Throughout my adult life, I have been told by family and friends that I’m overly emotional and need to get a grip. Luckily, for the most part, this for me translated to being a strong person who just felt things more than others.
So in August 2023 when I met Elida Jerez at the Mega Free clinic held in Tacoma WA, I was drawn to her table especially as it had a flyer broadcasting an emotional freedom retreat. I had just had 2 surgeries in a space of 3 weeks and despite being a positive person, my feelings were all over the place. Simply put, I was going through the motions of doing things and was not feeling like myself.
It was also helpful that the brochure mentioned sponsorship especially as I was in the middle of bills and there and then I sat down and filled in my application and prayed it would be successful.
Fast forward to the retreat that took place 2 months after I had filled in the form, I was in a different place mentally but was still committed to participating and my 9 days at Sunset Lake camp didn’t disappoint.
There were 9 participants each assigned a coach and the day’s activities started at 6 a.m. with the coaches serving us lemon water and praying with their participants before leaving us to journal and get ready for the day. The program was action-packed and even the 1.5 hour (Flex time) that was optional for the participants to attend was assigned insightful activities like hydrotherapy, massages, and craniosacral therapy that we all eagerly showed up.
The organizers went above and beyond in putting the program together so that it was easy for all participants and volunteers to acknowledge our humanity and connect.
Both Grace and Susan learned of this retreat from Michelle one of the organizers of the retreat. I engaged with Grace on day 4 of the retreat and she told me she had learned of the retreat the very day it was starting while visiting a Korean church in Olympia. Grace a nutritionist and researcher at the University of Samyhook signed up within 3 minutes with her main reason being this would be a great opportunity for her to control her blood glucose while at the retreat she had been monitoring it and it had gone down.
Susan on the other hand shared she learned of the retreat from a fair she was visiting and since she was battling with depression and felt unworthy Michelle convinced her to give it a try. It was day 6 when I engaged with her on this topic and she was smiling and assured me she already felt better and most important appreciated the sense of community at the retreat.
In one of our group break-up sessions, I was paired with Cindy and Patti and thought would check in on them too on why they were there and how it was going. Cindy reported she had learned of the retreat at a camp meeting in Eatonville and had signed because in her words, “she struggled with things.” At the time of our chat, she assured me she was so glad she had come and that God had prepared this retreat as a way for her to find little pieces to the puzzles to get more whole and she felt more guided on which direction to go while tackling things.
Pattie on the other hand had been a participant in the inaugural year of the Emotional Freedom retreat and was back this year as a volunteer coaching one of the participants. She said the previous year, the retreat had been an eye-opener for her especially as she was battling diabetes, and reiterated she loved helping others. While serving at the 2023 retreat, she said that she was humbled by how God came through for her in blessing her with connections that included practicing her Spanish and also getting more rooted spiritually towards a better healthier life.
On the Saturday that marked day 8, we graduated and at the ceremony, all the other participants got an opportunity to share their highlights and other wins that ranged from a week plus of no caffeine, no sugar cravings, making new friendships, overcoming trauma, appreciating healthy food to one of the participants marking a year since being discharged from a mental hospital.
%20(1).jpg)
Overall the retreat was evidence that much as we may have difficult times and experience lows in life, if we look to the throne of God and lean on each other, even in the small things in life, we can find stability and joy again.
In John 8:36, Jesus assures us of this, “So if the Son sets you free you will be free indeed.”
Thanks to everyone who made the emotional freedom retreat possible as it is a great platform to bring to life freedom from things and freedom to so many things and is playing it forward with a forum and weekly meetings for the participants to be accountability partners to each other. Together in Christ, we can be free.
