Retreat 2010
April 16-18
Canby Grove Conference Center, Canby, OR
Retreat 2009 was a wonderful weekend.
Our thanks to all who participated.
Start planning now for retreat 2010
Our 2009 speaker, Bette Nordberg, blessed us with an amazing study about revitalizing our relationship with our Abba Daddy Father.
Graham Kerr (the former Galloping Gourmet of TV fame) & his wife Treena shared their life testimony and walk with Jesus in humorous and delightful ways, challenging and encouraging us through their example of love and faithfulness to God and each other.
Music presented by Bonnie Carter Wolfman and the Worship team from Medford, Oregon was another highlight of retreat 2009.
International Workers on home assignment shared their hearts of love and some struggles they faced with an openness that brought tears to our eyes and encouraged us to pray more diligently in the days ahead.
Retreat Outreach Offering Project: Remember Nhu, a ministry that rescues children at risk of being sold (or who have already been sold) into the sex trade industry in Cambodia and Thailand, was the focus of our retreat outreach offering this year. Co-founded in 2003 by Remember Nhu president, Carl Ralston, the organization is named for a twelve-year-old girl named Nhu who was raised as a Christian in a C&MA church in Thailand but was sold by her relatives for $300.00 into a Thailand brothel. She was then resold for $600.00 and forced into servicing twelve to fifteen men every night by her "owners."
Nhu represents about one million children trafficked into sexual slavery every year. Nhu has been found and rescued and is now actively participating in the rescue of children at risk. The three goals of Remember Nhu are to remove children from high risk conditons and place them in a safe place; to develop partnerships with international and U.S. organizations; and to develop economic opportunities that will provide homes and vocational training for young women wanting to exit the sex trade.
If any district churches would still like to participate in this offering project, you may send your contributions to our district treasurer, Debbie Sande, 2458 China Garden Road, Kalama WA 98625. Thank you for your support of this project. We collected over $3,000 for this project at retreat. PTL!
Ideas for saving money for retreat: (It's not too early to begin saving for our 2010 retreat. Begin now and you'll be surprised how quickly you will have the money saved.)
Save your pocket change; use coupons and save $5.00 a week from your grocery money; get together with other women from your church and have a yard sale or bake sale or other fund raiser. Langley CMA gives their women an opportunity to make a weekly deposit toward retreat. This enables them to save slowly and not have a large chunk to pay when retreat time arrives. A cute saying that could be used with this idea is "Stash your cash for the bash!" And don't forget! Any pastor's wife, retreat coordinator or women's ministry leader who can bring 20 women to retreat will receive free tuition to attend (all twenty must register together and indicate at that time who will receive the free tuition).
Ask your church to put retreat dates and info on their website. They can give this website address (www.pnw-cma.org/women) or put a link to us.
We encourage each church to appoint a retreat coordinator to promote retreat by next fall. Begin to pray now for next year's retreat. Ask God to seal to the hearts of those at this year's retreat the things He spoke to them about.
Comments about retreat from those who have attended:
"We love going every year and your team does such a fantastic job of planning and executing the weekend...It is such a wonderful time of getting together."
"Every year I am so blessed by the speaker. Each one is different, each one is incredible."
"Enjoyed all the goodies to spoil us."
"A wonderful time to be refreshed, restored and renewed."
"A wonderful retreat! Thank you, committee."