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Taking Time Out

 

I had the privilege this week of attending a retreat with five other women. The retreat was over three days but unfortunately some of the nine women who intended to go, were unable to as other urgent commitments came up and needed to be kept. So it became a bit different than expected. Six of us attended the first day, but two of us could only go for the day. Another two were going out the following day for the rest of the retreat. Unfortunately one of our ladies became quite sick and to her disappointment missed it all.

However, the day I attended was blessed.  The retreat was held at a beach house belonging to one of the group, at an isolated beach about an hours drive away. It was a beautiful sunny day. We deposited our bags and the first thing we did after admiring the view, was to have a cup of tea. This lead to a lovely lazy discussion about all sorts of things, a great introduction to spending time together. Following this we spent about an hour studying and discussing the way Jesus witnessed to the Samaritan woman at the well, before spending time in prayer. 

We then had lunch and more fellowship. Four of us were eager for fresh air and sunshine so went for a long walk along the beautiful sandy beach. It had become quite crowded by this time which amazed me considering its isolation.

When we got back, we had a very challenging quiz followed by afternoon tea.

Before I knew it, it was time for me to take the long, windy, narrow, hilly road home. It was a beautiful time of study, prayer and fellowship and I was so glad I made it.

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