Pacifica Stories

Picture a dining hall full of high schoolers and faculty screaming "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver or "Firework" by Katy Perry at the top of their lungs. Imagine a cabin full of freshmen debating, with total seriousness, whether Superman could actually beat Spiderman in a fight. That's the kind of atmosphere that filled the buses, bunks, and ball courts last week as Pacifica's entire student body headed to Lost Canyon, a Young Life camp tucked into the high desert of Northern Arizona, for All-School Retreat.

This year's theme split campus into two rival universes: Marvel versus DC. Team Marvel came dressed in red, Team DC in blue, and for four days the competition played out across water olympics, team games, puzzles, and a lip-sync battle that had the whole camp on its feet. When the scores were tallied, Team DC walked away with the Pacifica Cup, led by Ryan Tahbaz as Superman and Violet Comer as Wonder Woman.

But underneath the wigs, capes, and friendly trash talk, Retreat has always been about something quieter. Each evening, students gathered for talks led by PACARTS Director Nate Overby, who challenged them to think about their life journey, identity, and where Jesus might come in to both. Those conversations carried into cabin time, where students sat with their cabinmates and faculty leaders to talk honestly about doubt, faith, and the questions that don't come with easy answers. On the last night, campers took ten quiet minutes under the Arizona sky, no talking, no phones, just space to think or pray or simply notice how big the stars are out there.