Rooming for your “Problem Child”

The retreat registration card for our retreats gives room for women to designate their preferred roommate.  We have addressed the further issues that are faced when women will share a bed in a “four-per-room” option here.  As much as possible, we ask women to designate their roommates to make retreat room assignments as easy as possible.

However, on rare occasions, we end up with individual who, for one reason or another, is unable to come up with a roommate to list on her registration card.  Possibly she is new to the church and doesn’t know the other women, or the women they do know have already designated their roommate preference.  Possibly she is just one of those difficult people.

Look for those special women in your women’s ministry–those who are  mature in the Lord, tolerant, full of grace, and who love to reach out to women and minister to them.  Ask these ladies to prayerfully consider being available to be a roommate at the retreat for one of these new or hard-to-place women.

The Puzzle of Room Assignments

Each retreat can have its own unique retreat rooming options.  Assigning rooms in a hotel to retreat attendees is easier because our retreat registration form gives space for each attendee to write down her roommate preferences; in addition, the form requires that each attendee designate the person with whom she will share a bed  (if she chooses the four-to-a-room option in a hotel).  This information reduces, but does not eliminate, the work involved in assigning rooms and finalizing the rooming list.  This is because sometimes someone chooses the four-to-a-room option, yet designates only the one other person who will share her bed (required for that option), but  lists no other roommates. Or, potential roommates are listed who do not actually register for the retreat.   So it is our job to shuffle people around so that all rooms are filled correctly.

We used to give other options, such as snorer/non-snorer, quiet room/party room, etc.  That made it way too confusing!  As much as possible, make your ladies do their own room assignments.  And with the remaining rooms, it helps to consider this a puzzle.  List your rooms, with any special features (i.e. handicap room, etc.).  Then use a pencil to assign rooms.  Do the easy ones first–the ones where the roommates are designated.  Then pray for wisdom and discernment as you assign women to the remaining rooms.