I got to go on retreat

(Photo: Thanks Jordy)

(Photo: Thanks Jordy)

Last week week we had a three-day staff retreat in Siem Reap. This year I invited immediate family members & our 2 Aussie interns to join, so we had a total of 8 adults and 4 kids. Good times...

A couple of months ago I read an article about changing our list of "have to's" into "get to's". As someone who's in a to do list dependant season of life, the article connected with me! I don't know if the Staff Retreat was holiday or work time, but Siem Reap was an opportunity for me to practice changing my "have to" mindset into a rich, amazing "get to" party! It was three days of working some of the best "get to" aspects of my job. I got to dream and execute a plan of how to give to our fabulous team. For example:

I got to send Sim's boys off to see Angkor Wat for the first time. I got to witness Will's 'wedding' when he was chosen as the groom in a re-enacted tribal wedding at the Cultural Village. I got to spend an hour searching Siem Reap by tuk tuk in order to find kid-sized bicycles for hire. Sir 9 Years and Little Mr 6 had such a great time exploring the city by bike with their dad and the other guys on staff. Master 2 Years, meanwhile, sat on the back of dad's bike for the ride. For the Girls Only morning, I got to take care of Sim's 6-month-old while mum enjoyed a 1.5 hour massage. (Lots of smiles & cuddles for me... only a few noisy cries!)

I got to put small amounts of money into envelopes for each family unit for their breakfast & additional spending needs. This meant that mum and dad could buy Master 2 Years a toy car while they were away, rather than the gift coming from a white, rich chick. What else...? I got to teach Sim how to use the remote for the air-conditioner so that it wasn't set at 30 degrees after the first night! I got to plan some spiritual reflections/ exercises. In two languages, we gathered together to worship, learn and encourage each other in Christ.

I got to eat, laugh, pray and play with my crew. Awesome!