| Phuket Christian Centre Retreat, 13th - 15th April, 2011 - by Margaret J Burton
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The Mandawee Resort and Spa, Krabi was the setting for our Church Retreat this year, and a bright sunny morning on 13th April found many PCC members at our meeting point at Sussex House ready to travel in convoy to Krabi, on the Thai mainland. The theme of the retreat was "Family", and right from the start it was evident that there was a sense of excitement and anticipation of what the next few days held in store for us. We enjoyed times of fellowship, fun, good food, and relaxation together, and were refreshed as we felt God's presence with us. During the ministry times we heard Him speaking to us, challenging us, comforting us, encouraging us and as we renewed our commitment to Him, and to each other, we came away blessed in mind, body and spirit. To find out more about what happened, please read the following testimonies... Dao: This retreat has blessed me so much. It reinforced the fact that I am not alone. I have lots of brothers and sisters who can pray for me when I'm in trouble. There was a real sense of unity among all of us. Even though I faced trouble after coming back, still there were people who cared about me and wanted to help. This is what family is all about. Lydia:I want to thank God for a few things God spoke to me during this retreat:- He told me that the burden I had been carrying has been lifted off. I no longer have to bear the weight of it. God cares enough to want to help me carrying it.
- All the things that used to blind me spiritually, God came to expose the truth and caused me to see them the way God does.
- I should not focus my eyes on the things of this world, but on the things of God.
 Mae Tuk: I have been very blessed and encouraged from this retreat. There was the real sense of family. It was great to be able to see how we can all pray for each other's felt needs. Thank You Lord! Edgar Penaso: Mat. 26:40 ..."Could you men not keep watch with me even for an hour"? Jesus said...Last summer, 2010, I'd been looking for a spiritual retreat that would answer my thirst to be with God, because I strongly felt the need to spend time with HIM. Unfortunately, no Christian retreat was fitted to my schedule. Although I was tempted to join in another retreat, I think God didn't allow it, and also, due to personal and financial problems it wasn't realized. So, I've been waiting for it for quite a while!On April 13, 2011, Glenn Ferrer, my Cell Group Leader, posted on facebook the invitation for a Christian Retreat from April 13-15, 2011 in Krabi. Upon reading it, I said to myself "Yes, at last, God wants me to spend time with HIM through this retreat." Right away I decided to join and got additional details, as well as preparing to budget for it. I was so blessed during the retreat to experience lots of blessings. I was recharged spiritually. My faith in Jesus Christ was renewed. I was given peace of mind. HE reminded me again of His promises, especially when Pastor Nok asked us to read Jeremiah 29:11-13. God gave me the strength and inspiration to move on with my life, with full trust and love, with HIM, and to continually help, bless and pray for others.So, I thank God for all the blessings, and I thank you all at PCC for planning the retreat. Mary Jennifer B. Caturas: I am a simple person. I love adventure, challenge, indulging myself in an everlasting learning experience, learning something new, and sharing wisdom with people to whom I can relate. Relating to my spiritual life, I am a person who has been in search of the truth about God. Since I was a kid I have been exposed to different churches. I have experienced different versions and ways of worshiping and believing in God. During my childhood and teenage years, and even later, I experienced God in various ways, all of which had a big influence upon me as to how I perceived and lived my life. Although I went to church every Sunday and I prayed, I seldom opened the Bible.Then, I got to know Glenn and Julie Ferrer, and I was moved and blessed by their words of wisdom about God. When they invited me to attend to their church, Phuket Christian Centre, I was really excited to come and get to know more about God. I remember the first day I stepped in the church. I was stunned, moved and blessed because of the beautiful good news of the Lord, and it has remained in my heart since then. I kept on attending the church, and also joined the Peacemakers Cell Group led by Glenn and Julie, but I realized that I was still filled with questions, doubts, fears, hesitations and confusion. My previous discussions, in an attempt to know the truth, had left me not knowing which way to turn and I felt even more confused.Then, Glenn invited me to come on the Retreat. I said yes, because I thought that this would be another opportunity for me to unwind, meditate, contemplate and be silent with God. This was the best thing that I could have done, since it was planned by God for me. However, the best part was the last night of the retreat, as I responded to God and went forward for prayer. At first this felt very different to what I had experienced before, but everyone was very supportive of me opening my heart to God, and the moment Pastor Brian prayed for me I felt I was blessed by the Holy Spirit who was working in me. My heart was pounding with joy and my body was warm and shaking by the power of God. After that, I went out and felt as if I was going to burst! Later I saw Glenn and the prayer group, and began to ask them the questions that had been bothering me. I sought answers and I found them. All the words that came out from their mouths were a blessing to me because I know it was God speaking to me through them. That night I felt transformed, renewed and relieved.Finally, I have found the truth! God wants me to be His child, to be in His family. Although I can now say my search is over, my journey with God has only just begun. God brought me to the right place at the right time. Now, my heart is open for whatever God has planned for me.  Marivic Maxwell: My name is Marvic, and I'm a member of Phuket Christian Centre. I just want to take this opportunity to share how God has blessed me during the retreat on April 13-15, 2011. I've been praying for our church, and for the people that God has placed on my heart. During the retreat God answered my prayers, and has shown me breakthroughs in the lives of those people that I've been praying for. As part of this church, their breakthroughs are my breakthroughs as well since I've been praying for them. God is faithful to His promises, and as His child He has given me this family here in Phuket. Before the retreat, God spoke to me from Mark 11:24 and Ephesians 3:15-21 - "For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith - that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." God has can give us more than what we could ask for!  Andrew Maxwell: My name is Andrew. I am a child of God, a learner of His word and, I hope, a good servant. I went to our Church Retreat in Krabi with Mhavic, my wife, expecting God to work in both our lives. Are you expecting me to say at this point that He didn't? Are you expecting me to say that my God is a god who forsakes His children and who leads them down the path of wrong learning? Are you expecting me to say that? Well I'm sorry to disappoint you!If you expect God to work in your life, then He will. If you don't expect God to work in your life, then where is your faith? Everyone who went on the retreat had this expectation and the faith to believe that God would work in their lives and for me this was no different, but what was special for me, what blessed me, was watching God work in other people's lives. So like I said: My name is Andrew, I am a child of God... and this retreat was a great opportunity for me to praise God and fellowship, learn and serve with other children of God. Praise you, Jesus. Faith Prichard: The Retreat was such a blessing. God showed me things about myself and others. But, most clearly, I saw Church members acting and loving as a family does. Everyone was able to be open and honest, and express what was on their hearts. In return they were surrounded with love, encouragement and prayer. It was awesome to see God's children interact with each other in such a caring manner. Lyn Acelar: This is the first retreat that I have attended in my entire 35 years on earth! Haha!!! I am so glad that I belong to my PCC family, and am enjoying being part of it.During the retreat, I was amazed at the way God set people free from all the hurt they were carrying, and from all the lies they were believing.
I was touched by Romans 3:23-24 which says:FOR EVERYONE HAS SINNED; WE ALL FALL SHORT OF GOD'S GLORIOUS STANDARD. YET GOD, WITH UNDESERVED KINDNESS, DECLARES THAT WE ARE RIGHTEOUS. HE DID THIS THROUGH CHRIST JESUS WHEN HE FREED US FROM THE PENALTY FOR OUR SINS.Most of the testimonies we heard at the Retreat related to being a captive of something that was not from God, eg: fear, unforgiveness, doubt, self-righteousness, pride and insecurity. But ... it was God ordained at the Retreat that there was freedom from every bondage for everyone. Many people tend to think that we all fall short and sin, and therefore, continually condemn themselves. However, God will always make a way to reach us. When He frees us from the penalty of our sins, through Jesus Christ, He declares us righteous. Although the enemy plans for our destruction, he will always fail because God's plan is to prosper us. So, for me the Retreat was a time of freedom.   
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