These Are the Moments

that Change Lives...

At our last youth night, Vita Nova discussed retreats, conferences, and mission trips (from here on all referred to as retreats), and I realized that most youth don't know what these words mean. This email is to shine a little more light on these events.

Out of everything we have on our calendar, these are the most important offerings. Personally, I refer to retreats as my "Jonah in the belly of the whale" moments. This is a time, typically three days, when I leave behind my typical responsibilities and distractions, and the Lord has me in a place where I cannot hide from Him. In these moments, He speaks so tenderly to my heart and pours out His grace. My past two personal retreats, January 2022 and November 2022, were life-changing experiences of being knocked to my knees with Jesus' majesty and relentless love. These types of encounters are my prayer for our youth.

Join me in reading John 1:35-39 (emphasis added):

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God." The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi, where are you staying?" He said to them, "Come, and you will see." So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day.

"Come, and you will see." John the Baptist introduced his closest friends to Jesus, and that changed their lives. They turned in that moment, and Jesus was ready for them. "What are you looking for?" No, really - what are you looking for? If it is Jesus that you seek, "Come, and you will see." Retreats are a major way of how we do that, how we come and see. Jesus invites us to come and stay awhile with Him. Yes, there is some unknown; despite the unknown, the disciples stayed. I pray you take that chance and come and see, that you take a leap of faith and trust that Jesus will encounter you in a very real way.

One of the fruits of our youth night was the request for "more information". There is only so much I can tell you about retreats. As I said, the Lord asks us to take a leap of faith and encounter Him in the unknown, where He is truly in control. That being said, I will include links to videos and pictures to help shed light on what retreat centers look like and talks and activities from the weekends to help give you a clearer picture of what these events entail.

Yes, these retreats are expensive. Please, choose faith over fear! We have around $2000 in scholarships currently available, and, as your need is made known, we will continue to fundraise and find donors to sponsor youth. These scholarships are not first-come-first-serve. We are still discerning how best to award these scholarships and will have more information as each retreat approaches. Just know that we will find a way for every youth who desires to attend to cover the costs.