Thankfully, I received some positive news from the Rachel's Vineyard Team, and it seems that if I will agree to a mentor for my first retreat, I am on board to start a new interdenominational site. Yay!!!! It's been quite a wait, and I was honestly getting concerned...but all the while trusting that in His perfect time all things will come to pass. I am beyond excited, and of course, I WANT a mentor there the first time. I've already contacted my choice, in fact I had contacted her already before I heard back about my application. She is going to get back to me about it. I chose the person that was the site leader for my retreat. She had been the leader for 14 years I believe, so I know she is very experienced and will be invaluable in helping get the new site running well.
I am so thrilled to be getting another step closer to answering this call in my life. I cannot emphasize enough how strong my desire is to help others who are hurting from abortion! This is such a silent epidemic and so many women and men are suffering daily as they try to make sense of their lives without their child/ren in them. I want so much to share the healing that I've worked so hard to find for myself with others. I hope to help others to know what I feel I've had to work so hard to figure out mostly for myself. I was so afraid for so long, there is no way I would reach out for help, for fear that someone would "find out." My absolute worst fear was ANYONE finding out about these choices, I would truly at the time almost rather die than have someone know, at least that's how I felt. It has taken me a long time to get to a place of willingness to answer this call. Don't get me wrong, I don't tell everyone I see, and I don't believe we have to share everything we've done wrong with everyone we meet. It's just that now, I know I will be able to share with others what I've done, in the hopes of helping them to find forgiveness for themselves and accept God's forgiveness as well. I would also hope to use my experiences to help other young women to know not to make the same choices that I did, to prevent abortions before they happen, along with helping the post-abortive find healing. I believe this is my primary purpose here, and I want more than anything else in this world to do what God has gifted and created me to do!
I sincerely hope that if you've had an abortion and would like help in finding healing, that you attend a Rachel's Vineyard retreat in your area, they are worldwide, and though this is a Catholic organization, you do NOT have to be Catholic to go, and now there are more and more interdenominational sites that are opening, just like the one I'm planning to start now. I don't see how you could ever regret going to one of these retreats! I firmly believe with everything in me that they are God breathed!!! I am so thankful that Theresa Burke followed God's call in her life to write the books and retreat manuals that she has. May God richly bless her and her husband, Kevin, and their beautiful family, and may God bless you as well.
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