Retreat

Thursday and Friday marked a turning point for us in the Orientation Program. We spent 2 days on retreat to quiet down and reflect on the program thus far. The retreat officially completed the discernment portion of our training and on Friday we verbally agreed to move forward with our decision to become missioners.

This may seem like a weird semantic situation to most people. I mean, why would we get rid of all our stuff, quit our jobs and rent our house out if we weren't completely sure of this? But MKLM likes their rituals. And they want to make sure that we are absolutely positive that this is the right place for us (and vice versa). So the theory is that up until this point we were feeling things out, praying, and really trying to figure out if this was our place. But now the assumption is that we've gotten a better idea of what we're getting into and that we're in it now for the long haul.

I have to say, I LOVED the retreat! I spent a lot of quiet time walking alone through the woods, sitting by the river, writing in my journal, and just paying attention to God. I can't remember a time when I was so still and quiet. The weather was warm and the scenery beautiful. What a special treat to have that time!