Holding these words close to our hearts—words that Jesus spoke to His weary disciples—we held our summer juniorate gathering under the theme of “Resting in Nature” from July 24 to July 30.
We began our gathering with a retreat on the first day, and the following day, we engaged in community service at Notre Dame Kindergarten in Osan. As we wiped down mats, curtains, and windows, cleaning became a joyful trip down memory lane as we recalled the times we spent together in the Philippines. Indeed, even difficult tasks become truly enjoyable when done together.
On the third day, we watched a video lecture titled “Mental Health for Modern People – How Humans Process Stress.” Reflecting on questions such as “What state am I currently in?” and “How am I accepting and relieving my stress?”, we examined our own hearts. As we gently looked into our hearts, which we often overlook due to our busy lives, we realized that to rest well, we must first recognize that we are exhausted.
During our excursion to Ganghwa, we took in the beauty of nature as we explored Hwagae Garden, Jeondeungsa Temple, and Dongmak Beach. We also created coasters through a weaving activity. Seeing threads of various colors cross over one another to form a single piece of art felt deeply meaningful, as it closely resembled our own community.
Loud cheering and laughter filled the air during our indoor mini-Olympics, and we were able to laugh heartily for the first time in a long while. At the end, we made small wind chimes containing our personal resolutions. Just like a wind chime that produces a clear, beautiful sound only when the wind blows, we realize that rather than trying to accomplish everything through our own effort, beautiful sounds resonate from within us.
On the final night, we held a farewell celebration for two sisters preparing to take their final vows, sharing our heartfelt blessings and prayers of support.
This summer, we learned how to pause and rest in the Lord, gaining the strength to return to our respective places. Moving forward, we hope to occasionally slow our pace amid our busy daily lives and live while entrusting ourselves to Him. We sincerely thank all the sisters for the boundless support, encouragement, prayers, and love you always show us!
