On Mercy: A Time to Breathe

21 January 2013

This last weekend I had the privilege and honor to be a part of a beautiful time away. I mentioned in a previous post that I had been invited to join a small group of absolutely incredible women; they are amazing in every way and I am so grateful for them. But anyway, one reason I know this is exactly the group for me is they have echoed so beautifully one of the cries of my heart - how can I be a blessing, bless others, be a better friend?

They had felt strongly for the last several months that they wanted to do something special for the moms on the ship - and I jumped at the opportunity! We hosted/organized/led a getaway weekend in Coyah, a lovely village about an hour and a half from the ship and far away from the noise, pollution, and business of the city. We stayed at a hotel type place owned by a Dutch family situated right along a creek in a beautiful forested area with "mountains" in the background. (Their mountains are really big hills to those of us who have ever lived near the Rockies!)

It was stunningly beautiful. It was clean, calm, birds were singing, we were all relaxed. There was dedicated time for worship, prayer, teaching, and silence, along with time for fun and play. The moms had a great time and I was so honored to be a part of it. I was the only French speaker in the group so organized alot of the logistics with the location, and I got to drive to and from as well. It was my first time away from the city here in Guinea and I had forgotten how much my heart longs for natural beauty - I sat for hours staring at, listening to, and dangling my feet into the creek!