Where to begin? I suppose the beginning is always the best place, right? Let me just tell you that although these past 11 days were some of the hardest days of my life, they were probably also the best days of my entire life because I felt like I was really living and I was exactly where God wanted me to be.
So, my original plan was to take the MegaBus to Chicago, IL, on Monday evening from Grand Rapids and then catch another MegaBus from Chicago to Nashville, TN… that didn’t happen. The bus to Grand Rapids, MI, was about an hour late and my “layover” in Chicago was only supposed to be an hour. I cried some when I didn’t get on that first bus because I was frustrated and stuck, but, I knew that I didn’t want to be stranded in Chicago at midnight. So, I texted Penelope, my friend who was going to pick me up in Nashville. I told her that plans changed due to the MegaBus issue. About 20 minutes later, she calls and offers to buy my a plane ticket for the next morning to fly down, and I accepted it. We got to spend the afternoon and evening together and it was great to see her and her husband again. Penelope then drove me to the MegaBus station in Nashville, TN. It was actually on time, thankfully. I arrived in ATL about 3pm on Wednesday. Side note: Penelope had called me the Thursday before and offered me a flight down… I guess I should have just let her buy it then, but I was being stubborn because I already had a different plan in place. Lesson learned: My plans are not always going to work. Be willing to let others help you. “5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)
Beauty for Ashes (B4A) Women’s Retreat One of my squad mates, Karissa, picked me up from the MegaBus station in ATL. We then went and picked up another squad mate, Ashley, at the train station. We then visited REI for some last minute purchases and Arby’s for dinner. There were seven of us from M-Squad plus 3 of our squad leaders and our squad mentor at the B4A retreat.
I have been to several women’s retreats and conferences, and even helped lead some, but this was probably the best retreat that I have ever been to. As I mentioned in a previous post, I was praying that I would be open to whatever God had for me. Well, God had a lot for me. At the retreat,
– I attempted a few drawings (I’m not really an artists, I’d rather use words).
– We prayed a lot.
– We verbally processed a lot.
– We worshiped through music several times.
– We sat in God’s presence and “soaked” in Him.
– We worked through some past hurts and learned how to share some of our own stories of who we have been and learned who we are in Christ.
We need to be willing to be vulnerable and allow God to use our stories to touch other people’s hearts. We also talked about forgiveness and freedom in letting go. There were a few tears shed. God really began breaking down the walls in my heart and my mind. (I’d love to have a conversation with you about this).
Well, Training Camp didn’t officially start until 4pm on Saturday and the Women’s Retreat ended on Saturday morning after breakfast. That meant we had about 7 hours to kill and we couldn’t hang out at Adventures in Missions. So, I overheard some P-Squad ladies chatting about going into town to shower at the YMCA and visit the Laundromat and do some shopping. Well, I spoke up and asked to tag along and they graciously took me in for the day. I also experienced Chick-Fil-A for the first time and it was pretty great.
Training Camp… stay tuned!
Like I said earlier, if you want to know more about me, my story, the journey thus far, etc., feel free to leave me a comment or send me an e-mail. I would love to hear from you! Take care! God bless!
Misha
