Yesterday I went to a women’s retreat at a local parish. I had seen advertising for the Lent retreat in the past, but have never been able to go. This was the first retreat I had been on in about 15 years and I didn’t really know what to expect. When I arrived, there were many women checking in at the church lobby. After getting my name tag and random table assignment (lucky #13) I went down to the parish hall. It was dimly lit with about 20 tables set up. Each table was decorated with a lantern holding a battery operated candle surrounded by greenery and small lights on wires. It looked fancy, peaceful, and beautiful. The theme of the retreat was “Illuminate”, so the ambience was fitting. I saw a friend who was on the retreat team, which I didn’t know about until I got there. She showed me to my table. It turned out that there were 2 other ladies that I knew also randomly assigned to my table. There were also 2 other women and a young mother of 3. It was a great mix of people for diverse discussion. During the day, we listened to 3 talks. The first was from a woman who had struggled with fear, anxiety, and clinical depression during COVID. She received medical help, but attributed her recovery mostly to friends showing up, praying for and with her, doing things that needed to be done, a faithful husband who never gave up on her, and prayers from many others that she didn’t see. Everyone was crying by the end, it was such a beautiful testimony of faith. The second talk was from an older couple who told the story of their fiery truck accident. As they were travelling on the highway, there was a sudden stop in front of them. They were able to stop their truck, but the vehicle behind them never slowed down and rammed into the back of their pick-up which sent them flying. They skidded down the break down lane upside down and the truck started on fire. They were both in and out of consciousness as they were able to unbuckle their seat belts and fell to the top of the cab. A man who was behind the vehicle that hit them heard a voice that told him to grab his hammer, which he did. He ran to the truck and broke the passenger side window. He yelled at the woman who, in her confusion, was able to hear him and see the way out. She literally saw the light and crawled out of the broken window. Her husband was unconscious at that time, but woke to hear everyone yelling. He was able to make his way out as well and just cleared the truck before it blew up. Everyone was patting him, which he later realized it was because he was on fire. He was covered in 3rd degree burns. As God would have it, there was a top-rated burn center nearby. That became their home for 7 weeks as the man was treated. They said the room was turned into their apartment and chapel. People brought them clothes, books, and the necessities since they lost everything in the accident. They said when they were about to give up hope, they would receive prayers and encouragement from others. And they were able to receive Communion every day. It was another story of perseverance and amazing faith. The third talk was from a woman who had a difficult past, but remained faithful. Through the loss of 2 children and a divorce, she continued to be faithful and was ministering to many other people. She was able to help them because of the struggles she lived through. The common theme that I took away was that we need each other. Each of us has a way that we can help those around us. We just need to take that step, listen to God’s voice in us and show up.

I Found God today in amazing stories of perseverance and faith.