BEE-DAZZLERS AND PUDDLES

Here is a little bit about Retreat for Girls 2012. The theme was Finding Joy! I asked Faith these questions and here are her answers.

What was your favorite part of Retreat for Girls?
"Probably playing around with Puddles and lifting my group leader up.  That was funny."

Who was your favorite speaker?
"My favorite speaker was Anthony Sweat.  He talked about running the extra mile.  He was SO funny!"

Did you have a favorite activity?
"Yeah.  I loved the counselor fashion show and Mercy River."

What did you think about your counselor, Puddles?
"She was nice and really understood everything."  Each of the counselors picked a nickname.  Puddles is from Seattle, WA.

Were you homesick when you were away?
"Not really.  I had a fun time when I was away." 

Did you like eating and living on campus?
"Yes.  It was great!"  Here is her view from their window.

 

Who was your secret sister and what was your gift?
"I had McKenzie and I gave her the necklace.  Amber gave me a cool water bottle with a straw and gummy worms.  Dawson ate those."  (Faith just had braces put on, so no sticky candy.)

What did you think about your group?
"Our group was awesome.  Puddles said that we were angels.  Our group got along so well; no one making fun of anyone else."
  
Tell me about your group name.
"When I first heard the group name, Bee-Dazzlers, I thought 'Oh, here comes another prissy girl.' But when I learned about what it meant to Puddles, I really liked it."
Upon further prodding, Faith said the name Bee-Dazzlers meant that things are fine and dandy when you just look closer.

What did you think about your roommate?
"My roommate was really fun.  We stayed up 5 minutes after lights out.  Her name is Cassidy."

 

Who were you best friends at Retreat for Girls?
"Cassidy, McKenzie, Madison, and Carly"

"Wiggl-a-lo"
Hey you!
Hey what!
Hey you!
Hey what!
Show us how you wiggl-a-lo!
And then they did a little dance.  The girls had too much fun with that!!!

Pillowcase that Faith made

Another craft that we did to hold pictures.  This is holding Puddles quotes.

Group picture

Counselor picture 2012

Before the Mercy River concert

Again being silly!!!

Amber

McKenzie

Faith can't remember

"Connie" (she asked that the girls call her Connie, which is NOT her real name.)

Waiting for other girls to get out, playing games

"Connie" and "Puddles" being hilarious

That's with Mercy River - Faith wasn't in this photo.

Saying goodbye.  Here is Puddles aka "Lauren."  I found out later in an email that Lauren had Shingles while she was at Retreat for Girls.  I'm sure that this was a difficult job for her, but she truly touched Faith and the other girls in her group.

 

The program was nice.  Katie Smith had the girls introduce what they did during the week, followed by a slide show, and the song.

Theme Song

Sisters Rejoice by Jenny Phillips & Tyler Castleton

Daughter of God, sisters of light

the power of faith is guiding our lives

The truth of his words burn in our souls

Giving us strength to live what we know,

With vision and hope in these later days

We're raising our voice and singing his praise.

Chorus:

Sister rejoice! We have his light,

It lives in our hearts, it shines in our eyes

Lift up your voice, we're part of his plan

We're led by his hand, Sisters rejoice!

We are his hands, we're serving with love,

We're seeking the lost and lifting them up

We're anchored to God in perilous times,

We honor his name through virtuous lives

Chosen to leader with banner unfurled,

A standard of truth to all of the world

(chorus)

It was pretty moving having that many young woman holding hands around the whole group.  I couldn't help but tear up knowing that Faith must have had the time of her life!

At the end of the program, the girls wanted to walk back to the dorms together.  This was really sad because so many of them were crying.  It was a hard goodbye. 

Carly and Faith

 

And now for mom's comments.  We sent Faith with our home cell phone.  She didn't call until Wednesday.  I wasn't worried, but I would have loved to know how she was doing.  I also found out from Cassidy's mom that Faith was feeling sick for part of the time and had to go see the nurse.  I was naturally surprised, but I have since wondered if she didn't want to take the chance of me coming down early to pick her up.  We did miss her that week, but it was a good break for all of us!  I can't wait for her to have another opportunity to attend Retreat for Girls!