Betsy Cockrell

Going to the Springs every year is a must for me. Not only do I have time with Jesus, but the friendships and lifetime connections with the NEWIM team and other participants. Walking into a retreat is a reunion of the best people. You get to know one another on a personal level. 

A friend I made at a previous Springs retreat came up to me this year and asked about a deeply personal prayer request I'd shared with her the year before. "Your loved one is on my mind a lot this year, and I've prayed for her so much. How is she?" That simple heartfelt statement had me tearing up. We'd been walking that year in a dark valley, and often feeling very alone in a very hard battle. Knowing that God had people lifting us up meant more than words can express.

Another retreat friend walked up to us with a cheery hello, and seeing my tears quickly retracted her cheer, "I'm so sorry for interrupting." 

I said, "That's okay, these are happy tears. She had been following up on a prayer request from last year, and it touched me to know, even when our family felt alone, we weren't." 

"That is one of the craziest things about the Springs. We don't know each other's favorite coffees or if we even like coffee, but what we do know are the heart burdens we want to share." 

This experience summed up so well what the Springs is to me: It’s a community of women coming together for a short moment in time, but shouldering each other's deepest cares. The NEWIM team and participants are often the people I turn to in the hardest of times or when seeking wisdom of experience. The relationships and time at the Springs, is invaluable.