In 1995, I participated in my first Women’s Retreat. I didn’t quite know what to expect but I certainly liked the idea of getting away from the cares of the world and focusing all of my attention on God, so I decided to go. The Retreat was being held in a huge beach house located on Dewy beach in Delaware and I was excited about relaxing on the beach for three full days. The first part of day one was full of information; packed with schedules, journals, books, meal time, prayer time, praise and worship time. Wow, this was not what I bargained for; I was looking forward to retreating from all that busyness and relaxing on the beach with God!
Needless to say, I started thinking “is there time to back out of this.” Just as I was processing everything, I met my roommates, both of whom had been at the retreat before. They reassured me that it would be a life changing experience. Of course, I still wondered “when do we go to the beach?.” As promised, my first Women’s Retreat was life changing. For one, the Word was phenomenal and exactly what I needed during that particular season of my life. The Retreat instilled the discipline of journaling and capturing my prayers on paper. It also brought real meaning to Proverbs 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend” (NLT) simply due to the non-stop encouragement and edification between all the ladies. But most importantly, it clarified my personal vision and mission in life. My first retreat laid the foundation for my journey to empower and encourage women; it stirred the gifts that were within me and literally changed the course of my life. Two years after my first retreat I relocated to the Caribbean, which was a life-long dream and in 2000 Infinite Possibilities was birthed. When I look back and reflect on my very first retreat I see the hand of God preparing, shaping and molding me for His purpose in my life today.
- Michelle Mardenborough