Delight Retreat 2016 | Pt. I

To be honest, I haven’t really even thought about the words for this post, so here’s to hoping they’ll just fall right onto the page in exactly the right fashion. I guess I should back up to the beginning and say hi. I’m the one behind the scenes you never really see much of, the one who has been faithfully praying over Delight from its very beginning, because, you see, I’ve been here from the start. I’m the brunette daughter of the cute little blonde you see named Momma Wall. I’ve watched Delight come into existence from the very beginning, before the seed was even planted. And I remember the exact moment that seed was placed in the ground, to where things are now. I’ve shared tears and “is this really happening!?” moments with my mom, plane rides across the country and international Skype calls. But more than all of that, I’ve watched and prayed and marveled at the flinchless faith my mom has. Her constant faith and unending obedience to say yes to all He asks and lay it down every day at His feet and say, “Here you go, Father, do what You will.” And in her obedience, I’ve gotten to be the first person to hear the news of “Guess where we’re having out next retreat!?”, or the words, “You’ll never believe who is COMING to this year’s retreat!!!!” I’m pretty sure I’m the most blessed one here. Because I have the incredible role and gift of getting to pray from the start. And I just absolutely marvel at how good of a God we serve. I can remember so clearly six years ago when I was that girl who was going to send her mom right over the edge. And right before that happened, God sent us right to the middle of Oregon, together, where we spent a week together in the mountains and our relationship grew and Jesus planted the seed. The seed that grown into the garden where we all get to share the fruit together and thank Jesus over and over again for all He has done. And after that life changing trip to Oregon, life changed. Sacrifices were made, relationships were strengthened, risks were taken, phone calls were made, tears fell, emails were sent, books were read, verses were memorized as we stepped out in faith into a world of teenage girls. The very last thing my mom would have probably ever chosen herself, being a mom of three boys and one girl.

Yet, look at how far we’ve come. Look where He’s brought us now. Into a season of just wrapping up the FIFTH spring Delight retreat. A home built. A map filled with tacks to mark the places where each girl has come from. You guys. We’re talking about cross-country, across-the-world relationships that have been built, all because of Delight, and all because of Jesus. What a gift.

I can’t wait to share with you all just a glimpse of the behind the scenes, overall of this year’s retreat! You’re in for a whole WEEK of getting to get a first-hand experience of what this year’s retreat included.

Nestled in the mountains of Leavenworth, Washington, almost three dozen of us gathered under one roof to shout His name, because He’s the reason we’re singing. We gathered to rejoice in the goodness of Jesus, to release the chains that have bound us, and to rise up on the wings of eagles and into FREEDOM, where He has called us. We’ll share the whole creative side tomorrow, where we quilted, hand lettered, photographed styled shoots, styled food photography, etc. Words aren’t adequate to give you the full experience of what it’s like to watch girls who just met to curl up on the couch together and share in each other’s lives and lift each other up, feel each other’s pain, and rejoice when the walls are broken down and new life blooms within hearts. There is nothing more special than waking up in the mornings to sweet music filling the home, breakfast casseroles, homemade buttermilk pancakes and fresh fruit on the table, and a freshly brewed pot of coffee being re-filled every ten minutes :) There’s nothing more beautiful than breaking off for quiet times and looking out across the perfectly mowed lawn to girls with the arms raised, hands held high in the air. And coming back together to stand in worship. To glean wisdom and knowledge from women who have weathered storms and seen victory. To walk out to the living room in the middle of the night to see six girls all curled up on the couch together still talking and bonding with each other.

Delight is a gift. It’s coming together and sharing in each other’s pain. It’s understanding that we all have well…junk. Lies that we’d become enslaved to. Pain that we’d let take root in our souls. Unforgiven hurts. Yet we all have been called by Jesus into freedom, because it is for freedom that Christ has set us FREE. And two weeks ago, we got to release those captive wings and fly. We got to break those chains and run free. We got to release the grip that satan tried so hard to trap us and experience freedom, some for the very first time, that there is LIFE when we let go of the things that keep us from living.

Here is just a peek at what we shared together, and well…let me just be the first to say that it’d be best if you just bookmark this link and check back for the next week, because there’s an announcement coming that is going to be unlike any other!!!!!!