Spiritual Retreat for our Summer Staff

Serving students at-risk nearly every minute of every day for the better part of a week can be an exhilarating, although exhausting, position. Jesus taught on the importance of rest for the soul and our team leaders are no exception. Restored and refreshed leaders are better prepared to lead and encourage the students who come to Wildwood Hills Ranch.

That’s why every summer, at the halfway point, our staff takes part in a weekend spiritual retreat. The purpose of the retreat is to reconnect with God and one another. Staff often comment that the retreat is what helps them finish the summer strong serving our students. This year our retreat focused on the cross, prayer and forgiveness.

The Cross

We talked through a few lines from the song “I Will Look Up” by Elevation Worship. It says, “I will look up for there is none above you, I will bow down to tell you that I need you, I will look back to see that you’ve been faithful, I look ahead believing you are able, Jesus lord of all.” So we looked up to God’s character, bowed down to recognize our need for a savior, looked back to remember his faithfulness and looked ahead with eagerness and expectation for what he will do.

Prayer

We also talked about prayer and Jordan Boley, a friend of the Ranch, gave us a challenge to find three intentional times to pray and focus on thanking God, praising Him and asking for what we need.

Forgiveness

Lastly we focused on forgiveness to those that we need to talk to or forgive in our hearts.

We had lots of adventure including a team building activity to see which group could build a boat that would travel the farthest and fastest in our little lake using cardboard and duct tape. Recreational activities included a trip to Ledges State Park, bonfires, a movie and lots of games. Worship together concluded our weekend.

Where are you finding refreshment and restoration for your soul this summer? What would it look like for you to take a spiritual retreat?

Spiritual Retreat