From Sister Annica Liu (Participant)

Despite not knowing what to expect going into my first EWR, I left with a peace and quietness of soul that was described by the psalmist below:

“Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul,
Like a weaned child with his mother;
Like a weaned child is my soul within me.” – Ps 131:2 

Unlike the usual spiritual seminars like NYTS and CYSC where there is more emphasis on listening to sermons and praying zealously, EWR was a much quieter week of reflection and meditation of God’s words. It was a blissful break from the ongoing responsibilities of this world – to simply focus on God and be inspired by His words.

The smaller group of brothers and sisters and flexible schedule created a comfortable environment for all of us to bear fruit and write at our own pace. Reading and hearing everyone’s experiences with God refreshed my soul and encouraged me to examine my own faith. And by the end of the week, I finally understood why some brothers and sisters loved EWR so much.

The ironic thing was that before I signed up for EWR, I actually had this concept that EWR was only for people who were devoted to writing for God and wrote articles regularly. I didn’t think it was an event for me, since I wasn’t a strong writer and never considered literary ministry to be an area in which I could serve God. However, I’m thankful that God guided and moved me to attend EWR, because I was surprised by how much I gained from the event and how applicable the skills were to other areas of my servitude.

Throughout the week, I realized how extensive literary ministry was and that there were so many ways to contribute to it aside from writing long articles and testimonies that do not require huge time commitments. As well, the skills, spiritual qualities and process of preparation required of a writer are in many ways the same as of a sermon speaker, Bible study leader, or RE teacher. I was also reminded that regardless of the type of our ministry, we have to be careful not to deviate from the truth by using the Bible to explain the Bible rather than our personal interpretations.

Thank God for giving me the opportunity to attend this fruitful EWR, for allowing me to see ways that I can contribute to the literary ministry, and most of all for showing me the peace and joy that studying His words can bring!