Girls Retreat: Part 2, Awesome Reflections

It was clear that our girls got a lot out of their retreat this past weekend. Below are their answers in response to the survey they took at the end of the retreat.

Please take a moment to see what an awesome impact that's been had on these young women-- 

Retreat Evaluation Form - April 25, 2014

Answers to the questions combined

1. What did you like most about the retreat?

*The girls were all very respectful, I got to know the girls in my school better, I got to
learn how to navigate a relationship with a boy, I loved the college girl, Isabel’s talk and
the other talks - it helps me understand my story better, I liked how all the girls were
bonding and communicating with each other - there wasn’t an awkward moment at all,
I liked having fun, making friends and getting to know God, I liked getting to know more
about the people I surround myself with, I liked asking myself if I am happy with the
relationship that I am in, I was able to open up and no one judged me, I related to a lot of
the hard things we discussed - I feel like I am still trying to forgive myself for past
mistakes - this retreat helped me, I liked it that everyone came together - I saw some
tears privately, but also a lot of smiles, I liked it that there was no separation between
anyone - everyone was honest, I really needed to hear the stuff we talked about
regarding STD’s and sex, I liked how the topics that were discussed were about things
teenage girls actually struggle with, I really liked how we talked about relationship with
God, I liked being around people I don’t know and learning their story.

2. Name three lessons that you will take away from the retreat and apply to your life.

*I want a relationship with God, to know that when a guy wants to be friends with
benefits - I should tell him that I am certainly more than a benefit, I must love me before I
can truly love someone else, don’t do anything with a guy that your heart tells you not
to, take my time in a relationship, be wise about the decisions I make, getting a better
relationship with God, Keep Jesus with me, the information about STD’s was very
helpful, I should ask questions about my relationship, not to be afraid to remove myself
from negative things, trust my instincts in a relationship, I need to know what I want in a
relationship, to say “no” to uncomfortable situations, to ask for help, to pray, to respect
myself, I am enough as I am, God is only love and not hurt, don’t do wifely duties for
anyone who hasn’t put a title on it, not all people are mean and evil.

3. How can we improve the retreat setting or format?

* I think everything went well, I really enjoyed myself and being around everybody. It was
a great experience, especially being my first time at one of these retreats, I think
everything was good, I liked it, I really don’t think anything should be improved, nothing
is perfect but the retreat was well planned and it reflected throughout the night,
nothing, some things could have been talked about more deeply, nothing really, it was
a beautiful experience, more games, sleeping int he room with couches or a better floor
surface.

4. What appreciations or suggestions do you have for the facilitators?

*I appreciated the facilitator for having the retreat and talking about topics that most
wouldn’t dare go into, I just want to say thank you to those who helped me plan it and I
want to thank Ms. Eckhouse and Ms. Walls for helping it be a successful night, I think
the retreat team did a great job, I hope there is another one soon. Thanks Ms. Lyke for
sharing your story with us, I love all of you for putting this together for us, Ms.
Eckhouse, thanks for letting the teens be such a big part of the planning - Ms. Walls
you’re awesome, I appreciate them giving me a clearer understanding of relationships
and God, the team worked hard to make sure that we learned and had a good time, I
appreciate how the team set the retreat up and made it feel like such a good environment
to be in with the topics, the scavenger hunt was fun.

5. General Comments:

*I feel I have a better understanding of God and what type of relationship I want, God will
always be with me even when I don’t feel Him, I learned that God is a forgiving God,
learned a lot and got a good understanding of what to do in the current situation I am in,
I like how Jesus was the center of the retreat - not many people inform me about Jesus -
I learned somethings I never knew, I felt throughout the night and during the talks - I
realized that you may be in a bad place and feel as if you have no one but really you
have God and will always have Him because He is a forever loving God and will not
abandon us, God loves you for you and He is a forgiving God, I think God gave me the
strength to sign up for this retreat because I think He wanted me to hear what my
relationships are supposed to be - Amen, I learned that God is not out to get me, If we
have another retreat, I would like to learn more about being independent because not
everybody is going to hold your hand through everything, I know that to gain better
relationships with others, I need to work on my relationship with God, this was a grea
retreat and it allowed me to notice things about my relationships, I am happy to have
shared this experience and to have gotten something out of it, I learned to be careful
with my relationships, I liked how we had speakers and that the topics were detailed and
relevant, in general, I loved how God was the pin-point because I felt like god was judging
and didn’t love me but in reality He will always love me no matter what goes on, This
retreat was beautiful and I just loved being around the MKC facility - they bring
happiness and joy and taught me how to find and get closer to God, I learned that
having God in my life will help me feel that I am not alone in the world