IL CP Gathering Day Six and a Little Bit More

There is not much to say for the last day of the Gathering from my perspective since the Raimundo clan left that morning. It mainly consisted of packing and goodbyes and grabbing food from the fridge to stuff it in my cooler as best I could. Vacuums and brooms and Windex flying about inside while shovels and tractors thudded and whirred outside. Getting last minute hugs and farewells and “call me not maybe!” amidst all the cleaning commotion. You see, the Harrison Homestead was in that indescribable state that totters between being College Hangout Central and Nice Celebration Open House. Thankfully, all the CPers provided extra hands to work under the good leadership of the Harrison and Gaines parents.

And you will never know what we were watching...

As we pulled out of the driveway, dog holes were being filled and floors were being put back to their proper sparkly colour. But despite all the cleaning, we managed to get some good adieu photographs. 

A few of the remaining girls

Quite the merry old bunch, eh?

From there, we drove the five hours it takes to get to the Nix home, where Mumsie and Josh dropped me off for the weekend. Between Scattegories and Scrabble, Brielle and Evelyn, sleeping and waking, tea and coffee, books and laughter, church and conversation, classical and Owl City, spending time with Aaron and Anna was the perfect way to close the week. See, their home is peaceful. And loving. And so very welcoming. God blessed me by putting me there!

He also blessed me by letting Brielle warm up to me after an hour’s uncertainty. Perhaps that had something to do with me holding her sister in my arms, me talking to her mum in a very friendly way, and me crawling on top of her counters to put dishes away. But it might have had more to do with my many bags which she quickly set to opening and closing, and with the ever-beloved cheddar that I brought her. What matters is that by the end of the visit, we were playing on the floor like old chums. Brielle and Evelyn are so cute and easy-going, and I think it flows from the security they feel in their God-centred, God-loving little home. Praise God for families like that!

Brielle was napping when I finally thought to pull out the camera, but we did get pictures of darling Evelyn. 

A precious lassie, indeed.

I loved how Anna was so intensely interested and loving over her little girl.

Tata for now!

So that was my week! God showed great kindness in all sorts of ways by letting me enjoy His time as I did, and all that I can do is thank Him for it!
One thing I learned throughout the week is that it is the little things that count:

• The sunrise over a red, white-trimmed chicken coop and endless golden fields every morning.
• The hum of an ice cream maker.
• The many colours a name can take. 
• Red disposable cups and their accompanying penmanships. 
• The many smiles a laugh can bring. 
• Boys clearing away branches for girls.
• A Bible open and read in the middle of chaos.
• “Forbidden Friendship” playing on a perfect Autumn day. 
• Earnest prayers yearning for God and His will alone. 
• A wonderful woman calling me “chickadee” every new day.
• A hug from a friend when you least expect it. 
• A shelf full of books that says, “Yes, this is home.”
• A church that sings and preaches and prays ~ worships ~ through and for and because of its Saviour.
• The soothing smell of cinnamon and chocolate.
• A couple holding hands all the way home. 
• Babies grinning because they are safe.
• Old friends reuniting around the word and new friends being found because of it.

IL CP Gathering Day Five

So...perfect.

Friday. The Raimundo’s last full day at the Illinois CP Gathering. I think we woke up to a semi-early ~ or regular, rather ~ start and broke our fast with a nice spread of make-your-own oatmeal with homemade muffins. 

I could not believe the week had flown by so quickly! Master Jacob and Mrs. Harrison and all the gang just felt like family, like friends who were gathered around Christ. I suppose that is what we were, and I suppose that is how we were supposed to feel, but the thought that soon Josh and I would be packing up and leaving seemed...strange. So life goes, however, and it is always for the best. 

Still, we had a full day left, and beautiful mornings with a house full of friends is neither the time nor place for strangeness ~ at least, not the dismal sort of strangeness. So, up I picked myself and cracked a few jokes (scratch that: listened to other people crack a few jokes) about our general perky slowness in the morningtime and Drew’s general non-brainness at that bright hour. Apparently espresso and coffee cover a multitude of sleepless nights. So the usual camaraderie and pleasant goofiness carried us through the first few hours of day: Eli’s astonishingly smirky smile, Master Jacob’s irresistibly charming way of forgetting names, a few short people witticisms (or lack thereof), and gorgeous piano playing thanks to the likes of a one Connor Rhoden and a two Kaitlyn Semones, amongst others. A few hugs from Emily and Essie, a number of knowing ironic glances from Megan, lovely sweet quiet chuckles with Cassie, and huge grins and laughs with Naomi. Yeah, this place felt like home....

Don't you hear The Piano Guys' Phillip Phillips cover playing now?

But today was not the day for that, again. Today was the day for a lovely hike out in the autumn colours beautifying the shores of the Mississippi, and hopefully it was a day for some solid talks with strangers, as God provided. 
And, besides, there were sandwiches to pack, which is always interesting, especially if you had run out of bread the day before. Thankfully, the always-ready-with-a-magical-touch Mrs. Harrison had run off to the grocery store and purchased food for the hungry. Along with our needed bread, she also fulfilled what various college kid requests we had  scrawled all over her shopping list. Mrs. Harrison purchased a box full of Life for Susanna, 100 Grand candy bars to put towards Naomi’s scholarship, a pack of pens to improve my penmanship, and, amongst other things, a box of Austin somthingorothers so that the graduate could find himself again. Yes. Have I mentioned that Mrs. Harrison is amazing? Sometimes broken records are worth it and right, and this is one of those times. Anyway. Once we had decided for the upteenth time that we were or were not wearing our Gathering shirts to the hike (we ended up not), and once said shirts were all duly and drolly signed in a swarm of colours (or just Christmas blushes if we are talking about Essie), then we grabbed our lunches and stormed the white van yet again to go to Alton and Pere Marquette. 

If Alton is anything, it is most certainly not 45 minutes away from the quaint yellow Harrison homestead. About an hour and 45 minutes after setting out to our hiking destination, we finally arrived and settled in for a lovely picnic lunch in front of a breathtaking stone lodge complete with pond and associated wild life. The leaves were just beginning to don their seasonal colours, and, boy, was the Mississippi gorgeous. I was genuinely delighted to be there, especially after Essie fanned my excitement by blowing bubbles out of our moving vehicle to the stirring sounds of John Powell’s How to Train Your Dragon soundtrack. CPers are brilliant, I know.

Everyone's favourite awkward homeschooler picture.

Lunch eaten, we separated into our interviewing teams of three to hit our first targets. Uh, as in, cautiously walk up to the first person we felt okay approaching and asking them a question. That. 
Let’s just say that Joshua, Emily’s, and my first two tries did not go over too smoothly. “Hi, Sir, my name is ____ and I was wondering if you would be willing to answer a question for our college research program?” “Sure!” “Is it alright if we record you as you answer?” “Sure, why not?” “What will happen to you when you die?” Laser stares from the guy and Medusa glares from the girl. “Oh. That question. Go away.”

Well, I guess God did not want us talking with that couple for the day! It all turned out well in the end, though. Between the six CP interviewing teams, we held a pretty impressive number of rather decent conversations with many people. But the numbers are not what matters. What matters is that we acted from the strength and grace God gives us to encourage others to think about truth. What matters is that we left fear behind and said hello. What matters is that a stricken soldier was slammed with the thought that living for the ultimate thrill might not be his salvation and an agnostic intellectual was confronted with the notion that Something steady might be out there after all ~ and that maybe perhaps somehow in ways we will never know, God was doing something in these souls. Maybe. That’s up to Him. The point for me was that, just like I surprised myself with how hyper and kiddie I could be at the City Museum the day before, I surprised myself with how confident a timid girl like me can be when she sincerely steps out in God’s strength. ‘Cause for me talking at all, and talking to a stranger at that, is like facing giants. 
So, if I can pry a person’s heart by asking challenging albeit simple questions like Why? and How? and What?, then you can as well, and I encourage you as a Christian to give it a thoughtful whirl. 

For those who like scenery...

...and for those who like people.

Again, anyway. The hike and half-hour long conversations done and over with, we all clambered back into the white van and burgundy Flex for the very last time. Of course, we solemnified the occasion with The Piano Guys and Peter Hollens and goofy Brad Paisley songs. Mhm. CPers are....brilliant. Upon our return to the Harrison Homestead, my eyes scanned the dog-speckled, corn-rimmed yard for a glimpse of Mumsie Pie, whom we were expecting in the late afternoon. There she was! ‘Tis always joyous to reunite with one’s mumsie, is it not? So once the hugs were exchanged, I went inside to hear Mrs. Harrison reassure me that, no, she did not need help in the kitchen but that, yes, creek-stomping was loads of fun and, oh, my stars, I ought to go join in the merriment. So that I did, along with Austin, Drew, Cassie, Naomi, Connor, Emily, Kaitlyn, Ben, Sara Beth, and lil Master Jacob (my apologies if I forgot someone ever so important). Wading through poison ivy and dried branches and swampy mud in a dress and child-sized bumble-bee boots is, by far, one of the best ways to spend an evening. And picking burrs off of said dress while piggy-backing Master Jacob tops it off like barbecue sauce on Essie’s ice cream. It was fantastic. The men proved very gentlemanly to the ladies and everyone laughed, snapped pictures, and climbed over logs and barbed wire right until they exactly wanted to. Then we crashed back to the house. So, maybe we don’t make the best Indians, but I am sure we do a mean Lewis and Clark. 

The Goated Yard

Did I mention pictures? Ha. Pictures and pyramids, more like it, because when we got back to the chickened and goated yard, the gloaming light was striking the cool grass just right, so my genius brother suggested we CPers make a human pyramid before the Subras left and broke up our little group. Good idea!

Before genius brother

After genius brother

After bidding the Subras and Stephen Petersen many a farewell, din din was on! And it was yuuuummy. For the first time that week, I was able to revel in the nightly bonfire and canter between myriad fireside conversations, ranging from horror (okay, dark-turned-light Christian) books to politics and chopped steak. When the s’mores made their shimmering appearance, Jenn Jenn snuck off to the girl’s bedroom to lay herself down quick, for she knew a long and hilarious night lay ahead of her. You see, a certain someone and another certain someone and another other certain someone (ahem, Drew, Josh, and Connor) had begun to spoof “Titanium” at various and sundry times throughout the day. With a little help from Austin, they hit on a grand theme. Which I shall not disclose until the final version is released. 

Evil masterminds

Their debatably innocent minions

Suffice it to say that, until midnight, this spoof took centre stage in the Harrison living room, with Connor doing percussion, Kaitlyn playing a lovely piano accompaniment, and Cassie, Drew, Joshua, and myself chirping out words as well as our parched, cracked, and tired vocal machinery allowed. I have never heard people laugh so loudly and fully. It was a good last thing to hear before bed. 
Because bed came next. A delightful, peaceful, sweet, and earned sleep. And one rather blissfully unaware of leaving this place the following morning. 

Don’t worry. The last post will be short. Really. Honest. 

Photo credit Emily Kemp and Cassandra Rhoden

IL CP Gathering Day Four

Our day yesterday. Wow. 

We did start off the day in the usual way: wake up, get up, make-up, eat up, wash up, pack up. But after lunches were safe in their coolers, Austin gathered us around to discuss some of the tactics we should use when interviewing people on Friday (today). We reviewed the difference between being a sledgehammer versus a crowbar, an approachable and unapproachable way to ask a simple question, which questions can come across as more innocent and welcoming as opposed to queries that seem to doubt the presence of our interviewee’s noggin. Needless to say, the conversation was really rather fun and quite informative. Drew asking questions the wrong way could be a paid attraction, just for laughs. Austin then split us into six groups of three, tried to figure out how we could get enough professional-esque cameras to go around, and then sent us on our way so that each of the groups could privately practice interviewing for today’s performance. Jenn loves role-playing, and the practice went even better than normal because she was teamed up with her brother, Josh, and her friend, Emily. In a stretched-out thirty minutes, we rehearsed being the devil’s advocate. I was an energy-circle-of-life meanie, Josh somehow successfully pulled off the transcendentalist/nihilist nice-guy stance, and Emily performed a solid humanistic social relativist. So so much fun. 

Most of our motley crew

But all good things come to an end, and at Drew’s bellow we slid out from under the willow tree and back into the living room to analyse what each of the groups did and learned during their practice times. That analysis was just as helpful as the talks before the practice! Being able to hear different perspectives, techniques, and suggestions from a group of varied but united people is always a win, don’t you think?

But back to the “up’s”: round up, close up, pile up, drive up the freeway and into St. Louis. And this is where the wow begins. We pulled up to a eleven-story building that sported a bus hanging precariously over the highest ledge, a roof with a ferris-wheel atop it, windows with metal slides shining all the way down, and the coolest work of swirly scrap iron projecting its tendrils all along the front of the building ~ like rusted ivy. Better yet, I saw people ~ people ~ climbing on that ivy! Soon that people could be me!!! I have never been so eager to be a monkey, all zoos aside, and climb to my heart’s content. Rest assured that we were springing into the museum. Oh, yeah. This place was a museum. The City Museum they call it because of the way every piece in and outside of the building is recycled and donated material from St. Louis. A really innovative architect junkie (shoulda been a CPer) designed a place where a city can show off its trash and provide a bewilderingly delightful playground to both kids and the kids’ adults. Brilliant, I know. Ridiculously fun, I attest. Ready to go again? Without a doubt!

First we hit the skateless skate-board park. You know those loopy smooth woody-but-not-wood platforms that you see in 90’s movies? The place where the disturbed teenage of the plot goes to release his frustration with his overbearing parents? Yeah, one of those parks but without the disturbed teenagers and without the skate board. Just you, your team, and your shoes. Running parallel, dashing madly across and up one of loops, swinging like Tarzan across ropes and being reminded once again why you don’t have upper-body strength, going back to the loops and the giant walk-along pencil to stretch your lugs. Coming across a hole in the wall that turns out to be the rabbit-hole into a rat-maze. Scraping up your knees so badly and looking for more ways and places to do the same thing. Looking up and seeing kids crawling above you in an open wire casing. Knowing that you are by golly gonna join them. And then you do join them. Well, there’s another way to scrape your knees! And having a marvellous time. 
I will let other people tell you about the giant hamster wheel. Mhm.

I really could go on and on and on about the City Museum, but I will have to stop because so much more happened than I could ever hope to tell in a fun-sized blog post.  That is why there are picture-takers and G+ photo albums. 

Once we were all lost and found in jungles and caves, we rejoined each other at the museum entrance and pointed our noses to the St. Louis Arch, “a symbol of western exploration and expansion that marks the spot of Lewis and Clark’s departure to chart the unknown.”  There. We took a few pictures, and then a few more pictures, and then the five “one more” pictures, and then followed our stomachs to the Old Spaghetti Factory. 

That restaurant is such a beautiful place! Brick and dark wood and heavy fabrics in light colours with those nifty chandeliers. The smells were lovely pasta smells, cheesy and garlicy and oh, so delicious. The people were nice, too. Jael was lovely company, so bright and happy even though we were all exhausted after our afternoon of kiddishness. Naomi perked up right quick after her Fabulous or Awesome or Whatever It Was Chocolate Oreo Shake. Josh joined her. Apparently the perfect blend of Chick-fil-a’s Cookies n’ Cream shake with the right smidgen of chocolate wonder. Politics and Pasta consumed, Spumoni cleaned off of its silver dishes, and yawns rolling, we went home. 

Home to laugh and talk. Home to sing and sleep. Home to bewail the fact that we only had one more full day left of this being home! And home to rest rest rest until today. Which post comes later. 

IL CP Gathering Day Three

One of the group a million photos

Today we went to the St. Louis Zoo - or brought the zoo to St. Louis, depending on your perspective. Woke up to more goats and hay and wonderful people. The sunrise was hazy and blurred, so that all you could see was colour and bright and no ball-planet-thing. I like it that way. Coffee and raspberries and putting my food in the fridge after a 72-hour stint without cold. Oh, and we were going to the zoo. Yeah, it was promising to be a lovely lovely day. 
We ate a breakfast of yogurt and cereal bars and baked, cheesified eggs with green flecks of broccoli in it (just for prettiness), and then did the whole dispersing-to-get-ready thing. When I was done dispersing, I made my way out to the living room and found a sweet-looking little thing in white sitting on a chair. Keegan? It was Keegan! Jenn was very excited to meet her, and I soon found it was with good reason. The shrimp is a gem, to be sure.
 Well. A tussle to pack lunches. A hustle for the coolers. Where are the water bottles? We have chips!?? And soon the lunch was packed, and we were on our way. 36 points to Austen for successfully backing a fifteen-passenger van out of his driveway, and a few more points for driving all of us crazy kids to the zoo safely. Mr. Weber sat at the very front and provided good conversation with more than a few laughs thrown in, so we had an all in all crazy good but sane drive to the zoo.

Once we had taken a million and one photos at the zoo entrance, we walked along “River’s Edge” to see such animals as anteaters and hippos. Keegan oohed and ahed over everything. And in case you ever wondered, R.O.U.S.s exist. The River’s Edge exhibit thoroughly explored, we went back to the van for lunch and then walked back to the zoo for more animals. The sea lion feeding was first up, and they were really cute performing their tricks and munching on nondescript fish. It was even cuter seeing Master Jacob’s face droop when he discovered he could not feed the sea lions himself, and then droop even more when he realised that sea lions are not wet lions at all, but gigantic otters with whiskers! After a few tricks and hearing them “roar,” however, Master Jacob was completely sold on sea lions. Lemurs and these mini-chinchilla monkeys are cute. Otherwise, you can keep monkeys and apes all for you. 
But instead of telling you about the zoo, I may as well show it to you in pictures. Because I have pictures!!! Thank you, my photographer friends: Emily and Kaitlyn! 

Master Jacob's preferred mode of transportation ~ Andrew McKee got him for most of the trip.

Because we all love elephants!

Lunch with the Fab Four, give or take a few.

An acceptable monkey. One of the few. 

Performing Sea Lions for their food.

All aboard? Yeah, we were a full train, and the conductor said: Oh, please don't tell me you are all homeschoolers!

One thing that is not in the photos, however, was a brief but sincere scare we had with losing Sara Beth. Sometime near the gorillas, our little munchkin separated from the group and found herself wandering amongst the apes et al, while the rest of us sauntered through the avery and up to the big cats. Poor Sara Beth! It was only at the groovy hipster zebras that we noticed she was gone! Austin went back to search for her and placed Drew in charge of the group so we could still travel through the zoo. We spent most of this time in the bird exhibit, partially enjoying the toucans and kookaburras while asking around for Sara Beth. Finally we got the call that she had been found with a bunch of zoo rangers. Poor girl. But she was brave and rejoined our group full of smiles for the rest of the day. 

After a train ride around the park, we piled into our vans for home. Essie played the Getty’s Christmas CD and the Piano Guys, so Josh and I sang at the top of our lungs all the way home (don’t worry, we were sitting in the way way back of the van!). It was a great drive, and so much fun to see half sleepy heads perk up as soon as “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” came on over the speakers. 

We eventually found home and food ~ yummy food, indeed ~ and then watched another very good Bill Jack talk. The discussion is prompted proved to be worthy and helpful, and I think we all have a better idea of what we are going to be thinking while we interview people on Friday. 

Before sleeping, all of us played the Character Game, which was a favourite from the VA gathering, and, boy, was it a blast. Anything that combines taboo and charades and insanity has to be fun, no? After valiantly staying up late (so worth it!), we early birds went to bed (or crashed onto various piles of sheets and blankets). Everybody else decided to play the Character Game again! Suffice it to say that the people who played a second hand of it are not yet awake, so I cannot tell you how it went. 

Today we are off to St. Louis! See the arch, go nuts at the city museum, and eat at the famed Spaghetti Factory before coming back home. P.S. The Cards won Game Five!!! Praise God, because I for one was not looking forward to a grumpy St. Louis today. :D

IL CP Gathering Day Two

No pictures tonight! But I know innumerable snapshots have been snapped in the last twelve hours, so photos are on their way. Really.

But I am here to write about what we did. 

Today was hangout day. You know those gathering days that start out kinda awkward because you know you are supposed to really like everyone but you have no clue who they are even though you are living with them for a week? But by the end of the day all the clumsy shoe-staring and throat-clearing and need-for-cricket-button is gone, because you realise you really do like everyone? Yep. That was today. 

For some of us girls , the day started bright and early - actually, not bright because it was too early - as we went outside to let the goats out of their pens, the chickens out of their coop, and the dogs out of their cages. Across endless corn fields the sun was rising, ever so boldly as its face burst over the horizon. It was sharp cold outside, and my flip-flopped toes were frozen and I felt so at home. Good start to a good day.

We followed a breakfast of baked oatmeal with a viewing of a Worldview Academy DVD. Bill Jack talked about “The Seven Habits of Highly Suppressive People,” reminding us as Christians that only God through His Word can change the hearts of people who have suppressed the truth (Romans 1). The talk gave us an encouraging and solid context for the studies and interviewing to come. 

When the talk ended, we each dispersed to do various morning necessities such as playing Ultimate, going for walks, and texting, and calling parents. I went for a walk and called my parents. Oh, and my walking buddy was Master Jacob. Yes!

At 10:30, Austin went to pick Naomi up from the airport and then headed to Chipotle, where the rest of the gang met up with them to eat a good Mex lunch. And guess what? Guess???? Okay, fine, you can’t. I ATE! Like, I ate Chipotle’s food, not my food. Carnitas and guacamole never tasted so good. Thank you, GAPS! 

(If you did not understand those last few sentences, it’s okay. Most people wouldn’t. :P)The drive from the Harrison Homestead to Chipotle is about 45 minutes, which provided an ample amount of time to get to know each other in a hot, sweaty vehicle. We talked about music, where we all came from, the merits and demerits of various radio theatre dramas, and purple zebras. Okay, so we did not talk about purple zebras, but you believed me for one teensy second; I know you did. 


When we returned home....what did we do? Oh, yes. Most of the crew went outside to play all sorts of games: Ultimate, soccer, and who knows what else. They did that all. afternoon. I, on the other hand, stayed inside and baked the cookies that Megan, Emily, Naomi, and Cassie whipped up, plus talked with Mrs. Harrison while catching snippets of John Piper’s Finally Alive in between times. It was fun! And one by one, the girls joined me so that soon chocolate chip cookie smell danced around the kitchen and Mexican lasagna warmed in the oven. 

Supper over, we played a group game of Empire ~ or the Family Game ~ depending on who you are. Everybody thought Essie was Seaweed. But she wasn’t. She was Fuzzy. And she won. So, yes, Queen Esther really was Queen Esther tonight. And if I have to sing the Jeopardy Theme Song one more time....well, I would be very good at it after all the practice we CPers got. Suffice it to say that Empire is a very decent ice-breaker game. 
Now comes homemade ice cream and chocolate chips (ice cream sandwiches, anyone?). And bed. 

But first. Well....this was too good to not record and post. 
Master Jacob and I, as I mentioned, went on a walk this morning. Here are snippets of our conversation. So, yes, siblings are amazing. Because you can have conversations like this:

Master Jacob: Look at that dumpster!Jenn: That is quite the dumpster, indeed!Master Jacob: Yeah, it is the beautifulest dumpster ever and the only one I have seen in all my life.Jenn: Really?Master Jacob: Yeah. And look at all the stuff in it! Isn’t that the best junk ever? All this stuff we don’t need anymore. So we put it in this beautiful dumpster...

Or deeper conversations like this:

Master Jacob: Go faster!Jenn: I can’t go faster because you are a big boy, Master Jacob. Master Jacob: But look at my boots! They are so high off the ground!Jenn: Yeah, but you are a big boy. And you are going to get taller really quickly. Remember how we said last night that you were going to be taller than me soon? Because I am not going to grow an inch more. Can you believe that?Master Jacob: Oh, I don’t want to grow any taller, though. Jenn: You don’t? Why? So that you can still get piggy back rides?Master Jacob: Yeah! But I know I still need to grow because God wants me to.Jenn: Yes. Yes, He does want you to grow, Master Jacob.Master Jacob: I think you are going to grow, too, Jenn! Because God wants us to grow. Jenn: You are right. He does want us to grow, but did you know that He can make us grow in other ways, too? We can grow kinder and more obedient-Master Jacob: And more nicer and ‘spectful and more asking...um...more asking to Aunt Julie when we want to do something.Jenn: Right!Master Jacob: And more kind - I mean...I can grow kind of...I mean I can grow to be kind of less mean. Jenn contemplates what the English language does to a poor kid. Master Jacob, recovering himself: Oh, and we can grow more not-hiding-in-a-box when we take something we shouldn’t. Jenn, obviously grinning: Very true, Master Jacob.Master Jacob: Yeah, but I sometimes make mistakes. Jenn: So do I! But did you know that when we confess our mistake - tell God what we did wrong and ask forgiveness for it and ask Him to change us so we don’t make that mistake anymore - then God promises to forgive us! Master Jacob: Jenn, did you know that Jesus died to pay for our mistakes? Jenn: Yes! He died to cover all of our mistakes before God.Master Jacob: And did you know that He rose again, Jenn?Jenn: Yes! He is alive today to help us make less mistakes so we can grow to be more like Him!Master Jacob: Yeah...so that I can grow! Like Aunt Julie says, so that I can grow to be a godly man like Uncle JC. Uncle JC is a godly man, and Aunt Julie says I can grow to be a godly man, too. Jenn: Yes, God wants you to grow into a godly man. Master Jacob: Yeah. Can we go home now? I need to go to the bathroom. Can we go faster?

G'night!

IL CP Gathering Day One

We just completed the first day of the Illinois CP Gathering! (Well, at least I just completed it. Most everybody else is just settling into their games of Katan and Nertz.) For starters, I must say that the Harrisons have already proven themselves to be a fantastically splendid host family. Despite being in the progress of moving to a farm house, they are providing approximately twenty college kids with excellent food, warm beds, a really cozy home, and that Christian sort of love that is full of truth and warmth and laughs. And great background music. 

We Raimundos arrived to this cute yellow farm house with white trimmings around 3:30pm local time. Already there were my dear friend Megan Weber, and Andrew McKee, the Harrisons (of course), and surprise! the mysterious “reserved spot”: Esther Mielke! It was such a joy seeing Megan again, and meeting Essie face to face. Praise God for Christian friends! Soon after, Austin headed out to the airport to pick up Cassie and Connor Rhoden.

Once Josh and I had bidden Mumsie Pie many farewells, we fell in step with the Harrison farm chores, making buddies with the dogs, goats, pokey bushes, willow trees, and the younger Harrison clan. Elijah is way too cute for 18 months of baby-ness, and Jacob...well, I pulled him around in an old-looking red wagon and got to piggy-back him alongside a corn field. And he can count to 100, losing his place at 99. Multiple times. Yeah. We all love him and his sea-salt chasing ways (seriously, Knepps, I may just have to hide the salt!).

The Jacob. Horrid lighting, I know. He made me retake his picture three times before declaring satisfaction with it. :D

But enough about five-year-old Jacob. Eight-year-old Sarah Beth is a hoot, in the nicest, sweetest, fun-loving, kind sort of way. She showed us how to feed the goats, carry the chickens, and wrestle. Oh, and she was my lying honest buddy in a round of Blue Skies/Bologna Sandwich/Bible School/Liar. Sure, Ben and Drew and Austin Harrison are great, too. ;)

Somewhere during our farm-exploring time, Kaitlyn Semones and her father, and Emily Kemp with her father and Charity Bass (another CPer), arrived to join in the fun of playing cards, catching up, looking for internet, and watching Mr. Harrison be a hero and lugging in assorted bathroom equipment so we girls would have warm water and working toilets in the morning. We were having a beautiful and slightly crazy time of it when Austin finally returned, bringing Cassie and Connor in tow. Joshua had met Connor at a recent CP wedding (okay, so, yeah, Sean and Beka’s wedding was way more than a CP wedding; granted :D) and they had gotten along famously, so he was happy to see Connor again. Of course, seeing Cassie is always a treat for this girl. 

Once their suitcases were duly thrown into the luggage closet, we all trooped inside to have Mrs. Harrison’s yummilicious chilli and corn bread, whilst I got to have hot food again! (Can I just throw in here that Mrs. Harrison has been amazingly gracious to Jenn Jenn and Jenn Jenn’s food. What a blessing another momma figure is!) 

Just as some of us were making the first inroads into Mrs. Harrison’s pumpkin cake and whipped cream, four Subras and a Peterson made their appearance, completing the gang of twenty who were to show up and stay the night. We cleaned off the pumpkin cake while some fairy cleaned off the dishes, and then we all traipsed into the living room to “officially meet each other” and “review the schedule” in light of our wonderful government’s shut down. Once the greeting and talking were done...we went to bed. >.< At least, Essie, Megan, and I went to our rooms. And now we are going to bed. ‘Cause this recap of IL Gathering Day One is over. 

Dominican Republic 2013: Part Ten

Well, well, well. Here we are, at Part Ten, a whole month after it happened. I was going to just let this post lie sleeping because it is so late in coming, but I had decided on a perfect ten in this series, and Mumsie says I need to get better at finishing what I start anyway. So here is the last, broad-brush-stroke glance at our final week in the Dominican Republic.

First, I guess I need to back up a bit and talk about our time in La Tinajita. You all heard about the dentistry on Thursday and the waterfalls on Friday, but a lot more happened during our five-day stay there. Friday evening, a few of us who still had energy went down the mountain into the poor village. We passed out some goodies from the States to the slum's children, and, while doing that, we were given the interesting opportunity to compare the life of this village to the life of the other village we had worked in only a week before, Villa Alta Gracia. While life was difficult but bright in Villa, the mood of La Tinajita somehow weighed heavier on our time. Things were grey and dirty and loud and TVs were everywhere. A new government-run public school was being built in the middle of this once-farming village, and the half-finished project loomed huge and imposing at the heart of the town. While we knew prostitution was big in Villa, it was obvious here. We went further and further down the hill until our goodies ran out ~ right in front of a club.

But there were bright spots. Mainly, the ever so shy but smiling children, plus the stories some of the adults told us about how kind Hermano Ambiorix (our host) has been to them. It is amazing what Christ working through a Christian can do, even in the dark places of this world. It is also amazing to consider (yeah, so what if that makes no etymological sense?) just how much of a difference one's ideology and beliefs make in one's actions and circumstances. It is not like Hermano Ambiorix started out rich and did not have to work very hard to reach his current financial state. It is not like the the people in Villa "have it better" than the people in La Tinajita. Nope, the rich people and happy people and the dismal people all started in the same place. It's not about circumstances; it is about the beliefs we have. So this observation was yet another reminder that, instead of making excuses and blaming my agitation on my current situation, what I really need is to have a heart check. To be like David and cry, "Search me O God and know my thoughts. Try me in all my ways...." To think like Gandalf, who admonishes, "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." To be mindful of what Elisabeth Elliot so wisely says, "The discipline of emotions is the training of responses" to whatever life (aka the all-wise, perfectly loving Father) brings me.

Major tangent.

So that was Friday. On Saturday, Daddy and Josh went to the city, Santiago, where Dad held his marathon class with the seminary students who learn under him every week on Skype. It is always a treat to see your teacher and students in person, eh? While my brother and father were away, the rest of us played Phase 10 till our brains were pouring out of our ears, listened to and discussed the merits of our music, ate snacks, and took pictures. Sometime in the late (or early; pick your country) afternoon, Hermano Ambiorix fired up his hearth outside in preparation for making his famous goat stew. That night, Pastor Eric and his family, Ricardo and his family, Tomas and his family, and Ambiorix's household would all be sharing this meal together, and, boy, was it fun. First of all, the goat pot was obtrusively outrageously ridiculously huge. It had two goats and three sacks of potatoes in it! Then, the people who came over were loads of fun and fellowship, too. After filling ourselves with farm-raised, chef-selected Dominican chivo, we broke out the instruments and loosened our voices and began to make music. Flute, keyboard, guitar, hand drums, and a few other things, plus lots of harmony, filled that mountain with song and laughter. It was pretty cool.

Sunday follows Saturday and Sunday equals church, so down the mountain (the other side of the mountain) we went to the city of Samtiago. Rogers, Joshua, and Daddy were going to provide the instruments for our worship singing that morning, but, halfway through the first song, the power went out. Everything went dark ~ well, as dark as it can get on a Caribbean morning ~ and very warm and very quiet. No mics, no air conditioning, no lights. This was ironic because the song we were singing when the lights went out was "Shine, Jesus, Shine" (which has better lyrics in Spanish, by the way).

Now, according to the church members, the last time this power outage had happened on a Sunday morning was the last time we were there. More irony. But they still love us, so all is well.

To be honest, the power outage was a very good thing. It allowed everyone to be more gracious, less proud, more open with each other. It forced Rogers to play practically on her own, and she did a beautiful job, blessing many through her quiet yet melodic service. It humbled me, because I was getting quite comfortable with this translating thing, but when the speaker has no mic and the translator is sitting beside a loud, generator-powered fan, translating becomes somewhat of a miracle. Yeah, God did not let me rest in my own powers for long. We rely on Him for everything, even translating.
And Pastor Eric preached an excellent sermon from the book of Joshua, when some of the Israelites raise up monuments and the rest of the Israelites are ready to go at their brothers for the sake of God's holiness. We learned about the zeal we ought to have for God's glory, which implies we encourage our brothers in the faith, correct any deviations when we find them, and know His word enough to know what to encourage and what to foresake. Yeah, it was a great sermon.

Another tangent.

The only event important to our narrative that took place during the rest of the day was that Mariela, Pastor Eric's youngest daughter, decided to come along with us for our last week in the DR. Our group had picked up Patrick and Emanuel, so Mariela made us a perfect team of guys, girls, Americans, Dominicans, quiet people, loud people (I think the loud people won out in the end, though). We so enjoyed having her during that final week!

Which went accordingly, to be brief:

Monday was full of Bible Study and Critical Thinking sessions, more good food, more pictures, and more games. Ricardo took time to teach us about a heart of service at church, especially in areas that are invisible necessities like working the sound and networking. I think that thinking about these ministries with that perspective was something we all needed to hear, and we were blessed to see it lived out in Ricardo's life of generous service on multiple fronts.I could go on about everything we learned in 1 Peter and Critical Thinking, but, hey, notes are personal stuff.

From Tuesday to Thursday we were at the beach in Las Terrenas, a little touristy place along the coast not far from Samanà, the town in which the DR's oldest evangelical church is located. Every time I go to that church, I learn something new about the dedication to Christ that one must have to spread the gospel. Young, young couples who died long before they were old give their short years to leave an Empire and live in a totally isolated island. Quick-thinking believers hide people underneath church basements when wars break out in their front lawns. Church members fight for their land, so rich with gospel history, to not be seized and turned into a night club. At the heart of it all, simple but wise Christians who have given their all for God's kingdom because He has given them everything they could hope for. It was neat to see the tombstones of the people, and the church that they began by God's grace, but it was saddening to see how those examples can so easily pass out of memory and mind.

Other things we did and saw during that last week was, yes, go to the beach. For a day. Sand and coral and sharp reefs and sunsets and currents and salt water and babies and Ninja. Shrimp and garlic pizza with mushrooms and hot pepper oil, taking over a restaurant's guitar and singing whichever songs we chose. Late nights of studying and growing followed by later nights of giggling and growing (not that I giggle, ahem).

And then you leave. You go back to the city, away from the sea, and, one by one, the people that you have lived with for a month and who somehow feel like Family (oh, wait, that is because they are) slip off to their own homes. And it's just you and your American team drinking chocolate syrup and playing, what was it, a piece from Madagascar 2?, until your 3:30am departure for home begins.

Oh, well, that is what Skype is for.

I could recount the adventures we undertook to get back to IAD safely, but that would be redundant because you already know the moral of the story: NEVER go to New York City and never ever ever ever go to JFK. Just don't.

I know, I am so good at heartfelt climactic endings. (facepalm)

Dominican Republic 2013: Part One

At 4:44pm on Sunday, the 21st of August, Jenn Jenn finished college. But that is not what this post is about. 

Because, you see, at 10:25 the next morning, my family, a few friends, and I set out on a missions/discipleship trip to the Dominican Republic (DR). That’s what this post, and hopefully the next couple of posts, are going to be about. 

The Lord was gracious to us throughout the whole journey over here to the DR, and so I thought it would be good to begin by recounting some of His graciousness that I could see, knowing that there were many hidden kindnesses of which I will probably never know anything at all. 

As oftentimes happens, God’s blessings over the past few hours have been blessings in disguise. First off, we went through security. TSA surprisingly allowed us to enter a line where we did not have to pass through that horrid x-ray stuff, nor take off our belts, nor take out our laptops, nor do a pat-down. We all breathed a sigh of relief. But my food had still not gotten the supervisor’s approval, and without that cooler, I was not flying. It turns out that someone right in front of me was carrying something that was definitely not legal, which caused the over-excited supervisor to grow into a mini-rage, turn on me, and angrily convince me that airport yogurt was just as safe as homemade junk. It was pretty hilarious from a foodie’s perspective, his arguments for not thinking my cooler necessary, but I stood my ground and he finally let me through. I think his eventual “giving in” had a lot to do with the not legal thing that was worrying him elsewhere. Blessing in disguise number one.

Then I forgot my lunch. But that forced me to try some naturally-raised meat that I found at the airport, which ended up being God’s way of nudging me to eat something substantial before taking off. He, after all, knew all about the 24-hour fast that was coming my way, even if it looked rather impromptu from my perspective. Blessing in disguise number two.

The first leg of the trip went by beautifully. A half-hour delay in the departure time found us running like nuts to our connecting flight, but that was fun. Really fun. In fact, just enough fun to see us through the next leg of our trip, something about which we knew nothing but God, of course, knew everything. For a variety of reasons that I cannot or will not explain, we were stranded in that plane at JFK airport for four hours. People got antsy, people got tired, people got hungry, and since the people were mostly Dominican, they were not afraid to yell out their various trials for their bored audience’s entertainment. And, yeah, I was entertained. I was entertained watching a lady dole out an emergency bag of chocolate candies to the ravenous crowd and translating the suggestions of bribing the pilot with said chocolate. I was entertained following the flight attendants divvy up their short supply of water, blue potato chips, and chocolate chip cookies. Okay, so I was not so entertained when the airline finally took my cooler away to the belly of the plane, leaving my belly quite empty forever and ever until the next day, but you know what? That delay allowed technicians to realise there was a glitch in one of the plane’s computers, a glitch that could have caused problems midway through the flight. Yep, blessing in disguise number three.

We ended up leaving JFK at the time we were supposed to have landed in the DR, and ended up landing in the DR at the time we were supposed to be sleeping. But that meant that the weather was not sweltering when we arrived, nor was the traffic overbearing as it would have otherwise been. Blessing in disguise number four.

After a quick stop at some sammich place that has turned into a tradition for our team, consisting of roast pork sandwiches and passion fruit or zapote juices, we headed to the apartment where we will be staying for the first part of our trip. The apartment is beautiful and spacious and has a working fridge, hot water, and lovely pictures on the wall! I spotted a perfect table for our daily studies, so it looks like this first week shall go excellently, especially knowing we have this retreat to which to return and recoup. Blessing number five, no disguise.