In the peaceful setting of Business Village in Deira Dubai, UAE, more than one hundred devoted Lord’s Flock UAE members came together eagerly to attend the Chapter’s Annual Retreat. Sis. Techie “Soar” Rodriguez, respected Elder-Founder of the Lord’s Flock Catholic Charismatic Community, came to lead the Retreat herself and to share messages of faith. The entire community cherished the opportunity to have a personal time with God and listened to Sis. Techie’s revelation of “Ignite2024” – to set ablaze the love for the Lord and the passion for service.
Praise and Worship
This special gathering was a time for spiritual renewal and connection with God. Justin Pacquing moderated the retreat, together with the rest of the mission team, Tobit Flancia, Carla Bugnosen, and Remy Sisteberio. They kept the retreat engaging and memorable with the ice-breaker games and all the spiritual arrangements.
The UAE Psalm and Koros ministries led the praise and worship and gave everyone the blessed opportunity to glorify the Lord through singing and dancing. Everyone was filled with hope and excitement, and ready to be blessed by Soar’s generous sharing of God’s message.
Kindling Faith: Igniting the Spark Within
After the praise and worship, TLF UAE Head Steward Dhes Inong gave the opening remarks and introduced the speaker. Soar’s topic focused on the community’s theme: “IGNITE2024.” Soar fervently advocated for drawing nearer to God to ignite each one’s faith in Him. She underscored the significance of serving as a vessel for igniting the faith in others. Her central message resonated in the Bible verse 1 John 35:51 “It only takes a spark to bring others to Jesus.” Thus, it is everyone’s duty to be the spark in winning more souls for Christ.
Everyone took a break for lunch after the talk. Since it was a retreat, they were asked to fast (only bread and water for lunch).
Visioneering
The second half of the Annual Retreat started with the community song “Praise” which boosted everyone’s spiritual energy. The joyful song anchored everyone’s desire to be living witnesses in proclaiming the word of the Lord through the heartwarming sharing of Soar about “Visioneering.” It gave the community an effective guide on how to follow Christ casually, cautiously, and carefully, and to overcome the fear of commitments. She also stressed the importance of reading the Bible and relying on God’s words in all endeavors.
The group participated in a brief sharing session which was headed by the moderator; the participants shared their remarkable experiences, thoughts, and main takeaways from the retreat. In this sacred meeting of souls, amidst quiet moments and heartfelt words, everyone felt uplifted by the presence of something greater than themselves.
Soar also offered specific prayers for the retreat participants, with the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit; many were deeply touched, healed and cried to the Lord.
Elder’s Honoring
The annual retreat joyously ended with a special honoring for Soar led by the TLF UAE Stewards. On behalf of the Community, they presented Soar with a token of appreciation for her relentless dedication, service, guidance, and her tireless mission to lead souls to Christ.
The annual retreat may have ended but the spiritual renewal of the community ignited everyone’s desire to aggressively bring more people to the flock. Indeed, one of the many beautiful takeaways of the day is Soar’s challenge – “Every person is our mission field.”
To God be all the Glory!
Scribes Ministry
Written by: Kieth Walter Ayuso
(TLF UAE)
