Monday, April 11, 2005
the lake retreat re-cap

*EDIT*... pictures are now links

(not dial-up friendly)

As promised, a few pictures + commentary.

01

We left Friday night and the traffic was a bit crazy. Since this year's camp was on Whidbey Island, we had to head north from Seattle and take a ferry... which of course, meant waiting in ferry lines. At least we had some time to get out and stretch.

02

From the ferry.


03

My high school guys in the cabin, do'n the thug pose.


04
05

Saturday morning... Beautiful.


06
07

Ryan passing the OJ, Matrix-style, and waiting for breakfast.


08
09

Our speaker coaches a basketball team, so he showed some of his team's exercises as a part of one his sermons. Two of the guys help him demo this one where in a raised push-up position, you balance yourself on one leg and one arm while stretching an arm out forward. STRETCH!


10

Even Darth Vader sent his daughter and her pink lightsaber to our youth retreat to have fun and play games.


11

I didn't make him put the diaper on his head.


12

This was the set-up for our organized recreation... a 5-part relay race.


13

Step 1: Put an alkaseltzer in your mouth with a cup full of soda pop. Hold for 30 seconds.


14

Step 2: Find the tootsie roll in a diaper filled with chocolate pudding and relish.


15
16
17

Step 3: Roll a raw egg with your head/face across garbage bags that have been plastered with scattered clumps of cottage cheese, chocolate pudding, and relish. Don't break the egg!


19
20

Step 4: Throw the egg to your waiting teammates who are tied together by an old bicycle tire.


21

"I got it!"


22

Step 5: Run to the finish line and do your best "We win, so NYAH!" pose.


18

Ah, the smell of victory... smells like... cheese, chocolate, and relish.


21

Mary on drums, Jada on guitar, and Sophie on the mic as the new girl rock band trio, the "Dim Sum Girls". "Ha-gow, siu-mai, cha-siu-bao, lo-bok-go, cheung fun..."


24
25

Sunday morning counselors' meeting... so early...


26

Time to go bye-bye... sad.


HS Guys

The high school guys, me, and Simo again.

A link to a big group picture (thanks Ryan).


.:.


Yep, it was a great retreat... I got to know a lot of the kids better and I had some good discussions with the guys in my small group. I really do think it's a lot tougher to be a kid nowadays as opposed to when I was in high school. Just because some of them are Christian or their family goes to church doesn't mean that they don't see everything that's going on around them at school - teenage suicide, drinking, hardcore drug use, smoking, and just straight up broken relationships. Christ didn't gloss over the fact that life is filled with difficult things and neither should we who claim to follow him... but I'm glad that at least for one weekend, they can seperate themselves from that kind of environment, reflect, and hopefully go back to the "real world" stronger against the pervasive influences of despair, selfishness, and materialism that our society perpetuates.

I'm already looking forward to the post-rally, but more than that, I think all the interconnections the kids made with the counselors is going to be the thing that can help them the most. I thought about something I heard Keone (our youth pastor) say during the leader's meeting and it resonated with me. It went something like:

Nothing helps someone's journey of faith like the support and encouragement of somebody's who is a little bit further along.

Besides, we should all be laughing about the coconut dance together. (right click + save as)

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Comments:
not too dial up unfriendly aka faye unfriendly.

choco pudding, diapers...hahah.

looks like u guys had fun.
 
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1. The act or an instance of inscribing.
2. Something, such as the wording on a coin, medal, monument, or seal, that is inscribed.
3. A short, signed message in a book or on a photograph given as a gift.
4. The usually informal dedication of an artistic work.
5. Jeremiah 31:33

the facts.
name. Gar AKA "that Chinese guy" "Sleepy.McSleeping"
ethnicity/nationality. Chinese/American, 4th gen.
location. Sea-Town, WA, USA Kawanishi, JAPAN
occupation. less-cynical poor grad student
age. younger than you think, older than you know

 



 

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