by Shirley Cooper
I have attended the retreat every year since 2013 and have always cherished the time we spent together, catching up and sharing about our work. Later, I became involved in planning and hosting the retreat. When I felt the Lord urging me to step back and let the team, especially Esther, take over, I observed from the background as they planned the retreat. They did a fantastic job and found a great venue at St Joseph’s Prayer Centre in Formby. Everything was set, and people were booked for the retreat. However, a few days before the event, Esther called to inform me that several people had to cancel, leaving only Esther and Jenny as residents. At that point, the question arose: “Should we abandon ship?” My response was to take some time to think and pray.
Often, when things go wrong, we are tempted to react with a knee jerk reaction and succumb to the circumstances. It’s crucial to resist this urge and instead seek to understand what God is doing, for “He knows the plans He has for us; they are for good and not for evil, to give us a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). So, we spent time praying and felt led to proceed with a reduced program, focusing on Saturday. I continued to step back, and I’m so glad I did because it gave me the privilege of witnessing a glimpse of what God has been doing.
As a result, three people joined us for the day, and one of them, who had been arranged by Esther, blessed us by leading worship. Grace, Jenny’s friend, and Nana, Esther’s friend, were residents. On Saturday, we had a total of seven participants, with Femi joining us via Zoom.
As I sat there, I suddenly realised that something quite special was unfolding before my eyes. God was proving His faithfulness, showing that He has a plan and that those who sow in tears will reap in joy. Esther and Jenny’s hard work introduced five new people to BTBAB. How amazing is that?
Thing is when it’s part of God’s plan we need to press in and we will see the breakthrough.
Hebrews 12:1-3 reminds us to persevere and keep our eyes on Jesus. It would have been so easy to give up and lose heart. However, no matter how small something seems, when it’s part of God’s plan, we need to press in, and we will see the breakthrough.
