Summer in Spain

It's been two months since my last blog post. I think that's been my longest gap since starting this blog back in 2007. The reason for my long silence was that this year's leadership development course (LDC), the last one to be held here at the Leadership Retreat Centre, seemed to monopolise all my time over the past two months. We had a wonderful international group of leaders with us for this time, and it was a joy to see God at work, encouraging, equipping and transforming lives.  The above photo shows the LDC staff and delegates at the "graduation" and thanksgiving time that we held at the end of the course.

Once the LDC was over, we took a few more days to bring closure to the Leadership Retreat Centre, which will be closing this summer after ten years of very fruitful ministry. We have a sense that this local expression of the leadership development ministry needs to be put on hold for now, in order to serve the international multiplication of the LDC courses in new regions of the world. 

Among those who joined us last week for the closing celebrations was my friend, Sue, who spent ten months here when the retreat centre was just beginning in 2008. She stayed on for a few days holiday afterwards and we had fun exploring some new locations: we swam in a lovely little lake called Pantano del Agujero, and we went to visit the Iberian wolf sanctuary near Antequera. Sue returned to England yesterday, and now begins my summer season of coaching missionary leaders (including four who just completed the LDC) as well as helping to pack up the retreat centre.