Working with women...

Over the past week, we've been busy at the retreat centre with a women's retreat. There was a sweet sense of God's presence as we worked with these 22 ladies, who had come to us from all over Europe - from as far east as the Ukraine, and as far west as the UK.  Beginning with the Bible passage in Luke 5: 1 - 11, we were considering how we can go deeper with God, deeper in our relationships with others, and deeper in understanding God's calling on our lives. All kinds of creative activities, small group prayer times and one-on-one coaching and mentoring combined to make it a time when the ladies (who ranged in age from late 30s to early 70s) were able to reflect deeply on their own relationship with God and with others. We were a group of seven women in the staff team (some from the retreat centre and some from the North Africa centre) which allowed us to do all kinds of different and varied activities with the ladies.

Several ladies commented to us afterwards that the weekend had played a significant role in helping them grow in their walk with the Lord, or begin taking clearer steps towards something He is calling them to do. Meanwhile, our men (Stephe, Steve, Tony and Andrew) served selflessly throughout the retreat - from leading our morning worship to cooking all our meals and washing all the dishes.
The weather was kind to us and, after some light showers on the arrival day, we were blessed with dry and sunny weather for the rest of the retreat. We enjoyed a lovely outing on the second day to the picturesque mountain village of Mijas, where the ladies were able to take a relaxing walk and look at the traditional local pottery shops.

For me, it was particularly fun to host two ladies from my home church. They had applied just as the retreat was full up, but fortunately my house hadn't been included in the housing options, as I'd foreseen being in Eastern Europe this week. So the cats and I enjoyed having two Scottish visitors in our home - sitting by the fireplace in the evening as we debriefed the day. Thank you for your prayers during these few days of working with this wonderful group of women.