Rich Fellowship and Renewed Vision
Reflections from the 2007 Father and Daughter Retreat
by Sarah Elizabeth Keen, April 20, 2007
The Father and Daughter Retreat is one of the most anticipated events in the life of many young daughters. It is a pleasure to see dads and their girls just being together and growing in their vision of their respective roles. I love to hear their testimonies and declarations of love and gratefulness to one another at the end of each retreat.
I am sure that many fathers have never had the opportunity to use vocal instruction to lead their blindfolded daughter through an obstacle course, compete in a three-legged race, jump rope with her, or accompany her to a Victorian High Tea, but they had the opportunity to experience all this at the 2007 retreat, held March 30th through April 1st at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia.
The roster of speakers for this year’s retreat was outstanding. Messrs. Brown, Phillips, and Botkin (along with his daughters Anna Sofia and Elizabeth) did a great job of bringing messages of vision, hope, and encouragement to all who attended. The Botkin ladies’ message was particularly inspiring. They did an excellent job of defining what it means to be a truly feminine woman of God. Sadly, so many girls are fed a grotesquely distorted image of what a woman of God is supposed to be. In contrast to this, the Botkin ladies painted this refreshing picture of biblical femininity: a woman of God should aspire to be dignified, but not haughty; bold, but with a quiet spirit; well educated, but without arrogance.
Each of the speakers also had the opportunity to answer some very crucial questions posed by the attendees concerning a father’s responsibility to his daughter, the role of a young lady in her father’s household, the role of young women in the church and community, preparing for marriage, among other important subjects.
My personal favorite moment came on Saturday evening when eight daughters volunteered to bring their daddies on the stage to “help” them get ready for their day — in front of 570 people! Each daughter helped her daddy put on his shoes, tie his tie, comb his hair, and ‘shave’ using LOTS of shaving cream and plastic knives. Some other courageous fathers volunteered to publicly serenade their daughters. It was a great time of fun for all!
The Father and Daughter Retreat was also a time of rich fellowship with Christians far and wide, as families came from all over the globe for the event. One man came all the way from Botswana, Africa, to spend some one-on-one time with his daughter, hear the teaching, and fellowship with other fathers and daughters.
All in all, this was one of the most inspiring retreats I’ve had the privilege to attend. I’m thankful for the many people who helped with all the details of this event and for Vision Forum for giving fathers and daughters a vision for this most special relationship. I know I enjoyed the special time with my daddy! Hope to see you there next year!