If you’re following along this week, I’m sharing a bit about the fall retreat in Italy and how the retreat went. As you may know by now, I got very sick on the retreat and wasn’t able to do the things I had planned with the ladies for the first three full days.

Here’s a little from Day two and how even though it was a huge disappointment for me, (and I felt terrible that I couldn’t be with the ladies) the Lord still provided in amazing ways, and allowed things to go on with the help of the people he placed there at that time. Showing yet again His faithfulness in our lives…

Day 2 ~ I woke up very sick.

Thankfully there was a doctor that was able to come to my apartment the day before and check my symptoms and give me some prescriptions for a major sinus infection. I walked to the pharmacy to get those this morning and get a little food for the apartment as well. That’s the wonderful thing about the little villages on Lake Como… they are very walkable towns, and the pharmacy and market were only a 2 minute walk out my apartment door! The problem was that here we were on Day two, and I knew I wasn’t going to be able to be with the ladies AGAIN… and this was the day I was supposed to be teaching the first classes!

Sunday was an easier day not to be with the women because Rita is so great doing the tour of Bellagio and Luigi is a full service chef who is much more entertaining than I could ever hope to be! (He’s actually been “Top Chef of Italy” too)

So Monday was the start of the actual classes I had prepared to teach, and it was heartbreaking that I couldn’t teach them in the beautiful space I had for the classes at Villa Melzi. They have a beautiful art room that I’ve shared photos of before, (you can see the room in the Reel I posted yesterday) and I’ve done a couple lunches in there and on the lawn outside of it… but this year Rita suggested using the space to teach the classes in since I wasn’t using the huge GHVS event room this year due to a smaller class size.

But even though things didn’t go the way I had intended, the faithfulness of God was so evident in the way things worked out, and I want to share more on that now.

Instead of cancelling the classes and having it be a scrapped day, (although being in Bellagio with nothing to do is NOT a bad day for sure…) One of the ladies who came to the retreat was so kind in offering to teach for me! She actually has taught Bible Journaling before and was willing to teach in my place. Thank you so much Lori, that was such a blessing to me AND the ladies!

My friend Elisabetta was already planning on helping me set up the classroom at Villa Melzi, so she came by in the morning to get everything and she prepared the room so beautifully for when the women showed up. She also picked up the picnic lunch and set it up for them, stayed to eat with them and show them the area behind Villa Melzi where many locals enjoy sunbathing and picnics. Elisabetta was incredible all week, and she even brought me food and water because she knew I probably didn’t have much in my apartment since I had planned to the take the women to dinner each night. Grazie mille Elisabetta… you are such a dear friend, and I am so thankful for you!

So as you can see, God had it all covered yet again. I was sad that I couldn’t be with the ladies for a second day, but so amazed at how each day was being provided for in such a seamless way. Elisabetta did such a beautiful job, Lori did the devotional with the ladies and taught both the Travelers Notebook class and the Bible journaling class, and my dear friend Janet (who was there on her THIRD trip to Bellagio with me) was able to show the ladies where things were, would walk the ladies to dinner and she took care of paying for everything… with my credit card of course… since I wasn’t there to do it! Thank you my dear friends!

The devotional I wrote for that day “Why is God faithful even when we are not?” hit home in a way that I wouldn’t have seen if these things hadn’t happened. I want to share another snippet of it with you bellow, because it’s another reminder that we can do ALL the things we think we should do  (looking to our own strength and abilities ) but God is wanting to remind us to look to HIM, trust Him and allow Him to be all things to us!

I’m also not sure we see that there is sovereignty even in the trials and hardships we face. The Bible reminds of this over and over again. James 1 reminds of this, Paul talks about this in Romans, and we are reminded of this in 2 Corinthians 12:9

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

I want you to look at some of the “I am” statements of Jesus in the Gospel of John:

I am the bread of life (John 6)

I am the light of the world (John 8)

I am the door to the sheep (John 10)

I am the good Shepherd (John 10)

I am the way, the truth, and the life… (John 14)

Look at how Jesus Christ is EVERYTHING we need in life. He holds, protects, sustains, lights our path, brings hope and is the source of truth, knowledge and wisdom. And we get to enjoy all of this when we stay connected to the True vine! (John 15)

But isn’t it our nature to forget these things? To rely on what we can see or do ourselves? I know I struggle with this as an “event planner” thinking about all the things I need to do… without much thought to the One who keeps everything together for our good and His glory.

Well, this week was a moment in time that He was reminding me that He has all of us in His hands, and what an amazing thing to be comforted by, in my weakness. And not only was He showing me this truth, I am sure the women who came and the friends that helped me were able to see the power of Jesus Christ in those moments as well. Praise God!

One last thought about the events that took place and the devotional we were going through that week:

I shared about Moses and his faith in Day 2’s devotional, and how he didn’t know how God was going to provide a way out but he trusted he would. And just like Moses, we also can know that what God has planned and purposed will stand. The God of promises, Who has made promises in the past and kept them will continue to do so until the time of Christs return! (Read Psalm 31 to see David’s heart on this)

Friends, nothing is random or by chance.

This past week, all that happened, wasn’t random either. And what comfort we can take from the faithfulness of God when we don’t understand the what, when, how and why’s of life!

May we have faith like Moses, the strength to trust God like David, and know that He is in control. Let His power and plans be shown in our stillness,(our trust and faith) and go forward with hearts praising God for his faithfulness in our lives.

Have a great day,

Laura