Retreat Testimony {Sam’s Experience}
As we approach the 2016 Hope Mommies Retreat, we want to share testimonies with you of other Hope Moms’ experiences of past retreats. We truly believe that this weekend can be an incredible catalyst for healing and renewed hope as you navigate the heartbreaking sorrow of losing a child. I pray that these words from Hope Mom, Calli Williams, will provide encouragement and insight as you consider attending the upcoming retreat.
Registration for the 2016 Hope Mommies retreat is NOW OPEN! The retreat is February 5-7 in Giddings, Texas. The registration fee is $315 Check out this link for all of the answers to your frequently asked questions and register today! Also, the scholarship application for the retreat is now available here!
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“I can remember the first time I saw the group “Hope Mommies” on Instagram and saw that they hosted a retreat for people like me!!!! WOW… I was overwhelmed and thought “NO WAY… I am not READY to be real just yet”. Well 2 1/2 years later, GOD said it was time to get real and find JOY in my loss.
So I signed up about 3 months out, the whole time thinking I would just back out when it got closer. I ended up going and boy am I glad that I did. The whole time thinking this isn’t going to be for “me”. I am a Hope Mommy to a sweet girl named Zoey, that was with us for 1 week past her 1st birthday. So I raised and cared for my “special” Zoey for a little over a year. I assumed this Hope Mommies Retreat was going to be all about miscarriages, still born and infant death. BOY was I wrong. The volunteers that work so hard to pray over and place each mom with a group of women that have a similar story. I was placed with 6 other Hope Mommies that also had more than just a few days with their babies. How refreshing it was to know that I wasn’t alone.
God used the time over this weekend to open my eyes to show a different stage of mourning and grief. I had been struggling with grief for almost 3 years and this weekend I realized that God was ready for this mommy to “move forward” and to choose JOY!!!
A small glimpse from my journaling over the weekend:
“From today moving forward with God’s strength, I am going to choose JOY!!! My family deserves to be treated by a mommy full of JOY, full of JESUS and full of HOPE!!! I have mourned for so long that I forgot what it felt like to be positive and look for what God wants to do in this hard time. I truly believe I have been put on this earth to fulfill a mission and I was given ZOEY KATE in order to accomplish it. I am not sure yet what my mission is, but I know MY GOD has big plans for the Caskey family. This weekend has been amazing and opening my eyes to the truth I already know, but my heart was finally ready to receive it. God wants to remold me into His new shape, He will not leave me broken. “
I am so thankful God pushed me into attending this retreat. No matter what stage you are in the mourning stage, GOD has big plans for you at this retreat. His presence was there the entire time. I now have a new support group, sister friends who understand and get me!!!! We aren’t in this journey alone and the support of other Hope Mommies is amazing.
Thank you HOPE MOMMIES for an AMAZING REFRESHING weekend.”
Sam Caskey
Hope Mommy to Zoey Kate
Have you attended a Hope Mommies Weekend Retreat in the past? We’d love to hear about your experience! If you are interested in contributing to our blog in this way please submit your retreat story to editor@hopemommies.org
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