Hello from Woodstock, Ontario, the dairy capital of Canada and the home of our friends Phylicia and Trevor (Hello if you're reading this!)
This is Maria reporting for Encounter Team One. Our team has been on the road for two weeks now and things are going peachy. We've done ten retreats so far, ranging from grade 5 to grade 12. Our team is bonding and we are finding common interests, as well as what makes one another tick. We had a great Thanksgiving weekend; on Saturday night we played some road hockey at the boys' host home, and it got pretty intense. Judith and I were the cheerleaders.
On Sunday we celebrated Thanksgiving with our host families. Judith, Carissa and I were staying one house over from Katie and Claire, and the families were related so us girls were able to celebrated Thanksgiving and eat our turkey dinner together! On Monday, which was our no obligation day, we had a picnic at the river in Petawawa. The weather was lovely and the leaves were beautiful. We took a bunch of photos and hiked around there for the afternoon, enjoying the company and the beauty of God in nature.
Thursday's retreat was on the Military base in Petawawa, at St. Francis' Church. There were 28 grade seven students, and the energy was high. It was a great retreat; my small group was situated in the church, and I kept genuflecting when we came before the Blessed Sacrament. One of the girls in my small group asked after a few times, why I was doing that. I told her it was because we believed Jesus was present there in the Holy Sacrament. During prayer ministry I saw that girl go and get a Bible and a rosary. She studied the "how to pray the rosary" guide, then started praying. After she asked me if she could keep the rosary and Bible. Thanks to the awesome Fr. Zen, chaplain at the base, who found a Bible for her. After when we were leaving the Church, I saw the girl go up to the front of the Church in front of the tabernacle, bow and make the sign of the Cross. It's things like that which make every retreat amazing.
In Christ,
This is Maria reporting for Encounter Team One. Our team has been on the road for two weeks now and things are going peachy. We've done ten retreats so far, ranging from grade 5 to grade 12. Our team is bonding and we are finding common interests, as well as what makes one another tick. We had a great Thanksgiving weekend; on Saturday night we played some road hockey at the boys' host home, and it got pretty intense. Judith and I were the cheerleaders.
On Sunday we celebrated Thanksgiving with our host families. Judith, Carissa and I were staying one house over from Katie and Claire, and the families were related so us girls were able to celebrated Thanksgiving and eat our turkey dinner together! On Monday, which was our no obligation day, we had a picnic at the river in Petawawa. The weather was lovely and the leaves were beautiful. We took a bunch of photos and hiked around there for the afternoon, enjoying the company and the beauty of God in nature.Thursday's retreat was on the Military base in Petawawa, at St. Francis' Church. There were 28 grade seven students, and the energy was high. It was a great retreat; my small group was situated in the church, and I kept genuflecting when we came before the Blessed Sacrament. One of the girls in my small group asked after a few times, why I was doing that. I told her it was because we believed Jesus was present there in the Holy Sacrament. During prayer ministry I saw that girl go and get a Bible and a rosary. She studied the "how to pray the rosary" guide, then started praying. After she asked me if she could keep the rosary and Bible. Thanks to the awesome Fr. Zen, chaplain at the base, who found a Bible for her. After when we were leaving the Church, I saw the girl go up to the front of the Church in front of the tabernacle, bow and make the sign of the Cross. It's things like that which make every retreat amazing.
In Christ,
Maria Kalin
Team One.
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