Illustrated Faith Retreat | April 2015

Welcome, I am so excited you are here! Today's post has been in the works for some time now! Let me tell you the whole story! :) August 1st 2014 I started a  facebook group (after it was requested by a couple of friends) for our journaling bible community. Right away around 200 people joined and I was excited, over joyed and humbled. I was amaze to find so many other people in this tiny niche community. My husband said "oh we should have a retreat!" and I laughed him off. That is when he said if we get to 500 people by September 1st we would have a retreat. God was up there laughing because we WAY over shot that!!! Now here we are almost 3 months later with over 4,440 people!! It is an amazing group filled with love, growth and God and I am thankful for it every single day. The fact that I get to play even a small part in all this is amazing to me!!

So here we are, keeping our promise to you! 

Yes folks, this is ACTUALLY happening and I could not be more excited! Once I found the perfect place (for on that below) for us to host this event I knew I wanted to ask Stephanie to join me in this crazy adventure!!! Yes is is AMAZINGLY talented but beyond that she has a heart for the Lord that shines in all she does. I can't wait to sit in a cabin with you guys and just soak her in! Ok, so let's get to all the fun details!

WHO: The lovely, funny, amazingly inspiring Stephanie Ackerman will be joining us and teaching and sharing insight on her journaling bible process as well as some other fun techniques she has up her sleeve. Me! Shanna Noel,  I am super excited to be teaching! I will be sharing my heart, as we dive into topics are harder to cover in an online class, and share our process of taking what we have learned and using it in our journaling bibles. Most importantly..... YOU!!!!! I can' wait to meet you! We have decided to keep this retreat small and intimate so that we can really just love on each and every one of you! 

WHAT:  My desire is for this to be a weekend where you can relax, feel at peace and take it all in. We will be covering the idea of a journaling bible, the techniques we use to get the most out of the process and share the product that work best for us. We will make taking topics in the bible, exploring them talking about them and then sharing ideas on how to journal them. We will be eating super yummy food, and exploring the amazing surroundings while we make new friends. We will spend time in prayer and dig a bit deeper than we can online into the reasons behind why we use a journaling bible and how that helps us to illustrate our faith. 

WHY: Good question! I believe that online relationships are fun and can give you so much, but there really is nothing like meeting in person, and meeting in person in a tree house, worshipping jesus, eating amazing cookies, wearing adorable pajamas, and playing with fun product? Really the question is why NOT! I really want you to come to this retreat and have it be EXACTLY that!!! A time that you are able to get a way from the busy ins and outs of every day life and just soak in a little YOU time. Time to create, time for friends and time to really allow a space for God to work in your life. 

WHEN: We are welcome to arrive to the cabin anytime after 4:00 p.m on Friday April 17th where I will greet you with a hug (this is my warning) and give you the GRAND tour of our adorable location! We will say goodbyes Sunday morning (April 19th) after a SUPER yummy breakfast from my wonderful friend Tracey. 

WHERE: The moment I thought about doing this retreat the Blackthrone (located in the beautiful Point Reyes, California)  came to mind. I first discovered it when I went to a photography retreat and fell in love with it. Even though its only a few miles from home it feels like you are in a whole different world. It is often referred to as a "treehouse fantasy" and you really won't be disappointed! It is the perfect place to just breathe (and feel spoiled while you are at it). 

COST: $475 all inclusive (excluding airfare and travel expenses).  If you would like to reserve a spot you will need to make a non-refundable deposit of $225 to reserve your spot, the remaining balance will be due by February 1st. 

HOW: We only have 11 spots and this will work on a first come first serve basis.  

1. Email me at shannanoel@gmail.com

2. TOPIC : ILLUSTRATED FAITH RETREAT

3. I will email you back with payment info. 

4. This post will be updated as rooms are filled. 

5. Rooms will be chosen in order of registration, so the first person to book will have first room pick and so on and so on. This will all be done once all 11 spaces are sold. 

6. SMILE and HAVE FUN!!! I can't wait! 

** 10 spots has been filled - 1 spot pending -  0 spots left*** <--- this is where I will update availability :) 

This is 6 bedroom, 5 bath house. I have also rented the tiny cabin next door. To allow us to have 11 guests we will be sharing rooms and queen beds (besides the one twin available),  just think of it as a camp experience!!! If you are uncomfortable sharing a room with someone else you have 2 choices. You can pay for 2 spots, or you can bring a friend and room with them! Just make sure when you are booking your spot to reserve a spot for YOU and a FRIEND at the same time to assure you will be together. 

I am super excited for this retreat and have already been praying for those of you that will be joining us! If you aren't able to get in, please know we hope to have more of these in the future! Also, if you would like to host an illusrated faith retreat in YOUR location and would like me to come and teach please email me at shannanoel@gmail.com. 

Thank you for all of your support. xox

Shanna