The annual WLA Women’s Retreat this past weekend was a wonderful tribute to the commitment and planning of the amazing Leadership Team and to Shelley’s diligent and Spirit-led study of the Word.  The theme was “Unleashed” and through the teaching, prayer guide and the worshipful music, we were led to consider that we are unleashed from the sin that binds us through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus and how that impacts the way we live our lives.

According to tradition, Saturday morning was spent alone in quiet contemplation while Jan’s study guide walked us through reflections on the fact that we are unleashed to look up, unleashed to be real, unleashed to  praise, unleashed to wait, and unleashed to be lifted up. In the reminder of the teaching sessions we saw how we are unleashed to soar above, unleashed to be tethered to Jesus and unleashed to worship the living God.

After a campfire on Saturday evening, Asian style paper sky lanterns were launched (with the approval of the local Fire Marshall) to the delight of everyone present.  The company was wonderful; the surroundings beautiful, meals appeared and were cleaned up without us having to lift a finger.  With the exception of a bit of rain on Saturday morning and a high fever as a result of some questionable packaged meat I ate the day before I left, it was a nearly perfect weekend.

I, and the other 75 or so other women who attended, are so thankful to Deb, Shelley, Jan, Barb and Catherine who so faithfully put this together each year and pray that they are as blessed by the weekend as we all were.