My Last Malachi Retreat

Got back from the retreat yesterday at around 5:15, about 45 minutes later than everyone else due to some stopovers…. I would probably say this about any of the other Malachi retreats that I’ve been to, but this one was amazing. Probly better than all the other just because it was my last, and I had the special honour of being a grad. First of all, the facilities there were really good, probably better than the other places that we’ve been to. The sleeping quarters were comfortable and clean, albeit on the cramped side. The kitchen was big, with appliances in good working order. They had a couple of stove tops, a dishwasher, couple sinks. The microwave though… man, that was ancient. You had to manually set the timer by turning knobs until it got the right time. The showers were clean, as were the other washroom facilities. But there were only two showers for everyone to share, so line ups formed at the peak showering hours. Oh well, no complaints, we were lucky to have as much as we did. There was also a really nice beach there with canoes, kayakis (not really kayaks, but just as good), and paddle boats. And of course, there was a decent firepit with lots of firewood.

As for the retreat itself, my props go out to Connie and Umy for organizing it. It was very well done, with enough time for worship and sharing, and still leaving enough time for free time, and the other essentials (camp fire, devo time, grad night, etc.). The atmosphere was kept light too, without a speaker, but with a time of discussion on God’s silence. They also planned for a concert of prayer bright and early in the morning on Friday, but it didn’t exactly turn out the way it was supposed to. We wanted to see the sunrise while having the COP, but since it rose from behind the trees, it didn’t really work out that way. There was also a designated “quiet time” in the community of cottages there, so we couldn’t really sing praises that early in the morning. We still had a good time of prayer that morning, even though it was pretty freaking cold. Everything else went off pretty much without a hitch, and I think I have a refreshed approach towards going back to school in a couple of days. I know I have to move onto another step in my life, but I’m going to miss Malachi dearly.