My family and I went for a family outing last Thursday night at our church's retreat centre at Pedaun, Bau. As the next day is Labour Day, it's a good time for city dwellers like us to escape from the hectic life in the city and to get connected with mother nature, in the same time gettting together with other church members.
Although the building has stand stood for quite a long while but it was my first time to spend a night at the retreat centre because of my "busy-weekend-city-life-activities".
Being far away from the city, mother nature has offered us fresh air and cool breeze at night, which I like, and creepy insects who flies suicidaly trying their best to hit you (imagine gorilla and the planes), which I totally dislike.
The church retreat event on this Labour day was aimed for water baptism, symbolizing repentance and the burial of the old life. On that very special occassion in Christianity, 37 has been born again and now are beginning their new life in Christ.
After done with the water baptism ritual, everyone especially the men and youths jumped into the water while the ladies were busy preparing for lunch.
If you ever realize in these past few days the weather is getting extraordinarily hot during daytime and the sun shines extremely bright - caused by the equatorial heat. Although I was happily splashing in the cold mountain water, I can feel the burning heat from the sun and I even have to put on my shades to protect my eyes from the bright reflections on the water. Which in turn makes me the "hottest" dude who turns up to be red as a lobster.
I was quite surprised to get a sunburn in the middle of the jungle and I think it is quite extreme. I never experience this back in hometown since Lawas is quite far from the equatorial belt.
Maybe some of you, especially my classmates, might wonder why I always seat at the coldest spot in the lecture theatre. It's bloody hot out there and I'm trying to keep myself cold so that I won't sweat execively and smell like someone just came out from the gym.
Although I wasn't enjoying the heat it turn to have a positive effects too, it's an opportunity to get along and having a good time with the church members who I met only on Sunday during church service, it was all great.
