Women from across the Dakotas gathered at Storm Mountain Center for the Relax, Refresh, Renew women's retreat. (Photo courtesy of Kori Lehrkamp)

"No matter how busy life is, this is important. This is something I need to go to," said Bradee Axmaker, a member of Prairie View United Methodist Church near Hot Springs, South Dakota, who recently attended the Relax, Refresh, Renew Women's Retreat.

The fall weekend gathering has been held for several years at Storm Mountain Center in the Black Hills of South Dakota. This year's theme was "Hope Deferred."

"We go through life, and we have all of these experiences that we come against, and we think, 'This is supposed to be different.' Things like divorce, loss of a child or a spouse, loss of your job—sometimes life just isn't what you thought it would be like," said Rev. Kori Lehrkamp, pastor of Evergreen UMC in Wahpeton, North Dakota, who has deaned the camp since 2021, this year co-deaning with Rev. Quaya Ackerman from Rapid Valley UMC in South Dakota.

"Then we come out on the other side and think, 'When that happened to me, it felt like I was in the midst of a hopeless situation, like where was God in the middle of that? But on the other side, we see that hope was there all along. It just might have been deferred or detoured," explained Pastor Kori. 

This theme of finding hope even amidst the detours and unexpected points of life was explored through stories of women in the Bible—Esther, Rahab, and Lot's wife—and being patient with God's timing. 

"I related mostly to Lot's wife, Edith, because her story is all about how Lot tried to get her to leave before God burned the city with sulfur that fell from the sky and how she dug her heels in and refused to listen to Lot and God," said Holly Lathrop, a member of First UMC in Pierre, South Dakota, who also attended the event. 

"There are times in my life where I feel like Edith, digging my heels into the ground and letting go of the hand (God's hand) that is trying to bring me back to reality and away from my past, and I find myself in moments of self-doubt," explained Lathrop. "I turn into a pillar of salt when I feel stuck, when I go back to that part of my childhood and have these moments that God is trying to save me from."

These new perspectives on familiar characters from scripture struck a chord with the women who attended—even shifting how they discussed the characters as they learned more.

"The ladies no longer referred to her as 'Lot's wife.' She always had a name because that's important," said Pastor Kori.  

"We talked about Rahab and how her name means 'to make room.' Just these little nuggets of things that we talked about continue to remind us that no matter what your situation is, there are always these opportunities to remember to have hope and to offer that hope to the world around you," said Pastor Kori.

Making prayer beads was one of the creative components of the retreat.(Photo courtesy of Kori Lehrkamp)

In addition to the lessons and discussion, the weekend included crafts and activities to tap into creativity, rest, and relationships. Canvas painting and morning yoga created opportunities to renew body, mind, and spirit. The group also made prayer beads out of clay. Each person made a bead symbolizing themselves to give to each of the other attendees. Everyone left the retreat with a string of prayer beads as a visual reminder to pray for these new friends and sisters in Christ.

"There are a lot of times in life when you walk into a room, and you don't feel comfortable. You don't know anybody; it's awkward, and you feel it," said Axmaker.  "That is not here. We were instantly welcomed with open hearts. Now I know I'm on other people's prayer lists. I know that these women are praying for me and vice versa."

Of course, the location and hospitality added to the experiences of relaxation and renewal. 

"The food was amazing!" said Mikael Pietila, a member of First United Methodist Church in Yankton, South Dakota. "The Black Hills are beautiful in the fall. I met women from near and far, from all walks of life and all ages.  It was fun to get to know them and their stories.  It was a good break from the everyday stress of life."

"The camp is amazing," said Axmaker. "You get there, and it's like your worries are gone. And there's something so special about a group of women singing worship songs—everyone's pouring their heart and soul into music. It's just so special."

Storm Mountain Center provided a great space for retreat activities and hospitality.(Photo courtesy of Kori Lehrkamp)

The women who attended took away not just a great experience of retreat and relationship but also a renewed sense that, just like in the stories from scripture, God is working in and through their stories. 

"My takeaway is that God has a plan," said Pietila. "When I look back at my life, I could have been paying more attention to the signs that would have pointed me directly this way.  But I needed to take 'the long way around' to meet the people and have the experiences to make me who I am." 

"What I took away from it was to 'just do it'—not to be afraid but to step out and know that God will put on my heart what I don't know," reflected Axmaker.

"For me, this was the game changer to where I was emotionally and spiritually," said Lathrop. "I had been knocked off my center of gravity.  My world was flipped upside down this year, and this retreat saved me—it saved me in the sense that it gave me time for me.  It gave me time for myself to stop for a moment, look where I'm really at, and heal the open wounds."

Lathrop added, "This retreat was just what I needed when I didn't think I did because I was so blinded by the pain and suffering this year has brought me.  This retreat couldn't have come at a better time.  It was so healing and much needed."

*****

Save the Date for next year's Relax, Refresh, Renew women's retreat, October 24-26, 2025.