By: Amy Chung
Introduction
This year’s retreat was a time of spiritual listening and connecting, both with our church community as we opened our ears to discussion, and within ourselves as we closed our eyes in the quiet, trying to listen for the mysterious, gentle Holy Spirit residing within us.
Leaving the Worldly Noise Behind
The week leading up to the retreat was inundated by the constant external pings of emails and messages and the internal pings of worries and concerns. To top that off, the weather forecast predicted grey, rainy skies all weekend. “This is so unfortunate,” I thought.
However, the negative thoughts began to fade out during the trip to MBC. As the distance on the dashboard grew smaller, a sense of peace and excitement took over. I found myself looking forward to the heartfelt discussions with my small group, the memories we would create as a church community, and the wisdom and realizations that awaited us.
Day 1 Recap
After living out our separate, busy weeks, we slowly made our way to MBC one by one, checking in around 6:00 PM. This year, we were blessed with the presence of three special guests from Sioux Valley: Dalyce and her two grandchildren, Hollis and Popo. We exchanged warm greetings over delicious sandwiches in the Hub, fueling both our bodies and minds for the first session of the retreat. Soon after, we gathered in the chapel and broke into our assigned small groups, meeting our group leaders and the wonderful members we’d be sharing the weekend with.
We then kickstarted our first session with Rev. Kim, exploring the theme of the Holy Spirit. Before the teaching began, the praise team led us in beautiful worship, opening our hearts through music. The message was followed by deeply meaningful small group discussions, filled with attentive listening, heartfelt thoughts, and honest questions. We wrapped up the night with snacks and fellowship, before “trying” our best to get a restful night’s sleep ahead of a packed Saturday!
Session #1 – The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament
This session introduced us to the Holy Spirit by providing deeper biblical context, definitions, and details, allowing us a better glimpse into its true nature. Despite what many of us might have presumed, the Holy Spirit appears throughout both the Old and New Testaments, serving as evidence that it has been present and moving long before the birth of Jesus. Rev. Kim described several profound gifts that the Holy Spirit offers us.
First, it gives vitality and power to our lives, sustaining us so that we can keep propelling forward without burning out. The Holy Spirit also gives us confidence, guiding our lives so that God can do great, unimaginable things through us.
Now, equipped with a deepened understanding of the Holy Spirit’s powerful yet quiet presence, we had the opportunity to look back at our own lives and reflect on how it might have been at work in ways we didn’t recognize at the time. Looked at retrospectively, these moments invoked a deep sense of gratitude for how the Holy Spirit has consistently shown us grace and guidance, even during moments when we were entirely unaware of it.
Day 2 Recap
Day 2 was the most packed and productive day of the entire weekend. We began at 7:30 AM with morning yoga guided by Michelle to gently wake up our bodies, followed by a morning devotion led by Rev. Dave that awakened our minds. After breakfast in the dining hall, we headed into our second session of the retreat.
Despite the rainy weather outside, the indoor fellowship was full of energy. Our gamemasters, Deb, Rev. Dave, and Sarah Choe, hosted community games in the gym, filling the space with lots of laughter and heat from everyone playing so passionately! Following some free time to recharge, Rev. Simon ran a workshop on spiritual gifts, featuring a fun activity that helped everyone identify their unique spiritual gifts.
After enjoying the classic MBC roast beef for dinner and taking our annual retreat group photo, we gathered for our third and final session. We wrapped up the night by gathering around the campfire to roast marshmallows and sausages, capping things off with our retreat tradition of cup ramyun. Both our hearts and bellies were filled with warmth that night!
Session #2 – The Holy Spirit in the New Testament
During the second session, we explored the relationship between the Holy Spirit and other biblical figures, specifically Jesus. We learned that the Holy Spirit initiated the birth of Jesus and empowered him to accomplish his mission of serving the weak and the poor. The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness, using the time of testing to strengthen him for the purpose he was called to fulfill.
The Holy Spirit’s work in Jesus’ life mirrors its role in our own. As a guiding presence, the Spirit may sometimes lead us through seasons of hardship, but it also provides the strength we need to endure and overcome them. It is through navigating these rocky paths that we are drawn closer to the fulfillment of the purpose God has anointed us with. These low moments should be leveraged as opportunities to seek deeper guidance, wisdom, and the grit to push through.
To close the session, Rev. Kim guided us through a brief exercise: we closed our eyes, extended our hands, and sat in silence to simply feel the Holy Spirit. For some, it was a moment of pure quiet; for others, an unexpected thought or feeling arrived abruptly; a sensation that words couldn’t fully capture. This short exercise highlighted how vital it is to intentionally quiet both external and internal distractions. When we pay close attention, the Holy Spirit can feel like a gentle breeze, reminding us to depend on him as we navigate our day-to-day lives.
Session #3 – The Holy Spirit in the Church and Beyond
In our final session, we looked at the work of the Holy Spirit within the church and beyond. Just as the Spirit initiated Jesus’ birth, it also initiated the creation of the Church. The Church was created to be a spiritual community that leverages the power of the Spirit to break boundaries.
These boundaries are endless. Whether they are internal differences among believers, or external divides between the church and the world, the religious and the non-religious, the powerful and the powerless. Under the roof of a truly spiritual church, the Holy Spirit unites us regardless of our differences. As Christians, we are called to face these barriers head-on with bravery, guided by the Spirit to fulfill our purpose of standing up for the weak and the vulnerable. It is not an easy path, but the more challenging it gets, the more we ought to turn to the Holy Spirit for strength and to one another for support, working in one spirit to live out our faith for others.
Day 3 Recap
We welcomed our final morning at MBC with another session of morning yoga once again. Following our morning devotion, we fueled up with breakfast in the dining hall one last time before heading back to our rooms to pack our bags and check out.
With our rooms cleared, we gathered in the chapel for Sunday worship, led by Rev. Simon. This service was a beautiful opportunity to reflect on all the realizations and spiritual wisdom we had gained over the weekend, helping us organize our thoughts so we could take these lessons home with us. At the end of service, Dalyce shared a personal reflection and presented us with a special gift, commemorating the meaningful relationship between Sioux Valley and St. Tim’s that continues to strengthen and flourish.
To end the retreat on the most perfect note, we gathered for a pizza lunch, greeted by the bright sun and beautiful weather. It felt like an intentional parting gift from the Holy Spirit, wrapping us in warmth just as we prepared to hit the road and head safely back home to our daily lives.
Conclusion
At the end of this retreat, the most mysterious and least familiar figure of the Holy Trinity became a bit more familiar to me. The weekend served as a spark, igniting a deeper curiosity to learn more about the Holy Spirit and to tune my heart to hear and feel its presence.
None of this would have been possible without the St. Tim’s retreat committee, the praise team, the volunteers, the pastoral staff, and Rev. Kim, who all poured their time and hearts into helping us reap the most fruitful wisdom and memories from our time together. Thank you!
As we return to the hustle and bustle of our daily routines, our minds and hearts will inevitably fill back up with life’s demands. Even so, I sincerely hope that we will all be able to find moments, no matter how small, in our days and weeks ahead to cultivate that inner quietness and feel the Holy Spirit that is always close to us.
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