Search is an exclusive retreat for juniors and seniors to build their relationship with God. The weekend-long event happened at Central High School from Friday, March 7 until Sunday, March 9. Search aims to drown out the noise of the world, allowing students to build up their relationship with God and one another. Students, teachers, and family members were asked to write the Searchers letters of encouragement to help sustain them on their faith journey.
There is an intentional air of mystery around Search that persists year after year. “You go into Search not knowing what to expect, and I think that’s the point. We don’t know what to expect and we just rely on God leading us,” senior Halle Anderson states. The point of this retreat is to keep students from knowing what will happen, but to trust that God will lead you in the right direction. “I’m not sure what I’m expecting. I’m just excited to connect with people and to connect more with my faith,” Halle Anderson states. During the retreat, students are secluded from the outside world, kept from communicating so that their focus can remain on growing their relationship with God.
After the retreat, people felt more free and relaxed. Senior Halle Anderson said, “Even though I’m not sure what I was expecting, it surpassed anything I could’ve imagined.” People also felt more relaxed in their choices, not just faith-oriented decisions but also those in daily life. They also felt closer to God and they felt more connected with people. “I felt like even though some of those people there I wasn’t necessarily close to, I can always count on them to be there for me and to support me in my actions,” Halle Anderson states.
Having a close relationship with God is the goal for some people, and Search helped those people find it. The thrill of not knowing what to expect when you attend Search and being close to classmates and others on this journey is what makes Search special.
