Did you ever go to a Bible camp as a kid, or a youth group retreat as a teenager? Maybe you can recall special moments of connection with God, of deepened faith, of closer friendships as a result of those times. Experiences like that are rare for kids from the inner city. Such opportunities aren't in their families' budgets. But this year, teens from Minneapolis and St. Paul are able to participate in S.A.Y. Yes retreats ~ one retreat for boys and one for girls.
There are many stories of the ways God worked in these young lives. One example is of a girl we'll call Maria. She almost didn't get to come to the Girls Retreat because her parents weren't able to understand the permission slip they needed to sign. Even Maria's mentor, who speaks Spanish, couldn't make it clear to them what they needed to know. So, at the last minute, Maria's parents decided to drive her to the retreat to see it for themselves. After meeting several staff, looking around, and some translated conversations, they were happy to permit Maria to stay the weekend.
Maria enjoyed many of the activities and the speakers she heard. When it came time for the personal sharing and prayer, she felt compelled to tell what God had been doing in her during the weekend. Through tears and anguish she told how she came to the retreat thinking she had a lot of people in her life that she needed to forgive, and now she saw how very much she needed forgiveness herself... the kind of forgiveness only Jesus can give!
Please pray for Maria, and the other youth who attended the Girls Retreat. Pray they would sense the love of God as they are now home. it can be difficult to return home to the same problems and temptations that they had before the retreat.
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