A New Children's Camp in Southern California - Youth Lenten Retreat- Camping in Monastery Sretenje in Escondido.
A group of twenty pilgrim-adventurers, consisting of teenagers, children and adults arrived to the Monastery grounds at dusk on Friday, March 20, prepared with sleeping bags, tents, and excitement.
The monastery, located in a deep valley and surrounded by the echoing hills of Escondido and its gentle streams, made a peaceful impression setting a powerful tone for our retreat. The single monastic cell, in which His Grace, Bishop Maxim stayed to be with us, suddenly became surrounded by tents that looked much like forest mushrooms.
In the heart of a dark yet star-lit night, a campfire illuminated stories that sparked our youth’s fascination for the beauty of God’s creation. While bedding down for the night, our happy voices were only dwarfed by the sounds of birds chirping and frogs croaking.
