“I am with you” from the well-known musical ‘Touch the Sky’ written by Udo D. Zimmermann was this year's catchy theme song and it was heard and sung countless times this weekend. You heard it in the queue in the dining room, during a walk through the beautiful hills of the Taunus in the sunshine, or late in the evening, when you were already on your way to your room.
The entertaining supporting program with an ever-changing team of moderators from the diligent Women's Ministries team guided 54 women through the topics prepared by our speaker of this year, Elida Oncea, Director of the Women's Ministries Department in the Austrian Union. The women's retreat from June 7-9, 2024, had the motto “Like a Braided Rope”
On Friday evening, Elida introduced us to the topic of “the silver cord” and we asked ourselves what role we play as women, mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters. What is our identity between our dreams and reality? On Sabbath morning, the topic was “The Threefold Rope” and we heard once again how important a firm and personal relationship with God is in our everyday lives. Elida based this on the biblical passages in Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12.
Our obligatory photo shoot in the great outdoors once again brought many smiles to our faces, as this fixture of every weekend always brings back great memories and snapshots. There was also plenty of free time to make new friends, use the swimming pool, or simply relax until the Bible study on the topic of “The life-saving Rope” began after the refreshment break. We also enjoyed atrium with its steps and the view of the hilly landscape during the subsequent group discussion. In small groups, we learned from various Bible texts how women were changed by Jesus' closeness and his touch.
On Sunday morning, Elida concluded with the topic “Women in the Diversity of Life”. We discussed how the four dimensions of life: physical, intellectual, social, and spiritual are intertwined. I thought about one sentence for a long time and consider it as the common thread that ran through the entire retreat: “Always hold on to God! He is the only rope that never breaks.” The relationship with our heavenly Father is the most important thing we can build on this earth. It's wonderful when you can walk the path of your life together, strengthened by relationships with loved ones.
I would like to thank the entire team who accompanied us through the weekend with loving decorations, various small gifts, presents, a book table, fruit counter and candy bar. The songs, poems, and personal experiences went straight to the heart and often moved us to tears. We laughed a lot and found that this weekend also was overfar too quickly. Thanks be to God for these wonderful women.
According to a report by Daniela P.