Witness Wednesday #203 Catherine D. (Retreat)

Witness Wednesday #203 Catherine D. (Retreat) Today, I want to share about how the Lord can sometimes work in our lives. I went to a retreat in January with some of my big life mentoring sisters. There were about 20 of us there. We spent the time doing cool things like running in the ocean first thing in the morning, dressing in 80s gear, and doing jazzercise at a local restaurant. I had not met most of these people before. Aside from the cool activities planned, we also spent some time talking about what was going on in our lives and where we wanted to be at the end of the year. This wasn’t easy, as many of us had never met, and sharing the intimate details of our lives was scary. Although once people started sharing their stories, the strangest thing happened: we realized even though we were all very different, we were also the same in a lot of ways. It was a great experience. A month or so after the retreat, I was talking to one of my new friends from the retreat. We were talking about our mentoring group and the various retreats our mentor Pamela Crim does, and my friend said she could see me doing something like that, mentoring and putting on retreats. The seed was planted. I was trying to figure out where to go with my business. I had thought about this type of thing before, but hearing someone else say she could see me doing it made it all seem a bit more real. I tend to be a slow mover. I get an idea, and I talk myself out of it for quite a while. Do you ever do this? You come up with an idea and then don’t act on it because that inside voice tells you a million reasons why it won’t work. One day, I was at Eucharistic Adoration when I felt the Holy Spirit telling me I needed to plan a retreat for that summer. So, of course, I obeyed and started planning right away, right? Wrong. I did what I always do when the Holy Spirit directs me. I asked a bunch of questions. Here are some of those questions: “This summer, are you sure? The summer is just a few months away. Who will even come to this retreat?” I felt as if the Holy Spirit said, “You just book a place and time, and I will get the people there.” “Ok, I said, but what about the theme of the retreat? What do you want us to do there? What will I talk about? Will I be the only speaker?” Again, I felt I heard the Holy Spirit say, “Once you book the place, I will give you more details.” I really felt as if the Holy Spirit was wanting me to step out in faith. I started calling retreat centers to see if anyone had availability this close to summer. Most places did not, and the ones that did were too expensive. I wasn’t sure who would attend, but I knew I wanted to make it affordable for everyone. The price was going to be at least $400 at the places I was finding. I was getting frustrated and wanted to give up. I felt the Holy Spirit prompt me to email my prayer group to see if any of them would want to go on a retreat and whether $400 was too expensive. I also asked if they even wanted a sleepover retreat. Maybe I should just do a daytime retreat or a one-day retreat. Many said yes to a retreat, most said stay over retreat, which I felt confirmed what I felt I was getting from the Holy Spirit. A few said they could go if it were $400; however, many said it was too much. Again, confirming my thoughts. I decided to ask a few people if they knew any retreat places. I am not sure how I happened upon the Holy Cross Retreat Center, and yet I am so glad I did! This retreat center was affordable, and the person I talked to was so nice. They have many retreats there each year, and yet they are always the same type of retreat. This fall will be the first time they open their doors to outside groups for retreats. They do not have a minimum number of people I have to have. They are completely redoing all the rooms with new paint, new beds, and new mattresses. They already redid the bathrooms, so by the time we get there, it will look like a whole new place. I was so excited that it was all coming together. I was amazed at how the Holy Spirit led me to find the perfect place. Now that it was really happening, I had to start thinking about the theme, who to invite, and how much it would cost. Oh, that is another way the Holy Spirit was guiding the details. The only weekend available, aside from Thanksgiving weekend, was October 6-8. That is the same weekend our prayer group is starting a Life in the Spirit Seminar on Friday. However, it is a long weekend, and many people may have Monday off. So I did my retreat from Saturday to Monday instead of Friday to Sunday. It all worked out perfectly. I knew the Holy Spirit would make sure those who needed this retreat could attend it. My hope was that anyone who needed this retreat could come, even if they couldn’t afford it. I included a donation option on the registration page so that people who can...