Fernandez Family of Five: Grace Hill's First Women's Retreat...

We are in a church plant that has been together for a little over a year now. We had our first women's retreat on Mother's Day weekend. The theme of the retreat was, "Oh The Places You Will Go." We did not have a guest speaker instead two ladies led us in devotionals and then we all gave our testimonies about how we came to know the Lord, what He has done in our lives, and what He is doing currently in our lives. Some of the ladies I have known for over 5 years and some I did not know much at all, but I have to say I learned something new about everyone. The Holy Spirit was definitely at work on this retreat and I have to say this was the best retreat I have ever been on! Getting to know the women better and hearing how God has worked in everyone's lives was the best part of the retreat but the location was not bad either. We stayed at the Umstead Spa and Resort in Cary which is a 5 star resort. Someone in our church has connections so we were able to get an awesome deal on rooms and a meeting room. We enjoyed a great dinner at the Bonefish Grill on Friday night then we gathered together for an icebreaker game, devotional and started sharing testimonies. Later that evening, we all got our PJ's on and all 18 of us gathered in a hotel room for dessert and more sharing time. We were going to play games but decided to keep on with the testimonies because they were so moving. We stayed up until about 1:00 am sharing. The next morning, I enjoyed a 5 mile run through the beautiful trails around the resort with my dear friend, Margaret. Then, we all gathered together for a morning devotional, more sharing and a wonderful brunch. We ended our retreat with a short hike and a late lunch at the Umstead. They have the best burgers and fries!!! Margaret and I extended our day by going and getting Pedicures and Manicures before returning home. It was an amazing weekend and I feel so much closer to all the Grace Hill women. The next day at church was so wonderful because we knew each other on such a deeper level that it made worshipping the Lord even more special. Thanks Grace Hill ladies for being so real, transparent, honest, loving and fun!!!! Love you girls!