When the unexpected happens... Art & Faith in Vermont
I have seen God work in ways I will never be able to explain, and I will never take the credit for any of it, but I will try my best to share “His story.”
Vermont WAS unexpected... a SURPRISE. The truth is that when you surrender your desires to the Lord and TRUST that He is going to show up and work His will out in the lives of the people He brought to this retreat... well He shows up BIG.
I never know the why behind what makes someone sign up for our retreats. I figure it’s mostly the beauty of where we are and then the other is part Art & part Faith. What I’m coming to realize though is everyone comes from somewhere... with history. We ALL carry “life” with us. And when you come to a retreat where we connect creativity to our Creator, it gets deep real fast. Deep in a GOOD way!
The connection is already there with our shared faith, and then when you add in a place where you’re welcome, where there is beauty and creativity and you are encouraged to see who God made you to be... it’s truly something I still marvel at every single time! These ladies above have only known each other for less than 48 hours and look at the connections already. God is SO good.
Ladies, please know that I don’t feel knowledgeable enough, wise enough or smart enough to do what I do! In fact this retreat, with the help of Sheila’s word exercise, I realized I felt “insignificant” and that word touched a cord so deep inside me I was astonished. But... in the safety of our time together we all went deeper with these words (or lies the enemy likes to keep us stuck in) and we found words that were the opposite. Words God says we are in Him! We ALL can make a difference in this world. We are ALL worthy because of what Christ did on the cross for our sins! We are SIGNIFICANT in God’s eyes.
One of the things I remember Sheila saying that stuck with me is this. “Move where it feels scary.” Well I think I’ve been doing that the last few years... but it is only because of the work of the Holy Spirit in my life that I can do it AND do this ministry that I know I am called to. This photo was unexpected too! Sheila and I were getting our photo taken by her sweet hubby Tim and then since we were about to start the classes we wanted to pray together beforehand. Well unbeknownst to us, we were also being photographed while praying! hahaha But I am so grateful… because this photo is precious to me in so many ways. I love this lady right here, she is a blessing in my life beyond what I could have asked for. This is the second time she has come along side me in our retreats and I am SO thrilled to have her and her hubby join us again next September for our very 1st Marriage Retreat in Italy!! (We have a Wail List for that retreat if you want to be on it…)
I think most of the women would agree with me that this retreat went deep fast and we all felt the presence of the Holy Spirit. He was with us the entire time and SURPRISED all of us. I’ll share some of the ladies thoughts from the retreat below, but I want to say that we also had SO MUCH FUN! The weather was perfect, the colors were PEAK, the ladies were joyful and kind, and the meals and excursions together were like a special gift of time. I feel like Vermont was this warm blanket hug that I want to stay wrapped up in for a few more weeks. I didn’t want to leave these women who came as individuals and left as family to me!
I read something in a book I’m reading called “Alive in the Spirit” by A.W. Tozer (get a copy!) and I want to share it with you here. Tozer says this: “ I did not understand the Holy Spirit. I did not understand what being filled with the Holy Spirit was all about. But I was open to everything God had for me, and I was not going to let MY ignorance limit God’s work in me! .... When the Holy Spirit does something in you, it is usually beyond your ability to totally comprehend it, let alone explain it. “
I’ve tried to explain it to my husband, my girls and now you who are reading this. It’s not easily explainable, and now I understand why.
If you are at one of our retreats some day I pray you will experience the same thing... a work of the Holy Spirit in your life, causing you to see the deep LOVE God has for you... “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-19
I hope to “set the table” for you some day at one of our retreats and watch the Lord work in His beautiful, unexpected ways to SURPRISE you!
I’ll leave you with a few comments from the ladies in Vermont. I’m not sure if this will give you a peek into our retreats or not, but it sure blessed my socks off to hear these precious words. They affirm what God is calling me to do and I know it is ONLY through God that I can do anything!
”God's spirit dwelled among a group of women, most who had never met before in powerful ways. Laura's gifts of hospitality, organization, artistry, and facilitation, combined with her humble spirit of service, love for people, and Godly presence made for a peaceful, fun, and most importantly, worship-filled week. I learned interesting art techniques which enhanced, not overshadowed, my communion with God. This was truly a Christian art retreat. I had only corresponded with Laura a few times via e-mail prior to the retreat and did not know any of the women going. Any nerves I felt about meeting strange women were immediately put to rest upon meeting Laura - she made me feel like an old friend from the moment we met. The rest of the women did the same. Hallelujah!” Kendra
”Art & Faith Creative Retreats are what the name says. Time to get away and create in a faith atmosphere. Laura has a genome heart for people and designs a good balance of workshops, sightseeing and down time. I’m looking forward to my next Art & Faith Creative Retreat in Italy!” Cheryl
“Wow! Where do I begin? It has taken me a few days to get settled and begin to unwrap the beautiful gift the retreat provided for me. Your obedience to listen to the Lord allowed the Holy Spirit to move freely among the women attending the retreat. Each of us received eternal gifts unique to each of us and our individual needs. Your love of the Lord, Art and beauty created a safe, loving and trusting environment for all of us to experience Christ in a new and intimate way. Thank you for creating an amazing journey for each of us. The field trips, meals, accommodations and fellowship felt magical. I was truly able to breath and experience joy for the first time in over 3 years. I felt hope again. Just know that your chance meeting with Ashley truly was a divine appointment. I feel a connection to God that I have not felt in sometime even though I am in ministry and love him…it is a renewal of faith. I am forever grateful.” Barbara
Have a blessed day everyone! We are knee deep in house decisions and I’ll try to update you on things with the house and barn in a couple weeks! We have a LOT of things coming together in God’s perfect timing and I want to share His story with you... in due time.
Hugs and love,
Laura McCollough
Yes, we are already planning to do another Art & Faith Creative Retreat in Woodstock, Vermont! Thank you for all your sweet messages about this one… it won’t be until Fall of 2021 but if you want to join us, you can get on our newsletter list and we will update you before we announce it to the public.