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“The voice of the dove shall be heard in the land’. Song of Songs
The Auckland Dove Camp was held at Carey Park from Friday 10th September to Sunday 12th September. Around 300 ladies responded to God’s invitation to come away to be renewed, refreshed and restored. A big camp which both the Carey Park team and Dove National Team handled with grace and efficiency.
Springtime
The Camp’s theme “For such a time as this” and the key scripture from the Song of Songs-
“The fig trees are budding and the grapevines are in blossom how delicious they smell. Yes spring is here. Arise my beloved my fair one and come away”-
was so apt for the beginning of spring! Even if the weather was inclement and a little cool at times the warm reception and loving hospitality we received on arrival from our beautiful Dove ladies and Joshua men more than compensated for this.
Prior to the first session on Friday night, the ladies gathered for a welcome ‘cuppa’ and a chat (who can stop us Dove ladies from talking!). There were many happy reunions with our Dove sisters and the beginning of new friendships.
Anticipation
We gathered with great expectation and excitement for the first session on Friday night as the music team lead us into a time of welcome and praise to our loving God.
The joy in the room was already tangible as Helen Funnell the National President welcomed us for the weekend. A special welcome was made to ladies who were experiencing “Dove Ministry” for the first time – many hands went up confirming that indeed “The voice of the dove is being heard in this land”.
Helen introduced our weekend’s speaker, USA’s Terry Modica, and told us we were in for a treat. How blessed we were with Terry’s talks as they ministered by challenging us, inspiring us to greater things for God while encouraging and equipping us in the reminder to “Keep our eyes on Jesus, and when you have to look at others see them through His eyes.”
Individual gifts from the Father
Terry opened her first talk by encouraging us that “God has a gift for each of us this weekend – whether we think we deserve it or not! We are here at God’s invitation. Not one of us is here by accident, Jesus has called us. God is not looking down at a group of ladies. God is looking at each of us – Jesus is present to take our tears and yearnings.” – What a wonderful promise from our loving Jesus as Terry reminded us that “He is my beloved and I am His beloved”.
Terry’s talks were interwoven through the Mysteries of the Rosary and Terry shared how by reflecting on these mysteries and connecting them to our personal journey with God we can enter into the deeper meaning of our Christian walk with Jesus our companion and role model. Terry was open and honest about her own journey and her down to earth approach helped us all to see that God is calling ordinary people to live extraordinary lives through the power of His Holy Spirit, His salvation and the sacraments. Looking around the room it was evident that God was meeting each woman, whatever her age, nationality or life experience, where He knew she needed to be met.
Jesus ministered to our hearts by prayer ministry and through the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Saturday afternoon. Terry encouraged us to write down our crosses, heartaches and prayer requests on a piece of paper, these were to be placed in the safe hands of Jesus on Saturday night – a time of Jesus being present to us to heal our hurts and to hear our heart’s cry. The tableau at the front of the meeting room changed with each talk and visually reinforced Terry’s message. These were inspired and changed from a plant just sprouting through the soil to finally become a beautiful orange tree laden with fruit. A visual reminder that God takes all the tears and heartaches and they become the soil (“humus”) in which He can grow beautiful life giving fruit.
A Spirit of Joy
The Music Team lead us into a powerful time of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament in the evening. We were all blessed by their music throughout the camp. Following adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Fr Neil Vaney brought Jesus to each one of us as we symbolically placed our heart’s yearnings in a basket handing them over to Jesus to place in our Heavenly Father’s care. Hearts were touched as Jesus came to each of us knowing already our deepest needs and desiring to heal us of our burdens.
In Terry’s final presentation on Sunday, she shared how deeply God had blessed her through the Spirit of Joy present at the Dove Retreats. Terry remarked on how touched she had been by the tangible spirit of love she had experienced with the Dove ladies. She encouraged those not presently associated with Dove to connect with a local group so they could continue to be ministered through the special Dove ‘’Charisma”.
The weekend concluded on the Sunday afternoon with Bishop Pat Dunn, Dove National Chaplain, celebrating Mass with Fr Neil as co-celebrant. Bishop Pat’s homily reflected on the gospel of the day Luke 15:1-10, encouraging us that “We are made for God and God will not rest until He has found us.” The national anthem came to life at the end of the Mass when women of “every creed and tongue” sang the anthem as a prayer to God for the protection of our nation.
Hard Working Team
Thank you to the National team of Helen, Val, Margaret, Helen Smithson, Brenda, Lesley and Jackie for your prayerful discernment in bringing Terry Modica to speak at the 2010 Dove Retreat and for the hours of preparation and sacrifice such a retreat entails. As a woman who has been personally blessed through the Ministry of Dove for some 24 years, the deep sense of gratitude to God I felt for the love and joy that was apparent in all the Dove ladies (and Joshua men) who ministered to us over the weekend –“leaking Jesus to us all”. It has renewed my love for Dove in witnessing anew the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit in our midst over the weekend.
Thank you Helen for exhorting us to take what we have received and spread it to our families, parishes and communities. Most importantly your invitation and encouragement for us to do this by “Be yourself”.
Author: Judy Olsen