On Friday, March 9th we packed our bags, gathered some food and all piled in the car for a team retreat.  Where?  To Catalina Island.  No, you cannot drive there, you must take a ferry.  Yes, it was exotic, but the price was right for the off-season.  And yes, you should always take motion sickness medicine before getting on a boat, no matter how fun the swells may seem at the start. 

 

We drove to Long Beach and boarded the ferry for an hour long ride to the city of Avalon.  It was a five minute walk to our rental condo.  For those of you who have been there before, it was located just below the Holly Hill House overlooking the harbor and the city.  It could not have been a better location.  The place was small, but it helped us bond in preparation for Japan.  The night was dedicated to one-another.  We played games, sang songs, and just had fun.

 

Saturday morning we slept in--that was really nice.  We had breakfast, we worshiped, and then sat down for vision, goals, planning, and budget talks.  It was great and we made some good decisions and changed our vision.  We  talked through lunch time and by the end of the turbo charged time we were ready to get up and do something.  It was time to visit the city.

 

We walked around Avalon, going whatever direction looked the most appealing.  First we hiked up 179 stairs to the bell tower.  We were sad that there was a fence around it and could not enter, but we had a great view of the city.  

Next, we explored letting our curiosity take us to amazing homes, down random streets, past golf carts for student drivers, and into ice-cream parlors. 

 

We returned to our hide away for games and dinner, all the time singing a song if we heard words that applied.  We finished the evening around the fireplace talking with each other about our fears, personalities, dreams and ambitions and then affirming one another.

 

Sunday we slept in again.  We woke up for brunch and then had our team worship and praise time.  We took the Lord's Supper together and rejoiced together.  This went clear until we had to pack up and leave.  We prepared with our medicine, boarded the 5 o'clock boat and had a smooth ride home. 

 

Overall, we went with an agenda and we accomplished everything on the list, but more importantly it was encouraging to see God working in each of our lives, teaching us, strengthening us, and preparing us for what is to come.  Thank you for praying for us, and please continue to do so.