Women's Retreat

The title of this blog could conjure up many mental images, depending upon who you are and what views you possess. But since I am a Christian, let me give you the perspective of our Women's Retreat. We arrived at the Christian Camp after a long, but never boring bus ride. Eighteen women, spanning several generations, unloaded our luggage and bedding in the spacious cabin. We were joined by 20 other women who made the journey by personal vehicles. The rooms were abuzz as each woman chose her room, upper or lower bunk, or air mattress on the floor. Since the cabin was set up to handle two different churches at one time, the south end was designated as the late-night "party" girls while the north end was determined to house the early risers. A good plan that worked for the most part. However, there were a few ladies who stayed up to wee hours of the morning and arose early. The cabin was a flurry of making beds, airing mattresses and excited chatter. Soon it was time to have the devotional lesson given by me. I usually am not nervous, but had worried about this particular lesson for weeks. I wasn't even sure what topic to cover until I realized that I should talk about being an encourager. Being an encourager is one of my gifts for which I am very thankful. I shared with the ladies how each person needs to be encouraged. We attend athletic functions and cheer the teams on. We should be willing to do the same for each other. I shared personal stories of how encouragement helped change the lives of students that I have taught over the years, and how one boy had kept a reading award, printed on simple white paper for six years. I provided the retreat attendees with half sheets of paper upon which to write encouraging words. I urged them to write several and give them to one another during the weekend. The 200 sheets disappeared for the time being but returned with encouraging words for all. The fellowship we had cannot be explained in simple terms. New friendships were made and old ones deepened as we shared, laughed and learned with one another. How quickly the dismissal time came. We wished for more time and determined that next year there would need to be more.