7 Quick Takes: Inspiring Retreats and Inspiring Lakes

I think this shot above pretty much captures everything I want to articulate in this post, more accurately than I will manage to.  It was taken on Monday at Inspiration Lake, a new gem we discovered in Hong Kong. We spent Monday together as a family following our church retreat. This last weekend was a date in the calender that we had been anticipating and preparing towards for months - our first Watermark Church Retreat. It was a date we looked forward to and now its a date we look back on as a highlight of the year. 

Here are some quick takes from our (inspiring) Watermark Retreat and Inspir(ing)ation Lake:

1/ Doing community (life) in close proximity is inspiring! There is something about going away with (150) other people that brings you closer, tighter, deeper. The girls had a gang of friends whom they stuck closely to for the duration of the weekend and I watched as older kids helped look after them and they helped feed younger kids their meals. We did life together for this short weekend and it was just lovely. I left with my heart bursting with love for these people, some of whom I am still only just getting to know, and others who have taken firm residence in my heart. 

2/ Learning, laughing, sharing and growing together is inspring! We laughed, played, prayed, ate together and shared hearts. We left with a fresh vision of what it looks like to disciple and to be discipled. We also left tired! Unless you're an extreme extrovert, which neither Kev nor I are, 48 hours with people (no matter how lovely!) can be tiring. Oh, and the girls had a very late night (for them) and we may still be paying for it 4 days later! 

3/ Sometimes things aren't all rosey, but you're inspired to eat more veggies, at least! We slept on teeny beds and ate chinese food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Macaroni soup for breakfast anyone? We may have, for the first time since arriving in Hong Kong, felt like we don't want to see chinese food again for a long time! And as a result, we came home and binged on fruit and vegetables for the next few days. Rice? No thanks.

4/ Time out for reflecting and family reconnecting is inspiring! We took Monday off to spend time together as a family after a busy few weeks and weekend and decided to adventure somewhere new. Inspiration Lake is just next to Disney and its been on my list of places to visit, but you never know quite how worth a place is to visit until you go. So we went. With a picnic. 

What a place! Let me just say that the weather in Hong Kong is so much more pleasant now. I even blow dry my hair once in a while. No more intense, sticky, thick heat. Good weather helps any adventure outdoors to be a little more pleasant. Despite the good weather, this place was such a find and the perfect spot to take some time out.

5/ Sometimes it's in the small things, like watching your kids play their hearts out! You arrive to a fairly big play area, including a water play area. We were warned about the water play and so we packed cozzies JUST INCASE. Well, it took all of about 30 seconds for the girls to be in the water, in their clothes of course. So we mixed things up for the day and used clothes for getting wet and cozzies for changing into afterwards to be dry. Makes sense of course. It was so lovely watching the girls have so much fun running around and playing. Cozzies or clothes, wet or dry, catch a cold or not. Who cares - they had so much fun. We could have ended the visit there and it would have been a success, but there was still more to explore and we still had a picnic to eat.

6/ We found a grassy spot, pulled out a blanket and chilled. The girls spotted turtles on rocks, and fish in the water.

7/ We then had to decide between hiring a 4 seater bicycle or a 4 seater pedal boat. Guess what we picked? Why choose a bike when you can get a boat! It was jolly hard work on the legs and all I wanted was to let the breeze take us wherever, but others had destinations to get to, so we pedalled away. We also spotted more turtles and fish.

I just love the great mix of experiences Hong Kong has to offer. Nothing is the same. We are learning everyday and exploring everyday. Some days in small ways, and other days in big ways. Whether its a retreat with 150 other people in your church family, of all ages, nationalities, languages, preferences, backgrounds and vocations or a day out exploring a new spot with your precious nuclear family. Be inspired.