The retreat was scheduled to begin on Wednesday, but some of us flew in on Tuesday night. We had a private Facebook group for all the ladies so we could introduce ourselves and share our travel schedules before the retreat began. Those of us who were scheduled to arrive on Tuesday, made arrangements to stay near the airport together. There were 4 of us in our group who were supposed to be at the hotel, but one of the ladies missed her flight from ATL. She booked another flight, so she would arrive on Wednesday morning.
My flight landed after 1am in Managua, and the shuttle driver from Airport X Hotel was waiting at the door as soon as I cleared Customs. After checking in, I was escorted to my room where I showered and immediately fell asleep as soon as I laid down. I woke up the next morning and went to the reception area for breakfast. As I waited for my breakfast to be prepared, I saw a familiar face walk my way. Buttafli and I were students at FAMU at the same time, but we didn't know each other there. We introduced ourselves and began talking about how excited we were to be there and ready to experience the full retreat. A few minutes later, we were joined by Mia. The 3 of us talked and ate breakfast before heading back to our rooms to get ready for the day. We took the hotel shuttle (a worker's car) to the airport and met the rest of our group there where we all boarded the shuttle van from Aqua for the 2 hour drive to the resort.
For the past 2 hours, I've been exploring the resort. It is comprised of semiprivate tree house villas, a spa, restaurant, beach, and exercise platform. I was escorted to my room by one of the workers who showed me all the features of the resort. When we arrived at my villa, I was pleased to see a small pool right outside my door. I opened the door to find a bed facing the window with a view of beautiful green foliage below. There's also an outside shower that I can use for a more natural experience. There are no phones here. Each person was given a cell phone by the resort to call reception, housekeeping, etc. There's also free Wi-Fi. I quickly emailed my mom to let her know that I had arrived. I unpacked my things and took my time exploring outside. Walking up and down the steps along the various paths was no easy feat. I stopped at the spa after walking for about 15 minutes and I was breathless. Sweat dripped from my face and it felt good cooling my skin. I'm in pretty good shape, but that felt like a major workout. This place is not for anyone with a physical impairment.
I am currently sitting on a private beach in Tola, Nicaragua. The waves are crashing and the sun is setting. All is right in the world.
When I walked down to the beach, two of the other ladies were already there. I took out my camera to take pictures of the setting sun, and they told me I had to take a "Praise the Lord" picture - arms raised to the sky in gratitude. Sitting on the beach reminds me of God's awesome presence. He ordained that I would be in this place at this time to receive all that he has for me. If nothing else happens over the next few days, I know that I already have peace within. I'm grateful to be able to share with the other women on this path with me.
