Most of our retreats are hosted at the While We’re Waiting Refuge, a retreat facility in Hot Springs, Arkansas, which has been built and designed specifically with bereaved parents in mind. Completed in October of 2016, The Refuge is nestled in the midst of tranquil thoroughbred farms in a quiet country setting with a stocked pond and fifty wooded acres on which to roam.
The Refuge is specifically designed for the comfort of bereaved parents, with a welcome center, a large kitchen/dining area overlooking the pond, a comfortable and cozy meeting room, a library/sitting area, an expansive deck, and ten hotel-room style bedrooms, each with its own private bathroom.
There are no other guests present at The Refuge during our retreats, so we can fully relax and make ourselves at home for the weekend. The Refuge is also fully accessible, with two handicapped-equipped guest rooms.
Our desire at this retreat is to point grieving parents to our only true source of comfort, Jesus Christ. Anyone who has lost a child is welcome to come. You are welcome if your child has been in Heaven for thirty days or for thirty years. You are welcome if your child was stillborn and never took a single earthly breath, or if your child lived to be an adult and had a family of his or her own. Come, knowing you will be surrounded by people who care, who understand, and who will pray for you. This will be a safe place, a place where we can honestly discuss our struggles, knowing we will not be judged, because every one of us has been there at one time or another. We will also share our victories, and rejoice with each other as we move along the road toward healing.
What will we do over the course of the weekend? We’ll talk about our kids in Heaven and we’ll pray for each other. We’ll enjoy delicious meals together, discuss God’s presence in our grief, and form lasting bonds of friendship. Our time will be informal, but structured. Certainly, we will cry together … but we will also laugh together.
None of us know how many more years we have on this earth before we are reunited with our children in Heaven. So, our main focus throughout the weekend will be discussing how we’re going to live while we’re waiting for that glorious reunion. We believe that we honor our children and our Lord the most through our healing, and we will be seeking to begin or to continue that healing process through this weekend.
If you’d like to join us for a While We’re Waiting Weekend at The Refuge, please complete and submit the form below. There is no charge to attend.