Ministry Updates

 What’s actively happening that you might want to know about:

• Admin:
• Lyschel is back from her sabbatical and is excited to reconnect with you, whether as coaches, as intercessors or as leaders within the ministry.
• Many of you have signed up for the Redeemed Hope retreat this spring the weekend of March 23-26 in Gatlinburg, TN — we’d love to support you in your journey and look forward to connecting with you in person!   
• Are you on social media?  You’ll notice Alicia has been regularly updating our Instagram and Facebook feeds.  Click here to subscribe to the blog.  We invite you to “like” and “share” the posts.  
• Fundraising:
• • The scholarship fund continues to provide generously for women, offering more than $14,300 in support in 2022.  Again and again we receive words of thanks from those who have received help.
    
  • The Redeemed Hope Retreat Earring Fundraiser continues — will you consider partnering behind-the-scenes of the March retreat by purchasing a pair of earrings and praying for a participant?  To step into this integral role, choose a pair of earrings for $100.  This pair of earrings will be sent to you while an identical pair of earrings will be given to a woman participating at the spring retreat.  You are then invited to pray for your earring participant through the duration of the retreat.  Please join us in praying and get the word out for others to support women at the upcoming retreats! 
  • Tax letters were sent to donors and ministry partners.  Let us know if you didn’t receive a personal copy in your mailbox.
• Client Support: (groups, coaching, retreat, and Hope Online)
  
  • A Boundaries group was launched on Monday, January 23rd for 10 weeks and is being led by Debbie Ferree.  It is maxed out with 8 participants!  Please reference the calendar below for the group schedules.  
  • Lyschel and Julie Palmer have spent the last four months creating and promoting the new curriculum called “Abiding in Hope.”  The 45-week group experience provides ongoing support for women.  This is a “beta group,” as it isn’t ready to be launched to the public. Abiding in Hope will begin (behind-the-scenes) on February 20th. Reach out to JulieP@hoperedefined.org if you have questions.
  • Hope Online continues with Members-Only Events, monthly mini sessions presented by a member of the community to encourage/equip others to be in community!  In January, Coach KP led our community through breathing and stretches — moving our joints is the lotion of healing.  In February, Alicia will teach us how to journal!  Check the calendar for upcoming events.
  • A Live Q and A workshop is coming up for those in the Hope Online community.  A discussion around the topic of restoration will be held on Thursday, January 26 @ 12:00pm ET.  You may notice this is a midday event — we’re hoping women will join us over their lunch hour!  Cost of a monthly membership to the Hope Online community is $16.99.

Please pray for:

• Our Groups:  Boundaries launched January 23rd and is being led for the first time by Coach Debbie Ferree.  The group is full with eight participants.  
• Our newest Group:  Abiding in Hope will launch on February 20th!  Abiding in Hope is a “beta group” — the first time we’ll gather women for a 45-week  group experience.  Women who participate will be able to offer feedback to Hope Redefined as they receive support in the group.
• Our Team Leading Groups:  Please pray for discernment from the Lord with what group support options will be available this year.
• The Redeemed Hope Retreat – Training the team which will serve on the team will be on February 11th and 25th — will you pray for those days, that the team will work well together and will follow the Lord’s leadership?  Pray that we’ll have a robust team serving (we’re still lacking leadership in a few spots).  Pray that the Lord’s plan will reign and for the hearts of the 12 participants who have signed up.
• Hope Redefined staff and leadership. We are growing and it is exciting to bring new hands and feet into this work with us. Please pray for wisdom and guidance as we bring on new support.  Please pray for protection around our health and our homes — the enemy is not fond of the work that is being done in the hearts of women touched by the ministry.

• Active women in groups: 8.  

• Active Coaching clients: 30 

• Active Coaches contracted with ministry: 6

• Number of Intro Calls for previous month: 3

• Active Hope Online members: 144

• Number of participants registered for the Redeemed Hope retreat: March 2023,  12

  Last updated 2/5/2023

An email from four October 2022 retreat participants:

Stephanie emailed, “I really had no idea what to expect at the retreat, but, I know it was nothing like it turned out to be.  I came to the retreat broken, weary, beat down, and feeling so far from God.  For months I’ve not been able to pray.  I would get out my Bible and just stare at it and then walk away.  I’ve tried to worship at church but it just felt dry and like going through the motions.  I read through one of the first pages of my journal after our last d-day.  I wrote the phrase, “If I could go back and do it all over, I would just disappear.”  I have felt unseen and I wanted to stay that way.  But. . . as soon as I stepped out of my car at the retreat, I couldn’t get away from feeling seen.  It was unnerving and felt way too vulnerable.  Soon, though, I started to feel, not just be seen, but loved and nurtured.  I didn’t understand until the end that each of the women that came to serve knew what was coming.  They knew the brokenness we were bringing and you could see the determination in their eyes to get you through the hard work was ahead so that we could walk out of there with a new freedom and in victory.  I had THE BEST buddy!  I love her and will forever be grateful for her prayers and genuine compassion and the time she took to be there.  There was a lot of hard work and I don’t think any of us could have gotten through it alone.  I still start to cry and am blown away when I picture the women’s faces that were walking with me through the gut wrenching work of forgiveness and breaking unholy attachments.  I pray that someday I can be that support to someone else.  I didn’t realize how unforgiveness and unholy attachments have distanced me from God. . . I’ve not wanted to forgive my husband because he doesn’t really care about the damage that’s been done, I can’t forgive myself because “I’m so unworthy.” I’m the exception to “God doesn’t make mistakes.”  I didn’t want to give up my victim status, etc.  I’ve been trying to drag those and all of my other junk to my prayer time and Bible study time and church.  No wonder I feel so far from God.  I know it’s going to be a daily choice to not pick all of that back up, but I feel equipped now.  I was able to praise God in a way I never have before (partly because you put a flag in my hands).    After we left the retreat, my husband called and Debbie was in the car and she heard him over the speakers.  When I hung up she just said “I’m so sorry” because it was the same old thing I always get from him, cold and harsh.  I started to go to the place of unworthiness but said out loud, “I’m not picking that up.”  He!  On my way home I prayed and sang and believed God was working on my behalf for the first time in forever.  My husband asked if I would tell him about the retreat so I hesitantly told him very little.  He started to cry!  So through tears, I told him all God did in me.  This morning while everyone was sleeping, I anointed my house with oil and prayed over the whole thing and each of my kids.  I was even able to share with my 18-year-old who is really struggling and my testimony really ministered to him.  I would’ve never dreamed that would be a part of this!  I could go on and on.  But, I’ll say that coming there without paying was SO hard.  I don’t know how to explain it but I felt embarrassed and so unworthy to even be there.  Thank you for making me feel loved and accepted.  I really don’t know what is going to happen in my marriage.  But I know that God is for me and He loves me.  Iwash there were better words to say than “thank you.”  But, thank you so much!!!  

Claudia writes, “Hello from Ohio.  Just a thank you so very much from the bottom of my heart.  I am, for the first time ever, deeply in love with Jesus!  As I was walking my perimeter of my yard, the neighbor, who I really like, was peeking thru the curtains as I was praying out loud.  Yes, I think it was an enigma to her. . . btw no crows. . . but I just waved and blessed her home, too.  Since I’ve been home, I feel so renewed.  “That’s how I fight my battles.”  I have new life with joy in that the only one who matters is Jesus and all will fall into place in his perfect plan.  Thank you all so so much.  Please tell all the other staff members that they saved us from caving in to despair.  I pray daily for all of you and my sisters/community.  I had a long awesome talk with [a mutual acquaintance] today.  Such a good friend.  See you in 2 weeks or shall I say our Zoom meeting.  Life is new every day for me now.  Nothing can defeat me.  I’m the daughter of a king!!!!!”

“It’s amazing what God can do in a weekend!”

October 2022 Retreat 

Thoughts from Toni, lead intercessor:  “The October retreat was covered in prayer from beginning to end.  Several days before the retreat the team was given the names of their “buddies.”  Prior to the retreat each participant was contacted by their buddy and prayed for specific to the needs of the moment.  When the team arrived at the retreat site they armored up as God instructs His people to do in Ephesians 6

• Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,  and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

. . . and they walked the property praying, beginning at the entrance and making their way to every bedroom (participant and team member).  Intercessors were assigned the job of praying throughout every session and for every session leader.  At this retreat the LORD gave the intercessor team Ezekiel 36 as a foundational prayer.  

• The man brought me back to the entrance to the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east).  The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar.  He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was trickling from the south side.  As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a though sand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep.  He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was up to the waist.  He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in — a river that no one could cross.  He asked me, “Son of man, do you see this?”  Then he led me back to the bank of the river.  When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river.  He said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Dead Sea.  When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh.  Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows.  There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the rive flows everything will live.

As each session led the participants deeper and deeper into the River of Life, the team prayed.  Chains were broken, freedom was restored, healing took place.”

March 2022 Retreat 

Anyone who’s ever served on a Redeemed Hope Retreat will say that, whether it’s their first retreat or seventh. Every retreat is the same, at least in one aspect. If Jesus doesn’t show up we’re toast. And yet every retreat has a different feel or theme, if you will. This retreat was spiritually hard to prep for. The story of Gideon was referred to often. There were 12 participants with hard stories and we felt lacking as a team in numbers. Even so, over the coming weeks God would continue to dwindle our team. The participants were locked in. Plane tickets were purchased. We were moving forward.

Redeemed Hope is a retreat for which no one wants to qualify. So many women come in skeptical but desperate for healing. So many have spent untold hours and dollars in counseling and still find themselves with gaping wounds and questions. So again here we are, a Gideon-esque team, that is aware we are toast without Jesus. Because, the truth is, there is no counsel that can fix these pains in a weekend. Maybe even a lifetime. But God.

Isaiah 61 has always been a lighthouse for the Redeemed Hope Team and participants but this weekend the scripture was particularly highlighted. The power of the “instead “. Jesus reminded us that his own calling would be fulfilled in this scripture as he quoted it himself in synagogue over 2000 years ago. As we walked out our calling as “little Christ’s” we were called to release the captives so they could receive from God the great insteads: 

Beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, a garment of praise instead of spirit of despair, a double portion instead of shame, a joyful inheritance instead of disgrace. 

Our calling as priests and servants was to walk our sisters down a path towards these “insteads”. We did so by walking them into the light and sharing our stories, by praising and worshiping God, by acknowledging hard truths, through grieving and tears, through spiritual housecleaning, forgiveness work, breaking unhealthy attachments, through celebration and testimonies, through laughter, rollicking laughter, and a whole lot of scripture and prayer.

When Jesus honored our meager offering of a few fish and loaves he multiplied our efforts beyond what we thought would be possible! He does it every time! Countenances were changed, hope was given, perspectives were shifted from worldly to godly, soul weights were lifted, some people shared their stories or aspects of their stories for the very first time because they felt safe, friendships were made, worship was restored and godly tools and weapons were given to each participant to take back into their world. Our weapons are not of this world as scripture tells us. Of the many spiritual weapons God can give us there were several that were highlighted this weekend: The word of God, joy, humility, laughter and words of grace. 

Lastly, these 12 ladies received reminders of God‘s lavish love over them on Sunday, reminding them that they are beloved, holy, righteous, made clean, redeemed, adorned and bought by the most precious gift ever given -Christ’s own Blood – which sealed these truths and the work that was done.

A quote from Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien is so fitting for this retreat, “ I wish it need not happened in my time. “Said Frodo. “So do I,” Said Gandalf “ And so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time given us. “ And that is where the journey for these ladies continues. They look forward with Hope and the knowledge that Jesus can “make everything beautiful in its time”, as they surrender it to Him.