Forty young men and women came for a Journey to the Heart held in Australia November 9-16, 2014. The young ladies stayed at the IBLP Training Centre in Lilydale outside of Melbourne. The young men traveled to a more remote location a couple of hours east of Melbourne.
During the 8-day retreat, leaders shared vital Christian truths about the nature of God and His love for each one of them. This was a journey to knowing the heart of God and how to experience His love through faith in Jesus Christ. The young men and women learned and experienced that Christianity is a life-giving relationship with God rather than a list of religious duties. The joy of obeying and serving the Lord comes from knowing of His love for us.
The teams studied reasons why their relationship with God has been hindered and how to clear up those obstacles. One leader spoke about experiencing difficulty with her team because most of the young ladies were reluctant to share. Eventually, the leader asked what kept them from talking.
They opened up and discussed some of the reasons. At the next team session, the young ladies were talking so much that they were interrupting each other! Their willingness to be open and honest in a safe and loving atmosphere broke down barriers in their relationship with God and others.
On Sunday afternoon, families arrived and joined their young people for the testimony time and nearly every Journey participant shared a testimony! The testimonies were an encouragement to the parents and Journey to the Heart leaders. Praise the Lord for the seeds sown!
Fathers, we hope to see you at the next Journey to the Heart which will be for fathers only. It will be held in Burnet, Texas from February 7–15, 2015, at the International Ministerial Institute. Pencil the dates in your calendar. Registration is now available!