Mar 6 – 8: Kindness and Compassion
Day 1
The women and girls are all previous retreat participants, so it was good for everyone to reconnect. Craft time gives the women a chance to be creative and to share. Tea time is important too. For many women who struggle to provide one meal a day for their families, tea time is a special treat. After a lesson on how God cares for us, the women started a mural, made of butterflies covered with words describing how God sees them.
Mural making
Day 2
Today the group talked about the need to recognize and name our feelings in order to heal. We studied Hagar’s life and named the feelings she would have had at different stages of her life. The women then shared their feelings in small groups. A number of women were contemplating suicide but through Yego they have found a family where they feel safe. By end of day, the talk centred around gratitude and how it can move us from a circle of fear to a circle of love.
Shared feelings
Day 3
Today’s lesson was about compassion. The women embroidered intertwining hearts to illustrate that compassion connects our hearts. Worship started with lively singing and dancing. Emmanuel had just started preaching when some of the women “challenged” what he was saying. A discussion followed until a consensus was reached and the sermon continued. It is International Women’s Day so maybe a challenge was in order.
Women’s retreat participants and leaders
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