Saturday, June 15

another wild weekend

after i get back from home, had to do laundry and pack in two hours.
sped off to church, to load and get a ride to our church member's retreat.

ride there was loads of fun, b/c i was in y.s.'s car, and she's such a fun sister. she's older than me, so i guess my inhibitions disappear.

she was feeling kinda down at the beginning, she had a rough day. to cheer her up, i told her how she was one of the first girls i ever checked out from church (these days, i'm getting a little TOO honest, i think). it did loosen her up, and that car ride was then filled with details, like what i remember she was wearing, etc, etc. loads of fun. it's fun teasing her, i don't know why.

RETREAT (theme: ONE IN SPIRIT)
i love retreats. i needed to get away from my studies and the city pretty badly. i needed to spend some extended time in prayer.

i learned a lot about R. church, about the ministries that are going on, and especially the pastors' stance on many things. there was a lot of teaching from the pastoral staff, which was great

got to know a lot of the members much, much better. so thankful for that. just had loads of fun.

friday morn, we got soccer updates during breakfast and the breaks from beloved D.K. i'm a little disappointed i missed such an exciting game, but i received a lot more at the retreat.

friday afternoon, it was raining hard, but some of us decided to go swim anyway. the pool water turned out to be warmer than the rain, so that was cool. we set up goals with some of the chairs, and played waterpolo.

it was SO much fun. and so exhausting. i don't remember having that kind of fun in a pool in a LONG time. when we were done, i felt as though i had lifted weights for an hour and a half. my body was swollen, my muscles were worked, and i was cramping in my hamstrings, thighs, and calves. i don't know what's wrong with me. i cramp more than any other person i know.

this retreat was different from most retreats for me, because usually, i'm receiving, receiving, receiving. just learning, being blessed, having a great time. this time, i was asked to lead praise for the entire retreat.

WHOA. never had such a responsibility before. i went thru my entire songbook like 20 times the past two weeks, and selected about 25 possible songs i would like to do during the retreat.

i'm just so thankful that i can do something like this. it was an incredible experience for me.

i've never led worship for consecutive sessions, two times a day. my poor fingers. after the first session, my woice died. this is what i get for singing improperly all these years. i sing from my throat and my head, and not from my diaphragm. parker tried to teach me this years ago, but i still don't have the hang of it. the result: i couldn't sustain notes, and i was hoarse after the first session, and all the following.

and yet, it was something that i am so thankful for. that was a special time for me, a special kind of worship that i am rarely able to lift up to my God.

it was hard picking the appropriate songs for each session, to be ready to lead so early in the morning. a growing experience. so many in this past year. thank you, God.

*****
all my floormates have taken their boards except d.c. and me. i need to really get this ball going, or else i will be in trouble. i don't regret that things i had to do these past weeks. they were very important to me. but now that they are over, i need to lower my head, and get to work. please pray for me, those of you reading this. i need it.

yakob at 6:34 PM

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