RETREAT

Our "Spring Break" at Cowman came extra early this year. The OMS Haiti field has found that the local craziness of Mardi Gras makes for a convenient time to get the team out of Haiti for our annual retreat. That meant February 14 found our team, all the kids and five days worth of luggage boarding a bus bound for Sosua in the Dominican Republic.  

The bus was a brilliant suggestion from Stacey, saving a whole lot of time and stress compared to our eight hour truck/van convoy last year.  Anybody who didn't catch a nap - or two - on this bus was in the minority!

We were super excited this year to have our dear friends Phil and Connie along to lead the retreat and Nathan and Hannah to work with the children.



First stop across the border: lunch with ICE CREAM.

If you get the impression that a good portion of our retreat revolved around food, you'd be right on target.  Here's the buffet line at our hotel, Sosua by the Sea. The appeal is not just the good food, but having someone else do all the cooking and all the dish-washing.  (Our family is used to spending a good chunk of every day doing both.)

And what GORGEOUS surroundings to enjoy!



All of which made a great backdrop to our real "business": getting to know God and each other better. The constant crashing of the waves against the rocks below us were a repeating reminder of the power and majesty of God.

That first evening was the first time in my life that I actually enjoyed karaoke. Hannah R. shared a beautiful song and her husband did a great Johnny Cash.  Here Phil belts out "Impossible Dream"...

But most of our singing was in the context of worship.

While the adults gathered to talk, Hannah and Nathan met with the kids in the room next door.  Part of their activities involved half a ton of scrapbook supplies:

Each of the girls got to put together her own scrapbook with the main points of all the kids' group talked about during the course of the retreat.

Speaking of the kids, they couldn't get enough time together.  Playing games ...

Eating meals ...



The littlest ones enjoyed collecting hermit crabs among the rocks...

While the older ones learned some new skills ...

(Our Hannah is on the left; her friend Brianna is on the right.)

And EVERYBODY enjoyed pool time.

There was plenty of time to just enjoy the beauty and to be quiet before the Lord.



Some of us took a couple of hours one day to explore an art museum I had discovered on an early morning run. I thought it looked interesting from the outside ...

Nine of us took moto taxis to get to the top of the hill where the museum was located.




Turns out, it WAS interesting on the inside.  And creepy.

A few pieces were whimsical.  A couple were beautiful.

Quite a bit of it depicted aliens and space ships...

But the vast majority of it was just downright dark and ... evil.



The following photo was taken just before Melissa turned to me to ask, "And WHY did you think this would be a good place to bring us?!"

But the views from the upper floors were fantastic and, if nothing else, it was a graphic reminder of the high-stakes spiritual battle being waged all around us in this world. It was almost as if the typically-invisible forces of what the Bible calls the "Dominion of Darkness" decided to come out into the daylight for a time. Chilling ... but also fascinating.

Phil and Connie, thankfully, survived the motorcycle ride and the tour through the Castillo Mundo King...

Fortunately, none of the darkness clung to us as we finished out the retreat. What else can I say beyond a HUGE "Thank You" to Phil and Connie and Nathan and Hannah.  Both of these couples took time away from work and ministry obligations at home to come be with us and to serve us and we are so very grateful.  It was a refreshing time that ended much too quickly!