2024 Eastern Student Retreat
This January, 18 students from 6 campuses, alongside 17 graduate doctors and dentists, gathered at Guelph Bible Conference Centre for a weekend of fellowship, spiritual refreshment, and engaging presentations. Pastor Jason Yuh led attendees through a series of reflections on how we can seek the Lord through humility. Dr. Jeanie Yuh, his wife and a practicing OBGYN, and Dr. Gordon Wong, a practicing dentist, shared illustrative testimony on seeking the Lord’s will above all.
No student event is complete without the always popular Student and Resident Q & A sessions. These sessions give the chance for students to put the grads on the hot seat! As we had nearly equal numbers of dental students and medical students this year, we opted to host separate sessions for both groups. Students submitted their questions anonymously and the panel of grads did their best to provide helpful answers. Here’s a sampling of the students’ questions:
- How do you deal with the conviction that your patients need to hear the gospel? And is there a context in Canada where you can work where you can evangelize?
- How did you know you met the person you wanted to marry? (This was asked in both sessions!)
- How do you deal with failures/mistakes in your practice that have very real consequences?
- How do you stay spiritually healthy when you are spending most of your hours filling your mind with medicine?
- How do you stay encouraged while working in an environment or field that is hostile to Christianity?
Besides the formal presentations, there were many opportunities to connect with other attendees. During free time, the common room in the conference centre was a hub of activities. Students and grads shared lively conversations over rounds of Dutch Blitz and various games, while some challenged one another to games of ping pong. Impromptu clusters from various campuses shared about their experiences and asked graduate members for wisdom. Friendly theological discussions ran parallel to earnest conversations about marriage, family, and how to build a life after the rigours of dental and medical school.
As it has for generations of medical and dental students, the Eastern Student Retreat continues to make a lasting impact in the lives of students and grads. Our thanks to Pastor Yuh and Dr. Jeanie Yuh for their generosity of time in a busy season of life and to Dr. Dan Reilly for his ongoing leadership. If you would like to join the planning team for the ESR, please email Stéphanie at communications@cmdacanada.org.