We're so glad to be at Happening there's no place we'd rather be
So, this past extended weekend was amaaazing. I loved it so much. I'm not going to say that every minute was awesome, but the minutes that were good were sooo good, they made up for the mediocre ones. So yeah...
I loved the Team. I didn't think I was going to get along with them great...I thought it was going to be really awkward and it wasn't at all. I got really close to a lot of the people, and it was just really amazing how we all bonded. Superfriends especially were awesome...I didn't get to participate in basically any of the normal Happening stuff, i loved all the decorating and costuming and skitting it up with all the cool ppl in that group. Plus we did a kick ass job...the candidates actually knew that we were behind the skits and decorations for once, and they commented on how they thought they were cool and stuff so..yay! That doesn't happen too often; it's easy for the superfriends to act entirely in anonymity. Yeah basically the people turned out to be amazing in ways that I really cannot describe.
I didn't get lost getting there. That was nice. I got to out with Ross, Don, Greg, Claire, Both, and Haley afterwards. That was even better. I did get a little lost coming home, but the way I ended up going was much simpler than my original plan.
The senior skit was fun. When I was at Happening before, I hadn't realized that it was just seniors, but it makes sense because it is sort of a good bye thing.
I was bascially decorating, cleaning, or thinking about costumes/chaning the whole time I was there. So I missed a LOT of the real Happening stuff, like the talks and seeing the candidates respond to the talks after talking w/ their smal groups. But decorating was so much fun, and it was great to see the candidates react to the dining hall being a different theme every thime they came to eat. Plus costumes were far-out; I would've been embarrased at times at what I was wearing if I didn't have 9 other people wearing the same kind of thing with me. So instead it was just funny and we laughed at each other and ourselves (and really they were pretty cute, as far as costumes go...). Plus hanging out with all the superfirends or various Team members that were around in my bits of downtime was quite fun and helped me to get to know everyone better.
Having a prayer partner was a really sort of interesting experience. There were more Team than candidates, so only seniors and heads bascially got a partner, and we were supposed to pray for that candidate basically as much as humanly possible during the weekend. I remember finding out who my partner was at the end of the weekend when I happened (and she was actually on Team with me this time), and it was really an amazing experience then, to find out that all this time, while I was growing in my faith, someone was behind the scenes, helping that happen. And so, being a prayer partner for someone else was interesting i that I got to see the other side at work. Every time I saw Shelly, I would pray for her, and it was kind of joyous (best word I can think of right now) to know that she had no idea yet. Every time I talked to her, I made an effort to make sure that she knew something about me, so that when she turned around on the last day and saw who had been praying for her, she would recognize me and be all the more surprised. It is a great feeling to find out that someone that you didn't know before, but have gotten to know and enjoy, has been praying for you all along. Yesterday I got a letter from her, thanking me for praying for her that whole weekend, telling me what the weekend had meant to her, and telling me that she know would be praying for me as I work through all my stuff with college. And that was just as unexpected for me, and I got a little bit of the feeling I had when I happened.
On the first night, we were going to have a bonfire, but it rained all the night before and it was too wet, so the superfriends lit like 100 candles (no joke) in the gym and made a sort of faux-bonfire for everyone to mingle around. Apparently it worked the best of any bonfire night, as everyone mingled some and sang some and ate song, just like they were supposed to (as opposed to clumping and being quiet or sawying to all the slow songs-not the best idea on the frist night b/c it alienates ppl sometimes). So that was exciting. and it was actually really pretty.
On a less spiritual note, we had a rave (drug-free) with strobe lights and techno and blacklights and all. It was sooo much fun, the best dane I've been to at the Summit yet, b/c techno is easier to dance to (while leaving room for jesus!! lol) than rap, and it makes you feel less awkward lol. But even better than that was the feeling I got when I walked into the UYF and saw none other than Chris Courtright standing there, helping to set up. Neither of us knew that the other was going to be there, so that was awesome. It really made my night. Also, Andrew Smith, who had done the music at my happening, recognized me (which was nice, b/c we had talked quite a bit when I happened) and we talked a lot this weekend to, and so yay!! And Xen came to closing on Sunday, and that was wonderful too. I swear I hugged him for like 3 miutes straight. Thas a long hug. I was smiling basically from Saturday at 8 till Sunday at 1. Then I stopped smiling and started crying b/c it's sad to leave these things. But I cheered up, don't worry.
LAst thing I'll tell, I swear! SO we had the piety dinner on saturdy night, to get the candidates all calm and spiritually-minded before they went down for the healing service, where they could pray individually with the preists if they wanted (Saturday night can be quite emotional). And so Superfriends waited on tables, which was kinda weird, but then we listened to people recite poetry and sing and stuff. I sang I'll Praise Him While He GIves Me Breath, an a capella song that I learned from my mom. I sang it really well, and it was really the prefect place to sing it (everyone was quite, it was dark, the room echoed a bit, it was a religious atmosphere). SO I was really glad that I had sung, even though I got really nervous about halfway thorugh, strangely. Then the Superfriends did this skit about Jesus taking all our sins for us to the song Bright Eyes, which is done every year. It's actually really moving, and I kind of laughed at myself b/c I was in the skit and I still cried. Oh well. But the Piety dinner went really well -- the candidates had to walk from the dining hall up to the Pit for the healing service and they weren't supposed to talk, and the table heads said that no one said a word the whole walk (usually there is some whispering and giggles n stuff).
So yeah, it was a whole different experience from when I happened, but generally just as rewarding. I'm soooo glad that I did it, and I'm relaly thinking about doing Vocare in college.
I loved the Team. I didn't think I was going to get along with them great...I thought it was going to be really awkward and it wasn't at all. I got really close to a lot of the people, and it was just really amazing how we all bonded. Superfriends especially were awesome...I didn't get to participate in basically any of the normal Happening stuff, i loved all the decorating and costuming and skitting it up with all the cool ppl in that group. Plus we did a kick ass job...the candidates actually knew that we were behind the skits and decorations for once, and they commented on how they thought they were cool and stuff so..yay! That doesn't happen too often; it's easy for the superfriends to act entirely in anonymity. Yeah basically the people turned out to be amazing in ways that I really cannot describe.
I didn't get lost getting there. That was nice. I got to out with Ross, Don, Greg, Claire, Both, and Haley afterwards. That was even better. I did get a little lost coming home, but the way I ended up going was much simpler than my original plan.
The senior skit was fun. When I was at Happening before, I hadn't realized that it was just seniors, but it makes sense because it is sort of a good bye thing.
I was bascially decorating, cleaning, or thinking about costumes/chaning the whole time I was there. So I missed a LOT of the real Happening stuff, like the talks and seeing the candidates respond to the talks after talking w/ their smal groups. But decorating was so much fun, and it was great to see the candidates react to the dining hall being a different theme every thime they came to eat. Plus costumes were far-out; I would've been embarrased at times at what I was wearing if I didn't have 9 other people wearing the same kind of thing with me. So instead it was just funny and we laughed at each other and ourselves (and really they were pretty cute, as far as costumes go...). Plus hanging out with all the superfirends or various Team members that were around in my bits of downtime was quite fun and helped me to get to know everyone better.
Having a prayer partner was a really sort of interesting experience. There were more Team than candidates, so only seniors and heads bascially got a partner, and we were supposed to pray for that candidate basically as much as humanly possible during the weekend. I remember finding out who my partner was at the end of the weekend when I happened (and she was actually on Team with me this time), and it was really an amazing experience then, to find out that all this time, while I was growing in my faith, someone was behind the scenes, helping that happen. And so, being a prayer partner for someone else was interesting i that I got to see the other side at work. Every time I saw Shelly, I would pray for her, and it was kind of joyous (best word I can think of right now) to know that she had no idea yet. Every time I talked to her, I made an effort to make sure that she knew something about me, so that when she turned around on the last day and saw who had been praying for her, she would recognize me and be all the more surprised. It is a great feeling to find out that someone that you didn't know before, but have gotten to know and enjoy, has been praying for you all along. Yesterday I got a letter from her, thanking me for praying for her that whole weekend, telling me what the weekend had meant to her, and telling me that she know would be praying for me as I work through all my stuff with college. And that was just as unexpected for me, and I got a little bit of the feeling I had when I happened.
On the first night, we were going to have a bonfire, but it rained all the night before and it was too wet, so the superfriends lit like 100 candles (no joke) in the gym and made a sort of faux-bonfire for everyone to mingle around. Apparently it worked the best of any bonfire night, as everyone mingled some and sang some and ate song, just like they were supposed to (as opposed to clumping and being quiet or sawying to all the slow songs-not the best idea on the frist night b/c it alienates ppl sometimes). So that was exciting. and it was actually really pretty.
On a less spiritual note, we had a rave (drug-free) with strobe lights and techno and blacklights and all. It was sooo much fun, the best dane I've been to at the Summit yet, b/c techno is easier to dance to (while leaving room for jesus!! lol) than rap, and it makes you feel less awkward lol. But even better than that was the feeling I got when I walked into the UYF and saw none other than Chris Courtright standing there, helping to set up. Neither of us knew that the other was going to be there, so that was awesome. It really made my night. Also, Andrew Smith, who had done the music at my happening, recognized me (which was nice, b/c we had talked quite a bit when I happened) and we talked a lot this weekend to, and so yay!! And Xen came to closing on Sunday, and that was wonderful too. I swear I hugged him for like 3 miutes straight. Thas a long hug. I was smiling basically from Saturday at 8 till Sunday at 1. Then I stopped smiling and started crying b/c it's sad to leave these things. But I cheered up, don't worry.
LAst thing I'll tell, I swear! SO we had the piety dinner on saturdy night, to get the candidates all calm and spiritually-minded before they went down for the healing service, where they could pray individually with the preists if they wanted (Saturday night can be quite emotional). And so Superfriends waited on tables, which was kinda weird, but then we listened to people recite poetry and sing and stuff. I sang I'll Praise Him While He GIves Me Breath, an a capella song that I learned from my mom. I sang it really well, and it was really the prefect place to sing it (everyone was quite, it was dark, the room echoed a bit, it was a religious atmosphere). SO I was really glad that I had sung, even though I got really nervous about halfway thorugh, strangely. Then the Superfriends did this skit about Jesus taking all our sins for us to the song Bright Eyes, which is done every year. It's actually really moving, and I kind of laughed at myself b/c I was in the skit and I still cried. Oh well. But the Piety dinner went really well -- the candidates had to walk from the dining hall up to the Pit for the healing service and they weren't supposed to talk, and the table heads said that no one said a word the whole walk (usually there is some whispering and giggles n stuff).
So yeah, it was a whole different experience from when I happened, but generally just as rewarding. I'm soooo glad that I did it, and I'm relaly thinking about doing Vocare in college.