This past weekend I got the opportunity to go to East Iowa Bible Camp in Deep River, Iowa for Salt Company’s fall retreat. The weekend was planned out to be full of fun while also getting a chance to grow deeper in our faith and the connections with the people in our connection groups. While I was there I got the opportunity to make some good memories with my friends and spend a weekend away from campus.
East Iowa Bible Camp is about 45 minutes away from campus and once we got there and unpacked we jumped right into our first session. Our speaker for the weekend was Jordan Howell who serves as a college ministry pastor at Veritas Church in Cedar Rapids.
I came in with some expectations and they were met exactly. We spent the first night worshiping, listening to Jordan speak, and then spent time reflecting with our connection groups. A connection group is where 8 to 20 girls meet once a week to discuss what we learned at Salt on Thursday night and how to apply the message to our lives.
After our first session and debrief with our connection groups we all went to the main house. While I was there, I got a chance to eat some pizza and watch performances from students who were competing against one another to win a $100 gift card to McDonald’s.
The next day we started the morning off reading our bibles and eating breakfast before the morning session started. Jordan spoke again and this time he spoke from the heart and was honest about his emotions and his faith journey. After that second session, we went into our connection groups and discussed the message Jordan shared with us.
After lunch, we got ready for the battle of the bands. Each class participated in five challenges against one another in order to win points. As a freshman, I had low expectations for us but we ended up in second place, losing to the sophomores.
Our last session with Jordan took place after dinner. During this session, his words sparked some happy tears out of me. I started my faith journey about two years ago when I was preparing to get confirmed. I went on a weekend retreat in October of 2021 and was welcomed into my church and saw so many familiar faces. Since that retreat, I have had a solid connection with my faith and regularly went to meetings with my youth group throughout my junior and senior years of high school.
Going on this retreat I was looking forward to being involved with a new community that shared the same beliefs that I have. Leaving my youth group at home was hard because I had built such wonderful friendships there. Now that I am in college, I am glad to say that I have found some new friends who have welcomed me on campus with open arms. While I have not made any close friends yet, I know that as time goes by, I will.
After meeting with our connection groups, we ended the night with a party where we all danced and sang together. It was a fun night with my friends and it felt good to let loose after a long week of classes.
On Sunday morning we all ate breakfast and went into our connection groups one last time. That morning I had a great conversation with my group about what are the next steps we need to take in our faith journey as we head back to campus.
Overall, I had a good weekend at the fall retreat. I had fun with my friends and got the opportunity to learn and grow in my faith. As a college student who is actively trying to connect with her faith, it’s hard. There are so many things that consume my time and mind away from growing in my faith. This weekend allowed me to unplug from my phone and the stresses that college offers which is why I was so glad I got the opportunity to go.
