On Fire for Jesus

By Christina Beaman

 “Spill the tea, lets go!” said Mr. Ronzheimer as Lydia Brooks (12) and Hannah Peek (12) started sharing funny stories about their past, but this was cut short by a voice from the back of the van.

“Dad, I’m hungry!” said Joseph Chandra (12) to Mr. Kirk Ronzheimer, the “dad” of the 15 students in a van on the way to Cameron highlands for the leadership class retreat.

“Do you want a granola bar?” yelled Luke Lindsey (12) from the front seat as he chucked a granola bar at Joseph.

“Dad, are we there yet?” added Duncan Magruder (12). Some people put in their headphones to block out the loud noise, while others laughed and added to the sound by yelling “shut up” to Joseph and Duncan.

After a five-hour bus ride, the van pulled up to the guest house where the students would spend their retreat. Since it was already night time, they ate dinner and then went to bed.

The next morning started with a solo reflection time and then a group time where guys and girls were able to split up and process through stuff and pray for each other.

“The purpose of this retreat was time away to meet God. I sensed with seniors a weariness and purposelessness. This trip was a space to reconnect with God and let him give us his passion for why we are here” said Mr. Ronzhiemer.

The second night there was a time of prayer for each person. This turned into a wonderful time where the Holy Spirit really spoke to others through people and it was a time of declaration that identity is found in Christ, not in anything else.

Students spent the next couple hours praying for one another and speaking to others through what the Holy Spirit was telling them. This went late into the night. As the fireplace burned with flames and kept the room warm, the fire of the Holy Spirit was also in the students.

“It was so good, I loved it, even though it took five hours to get to Cameron highlands when we were praying it didn't seem like that long even though we spent five hours praying, it was amazing,” said Dael Kim (12).

Students left the retreat refreshed and on fire for Christ after experiencing the Holy Spirit in a unique way on the retreat.