By Sarah Gammage

I am not a big “retreat person.” But when my daughter asked me to go spend some quality time together on the NLD mother-daughter retreat at Victory Valley Camp this year, how could I resist? (I need to snag these opportunities with her while I still have them!)

Neither one of us was disappointed. It was a wonderful weekend! In spite of a foreboding weather forecast, the Lord was so kind to hold off the rain for all of the outdoor activities. On our highlight reel was boating, singing, rock wall climbing (this was a first for both Maddie and me!), a hayride and s’more-making, all in the sweet company of new and old friends. But when I asked Maddie what her favorite part of the weekend was, I was surprised when she said, “I really enjoyed the devo (devotional) time with you, Mom.” I had to agree that this was my favorite part as well.

During the devo time, we were given an hour to go out on our own with our daughter(s) to read through Joshua 3-4, and talk about “landmark” times in our lives when we saw God’s care for us. What a cherished time to read, pray and reflect on God’s faithfulness together. It also made me smile to look out over the beautiful acres of the property and see clusters of moms with their daughters sitting on the grass, picnic tables, bridges and rocks talking and praying together. I imagined the Lord smiling too.

Thank you, Beth Anne, Elise and your team, for putting together a delightful weekend for us, and creating the space to spend undistracted time making great memories.