TESTIMONIALS
At the Feet of the Good Shepherd Retreat (FGS)
6-7 MAY 2023
Some TESTIMONIES excerpts…
The retreat helped me to slow down and listen to my inner self and to God’s voice. It helped me
uncover the inner pain and unforgiving aspects in myself. - Clyde
One experience that impacted me the most was during the healing session and adoration. I
could feel the presence of Jesus and it was something that never happened to me before. I
could feel Jesus reaching out to me and healing me. It brought out my unconscious level where
I now realise that who I am and what I am feeling is due to the impact and influence from when I
was a baby in the womb. I am no longer a slave to fear. The preparation for the Sacrament of
Reconciliation was also very powerful. I was so moved during and after the sacrament. Again,
something so powerful that I have not experienced before. - Wilbur

Thank you for establishing for me again my reverence for the bible. The Word is GOD - how
amazing that we carry the bible and forget that. Through this retreat, I’ve received inner healing
and found elements of my life that date back decades that I’m now able to reconcile. The
adoration and prayers/singing have uplifted me and I draw strength from that. Finally, how I love
the scriptures! May I be able to find and encounter God at the burning bush. My love for the
Bible is rekindled! - Adrian

Before coming into the retreat, I came from a place of wanting to deepen my relationship with
the Lord. In mis service, I had grown to be more “measures”-focused, where outcomes were
quantified. I was always worried about how others looked at me and whether I was good
enough. Through the retreat, I was given the space and time to be fully present with the Lord
and for Him to have the whole of me. I came to a realisation that who I am today and what I’ve
become, were formed by past experiences. This realisation allowed me to let go of these
memories for Jesus to heal them. I am now able to walk in the light of the Lord, set free and
apart. I have found my joy and peace in the Lord and am now able to proclaim that I’ve been set
free. - Rachel

This retreat allowed me to ponder deeper on areas of my life where I was wounded and
developed certain thought patterns and distortions of God. Identifying, surrendering these parts
of my life to God through the retreat helped me to draw close and abide in Christ again. -
Hannah

Jesus showed me that He is real and healed me. I realised where my wounds came from and He
gave me an experience of Him that convicted me of His love and unique plans in store for me.
This healing could not have been possible without mass, confession, spiritual direction and the
amazing sessions by Joe and the Gloria Patri team. I am so grateful for this retreat experience,
my encounter with Jesus and all the people who planned and organised it. - Regina
The retreat provided an extremely conducive space for recollection, formation and simply
dedicated time with God. It was an oasis where I could be safe and refreshed by Him Who is so
good. - Lionel

I needed to feel that I am a child of God, not just in my head knowledge but through my body
and spirit as well. The scriptures taught were incredibly useful for me to keep dwelling on. I felt
empowered by them and to be finally learning directly from the Word of God. I had a vision of a
dancing red flame and an image of Jesus looking down at me with welcoming open arms. I’m
thankful for His embrace and reaching out to me visually. He also sent His loving warmth
throughout my body during healing adoration. I felt super light and all my wounds healed then !
- Jennifer

God revealed the unforgiveness I had and how that affected my relationship with my parents. I
was also able to dive deeper into my inner wounds and learning about internal rawness made
me more aware to begin surrender this to God. I asked for rest at this retreat before I started a
new job and but God gave me more to explore and to dig deeper, to allow me to go longer in
my journey. Through confession and SD session, I will be praying for the gift of faith and to
explore further of my faithfulness to God and what that means. I am leaving this retreat with the
truth that to move forward, God just requires me to take one step at a time. In that, I find
consolation. Praise God! - Juliana

This retreat has helped me to connect back to God, understand my fears and to be able to offer
them back to God for healing. - Wilbur
I came into the retreat feeling indifferent, with little hope that my relationship with God could
improve. Discouraged by challenges in my ministry, I turned away from God and sought worldly
comforts. I was resentful, bitter and cynical. Praise be to God, through the preaching of the Word
of God, my faith has stirred anew. In a prayer exercise, I was guided to ask for forgiveness from
the people whom I have hurt with my sour attitude. A spirit of humility grew in me and led me to
release forgiveness on those who have hurt me. I also forgave myself for being imperfect and
‘forgave’ God for what I perceived to be His abandoning me. I now experience freedom in my
inner spirit and I am abounding in hope for my future as I continue growing in my relationship
with God. - Hans

4 days before coming into the retreat, in my mind, it was going to just another retreat, as I had
gone for a retreat 3 years ago and it also dealt with inner wounds, inner child and healing. But
the Lord has been preparing me by showing and reminding me parts of childhood experiences
and memories. I am blessed to be able to attend this retreat with my community leaders and to
have the space to share my inner wounds right from the start in a safe space. The sharing has
got to be the most vulnerable one that I’ve ever shared with anyone before. But with the wound
revealed, the Lord exposed in the Blessed Sacrament gave me the courage to reveal and
confess to the priest. That was the start of the healing journey for the Lord to shine through. The
Lord sent many gentle figures and priests my way, as He knew that I was afraid. The healing
continues from here and will never cease. Amen. - Petrina

I came into the retreat fatigued and unsure of how God desired healing for my life since I had
been to a couple of retreats that covered childhood/inner wounds before. Through the retreat,
the Lord revealed to me the deep fear I had of being unwanted and abandoned and this was
from a time when I was younger and had a tense relationship with my mother. I always felt guilty
if I thought of my mother in this light and brushed this memory away. Through the inner healing
session, Jesus showed me my foetus self in my mother’s womb and just hearing the joy and
excitement from my older brother and parents brought me so much comfort. I was delighted in
and loved, even before I was conceived. Truly God has chosen me and gave me this name
‘Hannah’ even before I came to this earth and this assures me that in His time, all things will be
made beautiful. As I leave this retreat, healed and made whole again in Christ, I pray for the
courage to go where God calls. I claim the truth that God desires for me to be happy and that
He will deliver me from the fear of what loving Him demands because, in Him there is fulness of
joy and plentiful redemption. Praise God for HIs steadfast love and mercy that He has shown
throughout my life, He is never done with me and there is so much of God to encounter still.
Amen. - Hannah

One experience I would like to share is the voice of God nudging me to work for the underprivileged,
people who are in prison or would be coming out of prison, people who do not have
education, hence having little to no shot at the good respectable life. The calling seems to be a
part of a ministry which helps and provides assistance for this part of our society. - Clyde
This retreat reminded me of Jesus’ importance in my life and taught me some important
scriptures which will enable me to face adversities with courage, hope and to remain in
faithfulness - Jennifer
I realised that He was healing me from the start of the retreat till the end through the tears that
flowed during worship and the memories that came back to me of His presence in my life. He
showed me that He is an everyday God - Janice

I would like to praise God for the gift of faith again. After I started work, I have gradually
converted all my God-time to me-time and my pride prevented me from seeing this. This retreat
helped me to once again believe in God and reminded me of how God loves me abundantly
and I have access to all these, as long as I have the right intentions and go to Him. I can now
certainly say that my life is from God and for God, and I trust in His plans for me. - Jeryl
One encounter I had was learning about the difference between holiness and sacredness
through my confessor and spiritual director. I cam called to lead a life that is holy and fruitful.
Others should see God when they see me! I had often seen them as 2 things that are
interchangeable and it is freeing and refreshing to know the difference! Praise God! - Lionel
The retreat setting is conducive to God working and speaking to me. Good inputs, very Wordbased
and Spirit-inspired. I have received peace, joy and clarity over where I am in my spiritual
journey. - Hans

I came for the retreat terribly exhausted and burdened. I unloaded my burdens at the Lord’s feet
whilst I allowed Him to reset me. I am going away from the retreat with a light heart; filled with
joy, peace and hope. I didn’t expect much, given it’s a 2-day retreat but it certainly surpassed my
expectation. - Karen