L: The Barn Retreat where we ate, slept, and grew in wisdom.
R: This was the view Saturday morning...the air was cool and crisp, but the sight was breathtaking!
This year we went on a Treasure Quest to continue to help us discover the treasures that God has for us as women. Our verse was Proverbs 31:26 "Out of her mouth comes wisdom and faithful instruction is on her tongue."
We began the evening with a delicious meal of stuffed shells, salad, bread, and a "Treasure Quest" retreat would not be complete without a "Treasure Chest" cake! It was delicious and the cupcakes had yummy "treasures" inside of them! Thanks, Julie, for your creativity and effort!
We then had a time of praise and worship followed by Fran sharing her testimony. Fran was asked to be our speaker because of her testimony as a Godly woman, her years of growth and wisdom, and her involvement in mentoring younger women. She shared with us about her family, marriage, acceptance of Christ, growth as a Christian, and how God worked in various areas of her life. She also shared marriage and parenting insights that were very interesting and helpful.
After this time of sharing, we had a Treasure Hunt! The ladies were divided up into three groups and given scripture verses to look up to lead them to their next clue or verse. For example....Proverbs 21:9 "It is better to live on the corner of the roof than in a house with a quarrelsome wife." This clue led them to the rooftop where there might be this clue..."Deuteronomy 23:12 "Designate a place outside the camp where you can go and relieve yourself." This led them to the bathroom. Finally, after some funny moments one group found the treasure!
L: Felica and Rene working on their "chicken" signal so that they could locate each other when searching for clues!
R: Stephanie and Rhonda heading to their next clue.
L:Julie looks like she can't find the clue...it would help if the right verse was written down:)
R: Fran, Karen, & Aaron enjoy some fellowship time.
So...how many women can you fit in a bathroom at one time?
Friday evening ended with yummy snacks and great fellowship! There were lots of late night conversations and friendships being made!
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Saturday morning dawned bright and cold! We took from 7:30 to 9:00 (even though some were up a long time before 7) to have some quiet time with God and enjoy the scenery surrounding us!
Juanita enjoying the beautiful morning and God's word!
Then we started the morning off by singing some beautiful songs written to glorify God. Julie led us in our praise time and then we were taught some more truth by Fran.
Fran started by reaffirming that the most important wisdom is from the Bible. The definition of wisdom is the understanding of what is true, right, & lasting...which the only thing that is all of those is God! There is worldly wisdom which exalts self and not the Creator and then there is Godly wisdom which is pure, peace loving, and willing to yield to others. Fran shared quite a few scriptures that discuss wisdom from God. She focused on the Proverbs 31 passage and shared an interesting tidbit about that passage. It was probably memorized by most if not all Jewish women and then recited on the eve of every Sabbath. That passage of truth is very important in the life of women!
Fran then went on to share that she is a seamstress, and so she used the analogy of making a garment. She called it "Garment of Marriage". It takes a lifetime to construct and you have to make adjustments to make it a perfect fit. You need a pattern...friend, lover, giver and then you need to piece it together using God as the underlying that will sustain the garment.
Another great analogy that Fran used was in relationships think of the cross. God is the vertical beam of the cross. He is what holds everything up and together. The horizontal beam is your relationship with others. Without the vertical, the horizontal will not stand.
Fran finished up by talking about time. We need to make time for God, self, husband, and others. Time is so hard to come by and most of us feel like we need more of it in a day, but it is so important in relationships to take the time to listen, care, and learn.
I'm sure there is more that Fran shared that I am forgetting, but feel free to talk to any lady that attended to hear what they took home from Fran's words of wisdom!
Fran's talk was then wrapped up with prayer time in small groups! Everyone in the group took time to share requests and then pray for one another. One group really had the Spirit working since they almost prayed all the way through brunch! The rest of us were enjoying devouring the delicious food that had been prepared! Thank you to everyone who brought food and shared some great recipes with us.
L: Heather, Rhonda, & Shelia.
R: Karen (holding Aaron), Juanita, Mary, & Stephanie.
Lori, Rene, Angie, Felicia, & Felica.
After brunch, Fran spent some time sharing with us her mentoring experiences, including both being a mentor and a mentee. She talked about how one-on-one time is very important, but that at least connecting in someway, whether phone, email, or briefly in person, should happen every week if at all possible. She shared with us about how other women had encouraged her and mentored her in the Word and in life circumstances. In return, she has had the opportunity to be a part of numerous college girls' lives and other younger women.
We then had Felica share about what it has been like for her to be mentored for two years, and Tina shared what it is like to be a mentor. Our String of PEARLS program is set up so that an older woman gets the opportunity to share in a younger woman's life for a year! It is based off of Titus 2 where the older women are instructed to teach the younger women to love their husbands and take care of their children, and most importantly to love God. If you are interested in being mentored, then see Felicia.
Our retreat went really fast, but I believe each lady took home a "treasure" from this "quest". It was a great time of sharing, encouragement, and growth! We look forward to another retreat next year!
Front Row: Fran, Shelia, Juanita, Heather, Angie, Lori
Second Row: Rene, Julie, Karen, Rebecca, Felica, Kim, Linda, Tina, Mary
Top Row: Stephanie, Rhonda, Felicia
Not pictured: JeriAnn
Our next PEARLS is Tuesday, November 4th (Don't forget to vote before coming to PEARLS!) at Leta & Lori's home! Hope to see you there!
