Southern Oregon and California Ladies Retreat

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall . . .
Are you in need of a makeover?

by Cecilia Morgan

About a week before the Southern Oregon Ladies Retreat began, I received a packet in the mail which included six days worth of devotionals to “set the tone for our time together and give us food for thought on the different aspects of being beautiful.” The first devotional was titled “A Closet of Contentment” and the subject matter was clothes, but it had a spiritual lesson that tied in with our lives. It stated: “Next time we shop, let's shop at the Heavenly Mall where satisfaction is guaranteed, blessings are waiting in bountiful supply, and God's provisions are free for the asking. Herein lies true contentment!” Every other devotional was just as thought-provoking, making it difficult not to read them all at one sitting.

The retreat began on Thursday, September 13, at the Windmill Inn in Ashland, Oregon, fifteen miles south of Medford. About seventy ladies attended from the California and Southern Oregon branch churches, as well as a handful of ladies from the Portland congregation. Check-in was from 4 to 8 p.m. with the first scheduled activity at 8:30. Those arriving early entertained themselves with shopping, walking around town, or visiting the well-known Lithia Park.

We were all excited to be there, and you could hear lots of chatter and laughing in the conference room before the event formally started. Eight-thirty arrived and it was time to officially kick-off the Ladies Retreat. We were welcomed by Michelle Hancock from Eureka, who helped coordinate the event, and a display table full of prizes to be won over the weekend. Becky Bowden, from Grants Pass, led us in a few songs (as she did at the beginning of most sessions) and then Marylee Walden, from Portland, led the evening devotional. She shared thoughts on inner and outer beauty by way of amusing personal stories. We concluded with the reflection that it is nice to take care of our outside appearance, but that no matter how beautiful we may appear on the outside, our inner beauty (or lack thereof) is what will shine through. Things wrapped up around 10 p.m. and then snacks and games were brought in. We had the room until 11 p.m. and also enjoyed the use of all the hotel amenities, including the swimming pool and hot tub. Some ladies went to sleep while others relished the freedom of being off a schedule and stayed up late.

Friday morning started with a lovely breakfast, complete with fresh waffles, yogurt, coffee, juice, toast, and just about every other thing you would want at the breakfast table. Awaiting each lady at the tables was a brand-name body wash, sunscreen, or mouthwash. We later found out that we had to come up with a verse AND sing a song that went along with that item. I never wanted a video camera so badly! It made for an amusing time with some interesting words to familiar tunes.

The morning session featured a devotional by Rosie Lambert and Roxie Rael, “A Look to Die For.” We took a look at what the world's view of beauty is, and saw an example from a popular magazine. Then we heard what God's view of beauty is from examples in the Bible: Queen Esther–a woman who had it all; Eve–the first woman; and Mary–the mother of Jesus. It was fascinating to listen to these ladies' perspectives. It brought the retreat down to a personal level, where we started to evaluate ourselves by how we thought God would like us to be.

After the devotional, there was a delicious lunch of soup, salad, and freshly-baked bread. We then had a few hours of free time where we could ride bikes, shop around town, take a nap, or socialize. We took full advantage of every second to spend time with friends!

We came back at around 4:30 p.m. for a fashion show. Our fashionistas, Yvonne Wilson and Jennifer Buss, both from Portland, gave us tips for filling our closets with ten essential items so we would never again look inside our closets and say, “I have NOTHING to wear!” We also learned some other fashion basics and were given good resources to check out in the future. This was followed by a very nice dinner, including pie for dessert.

At about 7:00 p.m., we split into two groups for activities that lasted about forty minutes each. The one I went to first was led by Roxie Rael, “The Right Look–Write Away,” where we evaluated our attitudes, words, and actions to see if they build up or tear down. Questions to ponder were: “Do I focus more on cultivating inner spiritual beauty than I do on matters of external beauty?” (1 Peter 3:3-4); and, “What kinds of words, actions, and attitudes on my part will help the Christian men around me become all that God wants them to be?” (Genesis 2:18). After a little discussion, we wrote a letter to ourselves about one area where we wanted to see improvement. These letters will be mailed back to us in six months.

The second session, “Pamper Yourself” was led by Relaxation Specialists, Yvonne and Jennifer. We learned how to pamper ourselves on a budget of both time and money. Our experts gave us ideas like using a golf ball to massage our feet; holding a cup of hot water, with a splash of scented oil, near our face for a five-minute steam; and some invigorating stretching exercises. We each made a list of ten things that would put a smile on our face and were challenged to try to do one a day for the next twenty-one days, because research shows that if you do something for that long it is more likely to become a habit.

Later that evening, Cheri White, from Eureka, gave the evening devotional titled, “Such as I Have.” She talked about giving God what you have and not making excuses. She brought a doll, nicely wrapped in its original box, to illustrate how lovely we can be. But we are pretty much useless if we are just sitting in a box. She told how her childhood doll, which she loved very much, was terribly ragged after years of being played with, and related that story to how we need to be used of God. She had a graceful and charming way of admonishing us to put away our excuses. After listening to Cheri, many ladies felt inspired to give “such as they have” to God. We then did a prayer-partner exchange.

On Saturday there was still more to come with another great breakfast catered by the hotel. Fun-loving Maryann Spakousky, from Richmond , gave the devotional on the roles of a woman. She used objects such as an apron, a backpack, and a sweater to demonstrate the roles we may have as women, including being wives, moms, or working professionals. She wrapped her discussion up by having her mother, her sister, and her pastor's wife stand as women she finds to be beautiful. Following a brief wrap-up, it was time to say our goodbyes.

The retreat was a wonderful experience. I had many plans for the “free time” and had not thought too much about the retreat itself until I received the devotionals in the mail. The devotionals really helped me to hone in on the reason for going, and I felt open and ready to learn before I even arrived. I am thankful I was able to attend and hopefully my husband, child, and church will benefit from the spiritual replenishment I received while there.