Rejoice Retreat & Fishing

I came back from Rejoice Retreat which was held from May 15 through 16 at Riverbend Retreat Center in Glen Rose, TX. It gave me a chance to get to know new people and to reflect on the past few months. I think we had the highest turnout this time. There were a few new programs. We had a skit contest. Each of the four teams had to act out one chapter of the book of Jonah. Each team was very creative and fun. Skits help you see different aspects of people. They helped me imagine how Jonah might have felt throughout the book.

Another new thing we did was fishing. I was the one who broached the idea since one of my passions is fishing. When I took up fishing as one of my hobbies, I had been fascinated by actually catching one and the interaction between fish and me. I liked it when fish nibbled at the bait. At the same time I was a bit impatient at the beginning. However, over the years I learned how to be patient, how to use different hooks and baits, and how to have a time of reflection as well. At the retreat it turned out that most people were new to fishing. So they got really excited when they caught a fish. I was excited for them too. They had been busy taking classes and doing assignments. Finally they were taking some time off. A few of them actually bought their own fishing gears. I showed them how to use the fishing rods and how to put baits on the hooks, etc. I sometimes wonder how Jesus' disciples fished and what Jesus did when they went about fishing. Spiritually speaking, becoming fishers of men requires lots of patience, skills, and right knowledge. Just like a shepherd knows his flock, a fisher should know what he is aiming to catch. By the way we caught blue gills, catfish, and basses. After fishing, I cleaned all the fish with the assistance of a few guys. Then I cooked Maeuntang which is a spicy hot stew made with fish and vegetables. I also had six fish deep fried. Man, people loved them. This is how maeuntang is cooked.

For serving 4 people,

1. Boil water with chopped radishes and a little bit of beef stock for several minutes.

2. When water boils and radishes have become tender, you put fish in the pan.

3. Then you put a mixture of condiments such as two spoons of red pepper paste and two spoons

of red pepper powder and one spoon of minced garlic. Boil for five more minutes until the fish

are well cooked.

4. You taste it whether it is properly seasoned. If it's not salty and spicy enough, you have to add

salt or red pepper powder.

5. You put in the pan chopped red peppers.

6. Then you add green onions and bean sprouts and Korean parsley to remove the smell of fish.

7. Boil for one more minute and turn down the heat.

God, help me to know you more. Help me to learn to rest in you. Help me, O God, to know how to be a better and more effective fisher of men.