Women's retreat

So this past weekend, I went to a women's retreat here in the DR. Almost all of the women on staff at Doulos went! It was crazy that all of us were there and I am was encouraged to be worshiping with all of them during the weekend. The Lord of course was on the move throughout the weekend. We were all randomly put into small groups but of course there is no such thing as random to the Lord. I was put in a small group with a women that I felt most threatened by at Doulos. Now let me preface by these feelings were completely my own. She had done nothing to hurt or disrespect me but I had these feelings that Satan used to turn into defense and judgement. From the moment I found out that she was in my group I knew that God was going to show me the beauty of the daughter that He had created. By the end of the weekend, I was so grateful for the time I had with her and that we were able to share Christ, memories, and laughs. The Lord is good and all knowing of our hearts and sin.

At the beginning we could all chose a lanyard that we wanted. The were all made out of different strips of fabric. It was so simple and such a great idea. It got the job done with variety and style. Then in out first small group meeting the all gave us identities from the Bible as out name tags. "I am dearly loved" was mine. I was surprised at how much this resonated with my heart and how much I felt like I needed to hear it. As always I thought that I was secure and I was mistaken. This was good to hear and look down and see during times of the retreat.



There was a river right behind the retreat center that we went to. During free time on Saturday, Rachel and I went out and read for a little bit. I did a little exploring and put my feet in the water a bit. It was so cold!!





One thing that the Lord clearly spoke to me during the weekend was this:

"In order to fully experience the DR, I must fully experience Him."

I think that this is probably true of any event or season of life. I know that there have worried trying to ensure that I don't miss out on something or that I take advantage of any opportunity that comes my way. The reality is that if I am not experiencing the Lord here, it doesn't matter how much I do or don't do. This was such great truth that God gave me to put my Spirit at rest and peace.

The retreat was so refreshing. I was blessed with the opportunity to sing and listen with Dominicans. I was able to praise God in Spanish. This is cooler than you think it will be. On top of that it is so beautiful to listen to Dominicans sing their hearts out!