Hey everyone! ♥ If you remember, I actually told you guys that I was going to a Korean Church Retreat not too long ago. I actually got back last week and I can say it was an amazing experience! The trip was 4 days, 3 nights at a Christian University a few hours away from home. There was over 1,000 Korean-American teens there and the vibe at Worship was so amazing...
I stayed at the dorms at the uni along with all the other girls and my roommates Mary & Bethany were so amazing! I usually go to a huge American church, but due to complications they no longer have a high school program. :( So, I tag along to the adult service and I don't really understand what they are
saying... so that means I haven't really been learning about God.
A few weeks ago, a family friend invited us to a local Korean church we haven't heard of- we decided to visit and Minho & I instantly fell in love with the Youth service. We really connected with the kids at this church, and turns out a few of them are going to be going to my high school! A week or so later, I was invited to go this camp. I was so nervous, I've never been away from my family that long. But, I felt like I needed to clear my mind in a lot of areas, so I went on a journey to find myself spiritually during those four days.
The car ride was so bomb- being Korean, all the girls were in one car and the guys were loaded into a van. We ate Kimbap, and listened to music. But tbh, it was too early for us so all the girls just slept the entire ride. XD
- I'm the girl with the Adidas bag lol. I got this from the website- haha. Srsly the photographers are legit ninjas.
When we reached the university, the vibe there was so amazing. I don't know what was in the air but it felt different- it felt really good. We had a few hours of free time so, I got settled into my dorm and talked with my roommate Mary (who arrived before Beth) and Hannah (who is actually from Ansan, but is going to my school for a year).
On the first day we had orientation to umm.. get oriented? After that we had small group. My small group was so amazing- we grew really close to one another and they helped me grow so much spiritually and as a person. And for that I'm truly grateful for.
♥ L to R: Me, Jessica, Grace (Best Youth Leader EVER), Mary, Candi, Bethany, Christine, Abby ♥
Our schedule was packed with non-stop worship, so I definitely learned a lot while I was at this retreat. I learned about God's Real Love, how knowledge of the Bible isn't everything- God's love for us is. I learned it's okay to mess up, that God will be here for me no matter what. And during this retreat I felt a love greater than anything I've ever come to know here on this Earth. I hope I can carry on this great feeling all throughout my life.
And really quickly I'd like to thank CHBC for letting me come to this amazing camp with them- I've made so many memories at this camp and this church has showed me so much love in such a short amount of time. I'm glad a lot of you are going to high school with me and that we are really more like a family. Thanks for cheering me up when I was homesick, when I was at my lows you guys were there for me. Thanks for everything. 여러분들 사랑합니다 ! ♥
♥ ♥ ♥
Coming back home, shook me abit. I missed my small group who became my best friends in such a small time- and they were all in different parts of the U.S. Adjusting back to regular life wasn't easy. I actually missed tennis tryouts because I went to the church retreat. But, a miracle happened. Since I went to majority of the open courts, the coach said I already made the team. I was so excited! I'm on the JV team this year (since I'm a freshie lol) and I'm so blessed that my teammates are such wonderful people. I have my first match against another high school Monday, and I'm so nervous! I hope I do well. :)
And today I had freshmen orientation. It was a lot of fun! I got to see and meet a ton of people. We were separated into small groups, but I accidently went to the wrong group lol- but, I still had a lot of fun! I learned some useful information about my school and learned my way around the school abit. But, I still feel abit mentally unprepared for school. lol. And I actually talked with a few of my guy friends from the Korean church and friends I haven't seen in foreverrr- so that was cool. :)
Lastly, I'm gonna try really hard to learn Korean from now on. On the church retreat, we mainly spoke English, but sometimes Korean was spoken. I was shocked that I could actually understand what people were saying to me in Korean (probs becuz I watch wayyy to much K-Drama lol)- but when I had to reply to others in Korean the words ran dry from my mouth. It was so annoying, I can understand, I just don't know how to reply! So, I want to work really hard to get my Korean to a conversational level. The Korean church actually has Korean lessons, so I might learn some Korean there! But, if anyone has any advice for learning Korean or any resources please comment below it'd be much appreciated! :)
More Pics from Church Retreat: (All Rights Go to Original Owner)
During break time I went to a dance workshop held by the Mustard Seeds Dance Ministry. They are so chill and a lot of fun to dance with- check out their YouTube channel. Click Here!
This is the AMP Movement. It was so amazing to see them live! They are Christian Rap group who really hyped up worship (and our worship performers were really bomb so that's hard to do). They have great songs with sick beats but, powerful meanings. So, please support them!
Mustard Seed's live dance performance. So much emotion captured in just one photo. It was amazing message they sent out through dance- they really inspired me.
My fav sermon- I've EVER been to. "Naïve Naeun" learned a lot from this.
No comments:
Post a Comment