Believing the adage that a woman’s work is never done, once a year the Women’s Ministries of Central California Conference plans a spiritually rich and work-free weekend. In two retreats held in January and February, approximately 550 women were pampered with prayer, worship, great food and fellowship during a weekend of “Experiencing God’s Love.”

The speaker, Shelley Quinn, spoke at the Tenaya Lodge and Soquel Conference Center retreats on consecutive weekends. The author of Exalting His Word and developer of new programming at 3ABN, Quinn chronicled her own personal journey with God. Her dynamic style and passionate presentations kept the women on the edge of their seats.

Life Changing

Getting into God’s Word, believing in His power and that what He says is true, then personalizing His promises into prayer is the key to a life-changing relationship with God. And, according to Quinn, praying these personal affirmations out loud reinforces His promises to the individual.

“This last retreat was the most life-changing retreat I have ever attended,” says Wanda Driver from Santa Cruz. “The practice of reading God’s Word aloud and writing affirmations based on God’s Word increased my level of faith and belief in who I am as a child of God.”

It was particularly life changing for Lisa Haver, a member of the Ceres church. She describes her life as particularly trying, having recently gone through a divorce.

“It was through Shelley talking about God speaking to your heart and telling you what to do for the next step that I was led to sign up for the counseling,” says Haver. “Since then, I start every morning off with a prayer saying, ‘Not my will, but Your will.’ I’m letting Him lead me.”

Haver has also planned to be rebaptized as a public and personal break with the past and a way of moving forward.

“The women who are doing life affirmations from God’s Word are beaming, they are glowing,” says Janet Page, women’s ministries coordinator. “Praying God’s Word is much more powerful than praying our own words.”

“No matter how they do it, if people get into God’s Word and personalize it, they will find it healing and powerful,” she continues. “We tend to read every other book but the Bible, and the Bible is the one with the power.”

Reconnecting

Retreats are a good way to reconnect with members who may have lost touch. Chande Malau'ulu of San Francisco was one of those women.

During a Samoan women’s conference last year, she was inspired by several Adventist speakers. She and Sulu Lefiti decided to begin a small group for Bible study and prayer. The group now has 14 members and continues to grow, and Malau’ulu has begun attending her local Adventist church.

“Seven women from our group attended the women’s conference in Soquel,” says Malau’ulu. “The speaker was great and taught us how to speak to God and have God speak to us through affirmations. And Sulu is looking into getting baptized.”

Laughter and tears are also part of the weekend as women let down their guard and begin sharing like sisters. “It helps me not feel alone in whatever experience I have in life because other women are experiencing the same things,” says Driver.

First-time Guests Attend at No Cost

Seventy-eight guests, friends and family members of Adventist church members attended the two retreats. Scholarships for non-Adventist women have become a unique aspect of the retreat weekend.

Each year, 35 full scholarships are available for first-time guests of Adventist members. The scholarship funds are made possible through the camp meeting evangelism offering.

Often those receiving scholarships come again on their own and bring their friends. “This has given Adventist women a way to witness,” says Page.

Asking For More

Instead of being overwhelmed by the busy weekend schedule, participants requested another meeting be added. Quinn had alluded to how God led her into the Seventh-day Adventist church just three years ago, and the women wanted to hear her testimony.

“We had a lot of women wanting Bible studies, and some were convicted about the Sabbath after her testimony,” says Page.

Having the women discover more about themselves and about how they fit into God’s plan makes the work that goes into the retreats worthwhile.

Page believes the annual retreats are essential. “It’s not just come and go to a meeting,” she says. “It’s a time for women to get away from all the demands they have on their lives. They come away, get rest with God. They get prayed over. Healing takes place because God is there.”