LONDON RCWM SPRING RETREAT

by Clara Woudenberg

Twelve ladies of the RCWM Immanuel anticipated a spirit and fun-filled weekend as they gathered at the Zubick cottage on the beautiful shores of Lake Erie—Rondeau Park.

The theme for the weekend was "Self Esteem through Spiritual Growth." Discussion and activities relating to the theme were led by Elizabeth Burrill and Clara Woudenberg. On Friday evening, Elizabeth led us in devotion as she explained Psalm 139. It was a time of enjoyment and also allowed us to understand each other a little better by recognizing our individual differences and what our talents and gifts are. On Saturday morning, the video entitled Overcoming Negativity and Depression, presented by Delores Curran was shown. Elizabeth led us in discussion on this topic. Through this session, we concluded that we can feel good about ourselves because God loves us and has equipped us to do great things—when we claim Him as our Lord and Creator. We can then begin to esteem ourselves. The afternoon session was led by Clara Woudenberg and commenced with the video Perfectionism and Making Anger Work For Us, also by Delores Curran. It was decided that self-esteem does not always come by being "perfect." True self-esteem is based on God’s grace. He knows our human feelings, and He knows our limitations.

We were privileged to have Kristine Jongepier as our Praise and Worship Leader for the weekend, and she led us in singing before each of the sessions. During the weekend, we also had time to enjoy the beautiful paths and walks on the beach.

We left for home on Sunday afternoon. I took with me a renewed spirit and a knowledge that "I am a co-creator with God to become the best ‘ME’ that I can be."

This report was submitted by Clara Woudenberg, President, RCWM.