And here’s what I’ve discovered from all of your wonderful emails, text messages and DM’s on IG:

When we reach out for help, God stirs hearts, and it is incredible to see (and be a part of) what He is doing!

Ladies, we are made for connection in this fragile world we live in. In fact, just today the sermon at church was on Genesis 2… and right from the “get-go” of humanity you can see God is a God of relationship! God ordained and intended for human relationship right from the start, and it is essential to our lives! Just read Genesis 2:18-25 and see how beautifully it tells of our loving God who knows our needs and desires.

His Sovereignty and Divinity, along with His nearness and attention to detail are seen together, at the same time, in the way He creates Eve and brings her to Adam. Friends, that is not a God who is far removed from our daily lives. It’s not a God who created us and stepped back outside of our time. That is a God that came near to create us, came near to save us, and is still coming near to restore us and help us… time and time again!

He cares for His creation so much, it runs throughout all of Scripture, and THAT is a God who has made us for relationship with Him (first and foremost) and for relationship with others.

What an amazing truth we can cling to! Yes & Amen!

So, going forward I thought it might benefit all of us if I shared a few of the ideas and sentiments I heard from you over the last week. I saw a pretty consistent theme in all the messages and thought it might help us to connect in a deeper way by knowing what they are.

Here are the TOP 5 sentiments that were pretty consistent throughout:

1. You all love the idea of traveling with intention in this way.

2. You all see the need to get away and be refreshed, inspired, and rested.

3. You all feel a desire to go on one of our retreats (even if you’ve been with us before or you can’t get away right now)

4. You all sound like you’d trust me with this type of “getaway”

5. You all see the importance of connecting in this way.

This blessed me more than you’ll ever know. I cried so many times last week reading your words of encouragement, seeing how important a retreat with faith at the forefront was to you, and hearing your stories. I’m in tears right now recalling the emails I got from all over the world from you!

I realize how needed it is to have deeper connections with other like-minded women, and it reminds me yet again how important it is to continue in what God has called me to do.

Like I said at the beginning… we are made for connection, and when we don’t have it, we struggle with feelings of isolation, feelings of not fitting in, feelings of anxiousness, depression… and you name it.

So it’s very important for me to say this to you right now:

You are WELCOME here.

You are wanted and welcome, no matter where you are in your walk with the Lord. If you are new to the faith or you’re a seasoned veteran(that’s not really a thing, lol)… if you are young or old, you are welcome and wanted at these retreats. There is a place for you to come and join us as we connect with others and our Creator in this way!

I also want you to know this:

My retreats look beautiful… because they are, but they are REAL.

It’s easy for my retreats to look beautiful when the scenery around you is breathtaking. But they are not showy, they are not color coordinated, they are not fancy, or catered to a certain “it” woman.

They are REAL. That word came to me this past October in Italy during the retreat where I was very sick. I’m not knocking the retreats out there that have all the fancy stuff… but I realized that that’s not what I care about nor what I want my retreats to strive to be, and I don’t think that’s what the Lord cares about either.

We cry together, (and believe me… I ugly cry) we share real-life hard stories together, sometimes one-on-one and sometimes when a woman feels the need to share with all of us. We read the Bible together, and may have different ideas about it, but we dig deep into God’s Word and seek His will for our lives as we go back home. We grow together in friendship no matter who we are back home, how much money we have in our bank account, or how fancy our clothes are… because we are bonded in our love for Jesus Christ and THAT bonds us instantly… and for life!

That is what the Lord has pressed upon my heart to make clear to you, and it’s what I believe the ladies who have come to a retreat would also say is true. I want you to know that going forward, and it’s also what continues to challenge me and spur me on.

SO, in that direction, I am going to try to do as many of the ideas you had for me.

Here are the TOP 3 I want to implement by next year’s retreats:

1. Start a scholarship fund! (More on that soon…and I’ll need your help with this)

2. Start advertising/marketing in more ways outside of just IG & FB

3. Start collaborating with like-minded women like YOU!

This is going to take a lot of work, pray and support! So please continue to follow along, offer advise and help in any way you can.

Friends, what I’ve seen is an overwhelming response from so many of you that leads me to believe what God is allowing me to do is needed in a very tangible way. And my hearts desire it to steward that well and be a blessing to those who want to come and be a part of what He is doing.

I’ve really loved your willingness to be honest with me, to give me some great ideas and your heart to want to be a part of all of this. Thank you.

Last bit of news…

I said I was going to update you on the retreats.

Well, 8 women have signed up for this years retreats in the last week and a half! EIGHT! That is amazing and such an answer to prayer, in so many ways. As of right now I can only take a few more in Italy and 2 more in Vermont.

So, if you’ve been waiting to sign up… now is the time! We would LOVE to have you join us and I’m hear to answer any questions you may have.

Thank you so much ladies. I appreciate the prayers as I seek discernment, clarity and the Lord’s will going forward and I am in awe of His faithfulness over and over again in our lives.

Hugs to all,

Laura