Warehouse Thurs., 7 p.m.

Parkside Sun., 9:45 a.m.

7SR: a look back

A special thanks to Kelley for jotting down some of her thoughts from 7SR and to Grace for taking pics for us that we will eventually post on the flickr account!

Late Saturday morning, students of Parkside seeking to hit the slopes as well as grow closer to God packed up their things and headed to the Seven Springs Ski Resort. Three hours of movie-watching, ipod-surfing, and scenery-gazing later, our destination was finally reached. Many decided to tube Saturday night and experienced the “magic carpet,” a conveyor belt type mechanism that transferred tubers to the top, where they proceeded to risk their lives on the various hills. Others chose to board or ski, and everyone came back looking exhausted and ready to call it a night, although not before gouging themselves with the late night buffet of salad, pizza, and deserts.

One aspect of Saturday night that did not go unnoticed was the message of our guest speaker Bing, although he was not so much a guest throughout the trip but rather a missed and welcomed friend. His message, although relatively short, focused on the Substitute we have all been granted—he reminded us that, although we are sinners, Jesus redeems us through the sacrifice He made by dying for us. While the message may have been one that seems repetitive to most Christians, Bing painted a picture of a mother giving up dinner for her son, although her son had misbehaved and deserved the punishment himself. Bing reminded us that, although we do not deserve the gift we have been given and never, ever will, the price of our sins has already been paid for by Someone who decided to take our place. Clearly, the message was one worthy of being picked apart throughout the weekend—something for us to leave with besides bruised bodies and wind-whipped faces.

Sunday was the beginning of another adventure entirely. Many ventured out for the first time onto the actual terrain of Seven Springs, experiencing the six-person ski-lift, mansions hidden on the tops of the hills, as well as additional areas throughout the resort.

Eventually, after facing extremely brutal winds, many decided to remain the rest of the day in the lodge, watching movies, chatting with friends, and exploring the various shops and other areas of Seven Springs. Some, however, braved the intense weather conditions and stayed on the slopes the remainder of the day, coming back with stories as well as stomachs ready for the Oakhurst Tea Room. After satisfying our hunger, we loaded once more onto the buses and headed towards home. The movies were playing, although most slept or chatted quietly with friends. As we arrived at the Warehouse, phone calls were made and news was spread that hardly anyone had school the following day, on account of the artic storm that had swept throughout Ohio. The ski retreat suddenly was at a close– luggage was loaded, cars were scraped off and goodbyes were made, all with the hope that next year’s retreat would be even as remotely as memorable as this one was, although that was something that seemed almost as predictable as Ohio weather in February—impossible.

By Kelley M.

4 Responses to “7SR: a look back”

1. Kye Says:
   February 15th, 2008 at 3:09 pm

   wow kelley that was sweet. and i laughed reading it too! good job!!

2. Bing Says:
   February 16th, 2008 at 9:15 pm

   nice work kelley!

3. Mariah Tilcki Says:
   February 17th, 2008 at 10:43 am

   very very nice you captured the retreat very well in little words perfectly! awesome job!!!!

4. Joe Says:
   February 22nd, 2008 at 3:56 pm

   Booyah!!

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