The Best Weekend Ever

I know the date on that last post is a little off but that's because I accidentally saved it as a draft rather than posting it on my blog. I don't know how I did that and didn't notice but I realized my mistake a few days ago and just had time to change it today. I just returned from one of the best weekends I have ever had. It started Wednesday (March 28th) when Heather Jesse, Duane, Leo, and I piled in a van and headed to a little town in NC called Sanford, no sons were ever mentioned (does anyone get that joke). We spent the weekend with Capitan Jonathan Gainey and his family which included his wife Capitan Stacy and their children Jonathan, Travis (a great name choice), Thomas and Ella. That Wednesday we got to spend sometime with Thomas and we saw pure add in all its glory coming out of him. He talked and about wanting to see movies and then watching movies then he let some gas out and talked about people that he knows and then some food that he ate and then he went to sleep. It was great, I love that kid...he reminds me of someone I know. Then we stayed up till 12:30ish talking with Johnny about some of the things we was going to be teaching us. He has a wealth of knowledge about Jewish culture and things that they understand that make absolutely no sense to us because we didn't grow up in Jewish culture and he gave us a little preview the day before and left us hungry for more. A craving he satisfied on Thursday

On Thursday (March 29th significance: my birthday) we woke up around 10:00ish talked a bit more and then we went out to lunch to a lovely little restaurant called Mrs. Lacy's. It was very southern and very tasty. Our waitress (Ms. Mary) walked up to our table and spoke with a thick southern accent and gave a good dose of that wonderful southern hospitality. The food was delectable and because someone told them it was my birthday I got dessert for free. Then we went to class which was just as great as Lunch my spirit got a taste of something it hadn't had much of lately. Johnny gave us some insight into the Jewish culture; he gave us the actual meanings of words which gave me different insight on some scripture he talked about the things that Rabbi's, Pharisees and Jesus wore in those days and the significance they held, and the process of going from a student to a disciple and he reiterated that a disciple doesn't just want to know what his Rabbi knows but he wants to be like his Rabbi. Whatever his Rabbi is doing the disciple is right behind him doing the exact same thing and thats what being a disciple of Jesus means. We shouldn't just look at what he did and know about it we need to do what he did; he touched the untouchable and loved people who weren't loved and lived a simple, humble, holy life. That night The Capitan took hold of the grill and we had a party with barbecue chicken and ribs and red velvet cake (wow, I just realized how much I ate there) and I played football with some of the guys outside.

On Friday he taught more on the Jewish culture, but he focused more on the family relationships and marriages and the rituals and the significance of those things (which makes the parable of the ten virgins make so much more sense) and the covenant they made with each other by drinking from a cup. It signified that hey were accepting each others life and they would accept the good with the bad and they would stick by them even when it was hard. Now that I think about it that isn't much different from the vows that are spoken at weddings here in our western culture. Then we went out to lunch (eating again) and we left. Heather, Duane, Leo, and Jesse went home and I went to Camp Walter Johnson for M.A.I.N. Street Ministries and The Divisional Music Festival. I got to hang out with Daniel (DMD) and Christian Simmons for most of the weekend and there always fun to be with. Especially on the drive home; I don't even remember why but we had a blast and I laughed so much. Then I arrived home. Safe back in J.T. Williams hood.