Be-YOU-tiful

Two weekends ago I was blessed with the opportunity to lead a weekend girls retreat out at Michigan Christian Youth Camp. Let me tell you, the weekend was absolutely incredible.

We had some amazing speakers, wonderful counselors, and a group of awesome girls that attended, and I don't think it could have gone much better. Especially for my first time planning something like this. There were flaws, but flaws and all it was a great weekend.

I don't say this to toot my own horn, and I apologize if it sounds like I'm bragging...but any bragging I'm doing is totally on God and how He worked through the weekend.

{Just a side note, my Aunt April did an amazing job decorating the conference room! Photo booth area and all. She event painted that "Be-YOU-tiful" sign just for the retreat. So awesome to have her talent displayed for the weekend!}

So the weekend's theme was "be-you-tiful" or be yourself, you are beautiful, God made you beautifully, etc...

We had five sessions,

• The first was based on the movie "Penelope" and embracing the things that make us unique and looking at Psalms 139:14-18
• The second was on characteristics of Proverbs 31 and not making who we are about following a check list
• The third talked about more characteristics in Proverbs 31, what it means to be noble, and connecting nobility, love, and being yourself 
• The fourth was about feeling overwhelmed, the danger of comparison, and the danger of not giving yourself to God and trusting Him to guide our steps in life, but instead "surviving" by attempting to keep up the "perfect"image and taking matters into your own hands 
• The fifth and final session was also about the danger of comparison, the lies Satan tells us through our own thoughts, friend's, media, etc..., and how we should not listen to those but instead listen to the ways God tells us that we are special, and continually pray the prayer, "God, grant me the eyes to see the beauty that is - ME."

Every session was mixed with the speaker's personal testimony and how what they were talking about related to their own lives. It was truly impactful.

Each girl was then given one of these graphics in a picture frame to take home on Sunday. The top four were designed by Kayce McClure and the bottom three were designed by Rachel Mainero. 

So thankful for these two, their help, and their gifts! 

After each session the girls split up into small groups and talked through discussion questions based on the session they had just finished. And after the Saturday morning and afternoon sessions we did a craft. 

The first craft was a "you are jar." Each girl got a mason jar, they decorated them, and then set them out for the rest of the weekend for the other girls and counselors to put nice notes in them that said things that "they are." Example, "you are beautiful," "you are sweet," "you are funny," "you are loved," etc...

For the second craft each girl got a wooden letter of the first letter of their name. They decorated their letter with words and characteristics that they want to become or that they already admire in themselves. So, the first craft was about what people see in them, and then second was about what they want to or already do see in themselves. Unfortunately, I do not have a picture of their letters :/ 

In addition to the small groups, after our evening session on Saturday we did a bit of a "special program," where we had candles lit, spent some time in worship, and wrote things we did not like about ourselves on flash paper. We then nailed the flash paper to a cross and lit it on fire to symbolize how God's love for us makes the things we don't like about ourselves essentially disappear. We then gave each girl a letter from their Dad's (or mom is their father was not in the picture) that told their daughter(s) that they are loved and special. It was really cool to see the girl's reactions. Some cried, some laughed with joy, and others sat there thoughtfully. Whatever the outcome, it was awesome to see the girls read just thoughtful words from someone so significant in their lives. 

The rest of the weekend was full of bonfires, hayrides, octoball, and great discussions. 

Every girl I spoke with talked about how they really enjoyed the weekend and hope to come back next year. I was completely in awe of how everything fell together and worked out. God is so good! And I couldn't have done it without all the wonderful women that volunteered their time and talents to the weekend, so to all that helped - thank you! 

We even had one girl who had no previous church experience who sat down with me for about 40 minutes and asked some great questions about God, creation, Christianity, and the Bible. We sent her home with a Bible of her own and she proceeded to ask me to talk with her father about finding a church so she could continue to learn. How amazing is that?! 

It was so incredible to see how God worked through the weekend, through the counselors, session leaders, and campers. As of right now it is in the plans to make this an annual event and I am SO excited to be a part of it and see what is in store for the years ahead.