God's Sufficient Grace

MTW Retreat

Thank you, thank you, thank you for praying for the retreat this past weekend!! God over and abundantly answered every prayer request (except maybe one - I'll share later...) that I asked you to pray for in my last post. The retreat was AMAZING - in every way. I will try to express a little of that in words, then hopefully the pictures will share some of the rest.

The "kid's retreat" went so very well! The children were very sweet to each other and obedient the whole weekend and seemed to enjoy what we had planned. God provided the most perfect area for us to use at the resort - which was one of my biggest worries! I was afraid that we might all be stuck up in a small hotel room, but the resort had a kids play area that was outdoors but covered and filled with play equipment that was perfect for our children's ages (you should have seen PJ and Aidan and the other boys driving around in the little cars - I think they would have been happy to just drive around the room all weekend!). That area was connected to a little bit larger area that we could run around and play games in. Also, the resort was not crowded and there were so few kids there that I don't think we were bothering anyone else and we had the room/area almost entirely to ourselves. We also were able to take the kids to the beach several times to look for shells and other "treasures" and build sandcastles and we took them on other walks around the resort. God caused the weather to fit perfectly with the retreat schedule - it only rained when we were all in meetings! The "teaching" time went very well. The kids seemed to listen better and better each time (with the exception of the last when we had one screaming 2 year old that proved to be a bit of a distraction to the rest of the group!) and they also seemed to enjoy the stories we acted out and the activities we had planned to go along with them. None of the kids had a big problem with leaving their parents during the hours we took them and I cannot count the number of "thank yous" I received from the team members. The adults seemed incredibly blessed by the sessions free of "kid distractions" or interruptions and by the time of fellowship and team-building they were able to have together. I think the entire (adult) team was very enriched and encouraged by the retreat and came back to Bangkok "full" - which is exactly what I was praying for.

Khao Lak was amazingly beautiful. I really cannot describe to you how amazing and beautiful this resort and island was nor how refreshing it was just to BE there. As soon as we got out of the plane on Phuket, I could tell a difference in the cleanness and smell of the air. We drove about an hour from the airport to the resort and it was so secluded and peaceful and quiet - I'm not sure I've ever been to a place quite like it. The beach was gorgeous and when we walked along the coast or swam out in the water, it felt like we were the only ones there (except for maybe a few Thai fishermen or women gathering mussels on the rocks). The hotel bed was a lot more comfortable than the one in my apartment, so I felt like I was able to get some good sleep, and the whole 3 days there was just so relaxing. In my "off" times, I was able to go on walks, swim, read, take naps, get a massage and pedicure at the spa, snorkel, play games with the team members, eat good food and just sit! I spent the entire weekend walking on air and looking around asking myself in wonder, "How exactly did I end up here?!" It's one of those beautiful mysteries of serving the Lord, I think: that just in the midst of the sacrifice and tired service, He grants His children the most beautiful, loveliest of gifts, causing them to say with joy that He is good and that He gives back 10-fold whatever was sacrificed.

Needless to say, I wasn't so very much eager to come back to Bangkok and work! And here's where I still need prayer... The amazing thing is that God provided times of rest and refreshment this past weekend and gave me strength to watch the children at the exact times I needed them. However, I never got fully well. My sore throat went away but a cough came and today it changed into a pretty bad sinus headache and pressure. I woke up this morning feeling very tired and yucky and have taken sinus medicine all day. God has been so good through this: it actually is a (comparatively) good week to be sick as it is a "lighter" teaching week (only 4 days this week and many classes are having their "music fun day" which requires less singing and somewhat less planning/energy on my part) and I was (unusually) very prepared going into it, so I've been able to leave work at 4:30 (early for me!) yesterday and today and rest in the evenings. And He has upheld my strength while at work. But I must admit that I am discouraged by how long this sickness has lingered on (or that it keeps coming back) and wish that I could be healthy again. God is helping me see His purpose in it though. This morning I had a "Duh!" moment while I was staring blankly/sleepily at the wall when I was trying to read my Bible and pray. I asked God in my frustration, "Why can't I just be back to full strength again so that I can teach and serve better here?" Then I realized - "Hello, Catherine! This is what the Lord keeps trying to grind into your little mind at every turn: 'My strength is made PERFECT in weakness. My grace is sufficient for you!!" I seem to have a hard time grasping this. Yes, I see God providing daily strength to go to work and live here, but I still somehow think that I would do a better job of loving my students and sharing the gospel with them and serving others and seeking God if I was my normal healthy, strong, alert self. But God is making it painfully obvious that whatever good comes out of me living in Bangkok is from Him alone. I'd appreciate it if you would keep all these things in your prayers: my health/strength, attitude and above all, God's glory in this.

Thank you. : )

posted by Catherine Rogers @ 5:02 AM