Back to our roots….

The weekend of 9 to 11 September 2022, marked the fifth year of Adorned ministries’ annual retreat camp. The usual suspects were there, if I may refer to them in that way, humorously speaking of course.

The theme of this year’s retreat was Woman. Thea van Rooyen, from Thea’s Poeierkamer did an excellent job with the creation of woman of the bible, all whom were featured in her class on Saturday afternoon.

As usual, we all were exhausted the Friday evening. Tammy (again I have to check her surname because, my word, for the life of me I cannot remember this one!) Tambourlas from WOW Woman of Worth said to me that I was also tired last year, what is wrong?

I realised later, that it is because I have just come out of a busy period work wise, AND had stayed up until almost mid-night the night before, finishing off a car made from boxes for a school parade. Don’t ask. All I can say is, it consisted of three boxes, plenty of spray paint (Chrome nogal), screws, wooden blocks, lace and glue.

Back to the retreat. Confucius tried to take over again the Friday evening, similar to last year. Lynn’s page (from JOTW Journaling on the Way) was just sooooo confusing to us, but I think it was more that we were all just so exhausted!

The venue was changed from last year and I am sure everyone that was there last year and again this year, were very grateful that there was no Donkey keeping us from sleeping!

Again it was not luxurious and at the end of the day that does not matter at all! You only sleep in your room, so I guess you do not need a five star hotel room with room service!

God needs to take you from your comfort zone to a place of almost total exhaustion so that He can work with us. This is my opinion and may not be right, but, when you step out of your comfort zone, God can work more and better in your life.

Before I go on about the messages that were brought to us, I want to chat a bit more about the retreat. I woke up one morning, a few months ago, with Carolien and the camp in mind and the words Back to your roots and a sandy brown color in mind. Now by now, I know that God speaks to me in a strange way and I no longer question Him.

True to God’s word – this is what the camp was about. Shortly before the camp, I asked Carolien for more information about the retreat, just so that I could get my mind around it and what it is about, and of course for some inspiration for this blog entry. She sent me a word and its meaning.

It looked Greek to me. But it was actually Hebrew. Same difference right? No, not at all. The word was (and yes, I too cannot read or pronounce the word, so you are not alone AND I had to type this from the advertisement image) ‘Ishshâh Nâshîym.

Around about this time in writing the entry, I realised that this is going to be a longer than usual post. This is purely because I am trying to capture three days’ worth of events in one entry. Splitting them up will loose the essence of what I am trying to say. So make yourself a cup of tea or coffee and proceed reading. I am also only doing this in English, so sorry nê – geen Afrikaanse weergawe nie….

So the Greek aka Hebrew word means Woman. Lynn’s message was for us to shine and her page was a cutex bottle with glitter. It was higher grade stuff – making this cutex bottle. It involved a whole lot of folding and sticking things together with the green Tombow glue, NOT the blue one!

I ended up purchasing both from Tammy’s shop, only for it to probably lie in my bag for a year to dry out again (I don’t stick stuff in my bible that often). Eventually we got it right! She continued with her message to say that the word Shine stood out to her as she was preparing for the camp and the message she was to bring to all. We need to step into the role that we were created for.

Saturday morning, Soria Vermeulen (from EnDeo Bible Journaling) presented her class. Her message was Daugther of the King. An ever so delicate face made by a Cricut machine (everyone is on this bandwagon now about this machine and it can apparently do everything except make coffee and do your admin for you it seems). A very handy thing to have, especially if you are into Bible journaling. One day I will have one is one of the thoughts that I have had about this machine…..making my heart’s desires known to God in the process too…

So again there was a little bit of confusion. Not as much as the night before, but it also seemed every time I sat down to do a page, exhaustion overwhelmed me. Perhaps because I was relaxing and did not have to worry about meals for my family for an entire weekend? Anyway, the confusion was with the sticking of the delicate face….some people gave it lots of glue making it impossible to handle and stick down.

Soria finished off by reading a poem that someone wrote, confirming that we are strong women, no matter what happens to us. The Saturday afternoon it was Thea’s turn, from Thea se Poeierkamer. My word, all I can say is that I just LOVE this woman and her personality and sense of humor! She was the one that drew and painted all the Dollas van die Bybel as she calls them. The ones that were used to advertise the retreat.

But first, before we can do anything, we have to fold something. This is Thea’s thing. There was a bit less confusion than last year. Those who attended will understand that the junk journal is just way above all of our heads and you need ten post graduate degrees to do that one it seems.

We folded our little envelope and then we could move onto the good and exciting part of the class. Making a cross with a Dolla van die Bybel on. She explained all of them, who they are and random Dollas were handed out to all the ladies. She further said that pencils and paint don’t talk back so you can do ANYTHING with them!

I believe that God gave each person the Dolla that they should have gotten, as there is a special message behind it for all of us. Part of the kit that we got was a sterfbed geheim hand made item from Thea. It looks like a doily and gives the cross just a bit of depth and texture. There was even a lady that just did not want Eve, but Eve kept on following her no matter what she tried to do!

Of course in between everything we were trying to rest and had our meals, which were lovely by the way, journaling in between. Now up to this point, if I had thought these pages and the cross that we had to make were higher grade, well I had it wrong.

Carolien presented the evening class. And she whipped out some Greek aka Hebrew words and meanings for us. I lost her half way through as my brain was just too tired to capture and grasp everything. But, I understood the core message. There is a little bit of God in a man and woman (please see the pictures in the gallery then this will make more sense).

And a little bit of a man and woman in each other. The same thing that is in the Greek aka Hebrew word for God, man and woman, gets removed when we fight and do not have God as the center of our lives. Then we are only left with fire and then we all know what fire does – everything is destroyed and goes up in flames so to speak.

This time round I had the privilege to serve people. Last year I was on the other side being served. Sobbing and crying like I have not done before. But I can tell you, all those tears, healed the wounds and scars that were left in my heart over time and by so many things that happened to me all through my life.

Just by the way – I was not always this chirpy happy person that I am now. I can feel the change in myself that God has brought over me since the Adorned Camp that I attended in 2021. My first camp. The life changing camp. The one where the Pink Feathers Range was born.

Being used by God was such a privilege. Never in my life have I experienced God in this way. He was talking to me in pictures. As we served people, He gave me visions. They seemed strange to me but when I shared them, the Holy Spirit did the rest and helped with the healing process in all the ladies.

Through all of the serving of ladies, God served me too through them. I received confirmation that I did hear correctly with Beroepsvrou (something doubt is trying to take away very so often) and I further received revelation about the black colour of my Beroepsvrou apron, something that I also was unsure of and why it had to be black.

Somewhere over the weekend (I forget whether it was the Saturday or Sunday), Carolien revealed the first Afrikaans bible, designed by her, which has been a process of two years! A gorgeous hard covered, ring bound bible, split between the old and the new testaments called Die Sierlike Kuns Bybel. She explained the Strelitzia flower on the cover and why she chose this. And I must say, this is something that wants to be done! In spite of all the challenges and delays, God made a way for this Bible to see the light!

Sunday morning we were joined by Anri Erasmus (from Painted Lemons) and Rochelle Rossouw (from La-Rochelle Crafts). Man, I just love these two ladies. They are opposite of each other but complement each other so well! Again we had to do math on a Sunday morning. After all the crying and lack of sleep the night before, we had to cut and paste something after measuring it.

We were confused but we managed to get it right. And then of course Anri and her colour mixing came up, to mix flesh coloured water colours! We got it right, with a bit of effort and struggle, but we managed it! The essence of their message? Don’t compare your journey with the person next to you, the battle is normally in our minds.

The retreat was closed off by Thea and her folding again. Just in case we have an empty box of long life milk and needed a wallet of some sort. She showed us what to do, where to cut, place brads (I know them as split pins but the fancy scrapbooking term is brads) and then an elastic or string to close it up. So now we all know (and have forgotten again) how to make a full cream beursie.

We packed up, greeted and parted our ways. Of course I was almost half way home when I thought I had forgotten something. I turned around, rushing back like a mad thing, only to not find it there. Of course I had packed it up and put it in my suitcase without me even realising that I had done this. This just proved to me that not all the thoughts in our minds are from God….but maybe I had to go back to say goodbye a second time, for what ever reason!

It was fun being on the retreat, mom guilt tried to take over but the Holy Spirit showed me that us as woman need to spend time with Him alone too. Without our families. To fill up our cups. To get that intimate relationship with God going so that He can romance us, like Carolien said, filling us up with the truth that the devil tries to destroy with lies.

My prayer will always be that God will bless this ministry of Adorned through Christ to new levels, more, higher, all to the glory of His Name and Kingdom. So that women’s lives can be changed one page at a time. One entry at a time. One day at a time and one camp at a time.

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