Women's Retreat

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

Sarah helping out with Ax.

Sylvia with snake

Barbara Lee

Hooray for second place!

Spiritual Scavenger Hunt

Jenna

Ladies

Free Time

Last week I got invited to a women’s retreat for missionary women in the area. I was a stand-in for a lady who was unable to come. So, with less than 24 hours notice and not wanting to waste someone’s non-refundable fee, I packed a bag for Ax and myself. Jon carried my stuff to the car and kissed me goodbye. In a way it was strange to be alone with people I barely knew headed deeper into Mexico with only a backpack and a baby. I knew that it wouldn’t be my friends, but I half expected a bunch of boring old ladies and some goofy-spiritually minded people who desperately needed a furlough back to the States. I spent the next 48 hours pretty much dumbfounded.

I’m going to try to explain to you guys how amazing it was to be with these women:
I was the only one there with a baby, which seemed to make me memorable to them. I kept trying to find a congruity amongst these ladies. The only thing I could settle on is Jesus. There were women who grew up in Mexico as missionary kids, women retiring after 45 years of ministry, young girls from the US who just got here a few months ago, women who got saved within the last couple of years, some there with their spiritual moms. I was blown away at their maturity. One lady got saved in jail when a prostitute told her to pray to Jesus. There were a lot of multi generational missionaries—very mature women all totally serving the Lord. Every so often they would all slip into Spanish, with no hitch at all, and they’d laugh as I sat there clueless. Here were the people doing really well what I had only just begun.

These women convene annually to refresh, reconnect, and share skills and tips on anything from cake decorating to entertaining for parties. I was amazed at how well done this retreat was. Everywhere we went there were lotion samples or lip gloss gifts or chocolates to savor. One thing I think I’ll never forget is the evening the animals came out. Tracey owns a local zoo-safari and shared with everyone her love for animals by demonstrating the beauty in God’s creation of the frog, lizard, rat, scorpion, and, of course the snake. Not a garden snake, mind you, but a ten foot boa constrictor.

I left for this retreat with nothing but a blank page, and came back with a whole world of encouraging encounters and relationships. Thank you Lord for that experience! I’m already planning for next year.