Those are the two words I would use to describe the Athletes in Action retreat. I'm so glad that I decided to participate in it. It was so encouraging to see over 200 athletes from a bunch of different schools come together in the name of Jesus. There were people from Marshall, Ball State, Kentucky, Ohio State, Toledo, Xavier, Capital, Kentucky State, Butler, and some random guy from California (still wondering how he ended up there). There were only five of us from Mount Vernon that went, but it was really a blessing. I got to know each person better individually. The whole weekend was full of moments where I saw God working in myself and the other athletes there.
We were one of the first schools to get there and Taylor, Stacy and I were the first ones to get into our dorm. So, like any normal person who has an entire building to themselves for an hour, we went exploring...and ended up climbing onto the roof. I regret nothing. Not my fault that the window in the hallway didn't have a screen!
The speaker for the retreat, Eric Russ, was incredible. God has given him the gift of speaking and insight. The first session was called The American Dream vs. God's Reality. He broke down what our society says about how to be successful, and what God says. He talked about how we don't need to win God's favor because we already have worth in His eyes. We don't have to follow what the world says.
The second session was all about discipleship. It focused on how to share with our fellow believers and how to serve each other and those around us. Afterwards we got to pick a seminar to go to. I went to the one called Gone Fishin, which also talked about discipleship, but focused on how to share our faith with others and become "fishers of men," like in the verse. I got a lot out of it. I've always felt like sharing my faith with nonbelievers isn't something I'm particularly skilled at, and talking about it really helped.
The third session was about relationships. This couple who are full time staff at Athletes in Action shared with everyone their testimonies and how God has worked in their relationship. Kim was a gymnast at UCLA and was on the U.S National Gymnastics Team. Corwin played football at UCLA and played in the NFL for a while. He was also the chaplain for the Miami Dolphins. You could just see by the way they talked and interacted with each other that God was at the forefront of their relationship. It was so encouraging to me to see how God can make a marriage work, and I'm sure it gave everyone hope that marriages do last. Kim and Corwin will be married 20 years this year.
The last session was probably my favorite. Eric talked about the importance of community which is something I feel strongly about. It's so important to have a community of believers around you who will keep you accountable and support you in your faith. It encouraged me to take everything I learned back with me to Mount Vernon and share with my fellow athletes how I was impacted. I can't wait to share with everyone next week.
I also learned about an opportunity that I hope to pursue this summer. Athletes in Action has a cross country camp for high school distance runners for a week in July every summer. It takes place in Michigan at Hope College. I'm applying to be part of the collegiate staff. I would be co-leading a group of runners for the week, as well as helping out with the clinics they have. I would do all the workouts with the girls and supervise the dorm floors, and most importantly, helping the girls grow spiritually, mentally, and athletically. I'm really excited about this and would love to be part of it. Please keep this in your prayers as I start this process. I'll keep you updated on how it's going!
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