On Mar. 1–3, the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh, Pa., had some unusual guests. Around 50 youth from Presbytery of the Alleghenies met there for their annual Sprinter Retreat.

The speaker for the weekend was Dean Smith, chairman of the Bible department at Geneva College. His topic was “Turtle on a Fence-post.” An odd title, perhaps, at first, but after the explanation it all comes together.

Looking at examples from the Old and New Testaments, we investigated the lives of people such as Jacob and Paul. We saw how only through God’s grace can we be used for His glory. God puts us in a place where only He could have put us because of our sinful nature. We learned that only by God’s grace, the salvation of Jesus Christ, and the compulsion of the Holy Spirit are we “turtles” placed on “fenceposts.”

Chad and Joanie Baumgartner led group games. The purpose of these games was to practice teamwork and cooperation. Although the games were not impossible, they did pose somewhat of a challenge. One of these games matched our turtle theme. Divided into four teams, there was a rope “pond” in the center of the room, filled with colored jacks. The point? Each teammate, acting as a turtle, was to get all the team’s colored jacks out of the pond. The “turtle,” however, who was sent in to get the jacks, was blindfolded and crawling.

And, of course, mud football was a must—this time in nearby Frick Park. It was perfect weather: not quite cold enough to snow, and raining just enough to make the field muddy. Needless to say, garbage bags were later required for storing our shoes.

Sunday we walked down to Covenant Fellowship RPC for worship. Dean Smith shared his last message with us and with the Covenant Fellowship congregation. Before and after worship we had a psalm sing, sharing favorites and praising God. We ended with a filling lunch and then headed home. It was a weekend of new insights, fellowship, and worship.