I recently led a 2-night, 3-day retreat for the “WorshipLife” Young Adults Ministry at Bethel Church in Irvine, California, followed by delivering sermons for all four Sunday services. Coming off a similar experience in Germany last month, I was once again blessed to witness God’s abundant grace. Despite the physical exhaustion from the 10-hour time difference, it was a truly grateful time as I saw God working in incredible ways.
From the very start, it felt as though Satan was trying to interfere. Leaving for the airport was unexpectedly challenging: the taxi driver relied solely on his GPS, turning what should have been a 5-minute drive into over 40 minutes. My online check-in didn’t work, forcing me to do it at the airport, where there were few staff. To make matters worse, the person ahead of me took an unusually long time, leaving me only 1 minute before check-in closed. I barely made it onto the plane, running to catch the flight.
I arrived late Wednesday afternoon, rested on Thursday, and headed to the retreat site on Friday afternoon. Due to rush hour traffic, we didn’t start the first session until 9 PM. On the way, -we passed a scene involving a four-car accident, emphasizing the difficulties we faced. With Sunday being primarily dedicated to worship, the retreat was essentially Friday evening and Saturday, so I was concerned about how much grace could flow, especially starting the first session so late.
The retreat theme was “Christians on the offense.” On the first night, I spoke on “Spirituality on the offense,” followed by “Holiness on the offense” on the second day, and closed with “Worship on the offense” during Sunday service. After each sermon, we had over an hour of prayer time, during which I personally prayed for every participant. Even after Sunday worship, young adults who hadn’t received prayer sought me out, leading to another 1.5 hours of prayer ministry.
The young adult ministry was divided into three groups, and there had been complaints about the need for a joint retreat. Additionally, their previous young adult pastor had left two months ago to plant a church, and the new pastor was still adjusting, alongside three existing staff members who struggled to work as a team.
Despite the challenges, the short retreat brought immense grace. The young adults and staff all experienced deep spiritual blessings, transforming into one unified team. Many encountered God and received spiritual gifts, becoming stronger and more fervent in their faith. Although the retreat ended with Sunday worship, it wasn’t the conclusion. The staff announced an impromptu “guerrilla worship” on Tuesday night, and 150 participants cancelled other commitments to attend. They worshipped passionately until 11 PM and stayed into the early hours, fellowshipping while eating fried chicken.
On Sunday, I preached the same message in all four services. God gave me peace, confidence, and boldness to deliver the Word. On my final day, a youth ministry staff member accompanied me to the airport. When I asked why, they shared that they had been spiritually drained but were fully restored through the Sunday service and didn’t want to miss any more time together.
Despite my shortcomings, I’m deeply grateful to be used as God’s coworker, bringing His grace to this church and its young adults. This experience has inspired me to draw closer to the Lord with all my heart.