SEED Retreat - We Are Children of God

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S.E.E.D. Retreat: We are children of God
 

Flagstaff, Arizona

September 22-24, 2006

Reflections…

Frank Vuong

 

It’s been one week since the S.E.E.D. Retreat, yet it has felt so long ago because of the rigors I had to get through with the first week of school.

S.E.E.D. Retreat has been one of the most spiritual, fruitful, and heart-felt ex­periences I have gained. From the moment I heard of this opportunity to do develop and entire new experience for children, I knew I had a calling in it somewhere.

I remember how my decision to do this retreat started this one night when I asked Vinh and Steven if they too wanted to lead the retreat. From there on out our team was made quickly with Steven, Vinh, Anthony, Thu (she was still in England) and just 2 weeks before the retreat, Mark (it’s never too late). For me the retreat started before the actual retreat date. It started from the first meeting we had which was just the four of us (Steven, Vinh, Anthony, and I) eating at El Torito on a Tuesday night, brainstorming ideas of what we can possibly do for the kids.

A month or so later in the thickness of finals and Hat Cai Family night preparation, the going was getting really tough. The 4-5 days between Family Night and S.E.E.D. Retreat was pure crunch time for us all. Somehow, by the grace of God, we from us) arrived safely in Phoenix, Arizona, midday on Thursday (Mark came the next day). Anh Hung welcomed us to stay the night at his lovely home. I felt honored to actually stay over his house because I look up to him so much as the founder of Hat Cai. He was basically a celebrity to me. That night, the retreat team got to experience something we had not been able to in California. We got refreshments from Sonic Drive-in! It was deli­cious.

Late Thursday night was spent doing finishing touches in preparation for the retreat. We woke up that morning on a rush to do a little sight-seeing before getting to Flagstaff. We went to Sedona National Park. That was such a beautiful sight. I felt at peace being there, a good warm up for the retreat. I had a feeling that God put me in the right place and at the right time (well he al­ways does). Everything that had lead up to the actually start of the S.E.E.D. Retreat was pure bonding time for the retreat team and it definitely was neces­sary for the entire S.E.E.D. Retreat experience.

Reflecting on that entire weekend is a daunting task. There are so many instances that I wish I could record as if it were happening at this mo­ment. However, if there were just one distinctive memory that would be used as the forefront memory of my S.E.E.D. Retreat experience, it would have to be that first night of the retreat when I was surrounded by children, trying to tackle me down to the floor. The purely ecstatic aura that surrounded each indi­vidual throughout that weekend had completely engulfed my senses. I felt God’s presence most indefinitely.

The extensive and meticulous planning that we [retreat team] accom­plished had most definitely paid off. We were able to over plan in order to ac­commodate any schedule changes. Our flexibility in thinking and preparing had really made things a lot less chaotic. Even more so with the absolute sup­port from the parents, this weekend could have not been any smoother. As for the children, we undoubtedly owe this experience to them for allowing us to experience God through their eyes.

Those entire 3 days was a roller coaster ride, driven by the kids them­selves. At one point on the second night, the retreat team had found each other to be exhausted. It was to the point where I had fallen asleep sitting up straight and being woken up by one of the kids only to continue playing with them. It is unbelievable how much energy these younglings have. Nothing could tire them out.

One of the most touching moments of the retreat was the faith shar­ing. It has almost felt like I was back at home in Interfaith during a Monday night Hat Cai meeting. These kids were able to faith share to their heart’s con­tent. I was very impressed at how deep they can take their spirituality. God’s presence was truly there as each kid showed their appreciation for them parents and even for the retreat leaders. Hearing each retreatant’s sharing was alone worth the trip. I shared with them that night how each one of them were so special and gifted, not only in my eyes, but of course in the Lord’s eyes. From then on out, there was a strong God-centered trust and bond that had been es­tablished and founded between the retreatants and leaders.

At the very end of the retreat when we were saying our goodbyes, the entire retreat team was rushed and bombarded by children with hugs and em­braces. I distinctively remember one retreatant that went straight for me. She hugged me ever so tightly and wouldn’t let go for a long time. I continue to treasure that moment because that made me fully realize how this was God’s mission and that I took part by being His tool to serve.

This was my first time as a retreat leader and planner. I expected to learn and grow a lot from this experience. Amazingly, my expectations have far been exceeded. I know more of how it is to be like a child of God, to have faith like a child. Through every activity, game, skit presentation, and free time with these remarkable kids, I learned that life can be so simple. Life is very simple and joyful when seen through the eyes of a child. I think that is what God wants us to do: to simplify our lives so that we can see Him and appreci­ate Him more fully. We are all called to be like the children of God…because in essence we are the children of God.

Retreatants, parents and retreat leaders alike.

We were all able to S.E.E.D...

Search. Embark. Experience. Develop.

Steven Nguyen

 

It is the end of June of my third academic year and I am tired. I am tired of putting my heart into all the activities I’m involved in. I really need to take a break yet I signed up to take care of Hat Cai camp and that’s it (Well that’s what I told myself). Somewhere along the summer I hear about a retreat that Anh Hung invited Hat Cai to plain, but I’m sorry I can’t do it.

One month later, we started our planning for the retreat. It started first with Frank, Vinh, Anthony, I and later Thu then Mark. Since nothing like this had ever been planned before we were on our own. When we look toward Anh Hung for direction and/or guidance he would ask us “what would YOU do?” So our only option was to rely on ourselves and the grace of God.

Despite our lack of direction and experience we worked really well together. With all my experience with Hat Cai I’ve noticed that sometimes planning meetings can sometimes be dry and uneventful. Sometimes members don’t put their whole heart into a meeting and sometimes they just don’t know where to start. Even though I’ve worked with Vinh, Frank, Anthony and Thu on several occasions I’ve never had this much fun planning with them. Ever. Through the course of the planning we’ve had so many laughs and memorable experiences.

Not only was it fun planning it was so productive. At our first meet­ing, we met at El Torito in Irvine for the $1 tacos. I don’t think we seriously chose that place to “meet”, but we had such a productive meeting. The surpris­ing thing is that many of the ideas created that night were carried onto the ac­tual retreat.

When I first reflected on the retreat, I immediately thought about the retreat planning and I noticed I kept drifting back into the retreat planning. After reflecting on it, I can honestly say that I believe that God was working through us during this planning and that I can see it no other way. When I re­flect on the retreat I haven’t been that motivated in a long time. Despite my first initial reaction to planning the retreat, I think I was meant to help plan this retreat.

As for my retreat experience I will use a quote from Saint Ignatius, “When planning a retreat, plan as if you are the only one responsible then dur­ing the retreat leave it up to God.” That is basically me during the retreat. I was basically just trying to have fun with the kids and work according to the schedule. Just going by that, I think it made the retreat very enjoyable and I felt I was very honest with the kids.

I think it was strange because on the first night, everyone was just getting settled and started getting used to each other, but as time passed we magically got closer. After each hour that we stayed together and after each activity we played together we all grew together (harhar I know that’s cheesy). I felt like I saw how God wanted us to be that weekend. Through the kids’ raw energy I saw God and I believe all the other retreat masters saw the same thing.

Thu Minh Nguyen

 

Before

When I was asked to do this retreat, I was uncertain because I didn’t think I was capable. I really don’t know much about my Catholic religion. What I learned in Catholic school has been long forgotten, and I was never given a good background because I’ve attended public school my entire life. How could I possibly lead a Catholic retreat?

Good thing I enjoy challenges.

I accepted the invitation, and the planning began. We had a hard time trying to figure out what the kids would enjoy because we had to work with a HUGE age range: 4-15! Teenagers don’t want to sing and dance all day, but would kids want to? Would the 4-year-olds be responsive? How long is an average child’s attention span? There were so many questions, especially since the ma­jority of our retreat team was inexperienced with children.

However, we worked together really well. AND we had fun! I’d never had the chance to really work with Steven, Frank, Anthony, Vinh, or Mark before, but it was awesome. We all wanted this retreat to be great, and it showed in all our hard work.

During

It’s hard to describe what happened at the retreat. It happened so quickly, and my memory doesn’t serve me well. I will have to put this section bullet points:

.                      • The ‘Meditation Walk/Nature Walk’ was poorly planned out. Yea, we tried our best, but I think it could’ve been a lot better (at least a lot more God-centered). I wish I had more time to spend on it. I guess the good thing was Mark saved the retreat team from making it a one-hour block of silence. The kids would’ve been so bored!

.                      • The kids were never tired. Only Trung. He rolled up on the couch during free time and could not be bothered. When he woke up, we had a fantastic conversation about thieves and elephants!

.                      • Sarah is quite possibly the most adorable girl I have ever met in my life. She has long pigtails, adorable round eyes that flood when she cries, and a sim­ple demeanor (bubbles make her happy!) I thoroughly enjoyed watching her play and be happy!

.                      • I had so much fun during the scavenger hunt! While I was telling the story of St. Bernadette, the kids were so attentive and amazed. I was also amazed by how smart these kids were. A lot of them were telling the story for me.

.                      • After mass, all the kids thanked us by giving a great big bear hug! We couldn’t even get out of our seats. Kids are really good at appreciation. They really know how to tell us that our work paid off.

.                      • Khang and Nguyen gave me a pile of flowers they had collected =D I saw God in every single child. They laugh easily, trust easily, are very curi­ous and innocent, and live life to the fullest. This is how my relationship to God should be: child-like.

After

We still talk about the kids today. Somehow they have all found a way into our hearts.

Mark Pham

 

My time spent with the children of Dong Hanh during the SEED retreat can be best described through a certain portion of Psalm 26.

⁶ I wash my hands in innocence, and go about your altar, O LORD, 7 proclaiming aloud your praise and telling of all your wonderful deeds.

It would be too much to say the children rejuvenated my spirit or reaf­firmed my faith. However, I was able to experience God’s ability to instill strength within me during the necessary moments. Furthermore, God allowed me the gift of serving the parents, who are people that have made significant contributions to my development when I was a child. Also, the retreat was a wonderful opportunity to connect the many generations within Dong Hanh.

My inclusion of the psalm best relates to an image that was quite common during the retreat; so many times retreat masters found themselves blanketed in a barrage of children and giggles. As horrifying as a dozen or so children tack­ling one person can be, it was also amazingly uncomplicated. How wonderful it is to only have to worry if children are learning and enjoying what you have to offer them for a single weekend rather than be a parent, constantly responsi­ble for setting an example and acting as a guide, or as a college student, know­ing that your actions and investments today have significant implications on the rest of your life. I felt able to walk away from S.E.E.D. retreat with no regret or burden.

As important as it was to have a successful, thorough retreat, it was re­freshing to know that God would allow me to praise and love Him with such an intrepid heart and unadorned words. No matter how exertive the planning or extensive the logistics, there was a simple path of understanding and love that God called both retreatants and retreat masters to follow. Not many mo­ments will be as moving as the children approaching me to share their proud work, their wearisome troubles, and their general desire just to see and be heard by their Big Brother in Christ.

One of the greatest attributes to the planning process was the pure over-planning that allowed the luxury of flexibility in schedule. With so many events and the need for adjustments in the agenda, it worked to the advantage of the Retreat Masters to be able to dispose of expendable events. With the cost of supplies kept to a minimum, the expenditure of unused items did not become an issue. Also, having certain parents manage registration, facilities, and food seemed to be a great unburdening for the retreat masters in that it allowed them to concentrate on developing the program.

Vinh Tran

 

When I edited all the pictures that I took at the S.E.E.D. retreat, I found some elements in those pictures that aren’t innate in other retreat pictures. This is because of one thing: the kids. There’s something about them that differenti­ates them from the rest of us. This could be their youthfulness: their joy, inno­cence, playfulness, and being carefree. And we all can relate to that someway or another. Therefore, looking at them (and taking pictures of them) reminds me of the good old days when I was a kid, when I was joyful, playful, and carefree.

Christ calls us to be like children. And I believe that during this retreat I was indeed childlike. There was a lot of playing around, hanging around, playing in the playground, playing cards, and of course, our favorite, getting beat up by the kids; these are all things that I would never normally do back at home. So basically, I felt like this was a retreat not only for the retreatants, but also for the Retreat Team as well. Going out of the state, exploring new territory (I thought Arizona consists of dirt and cacti), meeting new people, bonding with them, and playing and relaxing is not something you do everyday. So I grabbed the opportunity to be part of the Retreat Team and do something that no other group has done before. We were treading uncharted waters. I also knew that I would gain something from this, and that the retreatants would also hopefully gain a lot out of this to continue their development into teenage life and later on adulthood.

I felt proud to be part of their development. I noticed them grow over the weekend. On the first day I saw them sing and dance to praise and worship songs. The next day, I saw them working as a team to accomplish a certain goal, whether it be a competitive activity or solving clues for the scavenger hunt. I also saw them open their hearts and share their faith. On the third day, we came together to build our own community. This culmination on the last activity cemented our purpose for the retreat, to bring everyone closer together, to God and each other. I think we accomplished our goal for this retreat. By being closer to the kids’ age, we bridged the gap between generations of Dong Hanh, and we helped them grow closer together and closer to God. And in doing so, I also found myself closer to my accomplices, and the youth of Nho’m Nazaret and their parents.

I also want to thank you to all who supported us, the parents who prepared everything and dealt with all the logistics for us so that we can focus our time and efforts on the retreat; and I also want to thank members of Dong Hanh and Hat Cai who were also supporting us through prayer. Our success couldn’t have been possible without your support.

I came into this retreat excited at the opportunity to work with kids again. I’ve been teaching 6th grade catechism for two years, but I was fairly apathetic dur­ing the last few months of my teaching. Even though I tried my best, I didn’t think I was the most effective teacher. I thought to myself, “maybe I would take a break,” but that I would need to decide after this retreat.

In our planning stages, we were highly speculative on what to expect from the kids, at least until Mark came during the days before. (Mark is involved with Dong Hanh and has worked with these kids for years). We decided our theme to be “Children of God.” But the meaning theme didn’t come into fruition until we arrived in Arizona, where we experienced how children genuinely were.

Despite the diverse personalities and stages of development since there were 4­15 year olds, they all showed us what being childlike meant. During the year, I worked with an age group that is starting to want to become more independent and autonomous. Though the older kids felt different with the younger ones, I remember several telling me being at this retreat reminded them of their child­hood. It was difficult to accommodate to the age groups, but I noticed how every one of them contributed to each other and to the community. The pres­ence of each child reminded me to reflect on my own childhood. In their pres­ence, I saw much joy, hope, dependence, kindness, vulnerability, contentment, simpleness, and freedom.

The kids showed me what living in the present was really about. They were attentive to each other and were aware of aspects in the parents and nature that we did not notice. I nearly fell asleep while standing up on the 2nd night be­cause I could not keep up with their overwhelming energy. The leaders were also sneaking in naps once in awhile.

Each leader was dynamic in allowing a good flow during our planning stages and execution. Each leader also noticed what was needed for the project and contributed what was missing. Nothing in the end was missing, so we didn’t need to assign anything else when planning. During the retreat, our team dy­namics allowed the group to plug in our immediate needs. I reflected on my growth as a leader and servant for others and I noticed in myself more patience with others.

As we left Arizona, we felt comforted seeing how the kids developed over the 3 days. They grew more in their personal relationship with God and that is only thanks to His grace. I noticed several kids with substantial shifts in per­spectives. From this mission, the leaders bonded with each other, the children, and the parents, whom were very caring.

The more I reflect now, the more I noticed how much my spiritual and per­sonal growth was reflected in my interactions with the retreat leaders, re­treatants, parents, and myself. I think I’ve grown enough to give another year to my 6th graders. We had our first class last week, it went well. I noticed how my purpose for teaching catechism and teaching style has shifted consid­erably over the summer.

Thank you God for this opportunity.

End.