Boon Church Retreat 2009: Reflections

Three members of the English congregation share their experiences from the Boon Retreat:

Alex Chang
It was a very enriching experience, and I learned and bonded with fellow Boon Church members. I think it is a great experience that allowed me a weekend away from the busy and routine life, for a weekend of fun, fellowship and focus on God's word.
I learned much from the speakers at the retreat and learned how to improve myself to become more devoted in my walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. Team oriented events such as the scavenger hunt, Jeopardy, solving puzzles, playing sports such as a basketball tournament, gave me challenges that allowed me to learn to trust God as well as bond with my fellow Church peers. It was a great experience, and I came away learning to improve myself in my walk in Christ, becoming closer to my friends and having a weekend full of activities and fun fellowship.

Chui Wong: God's Sovereignty
For the past month, I’ve been struggling because I felt God hasn’t been answering my prayers. Where is my God of comfort? If my God is so real, why doesn’t He hear me when I call? I already knew God doesn’t always answer us the way we hope He would, but I still needed to know He was there watching me and supporting me, despite all the troubles I’ve been facing. So, I asked God to reveal Himself to me daily, that despite whatever I’m going through, he would meet me somewhere that day and show me He is bigger than all my problems and fears. And, He has. Just not in a way I expected.
At Boon retreat, God revealed to me his sovereignty; He is bigger than all our problems, all our fears. During one of the nights, I felt God nudging me to talk to a sister and to make myself vulnerable. I listened her struggles and pains, and I was shocked. As I listened to her story, my heart felt heavy. It felt as if I was sharing in her burden, just as Galatians 6:2 says: Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. I never felt more grieved, perhaps in part because the Holy Spirit was grieving as well, as he was revealing her heart. Though her circumstances were beyond my understanding and her control, God allowed everything to take place for a reason. Her struggles disconnected herself from others emotionally, but love bridges this gap that she created. As Christians, we are called to carry each others burdens because we love one another. Through this love for one another, we see Christ living in us.
On the last day, Pastor (Reverend?) Eugene shared with us Jesus’ promise: as the bridegroom, he is preparing rooms in his kingdom for his beloved, as was custom in the ancient Greek world for a bridegroom to prepare a home suitable for his wife. The message was powerful, but all I can ask myself is: How is his church preparing herself? IS she preparing herself? Is Boon preparing herself? Jesus claims he will come suddenly like a thief, with no warning. I again felt grieved because I feel the church has not been preparing herself as a bride would when her husband calls to claim her- what would happen? What can we do as a church to prepare each other? What else can we do to reach out to others who do not believe in Christ? I felt so overwhelmed with all these questions, but at the end of the retreat, the ultimate question is: how can we show Christ’s love for us in a radical way? God is already in full control. It’s not up to us to change our circumstances, but allow God to transform us, despite our circumstances.

Dave Lee: An Age Of Interconnectivity
While headed to my first Boon retreat, I really had no idea what to expect. So many retreats in the past, I can remember really chilly nights, dense forestation, large bodies of water and just real seclusion from the world. If I wanted alone time or one-on-one time, it’d always be easy to find a spot.

Driving up to the retreat site was quite a different experience for me. Only a few miles from the highway, a McDonald’s, a CVS, and as I look down...cell phone service! Not only that, throughout the whole weekend at Miracle Mountain, wherever I walked around and turned, there was always someone within earshot.

I remember waiting in line for food and Reverend Eugene suddenly starts talking to me. I was actually immediately taken aback. I've always thought of retreat speakers getting rest in their special room on the side during all the downtime or speaking primarily to more senior church members. But for both speakers to actively engage so many of us in the dining room was quite the testimony for me, speaking of a new style of leadership.

Finally when the last workshop rolled around and Rev Eugene talked about the hot topic: Facebook, Twitter, Talkbox and 5 billion other new media outlets, I realized we were in a true new era of Christian community. When he talked about looking us up on facebook prior to coming here, seeing what we've been up to, there's this realization that we're in a world of hyperconnectivity where really you can't escape from one or another. I immediately remembered my friends blogpost http://www.theotherjournal.com/blog.php?id=229&articleID=620 . I really wonder what Jesus and early church leaders would've been like what they had today. I can imagine instead of a Sermon on the Mount turning into a podcast. I look to the future and I can imagine we'll be so connected with each other that we'll practically be in each others faces at all times.

Sure, all this new media is great as a launching platform for deeper relationships in person, but I also think of it as a mode of inspiration. In a way, it can be used like having 500 support letters all the time, at the tip of your fingers. So many quick ways of instilling inspiration, vision and empathy (much like this blog).

And yes, after the retreat, I remember specifically why I enjoyed the Word so much and how much I can delight in each and every word. Granted following the Bible in a year pace, was not for me. But I'll share with you that I'm reading Joshua right now...for the purposes of rediscovering my youth...With all of these new avenues, we can encourage and inspire even if it's not so great for true accountability and transparency... The world that we live in...and as well as the cyber world that we take a part of...is truly a place of confusion.

And finally, one to one conversation is still quite efficient. With one simple story from Rev Eugene about a radiologist he knew who worked half of the year in missions, I was reminded of my own original passion and why I chose to be a radiologist. And even if I lose sight of that vision within the next 4 more years of my training, one quick look at a blogpost or just remembering him, will remind me once again.

-Sola Deo Gloria