Fall Retreat Recap

"This place is really nice!" It was always said with a mixture of shock and awe, and it's something I heard several times this past weekend from the students who came on our Fall Retreat.

13 students and I ventured to a farm south of the Cities on Saturday, and until Sunday afternoon, we spent our time connecting with God and each other through personal devotions, small group discussions, food, games, and a spontaneous dance party aided by blaring car stereos. Our main topic of discussion for the weekend was Transformation...what it is, what it looks like, how it happens, and how all these ideas come together for God to work through us to transform Hamline's campus. Also tied up in those discussions was the idea of why we do what we do on campus. Basically, it's all about how God works through the transformation that's happening in our own lives to transform others. It's a message that resonated with the students and will influence how we approach much of what we do for the rest of the year.

Our time also provided some relief from the responsibilities of school and a chance to get out of the city and admire the beauty of God's creation. Several of the students spent some of their personal time on Saturday afternoon wandering around the pastures enjoying the beautiful October afternoon.

Moving forward, my work now turns to integrating the discussion from this past weekend into the day-to-day ministry on campus. That will mostly involve discipleship of students, encouraging deeper relationships, and planning new opportunities for new students to engage in the InterVarsity community. This coming Friday, we are hosting a movie night with an opportunity afterwards for a discussion on how faith is portrayed in the film. Plans are also coming together for at least one service opportunity this semester and a couple outreach events in the Spring. Please keep all of this in your prayers.

Thank you so much for all your prayers that went in to this weekend. It came together quite rapidly, and that unfortunately added a bit of stress to the planning and preparation. However, God definitely was at work, and because of it, the students are even more excited for what is ahead this year. Actually, I am, too. It's going to be a great rest of the year.

Retreat Update

Hey all....

Just wanted to post a quick update. Our Fall Retreat is this weekend. Final registrations are due tomorrow, and it's looking like we could have 15 students coming together for a time of relaxation, fellowship, and teaching. I'm very excited, still have a bit of work to do, and have big expectations about how this weekend will turn out.

There are still a couple needs heading in to this weekend:

-I'm still looking for somebody who would be willing to help out with dinner on Saturday night. Anybody out there in the Twin Cities metro feel like flipping some burgers and hanging out with some college students? Call me if that sounds appealing.

-Have any interest in providing some financial support? With any retreat, there are needs that come up in planning, usually in the form of scholarships for students who otherwise wouldn't be able to go. If you're interested in knowing more, please let me know.

If you want more information on either of these, give me a call. My cell is (815) 793-3523.

Above all, prayer for this weekend is greatly appreciated. Please be praying for the weather, for safety, and for God to be at work in the lives of all of us there as we grow closer to each other and to God.

I think that's it for today. Now to figure out what's for dinner.
-Deron

Volunteers?

Wanted to pass along a quick update...

Things are still rolling along on campus, and in the past week, plans have come together for us to hold a Fall retreat October 23-24. There's a good amount of excitement already and I know it will be a good weekend for students to get away from campus, connect with each other in a new setting, and grow in their understanding of God and ministry on campus.

In preparing for this weekend, I'm wondering if any of you would be willing to volunteer with some meal preparation. The retreat is at a farm south of the Twin Cities, so most prep would take place there. We are looking for help with dinner on Saturday and lunch on Sunday. If you have any questions about it or are interested in helping out, e-mail me at deron.vaupel@gmail.com.

I think that's all for today...for those of you in the Twin Cities, enjoy the beautiful day. Thanks for reading.
-Deron