Students never know what to expect when they take part in the annual Puget Sound Adventist Academy (PSAA) “Connect” retreat.
Designed to help students develop a deeper connection with God, it also builds student friendships, aids in developing student/faculty trust, and provides opportunities for community service.
Washington Conference’s Youth Camp, Sunset Lake, provided the setting for this year’s “Connect.” One of the most anticipated parts of any “Connect” retreat is the announcement of D-Teams—small groups of students who form year-long partnerships during “Connect.”
“D-Teams are very important at PSAA. We spend a lot of time together and learn to help each other and to work together,” said Becky Rode, PSAA senior. “Even if it means getting wet in the canoe relay race!”
Service is also a major part of “Connect.” Groups this year spent time at the Tacoma Community Services Center, where a large group of students stocked shelves, sorted clothes, landscaped, and prepared meals for street people.
Another group stayed at Sunset Lake Camp, removing gravel, placing topsoil, working on the completion of a log cabin, and doing general camp cleanup.
Damian Chandler, Emerald City Adventist Church youth pastor, was guest speaker during morning and evening worships.
With his creative, metaphorical approach, he drove home the point that, “as long as we focus on God, our eyes will be turned from the things that tempt us—like those pistachios on top of the fridge!”
Friday night’s sacred atmosphere, with candles, banquet tables, and the reenactment of the crucifixion, set the stage for communion service, praise singing, and personal testimonies.
“I will look back at the many memories made at ‘Connect,’” said Alyssa Reiswig, PSAA senior, “I will treasure them for the rest of my life. It was a time of growth and renewal.”
Service day during “Connect” included work at Sunset Lake Camp. PSAA students Jae-Yeol Shim and Peter Liu, with Principal Doug White, remove three-inch deep gravel from along a walkway. Another student team then filled in the area with topsoil.
