Aberdaron Student Retreat

Far off to the West, far across the lands, there lies a special place called Aberdaron. A place where the echoes of lecturers' deadlines cannot be heard and the morning lectures are a distant memory. In its stead, God’s quiet whisper resounds from the high peaks of His creation down to the cafeteria where blasphemous quantities of food are being served.

The expectations were low, especially after arriving in mist, fog and heavy rain. The trend was certainly not looking upwards for this year’s Aberdaron trip. But turning something bad into something good has never been a problem for God.

The weekend kicked off with our dear MA student Alastair Boyd strangely showing us a Rubik’s cube, to everybody's surprise. A cube which he creatively used to show the importance of always going back to the cross in our search for God, regardless of one’s academic status.

Following an evening of fellowship, Sabbath morning arrived. The weather app had apparently lied about bad weather on that day, because what we saw outside was some clouds and, most importantly, the sun! After we thanked God for the weather, we went on a small hike up a big hill from which sheep, water and beautiful landscapes could be admired.

Memories were made, photos were taken, videos recorded and Instagram posts, well... posted. Although the views were gorgeous, the most beautiful part of this walk was seeing how people started making new friends and strengthening existing friendships, especially when trying to dodge sheep excrements up a steep and windy hill.

Once back at camp, our dear Danilo Puskas led us in worship and a moment of sharing testimonies. Many testimonies were shared that afternoon, about God’s goodness, patience, love and mercy. These testimonies reminded us of what a powerful God we serve and encouraged us to remain grateful while doing so.

Later, our dear MA student Mia Orgla had a small talk about what boredom is, a reaction that happens once we fail to perceive any meaning in what is going on, especially at church. She urged us all to help people find meaning and escape boredom.

That night was filled with everything but boredom, starting off with a beautiful sunset, playing music, table tennis, board games and, of course, bothering the staff’s fluffy dog.

Sunday morning was the time for our departure, leaving with heavy hearts knowing that we were somehow going back to “real life”. Where the imminent threat of lecturers’ deadlines is palpable and the morning lectures are a constant presence.

Although our hearts may be heavy, they are filled with reassurance that we are moving forward in this academic year together with the One who created the lands, waters and fluffy dogs.

Written by David Criste (BA in Biblical and Pastoral Studies, Year 2 student)