Good morning…
In October, many of us contributed items to fill fifteen welcome bags for the Ignatian Spirituality Project (ISP) retreat for women recovering from homelessness and addiction. God’s blessing shone all over our collective generosity. What a wild fishes and loaves experience!
This morning, sixteen women from two nearby residential rehab programs will be picked up at the MARTA station and driven to Ignatius House Retreat Center for another ISP retreat. Again I offered our services, creating welcome bags for the rooms of the women as they arrive. This time God did the bags quite differently. Asked to include small items useful for the overnight stay, the Holy Spirit nudged me to include donated items left over from the Secret Santa Shop we hosted at PAWkids in December. Zipper toiletry bags. Cloth face wipes. Uplifting quotes and Scripture verses. Hard candy. Fluffy socks. Your generosity is a gift that keeps on giving! I added journals and pocket calendars along with sample sized lotions, soaps, body wash, a toothbrush and some toothpaste. In addition, one kind friend baked a brownie and banana bread for each woman along with a handwritten note of encouragement.
Easy. Simple. Understated. These bags were calmly filled with sensory symbols of God’s abundant love.
God’s healing Spirit blows through our lives at varying speeds, in different ways, at different times. I have heard it said, “Jesus never healed the same way twice.” As these precious women are nurtured by God for two days and one night of spiritual retreat, let’s keep them tucked in the heart of our prayers. Continued healing is our hope. May each person be gradually transformed by the intimate presence of our living Lord.
“You’re my place of quiet retreat; I wait for your Word to renew me” (Psalm 119:114, MSG).
…Sue…
P.S. The cost of these life-changing ISP retreats, free of charge to the participants, is offset by the generosity of people in our community. Any donation you may feel drawn to share in support of these recovering women can go directly to Ignatius House Retreat Center, which is the only non-profit hosting quarterly ISP retreats in Georgia. Please indicate with your donation: “ISP Retreat – Friend of Northside Church.”
