Scots come to Spain

You can click on the photo to enlarge it

We're busy this week with a different kind of retreat.... with a group that is different from our typical clientele at the retreat centre. We usually have a leadership development seminar every October and missionaries come from all over Europe to be part of that week. Perhaps it was because of changing the date to September that our applications this year were not mainly from missionary leaders, but rather from local church folks - including ten people from a house group in my home church in Scotland. And so we've structured the week rather differently from usual: having times of teaching and group activities in the mornings, followed by outings or more relaxed time by the swimming pool in the afternoons. The picture above shows us visiting the old town centre of Alhaurin, before having an ice cream and then heading to my house for coffee.

This week's teaching has given the participants an opportunity to consider their own personality and giftings, so that they can begin to identify their best contribution to the Kingdom of God. We've also looked at how to understand others and to resolve the conflicts or misunderstandings that can arise with people who are very different from ourselves. Tomorrow we're moving on to consider how to strengthen the spiritual side of our lives and our capacity to hear from God in different situations. Thanks for your prayers.