September 02, 2002 ~ 9:53 p.m.
Feeling:
Ok...I'm going to say that...well...I'm back. (Wow. Yay for me.) Hours just after I got back from my KMC Youth Retreat, already the world is trangling me with stress and about to drag me back into 'mortal sin'. I literally could see myself kicking and screaming being dragged by two guys dressed in black, throwing me into this pit called 'the world', and taking me away from my 'salvation', which is and always is, God.
Now, if you're non-religious and reading this, I'd really ask you to stay. If you are religious but haven't had any religious activity, I say, read this. No really, you don't know how desperate I am to go back to church already...@.@.
Ok, well on Saturday morning when I got to church to wait for the bus, Bridget, Alona, and Shelina were already there. I thought I was the first but I didn't look inside the hall where they were actually waiting. We were there early so then me and Bridget were talking about how we really didn't feel like going and that we could have stayed home, and that we regret bringing this and that because we couldn't...(electronics, etc) and then Sister Elizabeth made the scene then a few more other people coming came and the bus arrived.
On most trips like this you'd expect some run-down old school bus, but ooooh no we were dead wrong. Turns out that we had a KMC bus, which was MORE than the expected 'yellow school bus'. It had nice seats, and air-conditioning. I thought, wow, this is awesome. So me, Bridget, and the other girls claimed the very back seats of the bus. This other boy Andy was came also.
And so, off we were to go and pick up the other people coming and on a 2 HOUR PLUS ride to KMC. We picked up the others, then got made a pit-stop at Punalu'u Black Sand Beach, to stretch our legs, and use the bathroom. A bunch of us went outside on the lava rocks to see the waves crashing upon them. The waves looked really vicious and wild, but it somehow intrigued us to watch it tumbling over. Sometimes it felt like the waves wanted to get at us, and scared a few people by splashing a little too close.
Later we got back on the bus and (la la la..) made it to KMC. What is KMC, you ask? Well it stands for Kilauea (Kih-lau-eh-ah) Military Camp. Eheh, yes you heard right, but it was more for an R&R (rest and relaxation) thing. But to me it wasn't really for 'rest', but it did somehow relax me.
We were assigned rooms in this one building, and we were mixed with people of different parishes. There were three bunk beds in each room and we had some sheets and blankets already provided by KMC on our beds and had to set them up. Then we went to the Activity room to get a little 'orientation', I guess. We got folders, and we did some ice breakers. We had to go to people we didn't know (out of our parish group) and assign 'appointments' that we would meet or hang out with whenever the leaders told us to. Then we had to do another thing where we had to 'Find someone who...' does this or likes that, and have them write down their name. It was a contest for a prize on Monday. But me and the people bunking in the same room were called off to help Sister Elizabeth look for something she lost. So apparently we couldn't have a chance to win, but we didn't have time to finish anyway.
Then we did some praise and worship songs, then walked over to this other building which was a meeting room and watched some kids from another parish do some skits about how easy it could be to break one of the Ten Commandments without even knowing it. Then this guy named Joey talked about the Ten Commandments and the info behind it and how it can pertain to the way we break them. It really held my attention. I learned about the Ten Commandments back in elementary Sunday school but never really knew the greater importance of it until now.
Afterward, we had to go eat dinner. We had to walk over to the eating place with our 'Number one appointment'. I had to walk over with Bridget's cousin, Aries. I gotta admit, he is a cool, awesome, and funny guy. He's nice to talk to. But I was too ashamed to talk to him much. He was funny because he acted in the skits from earlier. He's a goofball, but can be serious. Well that's enough about him...I just think he's a cool guy but nothing ever goes past that. I would be sinning. I'll explain that later.
Then we had to eat dinner with our 'number two' appointment. I ended up with this girl named Penny, (who later became one of my special new best friends) and it was really fun talking to her. She's in the practice of playing ukelele (small guitar-like instrument) and she can play pretty good, too. There were a few other people who could play the ukelele good, also.
Is that sounding boring? Well I gotta tell ya, the eating place was NOTHING like we had expected. Yep, just like the bus. There were surprises every single minute of those wonderful 3... 2 1/2 days. The eating place looked like a restaurant from a hotel! We'd just pick up a tray, get our utensils and pick what we wanted to eat. We'd just get our own cups for drinks and they even had soft-serve ice cream to put chocolate or strawberry toppings! It was Mexican Buffet night, and the food was great. There were a lot of laughs and good fun.
After dinner we went back to the 'Ohia Room' to continue our activities. We split up into groups and made a 'paper chain' and wrote the Ten Commandments on them, then wrote something on the back of the strip of paper if we had broken the commandment previously. Then we linked them together with tape, with a cross that we wrote 'Jesus' on one end, and a paper heart with our name on it.
(I can't remember every single detail but I really wish I could) Later we watched this video from this group called 'Radix' from this guy who talked about the Sixth and Ninth Commandments. Now the guy talking in the video is awesome. He surprises you right from the beginning and holds your attention right until the end. It's just this one guy talking the whole time but he is hilarious, and teaches you a lot of things about the Sixth and Ninth Commandments. What are the Sixth and Ninth Commandments? Well they're both sort of the same. The sixth is, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." The ninth is, "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife." Basically meaning, you shouldn't see/do pornographic things, and such and such. That of course, doesn't only mean stuff about porno. The ninth basically says, that you shouldn't have to want someone else's wife/husband girlfriend/boyfriend.
And the guy talks on and on about saying what you shouldn't do, and then suddenly catches you by saying "It's ok if didn't know if you sinned, but now that I've told you, you know, so now God knows." And practically everyone was so disppointed when he said that at least twice throughout the video. Well...so now I know. Now God knows that I know now that I know that I could sin and that I wouldn't know if I did it. ( 0.o'...that was...err...confusing.)
Well after the video we watching another skit about some kids after a movie and how three of them went to go praise and worship instead of going to a party that their other two friends told them about. So the first two friends are coming back from the party and the driver guy (Aries, hehe) is drunk and the three friends who were at the church after praise and worship were walking across the street and are hit. The driver's friend in the passenger's seat also ends up getting killed.
Tragic yes...so the four that are now dead are up to heaven. The first three who went to praise and worship got in, but the fourth who went to the party with the first guy, couldn't get into heaven and was therefore sent off to purgatory to be 'cleansed' of the 'dirt' or remaining sin before she could go into heaven. So the first three who are now angels visit their friend who is still alive in a dream and tell him to pray for their other friend who did not get into heaven. He went to confess to a priest (I'd explain the humorous parts but I want to make this entry as short....err...as possible) and later went to pray for his friend. And that was the end.
Theeen....we had more praise and worship songs and then we got to go back to the dorms to go to sleep/shower/pray and what not. Everyone was falling asleep during the video (not because they weren't interested but because they were really tired) and now were all awake until past 1 am, talking and walking through the hall and some of the leaders had to tell them to get into their rooms.
I was SO tired...but I had to set my watch to alarm me when to wake up. Of course, that brought on another surprise...
I was sleeping on the bottom bunk of one of the bunk beds in the room, and so I hung one of the extra sheets I had over the long end to cover the open side of the bed up. Hehe, like a castle...Bridget had done the same earlier and had suggested I do the same. So I did, and to me I felt more comfortable and some privacy. I could still hear people talking...and then I finally got to sleep.
Weeell this was a long entry. And that was only ONE DAY. Phew, I didn't know I could get that tired before I went to bed...
Can't take this crap anymore...
Torn
Staying Strong
Heavenly Music
A Filipino Drunkard's Party
Living life »»†«« in solitude...
