The food I ate this weekend was heavenly manna, and it was so sweet! I had the wonderful privilege of attending a ladies’ retreat at The Wilds Christian Camp. Our group of eight left on Friday morning to begin our time away (three others from our church joined us at camp that evening). Shopping and fellowship began nearly immediately! My husband drove our church van for us, relieving us of the stress of the trip, directions in Asheville, and all the little things. He only came because he was attending an ordination in Brevard on Saturday, but I’m voting he join us again next year! He was a sweet blessing. 
Our first “pit stop” was not McDonald’s! It was a lovely place in Weaverville. I’m thinking it’s a hidden secret! Well-Bred Bakery not only has a lovely restroom with candles, scented soaps, flower arrangements and beautiful decor, they have a fireplace, comfy chairs, coffees, and delicious baked goods and entrees. It was a beautiful and delicious place to make our first stop!
We moved on and enjoyed a couple of hours at the Asheville Mall, had lunch, then headed to another shopping center. By the time we arrived at camp at 5:15, we had had a wonderful time laughing, encouraging (purchases!), and fellowshipping. We were now ready to get our Bibles and sit under the teaching of the Word of God!
We had the opportunity to do just that Friday evening. Our speaker, Claudia Barba, shared three sessions with us about the incarnate life of Christ. We saw in very familiar Bible stories, how He dealt with people, pain and trials, . He gave us a pattern to follow as He lived His sinless life. It was convicting, encouraging, and eye-opening.
One of the blessings of time at The Wilds is the “God and I” time. It’s only 30 minutes – wished it could’ve been longer, but this is the time to get alone with the Lord. If it’s pretty outside, I always head outdoors to have this time. The quiet, the beauty, and God’s creation all make this a unique quiet time. After I’d spent time in the Word and prayer I captured this little video of my spot.
I enjoyed 30 minutes of that! If you listen carefully, you can hear the music being played over the intercom system. That meant that our time was over, but the Lord spoke to my heart while I sat there. It is always such a blessing that this time follows a session in the Word. I was able to go over what had just been shared with us, and then ask the Lord to speak to me and point out other things He wanted to tell me. What a blessing. You will probably read here in days to come what those things were!
They pamper you at The Wilds! This weekend they also provided a Spa retreat! They had a skit time that they are famous for that had our sides aching because we laughed so hard. It is indeed good medicine.
Going to a retreat is a blessing because it provides for the fellowship that we so desperately need in our Christian walk. My roommate and I hardly have time to say hello at church because of busy schedules, but we were able to get “caught up” on one another’s lives. I know better how to pray for her and her family now, as well as for the other women that were with us.
Sorry if you missed out on going! I’m telling you, the spiritual food and fellowship was better than any Sunday dinner I would have fixed if I’d have been home to prepare it! Getting home Saturday night and then setting our clocks ahead an hour spelled one thing for Sunday dinner – Cracker Barrel Carryout! You cant’ beat it! Call before you leave church (it’s in my address book in my cell phone!), pick it up on your way home, and then get your food and walk past the million people still waiting to be seated. Take your food home and put it on a pretty plate and make it look like it’s homemade! Ta-da! Dinner is served!
It was a great weekend….heavenly manna indeed!
Did you cook? What did you fix? Did you get to enjoy heavenly manna too? Tell me about it!
With love,
RefreshHer 
Can you give us some pointers on how to get the most out of couponing or give use some sites? Thanks a Bunch
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Denise, I'm thrilled for you! Thank you for sharing the blessings you experienced by being at the retreat.
Am I remembering correctly that we teachers of Tabernacle went to the Wilds one year?
Want you to know RefreshHer is a site I look forward to daily. Thank you for your effort and for encouraging the rest of us so~
Loving you~ Debby
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Debby, We did go to The Wilds. I believe it was you, Linda and me. That was my first time there! I have a picture of the three of us after the hike to the 4th falls! Fun times! Thanks so much for your encouragement about my blog. It's simple – like me, but I'm thankful it encourages you, my friend!
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