Thankful

I love these women! I has been such a blessing to live, grow and share with them over the past 2 years. From Sunday to Monday we snuck off campus to a hotel on the other side of town for a much needed retreat. To be honest, I was exhausted from my trip to Charlotte (more on that to come later this week), and I was wishing that I could sleep the day away on Sunday. However, God had other plans, and as always, his plan was far better than mine and things are never what I expect. For instance, when we pulled up to the hotel, it seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, and the property was hidden my a large gate. It looked relatively like a scene from "Hollywood Tower of Terror". Once we pulled inside the gate I realized that I could not have been more wrong. The hotel was beautiful, with serene gardens, bubbling fountains, and spacious, luxurious rooms. Take a look...

Such beauty! Once we got settled in, we meet in the garden for a time of sharing what God has been doing in our lives. We did this by tossing a ball of yarn to each person as they shared. At the end we had a web of yarn in the center of the circle. Beth shared that if one person was to let go of their yarn, then all of the other strands will still hold up their string. This is the beautiful thing about community and the body of Christ. When one person is struggling, the rest of the body is there to support them and lift them up. All day Sunday I felt the strength of these women encouraging me, challenging me, and lifting me up.

Here are a few pictures of this activity. (Thanks to Rosa for grabbing my camera, I always forget to take pictures!)

After the string thing we had a time of encouragement where each person was put in the "hot seat" and the rest of us shouted out the things that we admire about them and the things that we see God developing their life. As we were doing this, I couldn't help but love that I am a woman, because let's be honest, I can't picture men sitting around a living room pouring verbal affirmation into one another.

The rest of the afternoon was filled with small groups, worship, prayer, breakout sessions and journaling. The day flew by!

What a great way to start the week! My heart feels so full of joy and encouragement! I am so incredibly thankful for this group of women! Praise the Lord!