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My husband's first response when I told him about the Come Before Winter renewal a year ago was pretty typical-Andy, something to the effect of "Come Before Winter?!? Have they seen West Africa???" (We don't have 'winters'.) He quickly warmed up to the idea, though, when I explained that this retreat was free (if you ever want good attendance from missionaries, make it free!), so I knew early on that I would be going. What I didn't know was just how encouraging it was going be. Last week, I and 41 other women (including two of my teammates) serving in Africa made the trip to Cotonou, Benin, for a week of pampering and of challenging. It was quite a gathering. Women working in Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa were served by quite a crowd that came from Texas (well, one actually came from Mexico). These fourteen women made the long trip from the States just for us. They came to serve, to encourage and to give, all with the goal of catching us before we hit the 'burn out' stage. Andy and I have been living here in Burkina for almost two years now, and this week was the first time in those two years that I have truly felt fed through time in the Word, through worship and through fellowship with other Christian women. Don't get me wrong - we have a wonderful team that works hard to encourage each other. This renewal, though, was something extra-special. In some respects, it was a 'typical' women's retreat. There was a lot of crying, a lot of tissues passed around, a lot of hugging, and a lot of sharing. However, never before have I been this challenged by a retreat. We spent very intense periods of study in the gospel of Mark. I was challenged in a way that I don't normally like to be challenged, but in the end I learned much from myself and from the other participants. We learned not only new insights into Mark and how to apply them to our personal lives but also new (to me) ways to study the Bible. We are so grateful for these 14 women who came! They made us feel special first by making the long trip to be with us and second by bringing tons of goodies from America, picked out for each of us individually. Beyond all that, they even made it possible for us to come. The women worked together to raise their personal expenses and the funds needed to cover our hotel stays and food - all we had to do was get ourselves there. On top of that, thanks to friends and family at my home church Tri-Valley in Livermore, California, we weren't even out the cost of my plane ticket on Air Burkina. It was a great week! I gained some new friendships, renewed some old ones, and in the process grew so much. I think it managed to hold off winter in my life for quite a while. Thanks again to all of you who made this week possible, whether by coming, or by contributing financially, or by praying for us and for my bachelor-for-a-week husband (as far as I can tell, he and the house survived the week pretty well…). Enjoying my own personal spring, Melissa If you are interested in finding out more about the Come Before Winter renewal or in helping to support their ministry, please look up their website at: www.comebeforewinter.org |
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