[Go Deeper] Bandung Single Ministry Retreat 2017

On July 8-9, Single Ministry Bandung held a retreat with the theme Go Deeper. A retreat is one of the things I really look forward to. Why? because it is not only fun, but there are many things I can learn when I take part in a retreat. As usual, I was very excited to welcome this event. My joy increased when I was asked to be one of the committee members.

Go Deeper - Bandung Single Ministry Retreat 2017

Natural Hill Lembang was the place chosen for this single retreat. Because I was part of the committee, I felt fortunate to be able to arrive earlier at the retreat location and help with the preparations while waiting for the brothers and sisters who were on their way there. This comfortable place with its beautiful and cool atmosphere, I believed, would make this retreat even more interesting.

At exactly 4:00 p.m. the event was opened with prayer. Then we were divided into 4 groups for the games. The first games we played were arranging words related to the Bible and the missing link. Through these games I was challenged in my understanding of the Bible and also made aware of who I am when I am faced with the desire to win.

Game session at the retreat

 After the games we rested and then prepared ourselves to receive the lesson. The lesson began at 5:30 p.m., and the brothers and sisters were separated into 2 different classes. Brother Andre shared the lesson for the brothers while Sister Icha gave the lesson for the sisters. In this session both the brothers and the sisters received a lesson titled Go Deeper or Growing Deeper.

This lesson taught me about deep relationships with a brother or sister, and what we want to achieve from that relationship, whether the relationship builds up or tears down.

I was made aware that selfishness, indifference, and lack of compassion will damage relationships. Therefore we must feel secure in our relationships as it says in 1 John 4:18

“There is no fear in love: perfect love drives out fear; because fear involves punishment, and whoever fears has not been made perfect in love.”

In this lesson I was also increasingly made aware that in a relationship I must have the initiative to love and not wait. I must not say, “if you love me, I will love you”.

I learned that love is not about how much I am given but about how I give, and not focusing only on those I like. In this lesson I also learned how to make myself worthy of being loved, like a precious stone worthy to be kept and valued. On the other hand, if I see the shortcomings of a brother or sister, I cannot turn a blind eye and be too lazy to love them, but must tell them and help them with love, because they too are precious stones that we must guard and value.

Lesson Session

In this lesson we were divided into several groups and given two questions:

1. What are our fears when building relationships with people?
2. What happens when we lie to ourselves and to others?

Those questions made me learn even more how important it is to know and understand someone. Because by knowing them, perhaps we can help with their weaknesses and be strengthened through our own weaknesses. 

After the lesson the brothers had prepared a BBQ for dinner. I took the opportunity to spend time with people I had never spent time with before. It turned out there were quite a lot of people I had never spent time with or talked deeply with. I was grateful because the lesson that had been given was immediately put into practice. After dinner and spending time together, we went straight back to our room, and I used that time to talk and share with the sisters who were in the same room as me.

The next day I was quite sleepy because I had not slept enough. However, that did not lessen my joy because we had H2O special quiet time with the brothers, different from the H2O we usually do in a cafe or restaurant. It was not food, but the Word of God that was before us. My partner and I had our quiet time from Romans 12:1. From this quiet time I was reminded again about loving one another and outdoing one another in showing honor. Besides this verse, I also learned about my partner's weaknesses and what they want to grow in. This added even more to my eagerness to learn more deeply.

After our quiet time we did exercises together, to keep our physical bodies healthy. After that we had breakfast and got ready for worship at 8:30 a.m. The simple music did not lessen our enthusiasm in praising God. This time the lesson was delivered by Brother Andre with the theme Rooted Deeply in Christ. Colossians 2:6-8 teaches us how we must live, be rooted, and be built up in Christ.

Retreat song ministry

Besides knowing one another, there is something more important that we must learn, namely,

• How deeply do I know God
• How much do I understand God's teaching
• How far has my faith grown

After the service we had the opportunity to gather with our respective PDA groups and share about what we learned during the retreat. After that we had time for outdoor games. Many fun games were provided by the committee that trained our teamwork as players in the group.

Outdoor games

This retreat has taught me to Go Deeper:

• Deeper Truth

Helping me learn and share with one another about quality relationships in accordance with the Word of God.

• Deeper Love

Having special time with the brothers and sisters alone to know them more deeply.

• Deeper Faith

Sharing our convictions about faith in God in order to strengthen and be strengthened.

• Deeper Joy

Having fun together with the participants and being given overflowing joy in pure friendship.

I am very grateful to have been able to take part in this Go Deeper retreat, and I will also make the most of the opportunity God has given me to love the brothers, sisters, and the people we meet more deeply. This is no longer about what I receive, but about who I want to build up.

Related article:  Singles Leaders Retreat 2017 PART 1