Campus Ministry
The Value of Retreats
By TJ Blesterling
As a current first-year student, I know very well the stresses and burdens that come with the first year. It’s hard! Often times, we get bogged down in school work and commitments, all the while, failing to see that others around us are struggling with the same thing. We feel as though we are the only one struggling with school work and are the only one seeming to fall behind. The truth is, you're not! Something that really helped me realize this but more importantly remedy it was going on the New Beginnings retreat during the first semester. We talked about the things we were struggling with, the things we found to be most burdensome, and (spoiler alert) they were the same! I was not alone. What I have come to realize is that none of us are strong enough or made to walk our journey alone. We were made to help each other, walk with each other, and sometimes carry each other on this long and difficult road.
The Road Less Traveled retreat (a retreat for first year students hosted by first year students) coming up on February 17-18 and 24-25 will be looking at the struggle of walking our own unique paths, how our peers can be a source of support and, most importantly, how God guides and comforts us every step of the way. You can sign up by going to the campus ministry website and finding the tab labeled, "First-Year Retreats". I hope to see all of you there!