How are the retreats going?

If you work as a development worker or missionary worker, life is not always easy, and you may even need something more than just a week of rest. That is why we offer retreats for them. A question we regularly receive is how those retreats went when after we had guests over.

And that question… we cannot answer. Because these are private conversations, and what is private remains private. We are very strict about that, and only the people who have been here know what was discussed, and we know it. No one else will ever hear a word of it. But… we can say something in general about it and that says a lot.

Who is coming and why?
The people who come here do important work, and often have a very tough job. For example, they work with the homeless, work in slums, orphanages, often “the bottom of society” and they literally bring help, hope and Good News. If things go well for them, things will also go better for their target groups. So if we can help them a little to maintain that… it will have a huge impact.

What do you do when they are there?
The trick is to keep a good balance between relaxation and effort. So yes, the conversations we have with them are really about something, and not all conversations are easy. Searching for a solution to possible problems is sometimes quite a significant investment in terms of thinking for them. Therefore, in addition to the conversations (or more if more is needed), we also take enough time for relaxation, and they should also be given that space. The idea is that they go home with much more energy than they came. We never have a standard program because there is never a standard question. Every person is unique and the conversations, solutions and relaxation they are looking for are therefore always tailor-made. Every time again.

How early do you start preparing?
That could be days, weeks, or even months. But just what is needed, and sometimes we start an online program months in advance. If that is not necessary, that is also fine and the preparation is therefore different and shorter.

Can everyone come?
In principle, yes. If they are a Christian development worker / mission worker, with a US or European passport, they fit into our target groups, and we always discuss beforehand whether we can offer what they need. If that is a good match, they can always come. So yes, we check in advance whether it is also an adequate solution for them for the problems they may have encountered. If we cannot offer a solution (this has not happened yet, but hey, it could be) then we have contacts to refer them to if necessary.

What is the impact?
This is what it’s all about: People come for a retreat, take everything they have learned home with them, those lessons are then passed on to other team members and as a team, they then pass this on to their target groups. The impact we see from this is huge. Not only are our visitors strengthened again for a few weeks, the changes we sometimes see visitors make in the (relatively short) time they have been here can be enormous (!) and really change an entire life for the better. And not only do we see them make enormous changes within themselves, but also their families, relationships with friends, the team, let alone the impact on the target groups that help them in turn.

Where do they come from?
We literally receive them from all over the world. Name a continent, they come. It is usually planned in such a way that it is combined with a home visit or family visit.

Are you fully booked?
No, not yet. We still have room and are also keeping room available for emergencies. With some effort we can almost always figure it out, so a hard “no” has not been necessary so far.

What does it cost you?
A visitor usually costs us around 700 euros per week on average. (regardless of whether it is one person or a couple) Sometimes they can pay for it themselves, sometimes they can not, and then we pay that bill with the donations that come in.

What do you gain from it?
It is a huge encouragement for us when we see people blossom again in such a short time. Some come in with very little energy and leave with so much energy, which are truly miracles to see. That also gives us a lot of energy to continue on our own. And we keep in touch with some of them, and they are not just a visitor for two weeks (as an example), but they really become friends from whom we can learn a lot and have a lot of fun with.

Bottom line, this is usually a very intensive program for us, also one of the most expensive when we look at the costs, but also the program that yields the most. The impact it has worldwide is truly enormous! And we are amazed every time we hear how it went later. We only put in a few weeks, a few hundred euros, but the impact… life-changing for a huge group of people. That remains a wonder to see, every single time.