Greetings from the road!!

We, Retreat Team 1, have been having a great time here in the Land of the Living Skies (aka Saskatchewan)! We’ve spent all of February in Saskatchewan, and especially the Regina area. In Regina, we got to continue our partnership with the Archdiocese of Regina and we did many retreats for their grade 9 and grade 12 students all throughout the city. We also got to go to other towns like Yorkton, Weyburn, and Estevan! Up to this point, we have done about 70 retreats and have ministered to over 2000 youth across the country. Our team has definitely been hard at work!

With it being the month of February and prime sickness season, our team has also had its fair share of sniffles and illness. In the moments when a person is sick, it’s very hard to remember a time where they weren’t. In those times when you feel like you’re in the “valley of the shadow of death”, it can be hard to trust that God is with us even in those times. This reminds me of a verse from the book of Job: “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord”. In the highs and the lows of life, God is working all things together for our good and His name is worthy to be blessed. Sometimes, we might not be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but Jesus , Himself, is the light we are seeking and He is the one who will save us and heal us from any suffering or sickness! Speaking of sickness, during one of our retreats in Regina, Serena was praying with a girl who told her that she had pain in her arm and who had bruises from a recent injury. Serena prayed with her and later in the day, she came up to Serena and told her that she felt no more pain and that the bruise was gone! The girl was very moved by that and she said that she realised the true power of prayer. It was really amazing to see the Lord’s healing power in action so powerfully and so tangibly. Praise be to God!

In Saskatchewan, there is a week-off for the students right after Family Day, so our team also got the opportunity to rest a little bit. We spent the time at a farm in the Weyburn area and we’re able to take time for ourselves and take a time of respite amidst our busy schedule. We watched some movies together (including, but not limited to the Lord of the Rings and Narnia movies) and played pickleball and Mario Kart. After that week of rest, we were right back at it! Next, we will be making our way west into BC and Yukon and we can’t wait to see what the next months have in store for us.

God Bless,

Retreat Team 1  (Benedict, Serena, Ange, Marie-Anne, Moses, Peter, Rachel, Veronica)