College Plus Gathering (Saturday)

Saturday morning was sad for all of us CP students. We knew it was time to say our goodbyes! I actually slept like a log until 6 a.m. and had a harder time getting into the shower. But once we turned the lights on at 7 a.m., everyone moved quite a bit faster. Most of us packed up right away so that we could visit more later on.

But we all made it down to breakfast on time, and then over to the conference room for our last sessions. It was primarily student-led today, which was great! We would have a 7-minute talk given by a student (pre-selected to speak) and then we would have 5 minutes to discuss it in a small group (10-12 people sitting near us), elect a spokesperson, and then that person would give a one-minute feedback/summary to the entire group on our thoughts from that session. It was a great exercise!

We did that with three different talks: The Importance of Student-Led Initiative, Analyzing and Interpreting (one of my favorites!), and The Heart of the Matter. After that, we had a brief discussion on Student Forums.

Then we had a much longer session, similar to the first ones, titled “A Vision for Community.” In our small groups we answered the following questions and shared our answers with the entire group:

*Why is it important to build a CP community?

*Who is the CP community?

*What is the CP community like? What does it do?

*How do we build this community?

Talking during one of the sessions.

Then we had one final session given by Woody Robertson (one of the CP founders) titled “3, 2, 1,  . . . Launch!” Basically, it was our farewell session. L After that, we had a brief time of travel instructions. About 30 students had their flights cancelled, and those of us that had driven from north Texas knew that the roads only got worse the further north we went. Because of that, the camp—and CP staff—graciously allowed those that wanted to stay at the camp an extra night at a very reasonable cost. We were so relieved!

We had lunch with everyone, and then said goodbye to those who were still leaving for the airport. Then we students moved our things from the dorms over to the building where the parents had been staying (in motel style accommodations.) Because my Mom had already been there, I just shared a room with her.

After everyone left, those of us that were staying just sat down in the lounge and visited with each other. I started talking with a girl named A, and we sat and talked for almost two hours! We found that we had so much in common, and just had a great, deep conversation!

We all walked over to the dining hall for an early dinner. It seemed so quiet without the majority of the people there!

After dinner, we relaxed at the lodge. We hooked up someone’s computer to the projector and watched some YouTube videos together and talked. I FaceTimed with a friend while some of the others tried to play Sardines.

Then we decided to go over to the fitness center for awhile. Some people played a game of basketball, while the rest of us just chatted. Finally, we went back up to the lodge. I went up to bed while others tried to get in touch with the airlines they were supposed to be flying on.

Mom and I talked for awhile and then turned off the lights around midnight. It was so nice to be in a warm bed on such a cold and icy night!

To be continued . . .