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2007 Thanksgiving Retreat Nov 22, 2007 - Nov 25, 2007 Reported by Raymond Jamin

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Thanksgiving is one of the wonderful holidays celebrated in America for people to gather with family and friends, and also to get a time-off from school and jobs. It is also a time, as it was originally intended by the founding fathers, a time to remember and give thanks for God’s blessings in our lives.

After 10 years of having Thanksgiving Retreat at Tanglewood Resort and Conference Center in Pottsboro, Texas, IFGF GISI Churches in the Central area gathered at Branson Settle Inn in Branson, MO.

On Wednesday, November 21, 2007, we were asked to gather at the church at 9:00 PM. Forty eight people including children decided to be a part of this event. Earlier that day, at around 6 PM, it started to rain heavily; however, praise the Lord, shortly before 9:00 PM, the rain stopped pouring. We departed from the church at around 10 PM after loading all the baggage and equipments into the bus, and hence, our 13-hour journey towards Branson, MO began. Before everyone started to get ready to rest, Markus Tjokrosoesilo led us in devotion.

During the journey, we stopped at several places for restroom break. On Thursday at 8:00 AM, in the bus, Cecylia Sadikin led us in morning devotion followed by breakfast of bread and sandwiches. At around 1 PM, we finally arrived at Branson Settle Inn and began unloading everything from the bus before we had our lunch of rice and chicken wings. After having our lunch, we stood in line for registration. Thereafter, some went straight to the assigned room to get some rest before the first session began while others hung around in the auditorium either to help set up the equipments, chat with, or wait for friends from other cities.

At 6:00 PM, we had dinner comprising of turkey, ham, and mashed potato. The setting was different from that of Tanglewood Resort in that the dining location and the Thanksgiving events took place in the same room while at Tanglewood Resort, they were in separate rooms. The first session started with praise and worship led by Eva Muljadi that was subsequently followed by Pastor Somi Pranoto delivering a sermon entitled “More Than You Expect”. The main point of the sermon was that God will give us more than what we expect from Him because He is able to provide all our needs (Phi. 4:19). Just as the crippled beggar who kept going to the temple to beg (Acts 3:1-10) expecting compassion from the people around him, many times we ask small things from God that can make us merely comfortable. Later in the passage, the beggar was completely healed that he could walk and jump, which was something he never expected. In the same way, we can expect God to give us something more than the small things we ever ask, something we actually need in our lives. The closing of the first session marked the end of the first day of the retreat, and we were excited to see what God would do for the rest of the retreat.