Winter Retreat 2025!

Winter Retreat 2025!

Some girls from core: Me, Helika, Valerie, and Sarah (respectively)

Thank you all so much for praying for the students attending winter retreat! The Lord used this weekend to change hearts with experiences and messages that will shape them for a lifetime. 

Year after year, winter retreat serves as a chance for students to connect with God and each other. This year more than ever, I am blown away by what the Lord is doing in this generation. We had almost 700 people attend!! It is amazing to be surrounded by so many college students seeking to know Jesus! 

Since you didn’t get to attend retreat and see how the Lord is moving on these campuses, I thought I would dedicate this month’s blog to giving you a little slice of the weekend.

Worship Choir

Worship

Some girls in my core before the zip line

Mmesoma (a girl in my core) receiving a portrait in the crafts area

We were blessed to hear from several of our FOCUS campus pastors and guests who graciously prepared talks throughout the weekend. We discussed many relevant topics such as what it looks like to follow Jesus and abide in Him, letting Jesus tell us who we are, sexuality, taking up our cross and following Jesus, budgeting, vocation, depression and anxiety, the list goes on! Rather than simply hear about my personal takeaways, who better to hear from than the students themselves?!

Jazmine: “My takeaway was that the Spirit is irrevocably bound to me and I am never going to navigate this life and walk of faith alone. This is so reassuring since I have struggled with loneliness.”

Savannah: “Winter Retreat reminded me of how God is truly moving in my life. Being away from the busyness of life allowed me to focus on God’s voice a lot more!”

Alexis: “Something that is sticking with me is “Jesus calls us by our name and not by our sin” and that’s how we should be calling each other. “

Grace: “This quote from Sirak stood out to me: “Either we have underestimated what Jesus expects of us or Jesus has overestimated what we are capable of. And I don’t think Jesus is wrong.” This shows me that there is joy in having our identity placed in God.”

Worship

Dance Party (so much fun and goofiness)

My roommates!

Craft room creations

Worship

The beautiful view

Student Testimony

Prayer Requests

- Pray for the students as they continue the beginning of the spring semester, that the seeds planted at winter retreat will bear fruit, both now and for the rest of their lives. 

- Pray for students who are finishing or starting Focus on Jesus (FOJ) Bible studies, that they may come to know the character of God and decide to follow Him. 

Thank you for your generous support and making it possible to raise up this new generation of disciples. Your imitation of God’s faithfulness is bearing fruit! As always, please reach out if you have any prayer requests, questions or comments. 

With love,

Cathryn