Endeavor 2016 Recap

A few weeks ago, I was sitting on an airplane in the early hours of a Sunday morning. As people around me dozed, I found myself praying for the 41 young women who would be joining me the following day at Endeavor on Lake Oconee in Georgia. It was during that time that the Lord firmly placed Hosea 6:3 on my heart as a verse for the event.

“Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”

I believe that this verse was not just a calling for the event as a whole, but rather a charge for each of us to orient the focus of everything that we do toward Jesus. This was indeed the motivation behind each element of the Endeavor event this year – to know our Savior more. Be it through small group discussions, dynamic worship, advice panels, or instructional tidbits, the ladies who attended were inspired to enjoy and glorify their Creator.

Some highlights of the event included group events like a standing-reception lunch, competing against one another in a skeet shooting flurry at the shooting range, touring the Ritz Carlton Reynolds Plantation and hearing from it’s manager, Ralph Vick, and (my personal favorite activity) a night-time team building adventure game called Smaug’s Jewels. Students participated in sessions every morning and evening about relationships with family and friends, contentment, thought life, hospitality, gracious living, among other topics relevant to today’s young women. Our newest, and most highly reviewed session this year was a talk about inductive Bible study. The talk shared study tips as well as scriptural foundation for why it is so important that we grow to love God with all of our minds. After the session, students worked with their small groups to unpack and dig deep into the event’s theme scripture, Proverbs 31. In doing so, they not only meditated on the attributes held by the woman of this passage, but also in the way that Christ and His gospel was ultimately reflected, and what that means for us as His followers.

In all of the between time, skill-building sessions such as photography, flower arranging, cooking, self defense, auto maintenance, style, etiquette, fitness, and much more were led by our staff team. Even in the minutest of details, our prayer was that we all would be inspired to press on in our knowledge of the Lord.

If you were unable to attend Endeavor this year, I sincerely hope that you will consider the alumni event in 2017. For all alumni ladies ages 15 and up, Endeavor is a life-changing event. Dates and locations for next year will be posted online on February 1, 2017. Until then, if you were a student who attended this year, we’d love to hear your stories from the week. Send us an email at [email protected].