SuperNatural Christians Retreat — May 2005
Nickie's Diary

Day 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Crooked Lake becomes a huge mirror when the sun comes out.

Bill, our fearless leader, and Karen on our way back to where we left the van.

By this time, we were all seasoned professionals in the water.

Even though we all had to be awake by 5:30 in the morning, this turned out to be a great day. I woke up and joined the rest of the group by the lake. The weather was perfect and the sun was out. We saw loons, a pair of eagles and even a beaver that morning. (Margaret was so excited!) We soon got to work, packing up the tents and picking up the site. It was bittersweet for me—I was glad to be headed for a shower and running water but also sad that it would probably be my last time ever at that campsite.

Bethany Paul, center, is a graduate student at Marquette and serves in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.

We packed our backpacks in to the canoes left the site. We had a 2 hour canoe ride ahead of us. By the end of those 2 hours I finally figured out how to steer the canoe! At the very end we saw a bald eagle fly above us one more time. We all sighed as we left the woods, but smiled when we realized we were driving out of a massive swarm of mosquitoes. We won't miss those! It would be a 6 hour drive to St. Paul, Minnesota, our next destination.

After our much-anticipated showers, we visited with several of the men in the novitiate house. They even shared more chocolate with us!

All I knew of St. Paul was that it was where I'd be taking my first shower in 4 days! We'd be staying at the Jesuit Novitiate, a house for new Jesuits. The city was pretty and the Jesuits were very welcoming. They ignored our stench and invited us into their house. The house consisted of dorm rooms in which we'd be staying, complete with real beds and pillows. They invited us to celebrate mass with them and eat dinner. It was fun getting to know some of the Jesuits personally. We were all very grateful for their hospitality.

The best stop on our tour of the twin cities was this cathedral, where we peaked inside as a baccalaureate mass was going on.

We explored the Twin Cities after dinner. A local Jesuit showed us around town. We saw the Cathedral, several mansions, and city parks. Totally different scenery than we had seen the previous days but it was equally enjoyable.

Right now I am in the comfortable bed, ready for my last night of the retreat. I will miss everyone. We have all gotten to know each other really well, and I am honestly looking forward to spending time with them in the van tomorrow!