Summer Retreat 2021 – June 18-20
This was an extraordinary trip we planned because of feedback from our “kids.” We chose to provide a venue where they could release all the frustration, suffocation, anxiety, stress, and loneliness from feeling trapped due to the Covid pandemic and the social distancing policy. We chose the beautiful and peaceful mountain village in Phyong-change, where the winter Olympics were held in 2018! We had 22 participants and several volunteers on this trip! Since the lodging was at a hotel, creating an intimate family-like atmosphere was challenging; however, many participants found themselves rekindling friendships while on the long bus ride to the location, and of course, we were very fortunate to have a tour guide who made sure we complied with all the Covid safety rules! Some of the fun and exciting activities were a Sky Ranch Tour, feeding sheep, making cheese, visiting a nearby Temple, and by far the most favored activity, a talent show! It was such a treasure discovering hidden talents amongst the young adults.
A very special thanks to Jed at Smart Travel, for giving us an amazing discount, and providing us with a free upgraded luxury tour bus. Jay and other staff members made sure everyone was safe and enjoying themselves. We are also thankful to John Oh and his family for the kind gifts of fruits and sharing the message of God’s love and encouragement during the devotion, and Park, Myeong-hoon for a beautiful viola performance, and Kay for playing games with our “kids” all night, Katy Linn, a board member, for teaching fun card games, and Choi, Eun-jin for her excellent coordination with communication. Most especially, we thank all the participants for putting their trust in Love Beyond the Orphanage with their enthusiastic participation!
This trip truly brought much needed sunshine to the hearts of the participants! How God makes all things possible! On behalf of all the participants, volunteers, we salute every supporter who gave these aged-out young people the chance to be free and enjoy a wonderful weekend trip! Thank you!
