I went to my first Residence in Ministry retreat on Monday in St. Meinrad, IN at the monastery there. This place is down south near Evansville in the middle of nowhere. We all made the trip knowing full well that the area was under a winter storm warning. So the next day we woke up to a few inches of snow on the ground...but then the ice came...and came and came...for hours! Before we knew it, there was over an inch of solid ice on the ground. Then, at 2 am, the electricity went out...along with the water. And then we woke up to a white out- snow everywhere! So let's see...we had snow, a few layers of ice, and then more snow. The place said we could stay another night if we needed to since the roads were going to be bad and the county was under a state of emergency. I seriously considered it, but the thought of spending the night in a room with no heat or electricity did not sound appealing, so I decided to try to head home. Thank God I took Corey's 4 wheel drive SUV! Luckily, the roads were passible. They were not in great condition by any means, but I made it back. We have almost 12 inches of snow in Terre Haute, but no ice. Our street has not been plowed at all, so I thought I was going to get stuck pulling onto our street! I'm just glad to be home where there is electricity, heat, hot water, a wonderful husband and a dog :) It was worth the risk!
The retreat was ok. It was nice getting to know some of the others in the group and talking with some members of the Board of Ordained ministry that were there. It was nice to be among friendly pastors, because so often I've found that not all pastors are friendly. Strange, right? I was also reminded of the process that is getting ordained in the UMC. It seems right now that there is no end in sight! I feel like I have such a long way to go and so much to learn, and there's always the fear that I will be delayed or turned down. All I can do now is do the best I can and continue to be excited about the things I am doing, which I am very excited. I feel like I learn something new everyday and I'm always open to growing. That's really I can offer at this point, and that is just fine with me.
1 comment:
It is weird to realize that not all pastors are the friendly, tolerant, patient, outgoing, etc., people that we seem to envision when we first consider becoming one. But pastors are people, too, and subject to all the quirks and flaws and everything else that makes us human. In some ways that's a comforting thought because it means that even totally messed up people (I'm talking about me, of course. you're pretty great!) can serve God in this capacity.
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