After much deliberation for the last several weeks, I decided to go to the young adult retreat for one day.
Funny thing is, I carpooled with Jedda; four years ago we carpooled to the women’s retreat to the same place. And on the way back, I drove Joyce home, which was what I did at the women’s retreat as well. I guess it was meant to be.
“Why are you here?” I was asked more than once. It was a genuine question, not implying that I was unwelcome. I’m not a young adult, nor am I the group’s official mentor.
I went for 2 reasons. I want to get away and listen to the speaker, whom I heard was good. When I was on Sabbatical last year, I really enjoyed attending worship at various churches. I just want to sit under some good preaching at this retreat.
I also wanted to get to know the young people. I was the teacher/leader of the young adults in my former church. I still keep in touch with many of them. I miss being with that age. My children are now in that age range, so by getting to know other young adults, I can understand my own children more.
I found that unless I had a role there, ie counselor, or mentor, or teacher, people will not automatically come to talk to me. They go up to talk to the speaker, because he had a role, they know what he is there for. Even the young adults who know me didn’t come talk to me when they see me by myself, with the exception of maybe 4 people. It didn’t hurt my feelings, just an observation.
I had no hesitation making conversation with people. In fact, I talked to a young man I know is a PT and got some free advice 🙂 We don’t know each other well, so it was good to be there to hear what he’s doing now. At the same time, it seemed pointless to catch up, because I probably won’t interact with him again.
One of the girls asked me for some advice. I got to know her more.
Overall, I have no regrets of going. I probably would’ve regretted if I didn’t go. I always choose the fun option, afraid that I would miss out on something good.
I enjoyed the preaching too. I appreciated his way of engaging with young adults. His applications are not relevant to me, but the Word of God is always relevant. It’s always good to grow deeper in our understanding of our identity in Christ and how that affects us daily. When I reread my notes today, it made sense.
This retreat gave me a shared experience with the young adults, and with my daughter. It’s a springboard to further connections, hopefully build on those relationships.