Miracles At The Retreat

 Dear Kids, 

The Homeschool Mom's Retreat last weekend went AMAZING. There were so many miracles that happened for so many women and it was an answer to prayers, many prayers. 

Before the retreat happened I sent out a communication to the ladies that Satan was going to try to do everything he could to keep them from coming to the retreat and to pray for protection. It was amazing to see how exactly true that counsel ended up being. But the women who needed to be there made it. There were several that were on the verge of canceling because of work things coming up, family things coming up, or a number of other situations, but they followed through and made it. 

When the committee got there (Connie Lossee, Shirlyn Wanlass, Katie Vrajich), we said a prayer together and I was specifically instructed to pray for a few things. Here is a list below of the different experiences and prayers given:

-"Father we are all endowed women of Thee and have the holy endowments of the priesthood. We ask with the power of the priesthood endowment that You have given us for this space to be consecrated and protected, for the conduits of heaven to be opened so the ministering angels of all the women coming will be here in abundance."

.....After saying this portion of the prayer I IMMEDIATELY felt light descend onto the property and the angels entering the space were spiritually tangible. It was AMAZING to feel the dissension of God's power where we were and that the space where we were was consecrated for this purpose. There were SEVERAL women all through the retreat and when bearing testimony at the end that talked about how they felt like they were in the temple all weekend. Yay!

-"Father, we ask specifically for the Savior to come and to be on the property with us, to walk beside the women, and that the ladies coming will have a personal experience with Jesus in a way that will anchor their testimonies."

.....At the end of the retreat we did a circle where all the women had a chance (if wanted) to share what they learned and if their intentions were fulfilled. SO MANY of them talked about how they had a personal experience with the Savior - specifically on the Faith Walk. Katie gave hugs to the ladies on the Faith Walk at a certain portion, and many of the women said how when she gave them a hug, they immediately felt that it was Jesus giving them the hug. Katie testified as well that she was physically pushed out of her comfortable seat (where she was reporting who made it around the hike) to give hugs from Jesus. 

-"Father, please dedicate this space so every one of these women can come and receive personal answers about their lives directly from Thee in a way that will secure them to their covenants" ... Then before the Faith Walk started and we were setting up Shirlyn said a specific prayer about dedicating the space. Then she asked me if I had anything else to pray for. I felt specifically to pray for the women, especially those who were questioning the power of their covenants to get the answers they needed and rededicated the space again. 

.....We found out later that at the moment we were praying about that one of the group discussion leaders (Ashla Clay) knew she had to do a temple visualization and talk specifically about covenants. There was a woman (Jane) who came specifically because she didn't know why covenants were so important anymore. She was faltering and she didn't know if anything she believed was important anymore and if the temple was really worth it. In that discussion she was in, she got the exact answers she was looking for. When we found out the correlations of events and how the prayers were answered I told Jane, "Guess what? God cares about the ONE, and all those events working together were specifically for YOU. He loves you." She just cried. 

-In the Intention Discussion on the first night I asked all the women to write down their intentions and why they needed to be here. They all did and I testified to them that they would receive answers to those intentions. Then when we went around at the end of the retreat, EVERYONE of those women received those answers. I was just glorying in Jesus and God the entire discussion, just amazed at them and how much THEY LOVE THESE WOMEN. 

-I testified to them over and over and over and over and over again how irreplaceable they are in the world. No one can do what they are doing in their lives, in their families, in the children's lives, in their neighborhood... no one can do what they can do. And a lot of times we as women feel really insignificant inside of the mundane work everyday that we do with our families, when in reality IT IS THE ONLY WAY that God wins. I just told them over and over that I just wanted to impart spiritual confidence in them to go home with. 

.....The amazing part is that by testifying to them, I received my own answers about it all as well. I have been feeling like I want to be used as an instrument! And He found me worthy and used me! All weekend there were answers given, conversations I had, conversations that the ladies had with each other, we were ministering to each other ALL WEEKEND long. It was ZION. I have a complete testimony that it is how we create Zion. We were doing the work of the Lord. 

-At the end of the retreat I had a lady come up to me (Natalie Lisonbee). She was one of the only ladies that I didn't have a chance to really connect with. (This needs to be prefaced with the fact that the day the retreat started was April 22nd, Shayla's birthday and I asked all the ladies there to sing Happy Birthday to her). She said, "Andrea, I've wanted to tell you all weekend that when we sang Happy Birthday to your sister, someone came in the room and sat down in the chair right next to you. Then when you hit your hand on the chair accidentally and made the joke about how you needed the chair for stability, I just really felt to tell you that she wants you to know that you can use her for stability and she will always be a stabilizing force for you."

.....When she said this to me I just broke down sobbing. I needed to hear it so much. And I think it was an even greater testimony that the Lord used someone I didn't know to tell me all of that. I was telling Shirlyn about how amazing it was because I would have thought the Lord would have used a good friend like her for that message, but instead He used a stranger and it made it even more poignant. She just held me while I sobbed and cried. 

-Personally I received the answer at the retreat that I need to go into a season of "no" so I can say "yes" more to what I'm doing inside of my home. There are schedules and patterns that we've gotten into that can lead to destruction in a lot of ways (just lazy habits more than anything that need to be revised) and I need to say "no" to outside things so I can be home. I am always busy, and I am always being called by someone for something (which I LOVE actually), but it leads me to being distracted from my home. This retreat weekend the Lord told me, "See Andrea - there is going to be more great works for you to do, but not yet. You will be used like I used you this weekend more in the future, but not at the detriment of your family. Your children need more of YOU right now and it won't always be that way. You will be used. Be patient and your time will come. Right now, focus on your home, your health, your husband, and you will get there."

.....This answer from God was SO REASSURING because I know there are so many things for me to do, but I also felt in a deeper more meaningful way how I don't have much longer with my kids. I only have just a little while longer before they will be on their own and independent. I need to put the same energy I gave to the women at the retreat into my children and their testimonies as well. Several times when I was ministering to someone after the interaction the spirit would tell me, "This is how you treat your children... this is how you interact with your children.... this is how you testify to your children.... this is how you listen to your children..." He was using the way I was treating the women as the example of what to do when I got home. It was a perfect way to teach me. 

-The women talked about how much they LOVED the Faith Walk. Shirlyn set this up and her intention with it was for it to be private quiet time for the women to have personally with God. She told them at the beginning of it, "Don't cheat yourself. You need this quiet time. As homeschooling moms the thing we never get is quiet time. Give yourself that gift of quiet time with Jesus and with God." And all the women LOVED it so much. There were quote and questions all along the path. It was on the Forsyth trail. When we dedicated it we asked for the women not to be distracted and when they were there and NO ONE came to the trail when we were there! Right before and right after, but no one came during it, which was beautiful. They put their "mountain" of their life right now on a rock and put it at the Saviors feet when they got to the top of the trail. We had a picture of Jesus that as they crested the hill, He was there. All the women had very sacred experiences. It was so inspired. 

All weekend there were answers to questions constantly throughout the classes together, the Faith Walk, the women ministering to each other, the group meetings, the meals, the devotionals, all of it. 

One of the ladies came to me and said, "He wants to tell you 'Well Done Thou Good And Faithful Servant'" - Which ALSO made me cry. 

I love you kids. I love you so much. I go and lift other women so in their homes they can give their kids all the love they deserve. I hope you know that I'm giving you ALL of my love, all of my energy and my time while you are with me. 

Your Mom