WJI Blog 2022, May 29 AM - A Day of Rest

After spending more than a week racing from class to class, I am grateful that Sunday offers me

a chance to rest and refocus for the second half of the program ahead. Not that I’m

disappointed with the program so far — I’ve loved all that we’ve learned, and have found myself

stretched in sometimes uncomfortable but often rewarding ways. For example, I’m more a print

journalist person myself, and writing scripts for TV or radio was a wholly new and difficult

process for me.

Still, Sunday is a rest day, and I’m determined to take advantage. We started the day by

attending the First Christian Reformed Church, just a few minutes away from Dordt’s campus.

The service was more traditional than I’m used to. The worship was simple — the whole

congregation sang hymns accompanied only by a piano and a massive organ, its long metallic

pipes dominating the front wall. In the sermon, the pastor spoke on “fighting the good fight” from

2 Timothy 4. He urged his congregation to not have “itchy ears” that seek to emulate the latest

societal trend, but instead to remain firm and live lives rooted in the gospel. After the service, we

chatted with each other in the church lobby before heading back to Dordt for lunch.

Now on Sunday afternoon, I find myself enjoying a well-earned break from WJI responsibilities.

The dorm is unusually quiet — all of us resting in our unique ways. Many people are napping,

others are tossing around a frisbee outside, and still others are watching a tv show in the lobby.

As for me, I read a book.

Tonight, Lee will announce which ‘track’ we will be focusing on for the next week. There are four

options: news, features, radio, and TV. Some people seem a bit anxious to get their preferred

track, but I’m not too worried. Wherever I end up — whether it’s something I know better like

news or something new like TV — I know I’ll continue to be challenged and learn a ton in the

week ahead.

- Kaitlin Liebling