CBCGN Children: Pilgrim Pines Retreat

Sarah wrote:

THE Pilgrim Pines RETREAT

A day in the sun, a day in the rain,

We learn about God until we go insane!!

This was the retreat like a retreat we never had,

And i played and i learned until I've gone mad.

In the class we learned commandments 1 thru 10,

Like the bible says, they're just as true as they were way back then!!

Number 1 we know that God should be first on the list,

Number 2 no idols shall we worship, as God insist.

Number 3 God's name should be, never spoken "wrong",

Number 4 the Sabbath day and for God, rest and sing a song.

Number 5 don't get me wrong, honor your father and mother,

Number 6 don't break this one, but don't murder strangers and friends or any other!!!

Number 7 life is great once you're true to your mate,

Number 8 never steal and never use your heart and hate.

Number 9 don't act the kind who always tells those lies,

And Number 10 don't covet and have jealous cries.

That's the list and I have listened,

From the shouts from God to me,

As I smile with happy glee!!

My head is throbbing cause I'm exploding with excitement,

I see my old friends and make new ones with enjoyment.

and my happiness is now turned into amusement!!

I scream with joy, as I splash on the beach,

My hands turn a wheel on the playground as round as a peach.

This was the best place I've ever met,

And the best retreat yet.

David Wrote:
I had some fun at the retreat this year. There are two things that I want to share, playing on the beach and the ninth commandment.

Playing on the beach is pretty fun because there’s a lot of things that you can do like doing sand fights, building sand castles, doing water fight, and jumping in the water. My favorites are water fight and sand fight. In sand fight, we can throw sand at the opponents and get them dirty. The two opponent teams were the people from Hollis, NH and people from Westford, MA. It was a tough fight and we enjoyed it a lot. I also like water fight because we can get people wet.

The ninth commandment from the Bible is “don’t lie”. What Mr. Bowman talked about was a girl who really wanted to eat a cookie, but her mother said not to eat a cookie before dinner. She ate a cookie anyway. When her family members asked her if she ate a cookie, she said “No, I didn’t eat a cookie.” After this her mother said she’d been such a good girl and bought her a bike. The next day she told a classmate that her mother bought her a bike and she’d been lying. But the classmate told her brother, and her brother told her parents. Before telling the story, Mr. Bowman took out a set of Russian dolls. During the story Mr. Bowman kept putting a bigger doll over the small ones. That’s how he showed the lie gradually got bigger until the lie got really big. Now I understand how bad a lie can be.

I really enjoyed the retreat and wish it could last longer.

Jeffrey wrote:
This year’s retreat was at Pilgrim Pines Swanzey, NH. It was Saturday, Sunday and Labor Day. The cabins we lived were really huge; there were a lot of beds too. There are probably 5-7 beds in each cabin. Most of us have a wonderful scene of the lake. Sometimes we even see canoes or rowboats crossing. There is plenty of space in the cabins. Our first meal was outside in the grove because the weather was very nice.

This year’s speaker for the children was Mr. Bowman and Mrs. Bowman. Last year we learned Jonah’s Story. This year we learned about The Ten Commandments. These are really important instructions from God. We also learned “Life works when you follow the instructions,” which means to follow right instructions of any kind. Mr. Bowman added that he had just gotten a new cell phone. The safety instructions were pretty silly such as:

-Do not put your cell phone in the microwave oven

-Do not put your cell phone in the freezer

-Make sure babies or children do not swallow the cell phone or any parts.

But they are still instructions. For each commandment we had a little discussion. We talked about there is more than one way of stealing, worshipping idols, and murdering. For example, hating someone is committing murder. And anything you like more than God counts as an idol. Also not using the gifts God gave you counts as stealing. A small lie can turn into a huge lie – so be careful! Don’t think one little lie does not matter much, it might turn into a big one – and you will really get in trouble! Saying the truth right up is better than lying. They’ll trust you more so if you are telling the truth but since you always lie, they won’t trust you anymore. Just like in the story “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.” He lied two times and when the wolf really came, they didn’t trust him anymore. The 7^th commandment says No adultery. It means after you get married, you cannot go and hang out with someone else more than your wife or husband. If this happens, it might cause a divorce. This makes it hard for the children the most because they think it is their fault and cause problems. We also practiced a song for The Ten Commandments. (See video)

After the meeting most of us went to the beach to play. Crystal got the idea of making a huge sand castle, including a moat. Most people jumped in the water or swam. David had to sit and read because he didn’t let his dad know that he was going with someone else. He read “The Lost Hero.” After 1 hour he joined everyone at the beach. After a big dinner, we went to the chapel again. Since we got there early, we got to play games such as ping pong, foosball, and pool table. We continued practicing the song and learning about The Ten Commandments.

The next morning, I woke up and heard David and Crystal practicing the song with their dad. After we all had breakfast, we had a moment to play and then returned to the chapel. Mr. Bowman continued to talk about The Ten Commandments. We kept practicing the song; we even learned the motions to the song. Then we went to lunch, this time it was indoors because the weather was cloudy (later in the evening it started to rain). In the afternoon we watched videos. They were in cartoon and were about The Ten Commandments. In the afternoon a lot of us went boating in the lake. It was hard getting out into the deep part because the wind was blowing to the direction of the shore. There were speed boats and when they zoom passed your boat there are a lot of waves. The kids think it is fun, but the adults think it is scary. When we were in the middle of boating, Kendle lost his paddle! Luckily it was made of wood and later it was also found. In the evening after dinner we started watching “VeggieTales the Pirates That Don’t Do Anything.” Since we didn’t finish it, we finished it the following morning. That same day we performed the song in front of all the adults. Then we recited the commandments.

The Ten Commandments (for kids)

1. One God

2. No idols

3. Honor God’s name

4. Keep the Sabbath holy

5. Honor your father and mother

6. Don’t murder

7. No adultery

8. Don’t steal

9. Don’t lie

10. Don’t covet

The Ten Commandments (the song)

In a cloud of fire and smoke a mighty voice of thunder broke as God decanted to the mountain top. High upon Mt. Sinai he gave the rules we should live by as God gave out the shalts and thou shalt nots.

Number 1 we’ve just begun – God should be first in your life.

Number 2’s the idol rule – those graven images aren’t nice.

Number 3 God’s name should be never spoken in jest.

Number 4 the Sabbath’s for our worship and for rest.

Number 5 we all should strive to honor father and mother.

Number 6 don’t get your kicks from killing one another.

Number 7 life is heaven when you’re true to your mate.

Number 8 don’t steal and break this rule for goodness sake.

Number 9 don’t be the kind who goes around telling lies.

Number 10 don’t covet when you see your neighbor’s house or wife.

That’s the list that God insists we stay away from these sins. That is why we memorize commandments one through ten.

1^st time

The perfect ten, the perfect ten. They’re just as true as they were way back then. God gave the perfect ten, the perfect ten. Let’s say then once again. (Repeat from commandments)

2^nd time

The perfect ten, the perfect ten. They’re just as true as they were way back then. God gave the perfect ten, the perfect ten. God gave the perfect ten.

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, The perfect ten!!!

The Ten Commandments (regular version)

1. There shall be no other gods before me.

2. You shall not worship idols of any shape or kind.

3. You must not misuse the name of the Lord.

4. The Sabbath day must be set aside to worship and praise God.

5. Honor your father and your mother.

6. You shall not murder.

7. You shall have no adultery in your lifetime.

8. You shall not steal.

9. You shall not lie.

10. You shall not be jealous of other people’s things.