We’re baaaaaaccccckkkkk!
Me and my small group mommas Angie, Laura and Kimberly…they ALSO 3 of my dearest adoption mommas friends. LOVE doing life with these girls!!
It was an amazing weekend! I truly felt the Lord leading and guiding all the way through it. How wonderful it is to step back in a room of over 400 moms who share your calling and heart…and worship the Lord together.
So thankful for my non-adoption mommas who came to simply love and serve this weekend. This weekend would not be possible without them!! HOW I LOVE Y’ALL!!! Not everyone is called to adopt–and I’m so blessed to have friends who give of themselves in service to moms who are called to grow their families in this way. What a testimony they are to me!!! They calling is so holy to me!!! EACH of them have cared for our family so much in our own personal adoption journey, and it melts me to see them still serving! (Thank you girls!)
One thing we have A LOT of moms approach us about is having a retreat CLOSER to their cities. What we don’t always share is that we TRIED to have the March one in California or Texas and it would have been more than TWICE as much in cost. We are still praying about another location–and hoping we can find something affordable. Currently we only have to charge $165 for the weekend registration fee–and moms can split their rooms (at a rate of just $109 per night) up to 4 ways making it REALLY affordable. The $140 of the $165 registration fee covers food and transaction costs (Paypal’s $5 charge)–and the other $25 buys their tee, mug, bag and materials. We still have to raise about $20,000 so we can keep their costs this low (really the registration fee should be $230 each–but we LOVE keeping it so much lower as many travel far to get here!) In order to raise the money we would need to BREAK EVEN this weekend, we bought LOTS of fun things to sell!
We sell PJS…
And sweatshirts…
TShirts, journals and mugs…
And oh how the Lord provided!!! We knew we’d probably be several thousand dollars short…yet Christy, April and I were at peace knowing and believing ultimately He would provide. On the LAST night of the retreat I was having dinner when a donor who has encouraged us since the beginning showed up and handed me a check that would cover ALL OUR EXPENSES for the weekend and even put us ahead for the March retreat!!! I had a table FULL of precious moms and I sat there SPEECHLESS and overwhelmed with God’s perfect provision…a reminder HOW MUCH He loves and cares for these adoption moms and that He is in this and will continue to provide!
The weekend was TRULY amazing…and it was so much fun (I even break-danced on stage for everyone…yes–it’s true! I have the DVD and I’ll try my best to post that clip soon for you so you can see my skills;).
We are overwhelmed with JOY for all the Lord has done, all He IS doing and all He will do. We can’t WAIT for the March retreat!!! Hold on to your seat belts ladies…you are in for quite a ride! We’re even tweaking a few sessions after receiving feedback from the January retreaters to make March EVEN BETTER…as if that is even possible!
Thank you to all of you who joined us…who stepped out in faith with us! We love you all so much…and we are so encouraged by all of you!
Love,
Andrea
Just wanted to let you know that I had such an amazing experience at C4C retreat. I truly felt God’s presence and heard Him speak to me. Thank you so much for all you and your team did to create this retreat. Looking forward to applying what I learned and claiming NOT ONE of my children will fall away from the Lord.
Thank you!
Jessica
Andrea-
I was at the retreat this weekend and cannot tell you enough how much of a blessing it was! We are in the process of adopting our first child and I will always treasure the new relationships this retreat provided me with!! Thanks for everything you did! You touched SO many!
Kayla
it was wonderful. you guys did amazing. . . and your dance skills on the stage. . . . priceless.
how amazing He is. so thankful someone provided the money. what a blessing, indeed.
You girls ROCK! The weekend surprised my wildest dreams. Finally meeting you face to face was like meeting my long lost little sister. Feeling so blessed that I was the one sitting next to you at dinner when you received the check. Truly a gift from above.
Love & Blessings, “HK” Kim
I wanted to approach you all weekend to tell you thank you for putting all this together. I can’t tell you how much this weekend ministered to my heart. I had told my husband before I left for Atlanta that I was almost afraid of what God would reveal to me this weekend because I was afraid it would require me to step off the path I thought we had.
And God did ask me to. Through your story of being told to wait (while my heart said “See. You’re not the only one He does that to.”) and the quiet moments I had to pray I recognized so much of God’s guidance in my life that I’ve been ignoring because it didn’t work with what I wanted Him to be calling me to. Thank you for the retreat and the reminder to listen and the reassurance that He’s not misspeaking when He tells me to be still.
Andrea, you are just such a BLESSING!!! The weekend was absolutely amazing! It was just what I needed in the middle of our long adoption wait! THANK YOU for your willingness, obedience and sacrifice to do what God has called you to do! He is using to touch so many lives…including mine! Love ya, sweet friend!
I am so thankful you were obedient and started Created For Care! I have not yet been, but am praying it works out that I can get there in March! It sounds like it was an amazing retreat and a blessing to so many! Praise God!!
Andrea,
Just wanted to stop in and say a huge thank you. Really. It was worth flying across the country and God did so many things for me this weekend. I knew you were super busy and probably handling more than we could ever imagine behind the scenes, so I didn’t say as much in person but definitely wanted to follow up here and let you know I heard nothing but positive comments from full and thankful hearts.
God bless.
LOVE this update. 🙂 PRAYED for all the amazing mommas attending and those serving so faithfully behind the scenes. What a sweet reminder of His GOODNESS that HE CARES not only for the ones that were said YES to, but also the MOMMAS who said YES.
I am SO excited for the March retreat!!!!! 🙂
Just wanted to say thank you all so much for this wonderful past long weekend at the amazing Created for Care retreat! I am Kelly’s mom and this was my second year and it was just an awesome experience ! EACH session was so GOD filled and every bit of the experience will be cherished in my heart always ! As meaningful as it is to have precious Silas home from AGCI – Hannah’s Hope — this adds to our spiritual journey ! YOU and your volunteers were amazing! the Lodge is pure heaven ! from the decorations to the amazing food to wonderful band to incredible speakers !! Pure JOY! We all will LOVE big and big love to you all who made it possible ! Terri Robertson who treasured this time with my daughter !!