It Was Amazing!

It's been a crazy ride!

As the weeks got closer to the retreat date, preparations were on full swing. Most of the materials were completed and printed. Boxes and bags were filled with supplies, etc. We left the buying of food and final preparations for the last week but most of it was completed beforehand.

God knew what He was doing in leading us to prepare early. On Monday morning the week of the retreat we received news that my great nephew had been in a fatal accident. That was a hard blow. That day we walked around in shock. There was no way to concentrate on the retreat. I thanked God all day for moving me to get everything ready ahead of time.

He was going to school in Arizona. My nephew and his wife and daughter left to AZ immediately. There was nothing we could do. They didn't return until the middle of the night on Wednesday. They were completely exhausted on Thursday. We left to the retreat facility early Friday morning. We didn't have the opportunity to see my nephew and family before the retreat.

It's times like these that we know we have to move forward and depend completely on the Holy Spirit to carry us. And that He did! The Holy Spirit was truly carrying us.

The emotional shift was tough to maintain. While I was focusing on the Holy Spirit and the message of the retreat, it all went well. I did have a couple of times that I lost composure, but praise God for prayer and recentering. Everyone at the retreat was amazing!

It had been raining every day in the mountains, so it was stunning to be there. Everyone made it up to the Lodge ok.

Now mind you, the Lodge is way out there. We had sent maps with instructions and GPS coordinates to the gate. Yet, there was a bit of confusion for some who had not read the instructions. Praise God, everyone made it ok.

We started a little later than expected, (no surprise, right?). Things do not always go as planned. But we were able to make some adjustments and were back on schedule by lunch on Saturday.

For me it seemed as if we were racing in the morning, but most of the participants said it was not noticeable on their end. Sounds good to me right! 👍🏼😊🙏🏼

It continued to rain off and on while we were there. Rain is so beautiful in the mountains. We were truly blessed.

The early mornings were beautiful, crisp, fresh, and amazing. Pictures do not do it justice.

We started the retreat with Mass on Friday evening. Thanks to Fr. Adrian who celebrated Mass for us Friday evening, Saturday morning, and again Saturday evening as the Sunday Vigil Mass.

We had Adoration and Holy Hour on Friday evening while Fr. Adrian heard confessions late into the night.

We started the morning on Saturday with early Adoration and Holy Hour. Then morning Mass.

The misty morning air was amazing.

The sessions throughout the day Saturday and Sunday morning, were based on St. Vincent Pallotti writings and prayers. Everyone was engaged and shared beautifully. We had such wonderful people there.

We were blessed to have a few families among us. The children are so insightful and inspiring. We appreciate all the dads who were there leading their families in an amazing experience.

We were also blessed to have many saints with us via their relics. Thank you Fr. Adrian for letting us borrow these to bless everyone at the retreat.

We had some time to enjoy the mountains and nature. Some went for walks, some sat on the porch in conversation with others, and some went fishing.

All in all, it was amazing! There are no words that can describe the experience adequately.

Many said they were going to take the session handouts home and go through the process again by stretching it out over a week or maybe 7 weeks to reap the benefits of the process.

In the meeting room we had this beautiful painting of Jesus. We placed the cross of relics under this image.

If you look closely, you can see the image of a dove in both eyes. Deacon Roybal shared the story of the artist who painted this image.

The Holy Spirit has truly inspired everything that is in the beautiful buildings that are a labor of love for our Lord. Wow!

On Sunday we were blessed with a Communion Service and amazing Homily by Deacon Roybal.

We ended the retreat with prayer at the chapel with everyone kneeling around the alter.

Many participants have continued to share with family and friends how much they learned and experienced.

Some participants have signed up for weekly studies to continue to grow and keep the momentum going. That's what it's all about right! 👍🏼🙏🏼😊💞

Based on the wonderful feedback on these sessions, we are considering offering an online opportunity to experience them.

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Thank you for all your prayers and support. Let's keep this ministry alive and active. You are all called to live your purpose. We are all in this together.

You are in our prayers. God Bless you.

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