Summer Wine 09

Whoo-hoo! I've just had the most amazing weekend at Summer Wine! I've come back with white lines around my wrist where the food band was, and on my feet from my jandals, and a horrible sunburn on my nose and cheeks, but it was worth it. After all, I put sunscreen on twice, and I was in the pool and on the water slide, so there was no way of doing any more. Anyway, where's the fun in life if you're gonna be too scared of doing anything because you might be sunburnt? You gotta L I V E. There are much worse things to be scared of that don't stop you.

I have to say, I was a bit nervous of going this year because none of my usual friends - Cassie, Esther, Susan, Brit, Lauren - were going to be there, so I was going to be a loner in Firewire, and not even people like Huggies were going to be there! My own brother was ditching Firewire! Outrageous. But when I got there, I saw some familiar faces from last year, and the guys let me blend with them, thanks guys! And then Tamsin turned up, and we hung out together, and that was good.

On the first night, Howard spoke about how God is holy, and that means different. We should all try to be like him and be different (Is that a paradox? Everyone trying to the the same, which is different? Same, different, same ... anyway). He also told us a bit about himself, and his background. By the way, Howard is Scottish, and has an orsum accent, and does hilarious impersonations, and likes movies such as Indiana Jones.

Friday, we had Devotions in the morning, and then workshops. I went to one with Chris and he talked about Hearing from God, and he talked about Elijah. Then we all prayed with each other in groups of three, and got words and Pictures from God. That was orsum. Then Howard spoke again, and he talked about movies, great epic ones, like Lord of the Rings, and that sense of awe you get watching them, and how God is so much greater and awe-inspiring than that. Then in the afternoon, Me, Hannah, Rosanna, Milly, Aaron, Liam and Seb went on the water slide, then we went to the pool, where I saw Ben and Jeremy, and I gave Ben his bday pressy. That was about the only time I saw him. Then we got out, and I put more sunscreen on, and we did some other stuff, can't remember what, maybe played badminton? And then we went back to the pool. Then it was back to Firewire with some orsum worship, and Mike Pilivanchi spoke. He was prett orsum too. He talked about being Holy, and he told a story about a boy in his youth group who had had no support at home, and who went to a camp, wher he told a leader that he had said to God that he had one last chance, and he wasn't telling anyone what it was, and if God didn't answer, he was giving up on God. At the end of the camp, Mike went home, and got a call from the boy saying he needed to talk to him. When he got there, the boy saidthat he had given God one last chance, and that he had failed. So he was leaving youth group. Of course Mike was sad about that, and before he left, he said, "I wanna thank you for all you've done this week at camp, and I love you." At this, the boy broke down in tears and told Mike that the thing he had asked God for to prove himself was for Mike to say "I love you."

Saturday, we learnt how to shower properly, and the workshop that morning I went to was by Ross, and that was orsum. Then Mike spoke again about really living our lives, and taking risks, He said the in a survey taken in Rest Homes in England, the thing most regretted was that people had lived lives too tame, that they hadn't taken enough risks. Saturday afternoon we went to the pool again, absolutely drenched in sunscreen, coz I didn't wanna get any more sunburnt. Then we played Badminton and volleyball, with Scottish accents because I was inspired by Howard, and we were Team Scotland. That night in Firewire, Amy spoke about living life to the full, and things like being yourself, and laughing, and how God made us all different but if we live how God made us to be, we have a special glow sort of thing, and she told us about her past and getting through depression. There was a talent show that night, but I missee most of it because SOMEONE told me it was cancelled, but I saw the last few, and they were cool.

Sunday, I went to a workshop by Chris Casey about leadership, and we played with Mr Potatoheads and talked about our dreams and qualities of a good leader, and the may different forms of leadership for God. Then Howard spoke again about healing, and about how John and another disciple healed a crippled beggar by a gate to a temple, and how God gets us, not just Jesus, but us ordinary people to heal. Then he got us Josh, who had had a biking accident when he was about 8, in which he severly stuffed up his back, and then he got up a bunch of us to heal him, and it worked! Josh said it had been hurting beofre, but now it wasn't and the tension was leaving his back and it felt all hot. Then he got up lots of people with Asthma, and we all healed them. It was amazing. That afternoon we played more volleyball, went to the pool, and it was Johannes' birthday! We had an afternoon tea party for him. He was very excited that morning becvause one of "the girls" (me) was there, and he rushed up to me saying "I'm three!" His grandmother came for the day for him, and he told her that my name was first Daddy, and then Butter Chicken and Naan Bread, which is apparently a big complement from him, as it's his favourite. Then we had a church meeting which John and Marion came up for. Then we had Firewire again, where Howard spoke again, about how we are all apecial and have gifts from God and purposes, and (which he got very passionate about) that there were some people there who thought they were fat and ugly, and that we aren't, that God loves us and thinks we are all beautiful, and hods us up and shows uss off, and we are a treasured jewel to him. That night he prayed for me, and we all prayed for each other, and it was great. Then, there was the second annual New Wine Dance! That was tons of fun! the 'Coverband' played, and they were orsun. Jeremy proposed to me twice, on bended knee, but I said that I was already married and that I was the guy. lol. Henry started about a million congo lines. That was fun. We just all went crazy.

Then monday dawned. The last day. I went to a workshop by Wendy, about telling stories from the bible. She even mentioned Eketahuna in it! ha ha. That was really useful. Then Chris Darnell spoke about how he wished Firewire was all year round, but it wasn't so we had to take it back with us. That was great. Then there was the final combined session, where all the zones got together and showed each other what theyed done. I must say, I was disappointed by cutting edge. Me and Tamsin were crazier than them on our own, al they did was come in late and scream at the end, and they showed the banner that I ( and Susan, Esther, Matthew, Miriam and others) made. Outrageous. Howard read a letter as Sean Conroy, he had read a bedtime story to us in Firewire as him before. And Richard read a last joke. He had read jokes at the beginning of each Firewire session. They were orsum. We also did crazy challenges like dipping faces in water and using them to stick rice bubbles on them and transfer them to another bowl, and running wrapped in toilet paper across the carpark to steal a cone. It was orsum. Then it was one last swim, where we managed to push Howard, Thomas, Guy, Ben, Benjamin, and someone else into the pool.

It was an amazing time, and EVERYONE should go next year. I'll be expecting you to!

luv ya
bayla
x0x0