and had a chance to repent pretty specifically of his sins and experience God’s forgiveness towards him afresh.

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Also encouraged that student M expressed how she's been thinking/wondering what is all this for, all the schoolwork she's doing. After the Sac State panel time, she said that she never thought of the potential of doing ministry in a place where people don't know the gospel/have a church and liked what Katie shared about how you can grow thru it, and then Pastor Will talked about the things she's been struggling with during today's message. Hoping it addressed her

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Austin: friend of a friend came and really seemed to enjoy it.

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Austin: friend of a friend came and really seemed to enjoy it.

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Vincent invited his friend, who in turn invited HIS friend, who is college aged but in the military. Was a curveball for sure, but he seemed to really enjoy his time there, bonding with a few different students and asking thoughtful questions about the message. Sad to see him go.

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A fun bonding experience throughout the retreat. Thank you to all the bros who worked hard on this!

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Thankful M got to experience quick 2 week work of God! We went and did spiritual surveys for the first time as Campus Changers on Fri, met K who came to SWS and signed up for the retreat, then made a decision the next weekend!

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Nico resonated with the point of not being where you are supposed to be / being idle. He recognized that he doesn't use his free time wisely and wants to use his free time for more church/fellowship things. Later on the topic of c101 came up and he said that he would be down to help teach c101 to any students that sign up.

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Despite the few hiccups with games, having the Blue/Red team identity actually helped the students bond with each other in a more natural way. Thank you Austin & Siegand!

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Three sisters I talked to said this message was very impactful to them. They recognized their sins and they also recognized that God forgave them. This message paired with the bonfire activity was a good way to end it on a good note of God's forgiveness.

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Students seemed pretty eager to help us with tech take down, and did not seem to want to stop helping - had to urge them to leave multiple times.

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Many bros voiced that they really enjoyed the bros time! It led to a lot of memory making moments because they were free to do bro things without any girls around :)

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Thankful for many opportunities throughout the retreat to talk about where she is in her spiritual journey. Got to answer and talk through many concerns and questions she had about God/Christian life. She seems close to making a decision and I think the retreat really softened her.

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one uva sis shared how it hit her that she should actually find the right crew to be with rather than thinking that as long as she doesn't engage in sinful acts like her friends do, she's ok.

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Student A was thinking about how Kairos wouldn't be the same when Christina graduates next year. She liked the idea of the "um dates" and wants to try to do something similar to get to know other students more, especially freshmen.

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Really liked it. Having the text, visuals and main points in there helped in recapping the messages and referring back to different points.

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Multitracks?

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Phil: lots more students from all our DMV schools this year (compared to previous years' Fall retreats).

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Phil: lots more students from all our DMV schools this year (compared to previous years' Fall retreats).

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I thought the act of writing down sins and burning them was helpful/ cathartic for students. In light of all the fun we were having at other times throughout the retreat and that the message before was about David and Bathsheba, it felt fitting to sing more serious, weightier songs. I personally preferred this time to some of the more lighthearted fun fun fun goofy campfire times we have and it helped students get into the time.

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The "How well do you know your mentor game?" was a fun way to highlight student-mentor relationships