Fall Retreat 2021
On one weekend of last October (2021), we had one of our most anticipated events of the year: Fall Retreat. College students from all around San Diego came together at a camp in Idyllwild, California to have a break from class and exams, have fun together, and dig into life with Jesus. We were especially excited to have 12 international students join us for this great weekend getaway. We had lots of fun events like:
Life-size Hungry Hungry Hippos
Disc Golf
Silent Disco Party
General Good Camp Vibes
We even split everyone into teams for games!
As you can see from the photo below, we had a ton of students join us for this weekend. That's me in the far back holding one side of the Cru flag.
The main purpose and the best part of this trip was the time we spent learning about drawing closer to Jesus. Our guest speaker was an amazing guy named Randall Tonini. Randall is the pastor of Grace City Church in San Diego. Randall and GC have partnered with us to love and serve international and local students in San Diego. In 2021 we have seen them go far out of their way to join us in every way possible to volunteer, offer event spaces, help us raise support, and provide us with anything we might need to do ministry well. Please praise God with us for this amazing community of believers.
Here are a couple of photos of Randall teaching at Fall Retreat.
We were so excited to have 12 international students join us, representing 8 different countries. At the beginning of the weekend, we asked our students this question: "On a scale of 1-10, how interested are you in learning more about God, Jesus, or the Bible?"
The responses we received let us know how to proceed in our small group discussions. We could see God moving already in the hearts of these students by their responses. One guy in my small group immediately pronounced "10! I even brought my own Bible!" Another student let us know that she was a "5." When I asked her why she explained that she was interested in learning more about Jesus, but was tired of the tradition and "religion" of Christianity. We encouraged her to lean into the relationship Jesus wants to have with her, to have her know Him truly and to know herself truly through Him. It was amazing to see her go from a 5 interest level to, what I believe, was a 10 by the end of the weekend.
Look at all of our amazing international students and Bridges staff and volunteers!
2 of our amazing volunteers, Morgan and Olivia, shared their testimony with all of us.
Prayer
Praise God that these students were able to spend time with other believers at a fun weekend event where they could grow in their faith.
Pray with me that what they learned over this weekend will stick with them and cause them to seek Jesus personally.
Praise God with me for you and our other partners for being in this work with us.
Sam Davis has focused on international student ministry since 2010 and is on staff with Cru and Bridges International in San Diego, CA. His passion for leading others into a close relationship with Jesus is shown in his general love for people and focus on discipleship.
Sam and his wife, Gloria, love to travel, meet people, eat great food, and hike.