Have you ever heard of a Business Retreat? Yes, this event is new to me since I do not own a business nor I am not managing a firm or business. But I love business, and I even taught business subjects in Senior High School and Junior High School. I am just committed to my work so, I choose to serve as a teacher this time. But hopefully, at the right time, I can have my own business soon.
On the other hand, when someone invites me to a gathering or any invitation like a seminar, training, or retreat I always consider this as an opportunity. So, my husband and I attended the Business Retreat conducted last Saturday at Big Hotel Mandawe and hosted by the BCBP Mandawe Chapter. When our chapter head announced that there would be a business retreat intended for us, as a new community member, I included my name in the list. At first, my husband was hesitant to join for financial reasons and he didn't want to be absent, but since I'm interested he then agreed to join. I didn't know what's it all about but I am after the learning that I will gain in this 1-day Retreat. So without any doubt, we answer the call of our community.
We departed in Bogo City, by 5:00 am via a private car owned by our Chapter Head. We arrived at Mandaue City by 7:30 am. The Retreat will start by 9:00 am so we find a food stall where we could have breakfast first. We felt the pain of walking to where we could have breakfast since many food stalls had not yet opened. Therefore, we decided to wait for the chowing to open at exactly 8:00 am. After eating we went to the hotel. It was already 9:00 am when the registration had started.
At exactly 9:45 am the retreat started. It commenced with a prayer and worship. After this, the participants were asked to introduce their selves. After that, the opening message was delivered by the BCBP Mandawe Chapter Head. Then the first talk followed. There were 6 topics or talks discussed by various speakers who were owners of certain businesses and companies in the city and the province. Each speaker shared their true-to-life story and experiences as to how they started and how their company sustained and even been successful. The following were the topics being tackled; stakeholders in the marketplace, building our business with God, God's plan for our business and livelihood, the role of Christian Boss and employee, proper attitude towards wealth and money, relating to others in the marketplace and accepting our vocation and profession as God's gift.
After the talks, was the discussion proper using the guided questions given? We shared our experiences and ideas about the topics using the guided questions. It was a very informative talk and we learned a lot from every discussion as well as the real testimony from the experts who were owners and managers of big companies. I'm thankful to every speaker for sharing their valuable knowledge and expertise. Above all, I am blessed and grateful to our almighty Father for having a community that always provides and guides each member to live a life with God as the center. These opportunities will help mold me to be a better version of myself. I looked into using these learnings from every session in my day-to-day endeavors. The talks ended at exactly 5:00 pm. It ended with a closing prayer and photo opportunity for all participants from different chapters.
