i attended a leaders' retreat this weekend (27-29 october) at gems hotel, antipolo. honestly, at first, i had second thoughts about going to the retreat. i actually didn't want to go. and the only reason i went at all was because it was *required* of all leaders in the community.but God is really good. the retreat turned out to be exactly what i needed. and i'm *really* glad that i came :p our retreat masters, msgr rig guzman and bro chito jongco, were really God-sent. the 2-day retreat schedule was really jam-packed and we all lacked sleep; but i felt so spiritually refreshed afterwards :)
no regrets about coming. none at all.. hehe.
the following is an excerpt from my "diary" (hehe.. just typed these lines in my laptop) last saturday, 28 october..
* * *
this has been one loooooong day! haha. i thought i'd be able to update here during breaks.. but as it turns out, our breaks are all "working" breaks hehe. and i didn't want to miss any of the talks because they're all so informative and enlightening. so this is the only time i've been able to write. hmm. let's see.. what happened to my day? ok.. here's the recap:
* i slept at besp heids' place last night. and boy, did that turn out well.. hahahaha! :p
* i arrived at gems hotel with heids & nans around 8am.. when everyone was having their breakfast
* bro chito's first talk (what it means to be a leader) started at 8.15am and we had group sharing afterwards. i was grouped with bro bernard, sis lau, sis nina and sis ruby.
* the second talk (how well do you know yourself) was my favorite. i specially liked it when bro chito quoted hudson taylor: all God's giants are weak people. whew. now *that* is an encouraging thought!
* the third talk started at 1.45pm and it was about suffering. i really am happy that we got bro chito as one of our retreat masters. you can tell that he isn't just quoting a book or explaining some piece of theology. when he speaks, you can feel that he is speaking from the heart.. not just from the mind. he's been through a lot in his life.. and he's still undergoing a lot of trials.. yet he speaks with such fervor and passion for the Lord. you cannot help but admire the man :)
* soulmate came over! hahaha. i know she was there for the vigil.. not for me. but i'm glad we were *finally* able to talk. it's been a long while since we've had the chance to chat.. and that was truly one of the (many) highlights of my day :)
* msgr rig guzman gave the last talk (christian leadership: serving as Jesus did) at 8pm. i have a favorite quote from his talk, and this came from bro bo sanchez: "Lord, let me be Your child first before Your servant." but he said something that struck me as really profound. msgr rig said that we think we are serving the Lord when in fact it is He who is actually serving us. hmmm. that was certainly something to think about. in fact, we're supposed to be reflecting on this question for our vigil (i'm scheduled for 4-5am tomorrow): how have you felt God serving you today?
* i consulted bro chito regarding something that's been bothering me since i got here. i'm glad i talked to him. really glad. i'm feeling quite hopeful. i hope this lasts :)
* i kept tita may company while she practiced playing some songs on the keyboard for
tomorrow's mass :) it felt good just to be with her again. i kinda missed her :p
* we (nans, heids & i) are finishing the plans of the music ministry for the next 1 1/2 years. well, actually, *they* are doing the planning.. and i'm just typing it for them.. hehe. we're also chatting about all sorts of stuff. crazy stuff. (stuff that would not be prudent to publish on this blog, haha) we're finding it hard to sleep even though it's already late.. er.. early. hmm. we should not have taken that cold shower this evening. and i should not have drunk 3 cups of coffee earlier today.
anyway, this retreat certainly didn't turn out the way i expected. and i'm glad :) already, i have so many things i'd like to specially thank God for today. i'm grateful to Him because:
1. i was able to attend the retreat and actually *enjoy* all the talks
2. the food is good and the accomodations are decent
3. i am not too distracted.. and i am surprisingly able to concentrate
4. soulmate was able to chat with me even though she had "work" to do :p
5. bro chito was a very understanding and attentive counselor as well as a really inspiring speaker
6. msgr rig delivered a very thought-provoking and meaningful homily
7. i got to spend some quality time with tita may after a loooong time :p
8. the night is quiet and the chapel looks so appealing, even from the outside :)
9. i'm feeling good. with a halo hehehehe :p
that's it. hmm. i've gotten so many insights today. so many things for me to think about and ponder on. it's been a busy day. tomorrow's probably going to be just as busy. still, i'm happy. for the first time in a long time, really happy :)
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