Seacrest Beach - Day #1

Volunteers started to arrive Saturday and we spent the weekend gearing up for this retreat. Today, the families just arrived as we kick off day one of Retreat #4 at Lighthouse.

Soon we will have the first family dinner and all of the families will be introduced. It's a cool sight to see all the kids pouring out of a mini vans with huge smiles. Although if I drove as far as many of them did to get here stuck in a mini van, I would be pretty happy to.

So what will a typical day this week look like? I'll go ahead and post a basic daily schedule to give you a feel for it.

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A Typical Lighthouse Day:

8:00 am: Breakfast

Volunteers prepare a great breakfast with parent and kid friendly foods. Volunteers make sure all retreat children and parents are served and waited on before they begin eating.

9:00 am: Morning Watch

A Christian-based devotional to help find hope in God. The faith and belief statement of Lighthouse: “God is good; God is in control; God cares; and God wants you to know Him!” is shared through a conversational message.

9:30 am: Common Grounds

Common Grounds offers retreat parents the opportunity to share their stories with other parents who are facing similar challenges. Strong friendships are developed and many times they form support networks that last well beyond the retreat.

9:30 am: Flip-Flop

Fun and friendship for the kids. While parents attend Common Grounds, the children and Family Partners attend Flip-Flop – a time of fun where kids play all kinds of games, make cool crafts, swim in the pools, and fine tune their talent show skills.

12:00 pm: Lunch

Volunteers prepare a great lunch with parent and kid friendly foods. Volunteers make sure all retreat children and parents are served and waited on before they begin eating.

1:00 pm: “Conched” Out

A little R & R for retreat families and volunteers. Families are free to do as they wish. This is a great time for families to reconnect relationally. Many nap and relax, others watch movies together while others spend the day on the beach. There really isn’t a wrong way to “Conch” Out.

6:00 pm: Dinner

Volunteers prepare a great dinner with parent and kid friendly foods. Volunteers make sure all retreat children and parents are served and waited on before they begin eating.

7:00 pm: Evening Activities

Fun-filled festivities where everyone enjoys the community of family and friends in a carefree environment. Activities include a *Game Day, a special night-out for the parents, a beach party, a low country boil, a talent show and more.

*Game Day

One of the highlights of the week is Game Day. On this day, everyone is filled with team spirit and high energy. Families “go for the gold” as they participate in fun beach games like sponge relays, sand castle building, egg tosses, and more! It’s a fun time to laugh together and cheer one another on.