TIROSH | July ‘04

By Whitney Olson

11^th Grade, Skyline High School  

Tirosh. Wow! What an experience. For me, you can't put it into words, but I will try anyway.

First, I must explain what Tirosh is. It is a three-day retreat for students between the ages of 15 and 20. You can only go once, because it is full of surprises. After you go through, you can serve on team. The team has three parts; Community (the support group), Wheaties (cooks and entertainment), and Vineyard (table leaders).

My first time experiencing Tirosh was this past winter. It was a great experience. All the love, or agape, I received made it an unforgettable weekend. Yet it did not change my life, like it had for so many others on the retreat. I wasn't changed until I served this summer.

Tirosh #32 was June 17-19, 2004. I served on the Vineyard team, and was the youth leader of the 'Joyful Dorcas' table. Each one of my girls was extremely special to me. We witnessed many talks and had many discussions throughout the weekend that not only strengthened our faith, but also our friendship. Through these girls I was able to feel real love for those three days. Almost like the love I get from my parents, but instead it was for people I had just met. For the past 2 months I had been praying for these girls and getting ready for this weekend. When it finally arrived it was more fulfilling than I could have ever thought.

The entire weekend was filled with God's love and grace. He had filled me with His abundant love so I could show it to these wonderful girls. For three days everything I did was for the participants. I listened, wrote them letters, prayed for them, did anything they asked me to do. And through this, I have begun to realize what God does 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for eternity. Even when we turn away from Him, He is still there, loving us and doing everything He can without taking away our free will. All He asks of us is to accept it. God filled me with His great love that weekend, so I could share it with those girls. Now I challenge both myself and everyone, to show His love continually in our everyday lives, so other people may see what an awesome God we have.

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