Friday, February 8, 2013

Deeper Retreat

This past weekend a group of the older girls from both this group and the other group I lead in Belleville, gathered for a time of seeking the Lord, encouraging one another & growing intentional relationships with one another. Unfortunately, we were so busy enjoying our time with the Lord & each other that we forgot to take very many pictures! However, I've asked the girls to share a few testimonies about what God did or taught them through the retreat.

"I had such a blast at the Bright Lights retreat! Not only did it give me the opportunity to dig deeper into the relationship I have with my Lord and Savior but also with the girls around me. It was such an encouragement to spend time with other believers and learn that I'm not the only one who struggles with spending as much time with God as I should. I was challenged as we spent time learning new ways to spend time with God." - 17 year old


"I was so encouraged by the videos, encouragement groups and prayer time. I loved spending time getting to know the other girls, just knowing that we are all struggling and that we can all help each other is cool. I loved being able to spend a whole weekend in prayer and talking with or about the Lord, and also finding new ways to have a deeper relationship with Him. I was really convicted by the fact that I need to surrender my entire life to Him and let Him write my story. Also, that I need to be spending more scheduled times in prayer. I really appreciated all the times we spent in prayer in our encouragement groups. It was really cool to share different thoughts, stories, verses and struggles. I know the Lord was working in each of us, and I'm so thankful for this opportunity." - 15 year old


"I had one of the most amazing times at the Deeper Retreat. At first, I didn't want to go because I didn't feel 'good enough.' However, I grew so much closer to the girls and realized they struggle with the same problems I do (even Allison! Shocking, I know! ;), which means we can pray all the more sincerely for each other. The Holy Spirit convicted me of many things - like how I wasn't surrendering my whole life to Jesus - and the retreat pushed me to answer those questions which sit in the back of your mind that you don't want to deal with. After the retreat, I felt so refreshed, encouraged and close to my Lord." - 16 year old

"God further instilled in me a fervor to fear Him and obey His calling no matter what other people think or say. To possess Chazak and Amats! RAK CHAZAK  people of God!!" - 18 year old