Student Conference

I mentioned that I would post about the student conference and so I shall. I apologize for the tardiness of it. So a few weeks ago we left Friday morning for a whole day drive down to Pine Valley California with 8 students from Cal Poly SLO Navigators. This spring conference had about 300 students and staff from Arizona, California and Hawaii (the Sunland region).

We were so excited as staff because of the great response from students to go. There had been a weekend trip during the Fall semester and only one student was able to go. I have to say I am not a fan of quarter schools, it's insanity and students have no time to do anything fun, I feel bad for them and am grateful I didn't have to endure that stress.

The SLO Group

Eric and Tom being silly

For our girls, very few have been able to attend our weekly Gathering and right around the time of the conference we started up a girls bible study on a night that amazingly (praise God) most the girls were free. So while the guys had been bonding over disc golf, fixed gear bikes and hacky sack our girls hardly knew each other. We were looking forward to the conference to hopefully bond the girls some and it did!

The Girls

The lady staff - (Leah, Deb and Nicole)

We had three freshman girls, one sophomore and one junior, we worried that the junior would feel alone but this was not the case, she stepped up and really took the other girls under her wing. In fact, at the bible study following the conference one of the girls was talking about something hard she was going through and this junior asked if she could pray for her. I was so excited because one of us staff could have done it but I think it really bonded them more and has really showed how they are feeling more like a community. The students need each other.

At the conference we heard some speakers and had some choices of workshops. The talks were good but what was best was the conversations students and staff had after. I think we came back from this conference feeling much closer. And though I wasn't too excited about the long drive I think there was some awesome stuff that came out of it.

Cal Poly's spring break is coming up soon which is hard because it's a month apart from Cuesta's so our only spring break options really needs to be the weekend so we can include all our students. There wasn't really any service projects out there and we knew we could create one but with it being such an insane semester (and our desire for the students to continue to bond together) we are talking about doing a fun trip to Disneyland instead! We are currently checking students plans but I think we will have enough interest to go. And since we are considered Southern California (weird I know) we can do the twofer tickets (one day at D-land and one at CA-land for the price of one).

I can't believe Poly's quarter is almost done! Next quarter we are continuing our girls bible study but I need to decide what we are studying. I feel anxious about it as I have never lead a study and am not really sure what is good. The other staff leading it with me unfortunately won't be around most of the next quarter so it's mostly up to me but also, since she is still a leader, not just taking charge and doing it my way. I am trying to discern a balance and need to start praying for God to show me where we should go next with the girls.