August 12 - 19, 2023
Orlando, Florida
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LOCATION: Holiday Inn Express, Orlando Lake Nona and PIONEERS Headquarters, download campus map here.
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START DATE: Saturday, August 12
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END DATE: Saturday, August 19
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ONSITE ATTENDEE COST: Once you arrive at the hotel, MedSend will cover all expenses related to the MedRefresh Retreat.
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REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Friday, July 15
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DRESS CODE: Casual
Our goal is to provide you a place of rest, an opportunity to create friendships, and a time to gather with like-minded individuals. We will address the professional and relational challenges you face and will also provide you and your children an opportunity to reflect and debrief with trained debriefers. We have a professional staff prepared to care for your children while you are participating in the conference in the mornings. Your children and teens will be brought back to join you for lunch each day, and you will have them in the afternoons unless you are participating in a reflective debriefing.
Hotel Information
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sPlan to arrive on Saturday afternoon, August 12th and depart on Saturday, August 19th, around 11 a.m.
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We will be meeting at the Orlando headquarters of Pioneers behind the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Lake Nona.
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MedSend will cover your expenses related to food and lodging once you arrive in Orlando and a one-day pass to Disney World or day at the spa. It will be your responsibility to pay for all of your travel expenses.
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Please review the MedRefresh Orlando Daily Menu, if there are food allergies or restrictions, please let us know!
Arrivals & Transportation
Plan to fly into the Orlando International Airport, MCO. The hotel address is:
Holiday Inn Express & Suites: Orlando - Lake Nona Area, 10115 William Carey Drive, Orlando FL 32832.
Holiday Inn Express & Suites (HI) will provide transportation from the Orlando International Airport. The hotel is approximately 12 miles from the airport and takes approximately 20 minutes to the hotel from MCO depending on traffic.
Please call the hotel directly to arrange your transportation at (407) 207-7001. Hotel shuttles begin at 8 a.m. and end at 10 p.m. Wednesday thru Sunday. They do not provide shuttles on Sunday or Monday.
Plan B - use Uber/Lyft.
Call Randy (630.926.6308) or Kim (832) 653-1313 (if there is a problem).
MedRefresh Retreat Staff:
Kids / Teens Programs
We will have an experienced Child Adolescent and Parenting Debriefer, who is well versed in concerns global workers encounter. If you are interested in addressing any specific concerns in this area, you will be able to address them in the upcoming survey. For any additional information you may contact Donna Messenger at messengerd@barnabas.org.
Your afternoons will be open for the most part, prepare for that open space with your family. The debriefing sessions will be scheduled during this time as will childcare during your specific sessions.
Parents, we look forward to caring well for your kids. Please help us prepare to do that by completing the Child Profile Form for each child who will attend, by August 1, 2023. Please also take a moment to read the 2023 Orlando MedRefresh Orientation Letter to familiarize yourself with the program!
Debriefing
There will be two reflection/debriefing sessions hosted by professional debriefers from Alongside, Barnabas and MedSend. Pastoral Care, Spiritual Direction and Child Debriefing will also be available.
What will the reflection/debriefing look like?
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Every couple or single will receive two sessions during the retreat.
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The first reflective session will be about your work experience in your environment, the highlights and challenges with an opportunity to process your challenges, especially those that still affect you in some way.
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The second reflection/debriefing time can be used to go deeper in any area addressed during the first time, or to reflect on how the topics of the seminars play out in your life, and what you may personally need or want going forward.
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We ask that you complete a brief survey to understand more about your hopes and needs for the debriefing (adults and child debriefing), pastoral care, and spiritual direction. Here is the link to the Debriefing Survey. Please do not complete it BEFORE July 1st. The DEADLINE is August 1, 2023.
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Here is a link to Google Drive that will contain helpful retreat materials.
A Day at Disney World
We are delighted to offer you and your family a one-day pass per person for a day at Disney World!
Disney is the perfect escape. You can leave all the stress of the real world behind as soon as you enter the gates and surround yourself with Disney Magic. The upbeat music, the delicious smells, the laughter and more will have you instantly engulfed in the Happiest Place on Earth. Walt Disney World Resort is an entertainment and recreation center of nearly 40 square miles featuring four theme parks including Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom. Our day at Disney World is Wednesday, August 16th.
In planning for the day at Disney World, (August 16th) WE SUGGEST YOUR PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS IN ADVANCE, following the steps below:
- Set up your Disney profile at https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/plan/my-disney-experience/
- Add family members to your Disney profile
- With a 1-day pass you do not need to make a Park Reservation. A reservation is made automatically when you purchase your tickets.
- We suggest you purchase your tickets between Saturday, July 15th and no later than Friday, August 4th.
- If you are without transportation while at MedRefresh, we will provide transportation for you and your family to and from Disney on Wednesday, August 16th either through Uber, hotel shuttle or MedSend staff.
- MedSend will reimburse the expense for your Disney tickets for you and all your family members. All other expenses on August 16th (excluding Uber if necessary) will be at your own expense (food, novelties, etc.).
- If the Disney ticket expense is more than your budget will allow prior to the end of the retreat, please contact Randy@mesend.org or Kim@medsend.org for making reimbursement arrangements sooner.
- You will be reimbursed for your Disney ticket(s) purchase upon submission of your expense receipts and allowable time for processing. Deadline to submit expense report with receipts is August 22, 2023.
Disney theme park options are (each ticket is ~ $155/person) for either:
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- Magic Kingdom Park
- EPCOT
- Disney Hollywood Studios
- Animal Kingdom
- or the Disney SPA (MedSend will make reservations and payment for the SPA- $200/person)
Should you run into any problems while on your Wednesday activities, please contact Randy (630.926.6308) or randy@medsend.org.