Living Hope Mountain Respite FAQs

When is the next retreat with openings?

April 26-28, 2024

 What is our mission statement?
To provide a respite weekend in the Colorado Rockies for married couples that have experienced the death of a child.

What is our purpose?

Our core purpose is to provide a Christ-centered weekend retreat for married couples that have experienced the death of a child. The mountain setting will offer a unique environment for a respite weekend. This weekend is a mix of the reality of loss, yet the evident hope of a marriage that is daily relying on God’s promises. A respite is described as brief relief or rest from something difficult.

What do you do at the retreat?

• Fellowship with other husbands and wives who are grieving the loss of a child. The retreat will be structured as a small group where each person can share as much or as little as they desire.
  
• Teaching from the Holy Bible. What does the Bible have to say about grief? How is Christ uniquely positioned to journey with us in our darkest hours? How do we support each other from a Biblical perspective on grief and suffering?
• Recreation in the Rockies! We are in a beautiful place that simply invites you to come outdoors and breathe in the creation that God designed specifically for us. So, we build in time throughout the weekend for you to take small hikes, sit and enjoy the views or venture downtown to Estes Park.
  

What the retreat isn't.

We are not professional counselors conducting a conference or seminar, but rather, we are a husband and a wife on this journey of grief as well. Our hope is that our unique journey could somehow provide encouragement and hope to the journey your marriage is now on. In short, we are just a little further down this road and therefore have some experiences to share. We do not lecture, but we do contribute content as we facilitate a small group of grieving marriages. 

What is the foundation of the content used during the teaching sessions?

The teaching sessions are based upon the Holy Bible and the life specific experiences we will share as we continue to move through our own loss and its impact upon our marriage. We may also have guest speakers, or utilize writings from authors specifically addressing grief and marriage.

Who comes to the marriage respite retreat?
This is first and foremost a marriage retreat for husbands and wives who are experiencing the loss of a child.  We are not professional counselors, and this is not intended to take the place of any professional counseling that might be needed.  There will be a wide variety of couples who attend with unique differences in the age of their child who died, and a wide range of causes.  Each couple’s story is complex, valuable and needs to be shared.

Can single parents come to the retreat?

We feel called and equipped to a very specific ministry which is to encourage husbands and wives in their marriage relationship as they grieve the death of their child. We can uniquely offer comfort to others in the same manner to which we have been comforted by God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).   This weekend is foremost a marriage retreat and thus the focus is on how the marriage moves through grief with a Biblical perspective of loss.  We realize this could be disappointing for men and women who are not married, and we do not diminish the pain and difficulty you are experiencing. Our personal equipping from our experience is unique to that of a husband and wife navigating this grief journey together.

When is the right time to attend the retreat?

Each grief journey is unique. This journey impacts each marriage differently. The right time to attend the marriage retreat is the time that the couple determines it is the best time. It is important that both the husband and wife desire the retreat weekend. In many circumstances, well-meaning family and friends can author the idea without understanding the many elements of grief that impact when a husband and wife are ready to pursue this type of encouragement.

Where is it held?
Our retreats are held at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado.  The YMCA is in a beautiful setting adjacent to Rocky Mountain National Park.  We host the teachings, fellowship and meals in a cabin we reserve from the YMCA for the weekend.  You are welcome to rent a cabin for yourselves or choose from the wide variety of lodging available in the Estes Park area.

How much does it cost?

The retreat costs each couple $350 which is due upon application. This covers all the materials and meals (Friday night through Sunday breakfast).  The fee is nonrefundable; however, it is transferable to another retreat.  Lodging and travel are not included in the price of the retreat.

How do we apply?

Please click the APPLY NOW button below to fill out the online form. Registration for the retreat is limited, so fill out the application in full, provide the requested photos and pay the registration fee either by check or by using the payment portal.  Once we have received all three items, we will review the application.

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What to expect after the retreat?
Our hope is that a community of support would develop amidst the couples attending the respite retreat marriage weekend. We encourage the exchange of contact information, and the active growth of the relationships established during this weekend. Our ministry, though we would enjoy it , simply doesn’t have the needed capacity to function in an ongoing mentoring role. Our focus is to target our energies to hosting additional weekend marriage respite weekends for those marriages on their grief journey with us.