This past weekend, twelve Costa Rican women´s ministries team members gave up their weekend for a working retreat (after working our “day jobs” all week).  We did it to talk about our dreams for serving God, for bettering our ministry focus and for continuing our own preparation for service.

Saturday we did a lot of brainstorming and made progress with planning.  By evening, my brain was tired!

Sunday started with a devotional and the study of Luke 5:17-20, the passage of the paralyzed man and his faith-filled friends who brought him to see Jesus for healing.  It is a wonderfully rich passage; just one of the images we pulled out was seeing our ministry as a parallel to those friends, bringing hurting women to Jesus and healing despite all the obstacles in the way.  We then sang an adapted chorus of a well-known song (in Spanish) as a prayer for our ministry:  “Take me where the women need Your words and my desire to (fully) live, Where hope is missing, where happiness is missing, simply because they don´t know of You.”

Then one of the women added, “We need to recognize that sometimes the paralytic is us and we need friends to help us to get healing”.  Holy Spirit-inspired we formed a circle, putting different people in the middle to be prayed over.  There were lots of tears, hugs, and letting go of burdens as God ministered in our midst.

Less stressed and with renewed spirits, we went back to our planning work.  The time schedule lost importance.  By the end of our retreat, we had good focus and a few strategically placed meetings and ministry activities planned.  Despite working all weekend, it was an energizing experience because God was present.

Thank you for your financial support and prayers which make such an experience possible for our women´s ministries.  Our team needs continual spiritual growth, God´s guidance in our lives and our ministries.  The women we minister to also need your prayers, including God´s healing and direction in their lives.

My prayer for you as Holy Week approaches is that God will minister to you as God ministered to us this past weekend, lightening your burdens and renewing your spirit.