So Far, So Good...Retreat is On!

Well, at this point we are a "go" for the rescheduled Rachel's Vineyard Retreat we are hosting in Tulsa this coming weekend (Feb. 19-21). Catholic Charities actually runs the program here in Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma and can be contacted for information about future retreats as follows:

Mary Lee Ingram
918-949-HOPE
http://www.catholiccharitiestulsa.org/rachels_vineyard_2.aspx
Confidentiality is always kept. Mary Lee is one of the counselor's who runs the Team and is wonderful to talk to. I spoke with her when I decided to first attend a retreat.

At this coming retreat, we had a vital team member drop out of the weekend. She's unable to help and that made a big hole in things. I was humbled and honored to be asked to help fill in the gap. Therefore, this will be my first retreat to be a co-facilitor. I'm truly nervous about it, but excited at the same time. This program means so much to me. Not just on a personal level, but from the perspective of the healing I see is provided to these people who seem so lost when they first attend.

Rachel's Vineyard gives you your voice back. It helps you come to terms with all the pain and guilt you might be suffering as a result of the abortion. It provides a safe and confidential environment in which they can fully express themselves and experience all of their deep-seeded emotions without fear of rebuke or damnation. What a blessing to be a part of that in someone's life!

I thank God for bringing me to this ministry. Abortion affects so many and yet, often people don't know there are programs out there like this. Society tries to tell us it's ok to have an abortion and we don't know that it's normal to feel badly. No one tells us it's ok to grieve, so we are left with this void and all these feelings that make no sense. What do we do? We bury them and simply move on. Little do we know just how much all of that affects other aspects of our lives. Dealing with what we feel is the best way of being able to move beyond the pain and regain control of our lives. God is so powerful and all loving that he helps us to find this healing and reminds us that He is merciful, indeed, and ready to help us along our path.

What a true blessing!