A Weekend Away

Last weekend we had our first retreat of the year on beautiful Flathead Lake. The nine hour trip to the other side of the state was worth it for a weekend of relaxation and reflection. We retreated with the JV communities from the rest of the "Big Sky Region"- Hays, Billings, and Missoula, MT, Boise, ID and Spokane and Omak, Washington. It was great to see everyone again and to hear about their experiences so far.

The retreat was led by Fr. Larry, the former director of JVC Northwest. He challenged us to reflect on forgiveness, compassion and mercy and how these qualities come into play in our work this year. It was an interesting and challenging weekend as we considered the many ways these traits permeate our everyday lives. The theme for the weekend was "Right Relationship" and besides thinking about those we serve at work we were encouraged to reflect on how we interact with the other members of our household communities as well as the community at large.

In the midst of all of that reflection there was also plenty of time for fun and catching up with the JVs from other communities. The retreat center was located in the midst of beautiful trees, just a short walk from the lake shore, with the Mission Mountains as a picturesque background. We spent a lot of time exploring the grounds and enjoying the natural beauty. On Sunday, a pretty large group of us decided to go for a swim in the very chilly lake! We also had a pretty intense game of Mafia and learned a new house favorite- the paper bag game. Who knew that nothing more than a paper bag could keep us occupied for hours!

The drive to and from Flathead took us through every major city in Montana except for Helena and Great Falls, as well as some beautiful scenery. We also passed St. Ignatius, the oldest church and mission in the state of Montana. Named for the founder of the Jesuits, it seemed appropriate that we take the time to stop there and look around.

Overall, the retreat weekend was a great opportunity to relax and reflect on our year so far. It was nice to catch up with the other JVs and have some time away from Ashland to put everything into perspective.

Hays Visits!

A few weekends ago, we were delighted to find out that the JV house in Hays, Montana decided to grace us with their presence and spend the night in the big city of Ashland.  They came down on a Friday night to watch their football team play St. Labre, and even though the Braves lost, it was fun spending time with the Hays JVs and hearing about their experiences so far.  Following the football game, we had a rousing game of Cranium and then headed outside to make s'mores in our firepit. 

Saturday morning included a continental breakfast provided by Peggy and the discovery that the Hays JVs had somehow locked their keys inside their car.  Luckily, one of John's many skills includes being a locksmith, and he was able to get the door open using a wire hanger.  That was perfect, except for the fact that the car battery was now dead, and we were back to square one. 
After flagging down a friendly neighbor, we were finally able to get the ol' Subaru up and running and headed off to the Amish store.  Our new friends were both delighted and shocked at the plethora of cheap food available on Amish Lane. 

We had a great time visiting with the Hays JVs and hope that they can make the trip to Ashland again sometime soon!