Keshia explained, “It was so pure and simple and was focused on the sole connection with God. I am not fighting that anymore. God is okay with where I am at.”
Kristi, Mindy, and Keshia sit down with James and Steve and talk about the Heart of a Woman Retreat. They discuss what their lives are like right now, what their apprehensions were before going to the retreat, talk about what they learned there, what they would tell someone about the retreat, and who might be on the fence about going. The women are extremely open and vulnerable about their experiences and is an episode that will make you laugh and cry in the same breath. If this affects you and you know others who might be struggling, please consider sharing this with them because we are here Unashamed and Unafraid to share stories about addiction, recovery, and redemption through Jesus Christ.
Kristi has had a pretty crazy nine years. Nine years ago she got divorced and started taking care of her three kids on her own. She felt far away from God and that He had abandoned her. The last straw was she recently found out that her cancer is back. She had still been hurting from the divorce. Her friend Becky told her about the retreat and she decided to go.
Mindy has been married for 18 years and she has been in betrayal recovery from her husband's addiction for the past two years. Mindy developed a lot of unhealthy coping mechanisms. She turned her back on God. She also developed self-loathing because of the betrayal. She heard about the retreat on our podcast and told her husband about it. He immediately signed her up.
Keshia was married to her spouse for 8 years and she found out about her husband’s addiction 5 years into the marriage. She decided to get divorced and they have been divorced for 18 months now. Funny story, they are dating now. She heard about the retreat and decided to go because she was in a chaotic stage with her faith knowing that she could not go back to just living the “formula gospel”.
So what were their apprehensions or fears about going to the retreat?
All three of them felt so scared about not being able to connect with God. They did not feel that they would be the same after the retreat. They wanted to know if God really loved them and knew them personally. They were excited to report that God showed up in a big way! Here are some of the quotes that they said about what happened:
Mindy said, “It felt like light had been shined in my heart, in places that I had no idea were there.”
Kristi commented, “The prayers that were offered in that little circle were the prayers that will stay stuck in my heart, for years.”
They all explained that anyone thinking about going just needs to go. Mindy shared the scripture John 4:19 that says, “We love Him because He first loved us.” So, God gave us Jesus Christ and now it is our turn to move into that love.
We at UnashamedUnafraid encourage anyone to reach out and go to either the Heart of a Woman Retreator to A Warrior Heart Boot Camp, this is a great place to reconnect our souls to The Source of all the fruits of the spirit found in Galatians 5:22 and 23. If you or anyone you know might be struggling, please consider sharing this with them. Please listen to our podcast and follow us on Instagram and Facebook @UnashamedUnafraid. We all need someone who loves us enough to fight for our hearts, and God is there to do that.
