And just like that, we are done and volunteers have begun to leave, with travelers going in different directions at different times over the next 24 hours. We are a group of sisters who have grown close, shared an intense week of serving, and come to love one another even though many just met a week ago! It is amazing how God creates a bond within His family that might not exist elsewhere.
As we prepare for departure, many are thinking of their next steps, their next retreat, how they will continue to support global women and how they will spread the word about this much-needed ministry. We are all changed. Which begs the question – Why Thrive? What is it that God is doing here? Why is this necessary? At the end of a retreat, the answers are crystal clear. Women who were considering leaving the field now have the strength to continue. Arriving empty with nothing left to give, weary workers came to a place where they could let down any pretense and just be girls, where they could be poured into with no expectations of them, and sit with Jesus without distractions of the responsibilities and busyness of life.
Many lives were touched, changed, encouraged, and energized in one week’s time. Only our God could do that!
“Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in the messiness of unanswered prayer.” –Thrive volunteer
©2018 Thrive