The attendees have departed. The volunteers are all that’s left of the retreat, having joyfully poured ourselves out—and been poured into.
A lot has happened over the last 96+ hours. So much to process—a thousand puzzle pieces we’re tasked with…somehow…putting back together.
That big-picture puzzle includes bringing three disparate storylines into one:
How did the retreat impact the attendees?
How did it impact us, the volunteers?
And what is Thrive’s story that arches over all?
We find ourselves grateful for the wise leadership of the lead counselor, Elisabeth, who gently guided us through this multifaceted processing. To begin, she has encouraged us to do three things:
Describe the experience. What happened?
Identify the feelings. How did what happened affect us?
Find the meaning. How do we connect what happened with our real lives back home?
Together we began processing these things by talking about what surprised us. “I was surprised to hear how little freedom global workers feel in communicating honestly with their supporters,” one volunteer said. “They feel they can’t talk authentically about their struggles and vulnerabilities for fear of losing crucial support, and this leads to a terrible sense of isolation—and separation from the very people who should be poised to help them the most.”
We also talked about what themes emerged—loneliness and isolation, seasons of spiritual dryness, hard soil, unresolved brokenness, grief, disillusionment, and the need to be seen.
Above all, we shared how we saw God’s hand at work—coordinating schedules, details, and connections in ways that revealed what could only be His loving provision.
The reality is, we won’t be able to complete this puzzle by the time we arrive home. But we’ll have a good head start and know how to continue processing in the days that lie ahead.