What happened when I finally said yes to the dream God had given me years ago.
Flannels & Pearls hosted its first women’s retreat in April 2026 — Rest. Restore. Renew. — in Phoenix, Arizona. This is the story of how it happened, and what God did when ten women gathered in the desert.
A long time ago, God put a dream in my heart.
Not a big, loud dream. A quiet one. A desire to create a space where women who spend their lives pouring into everyone else could come and just — stop. Rest. Be still long enough to actually receive something for once, instead of always giving it away.
I wanted to feed them well. Walk them out into creation and let God’s handiwork do what it always does — remind us who made it. Nurture them the way they spend their whole lives nurturing everyone else.
But the dream sat for years. I didn’t have the right space. I didn’t have the resources. I wasn’t equipped. And so I waited.
When God started moving
Last year, something shifted. God started putting ideas in my heart — gather somewhere else. Not my space. Somewhere else. I had no resources to make it happen. But I took one step, and He met me with the next one.
A women’s retreat started to take shape. I didn’t know how many to host. Then I heard it clearly. Eight. So I looked for accommodations for eight women and started moving. I told myself — if not a single spot fills, I’m still walking in obedience. That’s enough.
Seven spots filled. The seventh registered on the day registration closed.
Then I forgot to take the form down.
A week later, an eighth woman registered. And I heard God say — almost like He was smiling about it — I did tell you eight.
Ha!
April 9th — Phoenix, Arizona
From the moment the women started arriving, it was unmistakable. God had personally invited each one of them. When we shared our stories — how we’d heard about the retreat, what had made us say yes — our minds were blown. The way He had orchestrated it all. The timing. The specific details of how each woman landed in that house in the desert.
Over four days, we shared meals together. Dug into the Word. Drank coffee outside in the early morning quiet. We rested — genuinely rested. We hiked through the desert and found God in the colors and the silence and the scale of the landscape. We had alone time with Jesus. We prayed over each other. We got honest. We bonded.
By the last night and Sunday morning, the stories being shared weren’t the ones women had arrived with. They were new ones. Healing. Rest. Friendship that felt less like new and more like finally.
“It was just what I needed, and God knew that. God led me to this group through you so that I could find healing.”
I believe those women will carry a bond with each other for the rest of their lives. We are still encouraging and praying for each other. What was planted in that house in Phoenix is still growing.
I am so grateful I listened to every one of those God nudges.
What’s next — Spring 2027, North Carolina
Before Phoenix even happened, God had already placed the next seed in my heart. I didn’t know there would be another retreat. But there it was.
Spring 2027. The mountains of North Carolina. A time to rest and abide.
Spots will be limited, and based on what I’ve already heard from women asking about next year, I expect them to move quickly. Registration opens May 15th.
Want to be the first to know when doors open? Subscribe below. I’d love to see you in the mountains.
