valentine's day with the lover of my soul

a picture of Kenting, originally uploaded by norachen

There is a missionary retreat center in Kenting, located in the southern part of Taiwan, called The Oasis.  An oasis is "a calm, pleasant place in the middle of somewhere busy and unpleasant."  What a great name for a retreat center!  And, that is where I am going to be for the next few days!

At the end of last semester, I was stressed and tired.  The end of my semester fell at the beginning of this year.  It was hard for me to ponder "newness" and a "fresh start" in the middle of the stress of grading exams and essays. So, I decided I needed a retreat--a personal, spiritual retreat--a date with God. 

So, I decided to schedule a few days at the Oasis to be able to spend long, uninterrupted time in prayer and worship, to be silent and listen to my Heavenly Father, to just be with the Lover of my soul.  When I choose the week, I soon realized I had selected the week that included Feb. 14th--Valentine's Day.  And this kinda made me happy.  What better way for me to spend that day than with the One who loves me most?

In addition to the articles I have read from the Discipleship Journal (links above), I found this personal retreat guide by girl talk mentioned on Solo Feminity.  But, besides those, I have not really planned too much.  So, I am going rather empty handed, but I am going excited and expectant. 

Would you please pray that God would help me be still before Him and draw me into a deeper intimacy with Him these next few days?  Thanks!!