KAIROS nineteen

Well...since I have been back from Kairos for over 3 weeks now I decided the post about it should probably be up soon. Which means it is time to get writing! Kairos XIX will definitely be one of those memories from my volunteer year that I will remember for a while. Seeing as my job frustrates me beyond belief, it was nice to be able to get away from St. Pat's and PE for a week and to be able to get some time to relax.

Funny how I've been on many different retreats, yet every one of them always seems to be different. This one was different for so many reasons, but all of them very great. First of all, I was on the other side of things. Yes, I have been on retreats as a leader before, but this time I was an adult leader. I was an adult leader for the 8th grade retreat as well, but this time was different because the boys actually really cared about being there. It was different because it was ALL BOYS. a week with many 17 year old boys. But surprisingly, they all opened up and easier then I had seen people open up in the past. It was different because it was longer and much more focused on the spiritual side of things then any of my past retreats.

I can definitely say though, that out of the many retreats that I have been on, this has really been the best...which says a lot because they've all been amazing. I think it was great for me because I went into it thinking about how much I couldn't wait to have a week off of work and how I'd be there to help Emily (she is now the director of campus ministry because her boss just had a baby and she ran the entire retreat by herself!) but turns out that even as an adult leader it was just what I needed at the time. Just goes to show that God had me there for a reason.

Kairos means Lord's Time. Our week from Monday through Friday was dedicated to finding God in our life. On Monday immediately after school Emily and I headed 5,000 feet up to Palomar Mountain with the 6 student leaders. We unloaded, set some things up and began to relax. I have to say that the leadership team on this retreat was amazing. I never thought I would be able to learn a lot from high school senior boys, but I really did. They were an amazing group of six boys that I was really glad I was able to get the chance to meet and get to know pretty well. To have that openness and honesty at 17 is truly something.

After waking up on Tuesday morning we began to do some more set up things. Did a boundry breaker with the student leaders and then me, Emily and Sarah (another adult leader, one of the boys teachers) headed for a hike down to the river. It was absolutely beautiful there.

The retreatants then began to arrive and we went right into things with the theme of the evening "Who Am I?" I wish I could post the video Emily took of the student leaders doing their introduction skit because it was very very funny. Wednesdays theme was "Who is Jesus in my life?" Thursdays was "Jesus' message for me" and Fridays was "Living out the message of Christ." On past retreats we were asked to focus on ourselves, family, friends ang God. Here on Kairos though, the first night was geared toward ourselves, family and friends but the rest of the three days were focused on how Jesus is in our life. The boys were told when they got there to "Let go and let God." We learned and saw how God wants us to be there for ourselves just as much as we are there for others and that even God needed somebody to help pick Him up at times. We need to just love one another.

(Side note: Wednesday morning we woke up and there was snow on the ground and it continued to snow for the next three days! For a lot of the boys it was the first time they had seen snow so it was unbelievable to them. Fr. Bob found sleds for them and they even went running through the snow in their shorts. It was a little chilly and if I had know I would have brought more socks! It really helped make the experience for them though)

Throughout the week you spend a lot of time with a small group that remains the same. I could easily go into all that occured on the reatreat but words would never truly describe all that I or the boys experienced. There were a few experiences we had on our last night that I was even able to get a lot out of and I believe the boys in my group felt the same. One boy during an open forum that we had said it best "I've grown more in my brotherhood in these four days then I have in the past four years." I think that says something about how life changing this experience is for these boys and how they really get something out of it. I am so happy that I had the opportunity to be a part of this great experience in their life and to now become a greater part of SAINTS. I only hope that I may have helped them in even the smallest way!