Natural Beauty of God's Creations

From the moment we stepped on the bus to the moment we got back to Good Shepherd, God had become evermore apparent in my life as he worked through the actions and words of those I’d been blessed with as companions for this experience. This faith journey started just a few hours after we had left the church with the praying of the Rosary. Two amazing adults on this trip gave each student an opportunity to pray the Rosary every night while on retreat as part of their Lenten journey. By doing this I truly realized the strength of prayer and even more so, witnessing prayer fortified by a group of young adults yearning for their relationships with Christ to swell with the wonderful Fruits of the Holy Spirit. After 16 long hours on the road we arrived in Durango. Driving between the Rocky Mountains gives you a taste of the majestic beauty and grace God has designed the greatest parts of our world with. Everyday from 9am-4pm we had the opportunity to take part first hand in these gifts as we enjoyed the wonderful spring skiing of Purgatory. Spending each day with other young Catholics who knew the obstacles of growing up in this day and age a created a new sense of camaraderie between each and everyone of us. After days of skiing hard and falling harder not much could come close in comparison to the experiences we had on the mountain. But each night, Mark Knox, Father Richard and the rest of the adults succeeded in doing this with flying colors. Coming home to our fantastic lodges each night, to the delectable food of “Momma T”, made leaving the lifts behind each day a little less difficult. As “Doctor” Chris Wright says, “Having the opportunity to experience this before I graduate has made a lasting impression in my Catholic faith”. And you should trust him, he’s a doctor! Each night we took part in mass accompanied by confession and on the last night, adoration. These hours of worship were something I had never encountered. A group of 50 young adults pouring themselves wholesomely into the liturgy and walking side by side through an entire night of praise. This preceded supper and night activities. Each night a different leader planned group events to compete in. From the first night of Fear Factor, to karaoke, and into the last night of hilarious infomercials and skits from start to finish this retreat was thoroughly entertaining. Just like everything they did this group of ten adults we had been blessed with, made this forever a memorable experience. As we departed from Durango there was the usual sadness of having to leave something so amazing behind, but as a group we decided to think of it differently. Friendships had been made, laughs had been had, and an innumerable amount of great memories were to be remembered. On our trek home, six hours from Dallas, I had a God sighting that I pray will never forget. We stopped our buses at a park that contained the 14 Stations of the Cross and an enormous cross that dwarfed even the west Texas plains. As we walked and read the stations, huge Texas storm clouds rolled across the pink setting Sun. Just being able to witness the awesome and natural beauty of God's creations one more time made this trip something I will surely never forget. 

~Soren