With St. Philips Church, I was able to participate in an Overnight Retreat and spend a night with the Confirmation candidates and other members of the Confirmation team. Though the pictures may look more like a pajama party, prior to taking these pictures was a time of fun, meditation, and prayer. We sang songs, read passages from the Bible, and team members lead small group activities like the Water of Life activity. In the Water of Life activity, candidates created a target-like diagram to depict what people are closest to them in their lives and can guide them through tough decisions in high school. Along with a team member partner, I lead an skit activity within my small group. Each group was assigned one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit which the Confirmation candidates will receive on Confirmation Day. My group depicted wisdom in a humorous way comparing it to the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren. Though many of the activities were humorous and light-hearted, the meaning behind each of them was significant. It was not appropriate to take pictures for Project 52 during these activities; however, after the retreat part of the night was over we took some pictures back in our room. This was at about 1 a.m; the candidates had gone to sleep, and we had just held a team meeting about the evening's accomplishments. The next morning, the candidates' parents arrived for a support session prior to a delicious breakfast. Then, tired but feeling good about the experience simultaneously, we all headed home.
