On Friday, October 1, 2021, approximately 40 House of the Gospel Ladies were ready to go to Hume Lake Christian Camp for the October 1-3 weekend retreat. This is the third year House of the Gospel ladies have done this retreat as a church. Unfortunately, due to fires and an emergency evacuation order, retreat was canceled just a few hours prior to the start. The ladies did not lose a beat, and with God’s provision were able to book a cabin in Cambria, CA. Needless to say, it was a miracle as it is nearly impossible to book a cabin for same day availability. They later found out that someone had canceled this cabin last minute and the owners were extremely disappointed considering this cabin had never had a vacancy on a weekend. Well, God had it all planned out well in advance. When the owner of the cabin found out about our situation, she saw the miraculous hand of God and allowed us to have more people than the house capacity without an extra charge.
God did not only provide a place to hold the retreat, but he also provided for both physical and spiritual food. In about an hour of preparation, all the food was bought, and even digital retreat program purchased. It was somewhat stressful because Hume Lake Christian Camp had the program ready, and the ladies just needed to come and enjoy the worship, fellowship, and teaching. However, with the quick change of plans, the program for the retreat fell on the Women’s Ministry Coordinator, Nicole Gorban. She nearly had less than an hour to have something ready. She prayed and asked God to provide. And He did. She was lead to a digital program online, which was composed of messages that were perfectly crafted for this retreat. It was based on 2nd Timothy 1:6-7, “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.”
The whole weekend, ladies discussed how to guard the flame and keep it burning for the Lord. They talked about things that can extinguish the flame, such as assumptions and doubts, spirit of offence, and worldly distractions. They also talked about how to preserve yourself in order to persevere through the race and the importance of pausing and reflecting on why we do what we do. There is wisdom in restraint and sometimes, we may be doing too much and carrying unnecessary weight, which leads to a burnout in our life. As Hebrews 12:1 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
Ladies also participated in worship and Sunday communion led by one of the video sessions. They shared their life with one another, cried together, prayed together, and reflected on how they have allowed their fire to go out, not purposefully, but with everything that has been going on in the world today. It was a blessed time for all the ladies, and everyone went home with renewed energy and spiritual strength, ready to continue burning for the Lord. God provided for every aspect of this retreat even though it was completely unplanned. The ladies ran from the fire on Hume Lake only to learn about the fire in Cambria. God sure has a sense of humor, and the ladies will never forget this miraculous trip orchestrated by God himself.
Nicole Gorban
