Okay, now, when I last left off, it was
Saturday and almost time for the Moderator's Election. Oh my goodness, was that
a crazy night. All those involved--commissioner, delegate, staff person, and
onlooker alike--were stressed and freaking out, there is no denying that. The
internet at Cobo, the convention center, was crashing on a regular basis, the
new voting system AND old voting system failed, leaving the vote to a hand
raise from delegates and paper ballot from commissioners and a very late night
for everyone.
However, on the oh-so-bright side, I got
to see my dad! We grabbed dinner and got to chat and catch up before needing to
run off to the election. It was wonderful to see him--I miss my family! Never
being home can be a little weird after a while.
On Sunday, I was pleased to look at the
paper that is printed each day for the Assembly (the one that I am writing
for), and find my story ABOVE THE FOLD on the first page, with translations in
Spanish and Korean on the back!! Such a cool thing to see!
However, life got crazy fast. My friend Sara (from work) and I were planning to attend a Korean service with
my dad. But, we were informed just before the bus was to leave that it may not
return in time for plenary, which Sara and I both needed to be at. So, we opted
out of that service and ended up at Fort Street Presbyterian Church of Detroit.
Talk about the Spirit moving us--that service was absolutely awe-inspiring. I
am so glad that we ended up there. It featured beautiful music, speakers of
various faith traditions, solid scripture usage, and a wonderful sermon on the
miracle of Pentecost (They have turned Pentecost into a season at Fort Street
Pres., rather than merely celebrating it for one Sunday. I think it's
brilliant.) The sermon argued that the miracle of Pentecost was not one of
tongues, but of ears. She related it to present-day, where the miracle of
Pentecost is seen in the listening of those with different beliefs and ideas
than your own. It was a refreshing and new message that I feel resonated
a lot with what the church is currently experiencing. How timely!
After church, I wrote up a quick blurb on
it for the paper while splitting a 20-piece McNugget and large fry with Sara
(talk about true friendship) before we rushed off to Cobo for plenary. While
there, the two of us were on social media accounts (her: a million; me: various
Presbyterian's Today accounts) so that we could tweet, post pictures, and
otherwise alert the world of the goings-on in our General Assembly.
Then, today. Oh, today. It began with
waking up at 5:30 am, getting to Cobo by 6:45 to cover a talk at 7, then run to
a meeting at 9, and get to my committee for 9:30. And in my committee room I
remained ALL DAY...goodness, did it feel good to move around when I
finally got up to get dinner at 5:45. Then, after a quick dinner, I was
right back at it.
Newspaper writing is the very definition of multi-tasking, I’m
finding. Especially in this setting. I found myself writing 3 different stories
and taking notes on what was happening in committee, as well as managing social
media stuff, all at once. It was a little crazy, but all that needed
accomplished was done to my taste, and I was happy.
After committee let out, around 9:45, I grabbed the YAADs of
Committee Eight and managed to interview them for a story for Presbyterian’s
Today before they headed off to their YAAD Gathering for the evening. It worked
out beautifully, and now my day is finally over. What a lovely feeling that is.
Alright, now that I've given you an all-intensive backstage tour
of the 221st General Assembly Newsroom Intern life, I’m going to
head to bed before doing it all again tomorrow. As always, thanks for joining
me on the journey.
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