A Favor for Brendan...

That's right Brendan...here's that favor you requested, I'm posting an entry. You'd think I could let a week go by without posting an entry, but NO, some people have insatiable curiosities and have to know what's going on in my life at all times. Either that reason, or they're just bored and need some reading material : )

I had been thinking since last evening that I should post another entry. It just so happens that something interesting happened last evening and is entry worthy (atleast in my opinion).

My young adult group from Church got together for a Christmas dinner last night. It was a fairly simple evening. We visited, ate, discussed the study book we're working through, and finally played some fun get to know you games. The reason for the get to know you games is that our group is newly formed and though most people have known each other for years (and in some cases are related) there are the few of us that are new to the Church and the people in it.

For me the evening really didn't get started until we played our last game. That's when I was finally able to relax and really open up with everyone. The game was simple, we were each given a piece of paper with about 12 questions on it to answer. Once we had written our responses we turned the paper in to the designated leader (with no name attached to the sheet) and then he shuffled up the papers. A paper was picked the responses read aloud and then everyone tried to guess who it was who had written that about themselves.

The questions were plenty of fun and really started to give each of us a good idea as to who the people in the group really were (meaning their personalities). I learned things about my new friends that I never would have guessed at before.

The two most favorite questions on the sheet seemed to be, "What's your most embarrassing moment?" and "What is the craziest thing you ever done?"

For me the answers were one in the same. It was the time I went skinny dipping (with some of my female friends mind you) at the Highland Retreat camp pool. What was so embarrassing about this crazy act is (you guessed it) we were caught.

Of course everyone in the young adult group wouldn't settle for my short written answer they had to hear the whole story. Needless to say there was plenty of laughter over the story.

By the end of the evening several of the group members seemed more relaxed around me than they've ever been. A couple of them couldn't stop mentioning how they never would have guessed that about me. That kept saying how quiet and reserved I always seemed and they never would have thought me capable of something as outgoing as skinny dipping.

Hmmmm...these comments really got me thinking. For starters....PULEEZE....ME quiet and reserved....I think not. What kind of impression am I giving people here, but I've certainly never seen myself as a quiet and reserved kind of person.

Secondly....I think the whole Mennonite stereotyping is coming into play here. Most people out here don't have much experience with Mennonite communities. There is a certain mental image that comes to mind when someone mentions the word Mennonite and I've been telling people how I belong to that community. I'm afraid that even those people in my young adult group think I'm some conservative little mennonite farm girl and how they have to be on their best behavior around me or I'll be offend.

I guess I'll just have to work one shaking them from that image of me ; ) This could be fun!!!