26 May Rocking at the RE retreat
About 100 Woodstock students from Grades 9 to 12 once again said “Aloha” to the church group from Hawaii who led the annual Spring RE retreat for the fourth year running.
The retreat took place at the Torchbearers centre in Rajpur last weekend, where students and about 15 staff members were treated to rocking worship sessions, Bible teaching on God’s plan for their lives, and numerous quirky games and activities during a fun-packed and fast-paced 24 hours.
This year there were 18 members on the Hawaiian team which included a former college American football star and several professional musicians.
Prior to the retreat, the Hawaiians spent time helping at the Firs orphanage in Mussoorie where they have established a new scholarship programme to help boys moving into the workplace.
On Sunday evening the Hawaiian group participated in the school chapel service, with TJ Gorum preaching on how God can use his plan B in our lives when our plan A doesn’t work out. He urged students to think about developing their character rather than just focusing on material achievements.
Another team member and professional guitarist Imua, who runs a recording studio in Hawaii and regularly tours with a number of bands, shared his testimony before wowing the audience with his unbelievable feats on the fretboard, including a rendition of Super Mario from the Nintendo game.
Another team member Jessica Picone told how she adopted two abandoned children in Hawaii, while Woodstock students Ye Jin Kim and Phinjo Sherpa told the chapel audience how the retreat had impacted them. Grade 10 student Phuriwat Chiraphisit attended the retreat and said he had a great time. “It was a really positive spiritual experience and very helpful to think through life issues. I particularly enjoyed the worship sessions, the last one was very powerful. It was also a good break from school life. We’re so thankful to the Hawaiians for coming again.”
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