John Brown University students attended the annual Breakaway Retreat Sept. 23-24, at New Life Ranch Flint Valley in Northeast Oklahoma. Members of the Student Ministries Leadership Team (SMLT) were responsible for organizing a weekend for students to rest, worship and share a fun day with friends.
The event started Friday evening, when students headed to New Life Ranch after a long day of classes. Various activities were planned, including small groups, a night hike and sessions of worship and learning about the importance of resting. JBU students were encouraged to also enjoy a campfire, and fellowship through activities like volleyball and zipline.
Freshman Iker Morales attended the event and shared his opinions on his first Breakaway retreat.
“It helped me a lot to connect with God, I think it was a great opportunity to grow spiritually and learn things about God that I didn’t know before,” Morales said.
He was grateful that he could go and thought the retreat was a new way for him to connect with friends.
“I was able to also share a lot of time with my friends and meet new people, it was a cool experience. I would definitely recommend it to all freshmen in the future,” Morales said.
Activities started early on Saturday for students to enjoy the full day. SMLT prepared a schedule for them to pray and worship with others, but also relax and meditate through unique activities. Spending the day around nature and getting to try new adventurous games helped students enjoy a weekend of rest and strengthen their community. Some of the activities students got to do were climbing walls, zipline and even kayaking.
Freshman Ginger Williams described how much she enjoyed the trip and said she really liked all the activities that were organized.
“My favorite part was chapel time; I feel like that was something I couldn’t do any other weekend,” Williams said.
She also highlighted how much she enjoyed getting the spiritual rest she needed.
“I really liked the worship, that was what made the breakaway felt like Breakaway,” Williams said,
Williams was glad she went and shared her excitement for upcoming events.
“I would definitely go again next year, I liked every single thing I did; I can’t wait to experience new activities like this one”, Williams said. These types of activities help to encourage JBU students to live their faith in new ways and to experience Christ in the outdoors in a great manner. For more information on future Breakaway and retreats, reach out to FHuebert@jbu.edu, or follow SMLT on their Instagram page.