Family Retreat

Most of the summers we've been here, we've had various activities for the children and youth. However we've been noticing that the adults could use some encouragement as well. We decided to try it . . . a retreat for families. Because of our own limitations, it would be just for two days.
The next question was how to care for a crowd and interact with them at the same time. We could prepare two meals ahead. We asked an acquaintance to fix another meal. We called to invite three families, Organuiks, Shevalenkos and Goncharuks. One family, the Organuiks, couldn't make it. Two said they could. We began to prepare.

The Shevalenko family

Then the father/husband of the Shevalenkos had other business that he couldn't put off. His wife and children still planned to be at the retreat. Monday evening we called to confirm arrangements with the Goncharuk family that was supposed to still come as a whole. They had gotten the dates mixed up and couldn't be there the first day that we planned. What should we do?

the Goncharuk family

Flexibility!! We changed from two days to one and a half. We put the retreat on the days that the second family could come, took some time off to refresh ourselves and prepare.
Wednesday morning had Dave running to the bazaar for last minute supplies and then to pick up the Goncharuk family and Katrina Randolph, our co-worker.

We had a morning service, separate time for the ladies and men, lunch, time to play with the families and an evening service. Katrina and Seth had a children's service and then games with the children while the adults were having their service and discussion times.

Katrina, Seth and the children

Meanwhile our cooks worked on lunch for the second day. At the end of the day we all felt like this little guy who fell asleep on the chair while the grown-ups talked. Exhausted!

The second day our morning service merged into the time for the men and the ladies but our guests said our topic was important and they wanted to continue it. The topic was raising children. A couple of our hometown children showed up with nothing to do while on school vacation. They came in and joined our group.
Lunch was a special event, prepared carefully with top Ukrainian quality. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

Here are our cooks. Vika Vozain and Tanya Anastasova

The last task was to transport everyone home. We finished that at about seven in the evening. The retreat is over. Please pray with us that God will use it. Then the spiritual benefits will go on.