Wake Up!

In July, Lifeline youth participated in a 3-day retreat. This retreat is typically an annual event, but due to COVID, the retreat was canceled in 2020 and 2021. This year, to everyone’s delight, the retreat was offered again!

Many Lifeline students attended: 23 high schoolers from Ocotillo; Bible Institute students; and Lifeline church youth group members. They joined girls and boys from other Christian churches around the country. In total, approximately 200 students attended!

The theme this year was "Wake Up!" The students were challenged to "wake up" from worldly ways of thinking, which corrupts and pulls them away from the Lord. They learned the biblical perspective on many topics, including abortion, feminism, and technology. 

They learned to view these areas through different eyes so that they could handle these issues in ways that draw them closer to God, rather than in ways that distance them from God. They also learned how to reach those who have been carried away by philosophies and beliefs that distort the Word of God. 

Most of our Ocotillo high school students are not Christian, so at this retreat they were able to  interact with and learn from other Christians their age. They were also challenged to listen for and seek God's plan for their lives. 

Casandra, a 9th grader, reflected on the retreat. She said, "I liked the fellowship and the good attitude of the young Christians I met. From them I learned that I have value and that I should not be afraid of being different from those who don’t know Jesus as their Savior. Now I want to attend church more frequently to learn more about God." 

And Andoni, a 10th grader, said, "I liked everything about the camp. I enjoyed my Bible study group, the games, and establishing friendships with Christians boys and girls from other cities. I learned a lot about what God expects from me."

During the retreat several young people accepted Christ, and many who had never wanted to attend church now have that desire. Our high school Bible teacher and worship leader, David, will be in touch with all of them. For the new believers, he will encourage them to integrate into Ocotillo Christian Church; and for those who hadn’t attended church before, he will invite them to attend.  

Doña Fide, whose granddaughter Zahori attended the retreat, spoke to our staff about the benefits of the annual retreats. Doña said, "I know that these retreats help young people a lot. They come to understand that what we have for sure in life is God. Although on the surface they are happy because they have such a good time, the Lord speaks to their hearts, and their behavior changes. Love for God and for others grows in them. For me, as Zahori’s grandmother, I am so pleased that she attended this year’s retreat. It is satisfying for the students and for the parents to see the character changes that happen from these camps."

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