Dorm Retreat to Paris!

Last weekend, we took the girls on a most epic dorm retreat to…PARIS!! One of our girls’ dads is the pastor at the American Church in Paris, so we were able to stay in the church’s basement/gym.  So after school on Friday we packed all our girls, their backpacks, and sleeping bags in 3 vans and made the 7-hour drive to Paris.  And what a wonderful weekend it was!

            Since we weren’t able to leave until 4 o’clock on Friday, we didn’t make it to Paris until 11pm.  But the drizzly late night didn’t stop our girls from walking the amazingly short distance to the sparkly Eiffel Tower (it glitters on the hour every hour and we just happened to make it for the midnight ‘showing’).  The next morning we did a self-guided group tour through parts of Paris, reaching the Eiffel Tower yet again, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Champs d’Elysee.  At the Champs d’Elysee, we stopped for lunch at a pizza place—all 20 of us. From there, we allowed the girls a few hours of free time to explore the city.  It’s amazing—I had no qualms about letting them roam the city, and none of them seemed to be nervous about having that freedom.  I know I would not have been okay with that when I was in high school, but these are definitely a different population of high schoolers—ones who have lived all over the world and have grown up traveling on subways and buses and reading maps.  They very much enjoyed this time, and to my surprise, most of them spent their time shopping for a banquet dress—I guess what better place than the fashion city of Paris—although most assuredly many of the dresses were out of their price range. 

Sparkling Eiffel Tower Night #1

Witt at the Eiffel Tower

I love my Witt Chicks. :) *Some of the girls are holding Flat Stanleys of the four girls who chose not to come with us due to soccer games that weekend. Even though they weren't physically there, we tried to get them there somehow!

My Co-RAs Sarah, Emily, and I.

Anna unexpectedly gave me a kiss. ;)

The girls at the Arc D'Triumphe

            Later that night, we returned to the church for a lasagna dinner together and a birthday celebration for our girl whose place we were staying at.  Her birthday isn’t until June, but we thought it would be fun to celebrate with her dorm sisters AND her parents and grandparents who were visiting. After dinner, we played games like spoons, basketball, and volleyball in the gym, and finished the night by one more sparkly evening at the Eiffel Tower.

Rebecca's birthday celebration!

Some of our Korean girls loving on each other. :)

Hanging out in the gym.

Evening games in the gym.

Two of our girls enjoying crepes underneath the sparkly Eiffel Tower.

            Sunday, our last day, my Co-RA Emily and I went and bought pastries from a Parisian bakery for the girls before we had a time of worship and headed off yet one last time to the Eiffel Tower for some last minute pictures.  After difficultly trying to round the girls up to leave Paris, we finally began our long journey back around 1pm.

            All in all, our dorm retreat to Paris was really short and tiring as a staff member, but it was such a sweet time with the girls and so much fun to bless them with such an unexpected, big trip. And I feel like that’s how God is with us.  He longs to bless us.  To knock our socks off. And He knows exactly how to do it; He knows what makes us smile and what warms our hearts, whether it’s a beautiful sunset, a deep connection with a friend, a good hearty laugh, or even something like a quick weekend to Paris.  The more I am an RA here, the more I am understanding how my parents love me, and even more so, how my Heavenly Father loves me as His child.  So much more in the Bible and in life make sense in taking care of and serving these 19 high school girls. 

“If you, then, though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

Matthew 7:11