winter youth retreat weekend: part one

So around Christmas time I got an invite for our church's winter retreat. The card said there would be a long drive to camp but there would be snow tubing equipment, cross country skiing, a guest speaker, and a great opportunity to connect with God! Deep down I was really excited for the trip but I was honestly really nervous to sign up because I barely knew anyone my age and it might just be a waste of my time if I didn't even know anyone there.  But then there was that little voice in my head... it kept telling me, "Allie... just go for it!".  So I did!

So the day of the trip finally arrived and I felt like I was going to puke I was so nervous.  But I tried to get rid of that feeling because I knew this trip would be wasting my time if I was going to have a sour attitude for the whole trip.  So when Mom and I finally parted ways and she was driving away from the church, I was thinking, "Wait!  I change my mind!".  Like I have said before, I am not a bubbly kind of girl.  And with (I'm guessing) over fifty kids my age swarming around me chatting like crazy I was starting to get really nervous... okay not starting, I was again getting nervous.  So what's a nervous girl to do with a lot of kids her age swarming around her like bees... be the follower.  I went to some of the girls I was friends with a couple of years ago, sure they said hi and I said hi back, but there was just something there that just seemed... I don't know... weird?

I kinda looked around the room and saw someone really familiar... who was she?  She was one of my really great friends from when I was in public school!  Her name is Kylie, she's my age and has a bold personality!  I  was really excited to see her again, so I quietly slipped away from the current group I was following and walked over to her and another girl I knew.  I awkwardly tried to invite myself into the group of two, and explained to Kylie who I was.  She paused for a moment and then her face went ecstatic!  "Oh my gosh!  I remember you!".  It was such a God Thing!  And then the bus came...

There were like forty girls and like only (idk) a little over fifteen guys.  We had two vans to drive the boys to the camp and a giant bus for the girls... I know!  So after getting all of the luggage below the bus, I found myself sitting next to Kylie, listening to all the girls squealing and texting (okay I couldn't hear them texting but still).  We waited what seemed like a million minutes and we were finally off!  I was still nervous.  What would the camp be like?  Would I meet any new friends?  Would I slip on my butt in front of everyone?  Is there some reason God wanted me to come on this trip? 

About an hour and a half or more later, we stopped at McDonald's for dinner.  I wasn't really hungry, but the leaders said we needed to get something in us.  I got a medium size chocolate milkshake and a small fry.  After sucking both of those down I felt like I was really gonna puke... but thankfully I didn't! 

An hour earlier, we were pulling up to an icy/snowy drive which would lead us to the camp.  After a few turns and curves, we came to a really steep hill.  We tried to go up the hill, but the bus slid back away from the steep hill.  We tried a few more times but nothing got any better.  We waited for about a half an hour for some of the college leaders that were already at the camp, so they could help get some chains on the bus.  When they showed up, the bus driver got up to help with the chains but the bus started to slide farther down the hill.  One of the guy leaders', who was already on the bus,  quickly sat in the drivers seat and pushed hard on the bus brake.  Thank God for his quick reflexes!

Forty-five minutes later... still in the same place... never felt so... "bus" bound in my entire life.  The guy leader who had his foot on the brake pedal... was still there.  The crew who was helping with the chains finally came in the bus.  I was sitting a few seats from the front of the bus, so I could here everything that was going on.  Apparently the guys who were putting on the chains had to stick there heads under the tires to get a good look of where they were putting the chains on.  Remember, there was always someone who had to hold the brake pedal, and if someone hadn't held the brake (splat) they're dead... (chills).

A half an hour later, after trying to go up the hill with the chains to find out that the chains weren't much use, the leaders decided to have the girls walk up the hill.  They told us to leave the stuff we brought on the bus and to get off sl-lo-ow-ly.  Getting off the bus while leaders holding our hands reminded me of kindergarten,  which was kinda weird at first...until I realized how icy the ground was!  I almost slipped like... three times!  All that the leaders wanted us to do was to get to the top of the hill, and there would be vans and cars up there that we could hop in and they would drive us to the camp.  While we were doing that they finally backed the bus down to flatter ground.

Finally we were at the camp!  And when we got out of the vans, though it was (still) slick as ever, we went into the main cabin where we would eat, meet, and where some of the girls would spend the night this weekend (girls would bunk upstairs of course).  When we got inside, we did some worship (I was thanking God for getting us here safely!), and then the guest speaker came out...

Want to hear the rest of the story?  I'll tell you that later!

*Allie*