Virginia Beach Retreat

The weekend after Thanksgiving, my church's youth group went on a trip to Virginia Beach. This retreat was probably one of the best outings my youth group has had since Lake Junaluska. Our topic of discussion for the two days that we were there was blocking out the noise that distracts us from God. Joe Torrence, our youth minister, told us that if we take the time to sit in a quiet place, we can feel the presence of God and truly be alone with him.

Our first night there was on Friday. We arrived at 5:30 and got situated in our rooms before hanging out and eating dinner. After dinner, we had worship and then we all went for a walk on the beach. The water was so cold that your feet would go numb if they touched it. That actually happened to me on the first night because I didn't know how cold the water was.

The next day, we got up and had breakfast. After breakfast, we had worship and then a little bit of free time to walk on the beach or swim. At 12:00, we had lunch and then more free time. Most of us went swimming in the pool and got to know each other better. It seemed like we all got a little closer to each other and God.

Our last day was Sunday morning. We ate breakfast and then packed up to leave. On the way back, we sang worship songs and talked about how much fun we had. We stopped for lunch at Taco Bell and loaded up on hot sauce to take home with us. Shortly after that, we returned to Richmond and our families. We all missed the coolness and calmness of the beach after returning.