E.Y.E. Day 3

Since I took a shower when we got in and almost no other adults did, rather than fight to shower between 5:30 and 6:30am, I slept until 6:30am. Breakfast was at 7:15am followed by the opening worship service at 9am. The Presiding Bishop led the worship service including a beautiful sermon about ways to remember the world at large. (Presiding Bishop's Sermon at E.Y.E.)

Following the service we had lunch and free time until it was time to meet with our small groups at 1:15pm. Small groups went fast so I was back in the dorm earlier than anticipated. I wanted to shower at 4pm so I couldn't go to an afternoon workshop, but it was only 2:30pm so I decided to relax a little and color until I could shower.

After showering and changing clothes I had enough time to leisurely make my way to dinner. At dinner I found out that the Bishop for my diocese had shown up. I decided not to mob him at dinner-there was practically a line. After dinner I was sitting at a table near the dining hall writing down my experiences, when he came down and sat with me. He wanted to know how I was handling the decision from the COM and was pleased that I am sticking with it. I told him about how 3 different people told me almost verbatim the same things about sticking with my process, and how after the third phone call I said "Ok God I get what you are trying to tell me." To which he responded by saying two things "God bless you," and "we all end up where we are supposed to be."

So following dinner we were all given the opportunity to attend a Mission Possible Workshop of our choice, and I chose to attend the Prayer Jars Workshop. I showed up about half an hour early because I wanted to be sure I could have a seat. Once everyone got settled, the workshop leader started by telling us part of the story from the book "Christmas Jars" by Jason Wright. She went on to tell us about how "we don't build community, we build an environment where the Holy Spirit builds community;" in addition she said that "everything you do is a living prayer." We were given jars and told to decorate them and spend from now until Christmas Eve filling them with our change to give to someone anonymously.

There was a Keynote Speaker at 8:30pm from Episcopal Relief Development who talked about how to get youth involved. He tossed around the idea that we don't do mission rather God does mission through us. After the speaker we had chips and dip before bedtime. I returned to the dorm to learn that chaperones are now also permitted to shower after 11pm.