SonScape

Our comfortable cabin for the week

Seven Falls in Colorado Springs

Matt at ElevenMile Canyon

Our new friends and family in Christ

Last month, Matt and I had the huge blessing of going on a retreat...just the two of us. The last time that we had that much time away together was before kids. And even on our honeymoon, I ended up getting sick, so this made it extra special for us. My in-laws send each of their kids and their spouse on a retreat. It was our turn to go. We were looking for something for quite a while, but couldn't find anything that really suited us. At the last minute, God opened up a spot for us at a place called SonScape in Woodland Park, CO.

SonScape is re-creation ministries..."igniting and restoring Christian leaders worldwide". This is a place to "rest, receive and renew" in the beautiful setting of the Colorado mountains. This was not only good for us for reconnecting in our marriage, but also reconnecting with our amazing God. We got a double blessing that week...it was one of the best weeks in the almost 11 years that we have been married, but also one of the best weeks I have ever experienced in general.

Matt and I learned so many great things that week, too many to type here. Truly things that we needed to hear, or at least be reminded of. God has blessed SonScape ministries with 4 amazing and gifted people...Larry and Barbara Magnuson and Mike and Sandy Schafer. They were our retreat leaders for the week. We spent 7 days with them...we met as strangers and left as treasured friends. "Thank you, Larry and Barb, and Mike and Sandy, for your wisdom, care, leadership, encouragement, compassion and friendship! We learned from you and laughed with you."

The thing that I really loved about SonScape (other than it simply being located in Colorado) is that we had group teaching time (we shared this time with 7 other great people who are now our friends), personal teaching time (with our retreat leaders), but also time to actually reflect on the things that you were learning. They encourage silence and solitude, not just there, but especially in our busy, distracted lives at home. It's so easy to have chaos, isn't it? But Jesus set the example of being alone and spending time with His Father. That's necessary for us too. Our time away allowed for us to have some "free time" as well. Matt and I took full advantage of that being in the great outdoors. One of the best memories I have from that week was when we went to a place called "ElevenMile Canyon". It was absolutely beautiful! It's an eleven mile drive, turn around and drive back out. Except we stopped and spent a while there. We both found 2 huge boulders to sit on with our Bibles and notebooks and spent our day with God...alone.

I don't know how many people from the ministry read my blog...but whoever is reading this, if you have a friend that is in some kind of ministry and needs a time of renewal, refreshment and maybe some restoration in ministry...Sonscape is the place to go. If anyone is interested, you can check them out on the web at www.sonscape.org. It really is an amazing place with amazing people. God is doing a great work there!

"Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." So true...God promises that. We were definitely weary and burdened walking in to SonScape and truly needing some rest...not just the tired kind of rest, but rest from the stresses, frustrations and hurts of ministry. We walked out of there, maybe still burdened, but two totally different people from all that we took away from a place called SonScape. Matt and I are better off because of it...