Anyway, So much has happened in the last month of being here at 24/7 its insane. We've been ropes coursing to cave spelunking to repelling to fasting for 3 days with only water. It's been crazy awesome. I've learned so much and grown so much it's insane. They say every year at 24/7 you age 5 to 10 years in maturity, I know why now. I wish I had time to go through and talk about everything but that would take a very long time and I only have about 30 more min of time left.
So here I sit at Starbucks drinking my amazingly delicious java chip frap (with xtra expresso of course) that was paid for with a starbucks gift card I got in the mail from the wonderful mrs Thacker. I love her. So I'm sitting here chillin at starbucks stealing some internet from somwhere and catching up on email and other internet usage. Every time I get time off I feel so rushed and scatter brained cuz I know I have so much I need to do and so little time to do it. Anyway I honestly have no idea where this paragraph was going but I don't think I got there so I think I will start a new one.
K let's try this again. I just got back from our fasting retreat. I started off the week expecting God to do some big things but I had no idea what He had planned to do in me. First off we hiked with everything we packed (for me it was my big hiking pack plus my reg back pack that I carried on my front) We hiked through the trails on some mountain. (I never know where we are so its just some mountain) We hiked from 11am to about 5 30pm with no lunch break. We had a few water breaks in there that lasted about 5 to 10 min but we weren't encouraged to sit down on account of we probably won't be able to get back up. Then we get to this really cool place with a water fall and a pond thing and we have some worship. It was absolutely beautiful. Take a look, my camera didn't do it justice though.
I'm told that the main hike through the woods and stuff was about 12 miles. We finished that and I was feeling pretty good. Wasn't too tired or sore, was incredible sweaty but wasn't too tired. Then there was the oh so fun hike to where we were staying. We all walked two by two along the side of the road for a really really long time...That's where I started feeling not so great about the trip. I started to get my infamously wonderful attitude that comes out when I have to do something I don't want to do (sarcasm)
So we're hiking, and hiking, and hiking...with no clue when or if we ever get to stop (still carrying everything we packed for 3 days) I can't feel my legs or feet and my shoulders hurt and all I've eaten is some beef jerky and a pack of crackers....I'm pissed. I gradually got a little better of an attitude as my legs became more and more numb and I felt less and less but I still was not a happy camper.
Then we get to the house that we're staying at and me and the 12 other girls staying in this little house all get showered and meet at the meeting house and we have our last dinner (which was incredible) After we eat we're told the fast starts at 8 30pm. So after we're dismissed we all go back to our houses we're staying at and hang out and then go to bed. Next morning, wake up, I dreamed that we woke up to this amazing hot breakfast and then I remember...We're fasting...no breakfast, no lunch, no dinner...for who knows how long because we don't get told anything..oh and we have to keep up our push ups and sit ups so we don't get out of shape...My attitude comes back.
So we go meet and have worship, then are told that today we're going to have quiet time for a while... (cool I like quiet time) ...for 8 hours...(excuse me?) ...yep 8 hours...
So I'm laying in the grass reading my Bible and guess what the first thing I read is..."Do everything without complaining or arguing so that you may become pure and blameless children of God."
(Ouch...Ok God you have my attention)
I keep reading and my attitude towards the whole thing disappears, suddenly I'm reading and I don't even realize that hours are going by. Then God and I have a heart to heart and I realize this very important concept....It's not about me...wow...
I read the entire book of Matthew in one sitting. (If you know me at all that just doesnt ever happen, do you know how many chapters are in that book??) The next few hours flew by and by the time we had to be back at the meeting house I didn't want to go, I wanted to keep reading. I got so much out of reading the Bible in that time than I have in my entire life.
Have you even though about, like really really thought about the fact that Jesus turned a few pieces of bread and fish and fed 5000 men?? That's just men, that's not counting the women and children! Like WOW! Dude I can't even tell you how many times I've read that story or heard it preached but dude! That's a freakin ton of people! And there was still a bunch leftover! Dude!
So ya that was a revelation. Also I read the part where Peter walks on the water and I realized something...again I've read and heard this story 50 million times but I realized something new. (that's the cool thing about the Bible, you can read the same thing 50 times and get something different out of it every time) Peter was walking on the water towards Jesus and was doing great and then he took one look down, one look at the waves, at the storm, and he sank. That's all it took was one look. One look away from Jesus and he sank. How many times am I doing great, walking on water for Jesus and I take one look at what I'm doing. One thought about the work outs and how much it hurts, one thought about how unfair it is that us first years never get to know anything, one complaint, and BAM! I sink. That's all it takes is one look away. We have to stay focused on Jesus or we are going to sink.
I got so much more out of this week but I'm going to have to post another post later because I must leave starbucks and go to church now.
So...
To be continued....
