“Before Hearts of Beauty, I worked at looking and being perfect, and that was exhausting.”

Craig Macartney
Spur Ottawa Writer

Hearts of Beauty is planning an in-person retreat to help Christian women rest, experience God, and reconnect with each other. Based on Captivating, a best-selling book by John and Stasi Eldredge, Hearts of Beauty has been running retreats in Ottawa for five years, but had to take a break during the pandemic.

“We decided to go ahead with a smaller-scale version of what we usually do [and with safety precautions in place]. We have a cap of 50 people at camp IAWAH,” says Vikki Ruby, one of the organizers. “It’s two nights at Camp IAWAH, with video teaching, in-person teaching, and free time. It is really about giving women an opportunity to encounter God in a new way.”

The Hearts of Beauty retreat runs from September 17 to 19. The teaching, Ruby says, underscores how God created women with several core desires: to be romanced, to be seen as uniquely beautiful, and to be part of a greater purpose in life.

“Attending helped me understand why I respond to events and circumstances in a certain way, whether it is negative or positive. I have a better understanding of myself,” says Deb Boucher, who is now on the organizing team. She adds that it helped her understand that “Jesus created women as unique and special. Having that message reinforced [helped me] be proud of who I am and that I am His child.”

Hearts of Beauty made her “appreciate femininity more as a strength than a weakness.”

Although she says it is hard to put into words what happened, after attending, Boucher’s friends started commenting that something was different about her.

“Before Hearts of Beauty, I worked at looking and being perfect, and that was exhausting. It sucked all of my energy and was focused on me,” says Virginia Dawson, who first attended the event in 2014. The weekend impacted her so much she decided to help bring the event to Ottawa in 2016. “The love of Christ swept me off my feet that weekend and I wanted more of Him. He made me feel safe and received me just as I was.”

Similarly, Marie Helene says a past event made her “appreciate femininity more as a strength than a weakness.” In the wake of COVID restrictions, Helene believes Hearts of Beauty is more important than ever. “During the isolation I saw many marriages crumble. I believe Hearts of Beauty will bring back to the surface why people chose to marry each other in the first place.”

Ultimately, Ruby says the event is a great discipleship tool for women. It has helped her identify and work on areas of life where she was looking to others, rather than God to meet her needs. As Ontario emerges from lockdown, that need is stronger than ever.

“It is an atmosphere where you can be one with God, in nature.” Photo courtesy of Hearts of Beauty.

“I was really surprised by how deeply I was affected [by the pandemic],” Ruby acknowledges. “It brought up a lot of anxiety in me. It showed me new places where I thought I was trusting God, but I really wasn’t.”

The team is confident that this retreat will help women strengthen the foundation of their faith and give them support in hearing God’s heart to heal and restore them.

“This weekend,” Dawson adds, “is an opportunity to reintegrate into a social setting with a format that is simple, an environment that is safe, and atmosphere where you can be one with God, in nature.”