Written by Aja Griffin
On Friday, April 19, the HEAL Ladies Retreat will offer a full day of reflection, encouragement and rest for women on campus. The event, led by senior Allie Grace Matheny, was created to help students connect faith and wellness in a meaningful way.
“The idea that inspired this retreat came to me one day last year when I was thinking of ways I could best utilize my last year as a HEAL leader,” Matheny said. “HEAL not only helped me in recovery from a past of eating disorders but also gave me resources to extend help to others on campus in similar situations.”
Matheny said the retreat is about more than body image.
“I wanted to give girls a place to come together to experience a day of freedom and hope beyond their physical appearance but rather to remind them that God created them to do good works for the Kingdom and not to simply look good for the world,” Matheny said.
She added that the retreat’s key verse is John 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
Students attending the retreat can expect a variety of activities throughout the day.
“Students attending can expect delicious food, snacks and drinks like a coffee bar, protein balls, catered Burrito Day, fruit salad and homemade cookies,” Matheny said. “They can also expect a worshipful yoga session, Christ-centered fellowship, moments of reflection and journaling, cute merch and student speakers.”
Matheny and freshman Jayden Mendez will be among the student speakers sharing personal messages during the event.
“This event was conceived of and entirely led by Allie Grace,” said Kati Kreh, who advises HEAL. “We wanted a time during the semester for female students to reconnect with the most important parts of life. The theme is Becoming Healthy, Holy, and Happy in Christ.”
Kreh said the schedule includes yoga, prayer and reflection.
“We are hoping that students will leave feeling rested and refreshed,” she said. “College is a time when life feels relentless and it can be hard to make time to honor our bodies. We hope to make space for that at this retreat.”
Mendez said she joined the event to speak on identity in Christ.
“Every woman deserves to have confidence in her worth as a daughter of Christ,” she said. “Identity is something many individuals, women especially, struggle with during their formative years. I am honored to speak on how powerful identity can be when it is rooted in Christ.”
She said attendees can look forward to encouraging testimonies and personal stories from student speakers, along with the food and yoga. “Faith and wellness are inherently connected,” Mendez said. “Faith cannot truly grow when the basic need of wellness is not being met.”
Matheny said her hope is for attendees to leave with a renewed mindset. “I hope they walk away viewing their bodies as beautiful yet insignificant in the grand scheme of the entirety of who God made them to be,” she said. “I hope they also walk away with skills to shut down the lies of the enemy and walk out in freedom to be all they are called to be.”
