By Ashley Gonzalez – Glenwood Springs, Colorado … Hispanic youth and young adults gathered November 6 in Glenwood Springs, Colorado for a chance to reconnect, fellowship, build relationships, and have fun at the yearly Hispanic youth retreat.

This was the first time meeting together since 2019 due to the pandemic, and the 150 attendees were anxious to see everyone.

One church leader attending the event commented, “We are grateful and privileged to be able to have our youth here this year. Our youth have been tempted by this world, especially during the pandemic when our church was closed. Having our youth come together, specifically for this event, has made all the difference in their spiritual lives.”

Being apart from each other for two years made the weekend reunion special and refreshing according to one attendee who said, “Being able to see my friends from the [Montrose] mountains after not seeing them last year, due to the pandemic, made me realize how tight-knit our churches and youth are. I [also] saw a lot of new young people, and it was nice to meet them and hear their stories about how they got into the church.”

The gathering included worship thoughts by Sandro Sandoval, guest speaker from the Kansas-Nebraska Conference, and included activities to build relationships.

“This weekend was fun, [Pastor Sandro Sandoval, guest speaker] was relatable, and sincerely, I had a great time. The scavenger hunt activity Saturday afternoon was cool because we got to play against other churches. Sometimes a little church rivalry is alright,” Eduardo Lopez, Denver Hispanic church member, said.

Kenia Fabian, Denver Central Hispanic church member, was grateful for the worship thoughts.  “I saw the power of God when the human efforts and talents got together for the cause of Jesus Christ. I experienced blessings, the power of love, and the Word of God through Pastor Sandro’s testimonies and lessons.”

Wilmer Martinez, Bloomfield, New Mexico Hispanic church pastor, reflecting on the weekend, said, “In the name of Jesus, [it was] an extraordinary encounter with Christ. We need more topics for young people like Pastor Sandro’s, that focus more on Christ.

–Ashley Gonzalez is a member of the Denver Hispanic church; photos supplied