An appointment with God in Seattle - the end

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Sunday morning was a little more rushed than Satuday morning for me, because I slept in a little longer.
What can I say? I was tired.

I still left the hotel in time to get to Starbucks and back before the teaching would start.What I wouldn't have the time for was some alone time, sitting and reading my Bible and journaling like I did on Saturday morning (because when we got to the workshop room no one else was there yet.) My roommate opted to stay at the hotel and get some breakfast, so I changed my strategy for getting with God before the workshop as I headed to my rental car. It took 2 clicks on the radio search to find some worship music and because I was alone, I got to pray out loud as I drove. When I got to Starbucks it was closed, but there was another one not far away that was open. Boy was that place hoppin'. The cool thing is, most everyone there had their Bible with them and the conversations I overheard were about God. That completely blessed me!

I got back to the hotel just as everyone was getting settled in for the day's learning.
And the first item on the agenda, was a writing assignment - really it was 10 minutes set aside for journaling.
The only guideline was that it was to be about something that had changed in us since we showed up on Friday evening for the meet and greet.

This is one of the things (among many things) that I LOVE about MeRa Koh.
She gets - and encourages - the fact that what we have to offer others flows from who we are.
Writing is just one tool in that process - one that works great for her that she wanted to share with us.

Here is what I LOVE about God in that moment.
The thing I was most disappointed about in my "sleeping in" was that I didn't get to start my day out in His word and journaling. I got some nuggets from His word on the way back to the hotel from Starbucks. And here was this little gift to me, where journaling was part of our assignment for the moment.

A little of my journal entry:
I stepped off a plane on Thursday anxious and excited about what God had in store for me this weekend. I left dinner last night encouraged and confirmed in what He has been calling me towards. I am confident I am going to step back on the plane Monday afternoon filled because of His mercy and grace, and used for His glory because of obedience.

After a little more instruction, we headed out to the University of Washington campus in Tacoma for another photo shoot, this time of families and high school seniors. Again, the highlight for me was watching MeRa in action.

This day was definitely a little more difficult for me photographically. It was the first time I had ever worked with seniors and I struggled to find the balance with the other photographers I was teamed up with. It's a challenge to work with 3- 4 other photographers like we did. But I had some amazing ladies in my group and went with it.

Ladies, I hope I didn't get in your way too much or take over too much.
Jennifer, I LOVED watching you interact with the models and learned a lot from you.
You have a certain way with people that is amazing.
Thanks!

Here's a few more images from the outing...

You can see some of the images I got from the day here.

We eventually went back to the hotel, had some lunch and got on with the learning.

And at the end of the day, MeRa had us all gather in a circle in the middle of the room and share one word that summed up the weekend for us.

Now let me back up just a little here...

When I was on the airplane on Thursday, one of the things I felt God impressing me to do this weekend was to lay hands on Brian and MeRa and pray for them. I questioned this throughout the day on Saturday.

How could that happen?

Would I have an opportunity to do this with them on Sunday after the workshop was over?

Would they even be receptive to this?

Was that really God asking me to do that?

But after Saturday evening, I knew that God was going to provide the opportunity for it. And when MeRa asked us to get in that circle, I felt that tugging on my heart saying, "this is where I want you to pray for them."

Again, I questioned. I was prepared for Him to provide the opportunity in private after the workshop was over, but I wasn't really prepared for this. What if this would offend some of the ladies here? But I knew I was hearing God, so with my hands shaking from nerves, after everyone was done going around the circle with their one word answer, I asked the ladies and Brian and MeRa if they would mind if we took time to pray for MeRa and Brian. What a God moment that was, for me at least. And how blessed we all were because of obedience. (More than one lady thanked me for that moment.)

We prayed for MeRa and Brian.

We prayed for one of the ladies who was there, who had been diagnosed with cancer just before the workshop AND who was going home to plan a funeral for her father who had died just before the workshop.

We prayed for the Soar recipients who were there with us for the weekend.

I indeed left the workshop full. 

It was called the Confidence Workshop because it was designed so that the attendants would leave being "confident" behind the camera and shooting in manual. And I have to say it definitely does that. I am confident that had I come to the workshop, taking my camera out of the box  for the first time, I would leave with a really great understanding of how to get great images in manual mode - with creative control over the final product. One of the girls there was actually in that position (she just learned how to charge her camera battery the week before the workshop). And she was getting some amazing images (in manual mode) by the time we all said goodbye. 

But for me, the title of the workshop gave new meaning.

I have a deeper Confidence in God -

in trusting His voice as I hear it

in following His leading even when others are trying to discourage me

in trusting His plan and timing

I am incredible grateful for the appointments in Seattle and am excited for what is yet to come as a result of my deeper confidence in Him.