Hope Mommies 2016 Retreat Prayer Team

I come to you asking for help as we move into the Hope Mommies annual retreat. The task at hand is not one to be taken lightly. Please don’t let my honesty scare you, because we desperately need you.

You didn’t leave! Which means you are somewhat intrigued & that heart of yours is being stirred. Good for you! I am so happy to be talking with you about something that is so very dear to my heart.

I don’t want to assume you know what the title “Hope Mom” means. Bear with me as I expound before we move further along.

“Hope Mom” is a title given to mothers whose babies go to Heaven before they do. Hope Mom is a woman who carried a beating heart, or multiple beating hearts, underneath hers that stopped beating. Hope Mom is a mama who longs for the midnight cries of a newborn & is plagued by the silence that screams of her child’s death. Hope Mom is a woman who decorated an adorable nursery, bought a matching car seat, embroidered initials on quilts & onesies (or her Grandma did), & researched baby shampoo for far too long… only to drive home with an empty car seat & a home prepped for a baby who will never be warmed by the initialed quilt or sleep in that fabulous crib, or be gently washed with that perfectly researched baby shampoo. Hope Mom is a woman whose been dealt the unimaginable. She is a Mother in need of Hope, because nobody should know the feeling of holding death in such a little, precious, & perfect life.

I hope you stuck around while I painted that picture for you… I know it wasn’t easy. Thank you for pressing through; because, like I said, we really need you.

These women are real. They carry a story within & throughout themselves that no mama should ever have to… but, they do. These women are the bravest, most lovely women I have ever met.

And, they need you.

In less than a month, February 5-7, women with stories like those painted above will be gathering together to seek the face of Jesus in the midst of grieving the invaluable loss of their babies.

From afar, you can do something huge to impact this weekend.

“In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.” Psalm 18:6

He hears us. The Great I Am listens to us. King of the Universe opens his ears to our pleas.

Before reading any further, let that sink into your heart of hearts. God, who designed the intricacy of the human eyeball down to the complexity of budding flowers, listens to you. He’s beyond any brilliance we will ever know; He himself created brilliance!

And, He listens to you.

If you, like myself, have been residing on planet earth then you have seen, felt, known brokenness. You have most likely tasted the hot tears of heartbreak. It’s horrific & nobody should have to weather these seasons alone.

Imagine in your weakest, most devastated, most raw & challenging moment to have the mightiest team of warriors warring on your behalf. Imagine being able to sit down & really be in your grief or distress while someone fights as you weep. I beg you to see the power in that, not the weakness. To just be where you are is more courageous than anything.

February 5 a group of women will drive to a retreat center in Texas. They will be anxious & filled with lies of the enemy, if they aren’t already. Reasons why they shouldn’t go will pour over their hearts. They will worry & dread & be filled with fear. Satan wants nothing more than for these precious women to turn around & drive home.

Awaiting these women are open arms, thoughtfully planned out worship, an incredible speaker to share Jesus with them, friendships they didn’t know they needed, stories like their own, stories different than their own that bring perspective, hope, & peace, laughs to be had, clarity, scrumptious meals, a safe place to say aloud the name others are scared to say, a place filled with Hope. This retreat center will hold the Spirit of God, which will shake, move, restore, calm, & pour sweet love over hearts that ache so deeply.

So, to say there is an unseen battle going on is an understatement. There will be every attempt to keep these women from showing up & sharing.

We need you to stand in the frontline of this battle & pray against those horrible attempts & pray for these ladies to experience the embrace of Jesus over & over & over again.

To pray. That’s what I am asking of you.

Here’s the deal, my friend… We have a God who listens to us. We have sisters who are in need of space, time, & healing. We can come on bended knee to that God on their behalf. We get to, actually.

So, will you join me in praying for these women?

Here’s a breakdown on what that looks like:

— You email me requesting to join in praying for the ladies at the 2016 retreat.

— Excitedly, you will be welcomed to the team & given the name of a woman to pray for.

— By joining the retreat prayer team you will be committing to praying over this woman. If you would like to write her a personal note you can email me that note, I will print it off, & it will be given to her. In the past, these notes have been super encouraging & meant a lot to the women.

— If you have a loved one attending the retreat who you wish to pray for, just email me & let me know that’s who you are signing up to pray for & you can still email me a note to print off for them. That would be so special!

My email address is: prayer@hopemommies.org

I would love to have you battle with me in prayer this year & pour the incredible love of Jesus over these courageous women.  Again, it’s more than a want; it’s a need that I humbly ask of you. 

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy & find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

Kellye Tilford is a seeker of Jesus, wife to Josh, Mama to Asher and Saige, & Hope Mommies’ Prayer Coordinator. She loves lasagna, rearranging her living room, Romans 8, & running trails. A heart eager for God’s Kingdom to come!