Christian Retreat 2019

“Our love to God is measured by our everyday fellowship with others and the love it displays.”   

~    Andrew Murray

Written by: Keane (JC 1 Mendel)

At the dawn of the 12th of September, Bina Bangsa School KJ students assembled at the lobby awaiting for their departure to MDC Gadog in Bogor where the annual ‘Christian Retreat’ will be held. The event stretches from the 12th to the 14th of September and is accompanied by a multitude of activities ranging from a treasure hunt to singing and dancing merrily. 

The bus departed at 7 in the morning. The students were separated into two individual groups with each group going into two separate buses. The students luckily managed to avoid any major traffic and arrived in just 2 hours. Once there, they unpacked their luggage and headed towards the hall where most of the activities will be held. We soon began with an icebreaker which can usually be referred to as “Heads Up Charades!” where a card would be placed on the forehead of one contestant and he or she will have to ask questions to figure out the identity of the object written on the card. Soon after, everyone was divided into groups with each group having one teacher as their leader..

Later in the day, we had a series of breaks and seminars with our special guest Pastor Sugianto who held two inspiring sessions with the theme “Update your Me App.” There, he talked about how we are ‘outdated’ and should rethink the way we live our life. Soon after the sessions were concluded, the students went back to their rooms after a tiring day and either slept soundly or did not even bother to.

The students were greeted by the warm morning sun and probably the alarms on their phone. The day started at 06:30 in the morning where the predetermined groups congregated into their own separate areas to have their morning devotion. Today a familiar face arrived. The Muay Thai master and pastor Jimmy Lucas arrived on scene, ready to share the word of God through hilarious yet impactful anecdotes. Three sessions spanned throughout the day, one with our very own principal Mr.Richard and the rest was with Jimmy Lucas. Around midday, a treasure hunt was held around the place with clues and activities scattered around, forcing everyone to exercise and run around as to be the first group to win. Night soon came and the dark sky was warmed with the orange hues which shone brightly from the bonfire. Everyone gathered around the campfire and started having fun. They all mingled with one another and ate some food beside the fire. Soon the fire started to die out and they made their merry way towards their respective rooms, ready to embrace the next day filled with energy.

The days travel by way too fast and before they knew it, it was already the last day of the retreat. They woke up early in the morning, enjoyed their breakfast and had a concluding session. Awards were given, most notably the ‘Most Astounding Camper Award’ which was awarded to Carson Liauw of JC 1 Mendel. After lunch had ended, everyone assembled in the hall and started heading towards the bus, ready to take them to school.