So, I’ve been MIA for a few weeks. Because – Sierra Leone. This time I didn’t even try. Not because I didn’t want to get on and write a few things – but this trip was REALLY busy. It’s been a while since I took a team to Sierra Leone, and usually, when I have, that is all that is going on during that trip. Not so this time! There was just a LOT. And, our internet was spotty as usual. So, I didn’t even try.
But, I got back last night. And thankfully, in the last few days of the trip, had the opportunity to participate in the WOHSL staff retreat. We try to organize retreats for our staff on both sides of the water about every 2 years. We also ask all staff to take a personal retreat day each year – a full workday for nothing but spiritual and self-care. This year, our staff retreat was held at my favorite beach, and while I did all the logistical planning and behind the scenes work, it was led by Nancy, our Spiritual Care Coordinator. Usually, I do both – the content and the logistics. Needless to say, it isn’t much of a retreat for me! 🙂 But, having Nancy doing the majority of the sessions, I was able to participate in much of the retreat content myself. There was still quite a bit of logistics to make sure everything was happening as it should, and some interpreting when things were not being understood accurately, but I was grateful for the time. And the venue was restorative, just by itself. The kind of place that you can just sit and drink in the beauty and the sounds and feel your dry, thirsty self being satiated. (See pictures below.)
The retreat schedule was patterned similarly to my Transforming Community retreats in Chicago – group sessions together, with time for feedback as desired, great food, a time of great silence on the first night all the way until morning prayers, a large block of time for silence and solitude, worship times and celebration. In addition, because the theme them of the retreat was “Wholistic Flourishing,” we also had time for creative expression, exercise, and games and laughter.
I’ve been pondering the idea of the translation of contemplative practices cross-culturally. Is this trend to reclaim ancient practices merely the latest spiritual fad of Western Christianity? Can communal cultures, such as in Sierra Leone, truly practice silence and solitude? Does spiritual direction work across cultural and language barriers? We have been introducing various practices (fixed-hour liturgical prayer, silence, retreat, Lectio Divina, etc.) into our organizational culture on both sides of the ocean for about a year now, and I’ve viewed this year as an experiment. With this retreat and the addition of a Spiritual Care Coordinator for ALL staff, I was curious to see how it has “taken.”
I have been pleased with my observations. I will say this, while it does look different on each side of the water, with each culture lending its own “flavor” to the practice, it has been well-received by all staff, of all cultures (we have, generally speaking, 3 ethnic cultures represented among our staff, and many religious and denominational backgrounds). We also, on this particular retreat, had individuals with various educational background (ranging from no school at all and no ability to read and write to PhD), and individuals with various levels of ability, including deaf, blind and mobility-impaired. So, there were definite challenges, but most were overcome and adapted for, and we are all better for it.
We memorized Scripture with actions and signs, played adapted games (some went better than others – but all were hilarious!), used audio Bibles for silent individual reflection, figured out how to find silence and solitude in the midst of a school beach outing with around 400 kids and adults and a huge sound system about 100 yards from our meeting location (with marginal success), acted out Scripture stories, colored, wrote songs and poems, and enjoyed watching the sun rise and set in our beautiful environment. And the feedback was that everyone was blessed by the retreat and enjoyed all the activities. Daily life in SL doesn’t lend itself to quiet reflection, and getting a taste of that once again, whetted people’s appetites for more. You don’t know what you’re missing until you see/hear/taste/experience it. This was also an “unplugged” retreat – no phones for the entire time. While there was heavy resistance to this on the front end, in the end, everyone said they were amazed at how much more rested and peaceful they were being separated from their phones, which for some was the first time without a phone since cell phones were introduced in SL.
Personally, I was in deep need of some quiet space and time after a REALLY hectic 2 weeks of leading a team and dealing with some really difficult and painful administrative issues in the office. And despite the EXTREMELY loud school outing, I enjoyed the “quiet” time, with meditative music (thanks to my Spotify trial) and headphones. It allowed for some time of enjoying my happy place on the beach, water-coloring, sketching, and reading. And I’ve concluded that reflection and contemplative practices really do work for bringing some quiet soul-space in any culture. While adaptation might be needed, there is a universal need for soul care, and these practices really do allow time and space to get quiet enough that the Holy Spirit is able to speak into the places that are often hidden in noise, busyness and self-protective walls.
And now, back to routine and rhythm…
Kim
