Ingrown toenails & groups

My left big toenail has a tendency to become ingrown. I put off clipping that nail about as long as I can, since it is usually a painful procedure. It is nearly time to grit my teeth & get the nail clipper out again. This was at the back of my mind when we Halleluyah Hikers decided to host 27 ladies from Lolo Community Church & elsewhere this past week-end. We chose to become a blessing to others rather than to become ingrown as a group.

We invited these ladies to a "Women's Retreat" at Laura's Lodge on the Flathead. The Hawaiian theme was kept a secret. Our plan to pamper them was kept a secret as well. As the women arrived at the lodge a carload at a time, we greeted them with nonalcoholic pina colodas & leis. A large "Aloha" sign, draped in leis, greeted them in the livingroom area where we gave them a nametag & entered their name in a "drawing basket". Periodically during the retreat, someones name was drawn from the basket & they were allowed to pick a wrapped prize. Almost everyone received one of these prizes. The guests were escorted to their assigned rooms, where chocolate kisses & a scripture verse awaited on their pillows. Veggie snacks were available until everyone had arrived.

The Hallelujah Hikers spent Friday decorating several tables with flowers & seashells, Hawaiian napkins, etc. & preparing a dinner that we had served by two of our junior high girls, dressed in grass skirts. Hawaiian chicken breasts, wild rice with mushrooms, green beans with almonds, & angelfood cake sliced twice horizontally & filled & frosted with a crushed pineapple & real whipped cream filling & strawberries were the main scrumptious components. We had been practicing two hula dances that we performed after the dinner in our swimsuits & grass skirts. All of us were almost doubled over with laughter during the performances... & even more so when we took the grass skirts off & chose guests to learn & perform the hula dances. We had a great time singing a mix of Hawaiian tunes & Christian choruses. A couple of touching testimonies closed the evening.

The next day started with silence until the first of two sessions by the guest speaker. Coffee, tea, fruit & sweetbreads were laid out to tide folks over until the brunch between the two sessions on "Leaving our Past Behind". I could go on & on about this retreat, but suffice it to say that everyone had a blast. We were refreshed. Our newly arrived youth leader's wife was able to meet a good number of the women in the church. We left the lodge with sparkling eyes, lifted spirits & wondering how we would ever be able to top this retreat!