Retreat

Before Christmas an email came round from Sonia saying it had been five years since the last women's retreat, would anyone be willing to plan another?  Being new in Nigeria, with no experience of planning retreats or attending them and having an aversion to being on committees, of course I volunteered to help.  We had the best committee meetings I've ever come across.  Most took place sitting under trees in someone's garden, drinking coffee, eating cake and having fun whilst still actually getting things done - we started as we meant to go on.

My specific job was to organise the worship sessions.  Everyday living in Nigeria in many ways is not as easy as in the UK or USA.  Most women are overstretched and in need of a time of refreshment and recharging so simplicity was the watchword of the worship: I wanted to offer different ways to encounter God and especially to contrast with the loud, busy services in so many churches here. 

Taize

Friday night started with a Taize service.  I'm sure there were a few dubious looks when people came into the chapel to see a huge cross marked out in tealights on the floor and it took the first song for them to get into the swing of harmonising but once started the voices combined beautifully in the intricate simplicity of the Taize songs as the threads of our worship rose up to heaven.  I'm glad that took place on the first day as once the harmonising started there was no stopping it.  The songs in every meeting afterwards were most beautifully elaborated.

Saturday's meeting was outside under the canopy where we had our meals (another highlight of the

Celtic Worship outside

weekend with all sorts of treats we don't usually get here - real refreshment for the body and no need to think about what to cook.)  This was Celtic-style worship and the woman who prepared the prayers read from Christians through the centuries; there was a strong feeling of unity with those who had served God before and it was awesome.

What was especially awesome were the obvious ways God made his presence felt.  In the preparation of the meetings I had tried to be a conduit, listening and recording.  We had decided against a speaker for the retreat, instead we asked three women to give the testimonies of how God has worked in their lives.  They had no advance knowledge of what readings there would be or what form the worship would take but every time there were references and resonances of what they said in the Bible readings or themes of the services.  It was as if Someone had had a hand in the whole organising.
Niffer spoke on Saturday afternoon and quoted the passage about to be read.  It was pretty striking that as she was talking about Jesus sleeping in the boat as the storm rose and threatened to swamp it the wind strengthened suddenly as if the special effects man had flicked a switch only to die down again as she spoke about how he calmed the sea with a word.

Sunday's worship was to be the culmination of the sessions as we shared communion.  Yet again the readings related closely to what Linda was telling us about the faithfulness of God in her life.  Our retreat theme involved sunflowers so our communion cup was a lovely bright yellow beaker.  As it was passed in silence around the circle one woman was involved in an intense conversation with the Lord.  "Sing." "I can't." "Sing."  "My voice isn't strong enough." "Sing." "OK then, if you insist."  All we knew was that the most atmospheric solo rose from the circle, deepening and enhancing the experience of unity, recommitment and closeness to God.  He knows what's best.  Our final song was in complete contrast - Jesus put this song into our hearts - a lively Jewish-style tune that inspired some energetic dancing.

One of the most encouraging things about the worship sessions was the freedom women felt to respond to God in their own ways whether by singing acapella, kneeling, dancing, harmonising  or just sitting quietly.  The testimonies from Beka, Niffer and Linda, three women in different stages of life were very different accounts of loss, fulfilment and learning but with the constant thread of God's great love and faithfulness through all circumstances, joyful, sorrowful, difficult.  Our final email sums them up.

Linda encouraged us that we can choose to bear sweet fruit in every season of our lives, that God can redeem every situation we go through and also that He takes away, but He also gives;
Beka shared with us that the Lord can use pain and sorrow in our lives to expand out hearts for joy;
And Niffer challenged us in our faith, not to look at the waves, but at the one who made them ~ and to walk out onto the water.

It was a great weekend and much needed.  Having this time to pause made several women realise they were on the edge of burnout and if they carried on the way they were doing they would probably come to a breakdown and have to leave Nigeria.  We thank God for his graciousness, for the food, the

Footspa

foot spa, eating ouside, the amazingly inventive singing and dancing graces, the fun and games, the time to get to know and be encouraged by other women living for God around Jos and the most amazing sense of his presence in it all.  How awesome it is that the Creator of the universe takes time to make his children happy.

Retreat Planning Committee