by Scott Gronholz, Director of Youth Ministries

Recently 32 High School students from Bethany took a trip to Mountain River Lodge on Snoqualmie Pass for a weekend of rest, games, and reflection.

Rest

Mountain River Lodge is a great property for a group our size because it’s a large cabin that can fit about 50 people. It has a game room and cozy fireplaces throughout the property. This was a great opportunity for the students in our group to get away from their busy schedules (and believe me-they’re busy!), relax, hang out in front of the fire, play ping-pong, read a book, or talk to friends.

Games

We spent some time in heavy competition. On Saturday afternoon we played a BPYG favorite called Trifecta. This involves playing ultimate Frisbee, rugby, and soccer all at the same time. Later that evening we had a costume/ harvest party with games like pumpkin bowling and bobbing for apples. We finished off the night with a huge dance party that lasted until 12:30 am.

Reflection

This year we invited Bobby Harding to be our guest speaker. Bobby lead with the Bethany Youth Group for 5 years and was the High School intern for two of those years. He is currently wrapping up a Masters of Divinity at Fuller Theological Seminary with an emphasis on youth and family culture. He spent the weekend talking about what it means to have a personal encounter with the Triune God. Throughout the weekend he concentrated on the different traits and roles of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and how we experience them.

Bobby explained how God revealed Himself and interacted with people throughout scripture and what that has to do with us today. He spent a significant amount of time dissecting stories from the Bible and tying them together, and shared some very touching and inspiring stories about his own personal encounters with God. It showed us all what happens when we pay attention to what God is trying to do in our lives.

The students had ample space to process all of this in quiet solitude and in small groups. It was an enlightening and encouraging topic, and a great weekend.

To see a 3-minute video of our trip you can visit this website: http://gallery.me.com/scottgronholz#100062.