He Did It: KYTN Women visit new friends in Northern Ireland for a unique women’s retreat

By Gail Mckenzie

Paul writes in I Thessalonians 5:24, “The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.”

No one could ever have imagined how God would bring women from Kentucky and Tennessee across the Atlantic Ocean to join with women in Northern Ireland for a special women’s retreat. The connection between this unique group started back in May of 2021, when Pam Petersen, missionary in Northern Ireland, contacted KYTN Women’s Ministries Director, Gail McKenzie, to speak at a virtual retreat with the Irish ladies. The original assigned speaker had canceled, so McKenzie was happy to fill in.

Together, the group chose the theme, “Higher Up and Deeper In,” – a study encouraging members to dive deeper into the Bible with the goal of understanding better the true picture of God. The women were excited and requested to continue the virtual Bible study, which they did in the fall of 2021.

McKenzie and Petersen were grateful for the forging of new friendships and started considering the possibility of bringing the KYTN women to a retreat at Castlewellan, Northern Ireland, in June 2022. There had not been a women’s retreat in Northern Ireland for over 20 years, so Petersen realized this would be a wonderful opportunity for the Irish women to connect with other Adventist women and be encouraged in their walk with God.

As enthusiasm grew about the potential of what God could do, it was decided to let God lead, and lead He did!

On June 15, 2022, thirty-six women from KYTN flew across the Atlantic Ocean to Dublin, Ireland. From there, they began their trip to Castlewellan, where the retreat took place. They enjoyed delicious vegan and vegetarian meals, which was always accompanied with tea, potatoes, and good Irish bread.

Surrounded by unimaginable beauty and the splendor of Ireland’s green land, God did something that could not have possibly been fully anticipated. He blended the hearts and lives of the 30 gracious and loving Irish women with the 36 women from KYTN. The group spent their days singing, praying, sharing, hugging, and laughing. Genuine love grew and flourished in the few short days they spent together!

Among other activities, the KYTN women also spent their week learning how to make Irish soda bread, taking tours, going on hikes, and visiting a wool factory. They spent the last Sabbath at the Derry Church, in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. KYTN women filled seats and presented the worship service, which forever sealed hearts in anticipation of what heaven will be like.

The impact that the KYTN and Irish women had on each other cannot fully be described in words, but actions.  Plans are in place to continue to connect through Bible study, social media, and a possible return trip to Ireland in May of 2023. The most thrilling outcome are plans to bring the women of Northern Ireland – and a few of husbands – to the 2023 KYTN Women’s Retreat. God called, was faithful, and He did it!