The Northern California Conference recently hosted its first Young Adult Retreat. The event, held Feb. 2-4 at Leoni Meadows, was designed specifically for young adults and college students on public college campuses throughout northern California. It was a weekend filled with inspirational messages, good food and friendship.

“This was my first time at an Adventist camp, and I loved the opportunity to be away in nature,” said Jamille Desiderio, a student at U.C. Berkeley. “It helped me focus more on God’s presence in my life.”

David Achata, youth/young adult pastor for the Florida Hospital church in Orlando was the guest speaker. Achata spoke about “The Naked Truth” and explored passages and circumstances in the Bible which helped describe and illustrate the need for people to get real with God. “I came to help out with the music for the weekend, and I already knew the speaker,” said Emily Pickell, student at Pacific Union College. “What I didn’t know was what a life-changing experience his messages were going to be for me. He really helped to return my focus back to God.”

The weekend was a huge success, with more than 50 young adults in attendance. The program began on Friday night with dinner and an evening meeting. Special guest Jessica Shine, associate pastor at the Pacific Union College church, directed the worship times with a group of students from PUC. The attendees were then divided up into smaller groups to further discuss the speakers’ messages and to get a little better acquainted with one another.

The schedule on Sabbath began a little later in the morning to accommodate the young adults’ need for a real Sabbath experience, considering the late night hours most of them keep. Sabbath activities began with a brunch at 10:30 a.m. and went right into the morning worship presentation and small group activity. Sabbath afternoon continued with various activities, like rides on Leoni Meadow’s miniature train, visits to the nature center, and tours of the historic Leoni House. Dinner at 4 p.m. was followed by the afternoon presentation and evening worship.

For the evening activities, the group bounced along on a hayride and warmed by a bonfire where people roasted marshmallows, made s’mores, and ended with table games and snacks in the Leoni cafeteria. A smaller group trekked to Tahoe to go skiing early Sunday morning, while others left early to get home in time to watch Super Bowl XLI.

Based on this year's success, the event’s sponsors hope to hold one again next year and double the attendance. “This was a weekend to relax and spend time getting rejuvenated,” said Eddie Heinrich, NCC youth director. “It was one of those moments to remember for a lifetime.”