Spiritual Retreat

Hi Everyone,

After our annual conference ended on Friday, I was in the car heading back home with my sending base leaders, and after praying silently for half the drive home, expressed to my leaders my desire to take Sunday and Monday off heading to Taxco, where I had gone with Olga in October, to get away and take a tiny spiritual retreat.

They gave me permission (so nice of then on such short notice), and I took off on Sunday morning fairly early. Beautiful flowers were in bloom in Taxco! I actually saw this tree as we drove in on the bus, and walked back a ways to be able to photograph it.

Next to the blooming tree was a church building and the service had just started so i walked in and joined. The worship (music part) was about 35 minutes long and was incredible. The sermon was about how God wants to use the times in our lives when we feel like we are in the desert to draw closer to Him and evaluate our relationship with Him and others. We were encouraged to take a brief time apart and get alone with God (Which was exactly why I had gone to Taxco in the first place.)

After the church service, I went hunting to find a place to stay for the night---amazingly I took the right toads (without exactly remembering the way) that led to the guest house which was beside the one that Olga and I had stayed in during our October vacation outing. I rented a room for the night, mostly spent time reading the Bible, praying, and planning for two upcoming prayer days in March and April that I am in charge of organizing.

When I went to sleep last night, everything was so calm--not only was there no noise from traffic, neighborhood etc, but I was calm and peaceful on the inside of my heart--in a deep way that I hadn't felt for awhile.

I came back today--and am soon to begin heading into the tasks of the week.

I feel really refreshed spiritually, emotionally, and otherwise. Hopefully I will be able to take a three day time off similar to this one in May--obviously I haven't discussed it with my leaders yet, but hope to later this week.