Beautifully Flawed Retreat, The Forge Retreat

Strengthened Faith – Testimonies from Our 2023 Retreats

There’s power in a testimony. It’s a beacon of hope. It’s the catalyst for breakthrough, a moment of true human connection, an opened door to awe and wonder, and the springboard to overcome. It’s the whisper of faith that says, “If He could do it for them, He can do it for me too.”

At the Beautifully Flawed Foundation, we so often have the joy and honor of hearing powerful testimonies such as these on a regular basis in our retreats for those with limb difference. As we partner with God to create the space for Him to move in these retreats, we are consistently in awe of how He always does more than we can ask, think, or imagine. It is one of the greatest honors to see our retreat attendees head back home with a new hope in their hearts.

As the end of this year comes to a close, we wanted to share some powerful testimonies from our Beautifully Flawed and Forge retreats from this past October:

Beautifully Flawed Retreat:

“Being an amputee is hard in a world of people with four limbs, we are unsure of ourselves, so it makes it hard for us to be confident and find other people, but here, everyone has loved and accepted each other for whatever beautiful imperfection they have. These girls have made me feel comfortable in my own skin. I’ve never worn shorts to school and I think I’m going to go home and wear my cute new skirts and just show my leg off. Because now I see how beautiful it is and how God gave me this for a reason and how I shouldn’t be afraid of people looking at me because that means that I’ve grabbed their attention and I have their attention and that’s a very important thing to have from someone.”

-Brooke, 2023 Beautifully Flawed Attendee

“Coming out here, I’ve achieved even more than anyone could imagine, more than I could imagine. The first day we were here, I was super nervous. Yes, everyone else is an amputee, but I felt like I was behind. I showed up and I had never walked stairs before, and I’m walking them on my own now. At first the stairs really scared me, but two of the other amputee girls walked up beside me and walked me down the stairs. And that’s when I was like, ‘I’m am in my spot.’”

-Evelyn, 2023 Beautifully Flawed Attendee

“One of the highlights was surfing. I love surfing! I never thought I would ever do that in my whole entire life. Disabled, I’m like I can’t surf. I was like, ‘I’ll just sit on the board. That’s as much as I can do.’ And now I conquered it. I’m standing up and it’s crazy. This retreat definitely helped me be more comfortable in myself and start in the process of actually realizing I do love myself. I am not ugly or messed up because of this. It taught me nothing’s holding me back.”

-Mary, 2023 Beautifully Flawed Attendee

“I feel like this retreat has only strengthened my faith because I get to see how God has worked through these amazing girls. God is writing each one of their stories and writing it in such a different way than everyone else and to see how he’s working on our lives, teaching us new things every day. It really opened my eyes to just the power that God has. If there’s one thing that I hope the girls take away from this retreat is that God really wastes nothing. We’ve gone through these hard things and it seems like what good could come out of it, but God does all things together for our good. And so from each one of our stories, even though they’re so tough, there can be so much trauma and darkness. He’s going to use it for good whether we see it or not, but one day we’ll see it in heaven.”

-Natalee, 5x Beautifully Flawed Attendee/Leader

Forge Retreat:

“The Forge is a retreat for men that has had some form of a limb difference. And just seeing how God has taken that, what society may deem as a disadvantage in showing how we can build His kingdom in His honor. Seeing each and every one of these guys, hearing their stories and how God has worked in each of our lives, there’s a reason that each one of us ended up here to hear each other and to see what God is doing through each one of us. And I think I’m taking away a new family and definitely a new family in Christ for sure.”

-Matthew, 2023 Forge Attendee

“I didn’t really know what to expect. And it was one of those things where just a blessing from God, meeting so many amazing people–it’s just breathtaking, honestly. I think the biggest thing for me is connecting with other men, not just amputees, and understanding that God is with us every day of our lives. As an adaptive athlete, or just an amputee, God puts us through challenges, but it is stuff that we can handle. God throws us curve balls, but he’s always here for us, which is an amazing feeling.”

-Ira, 2023 Forge Attendee

-Brenden, 2x Forge Attendee/Leader

“A lot of us that come to this retreat struggle on a regular basis. And this retreat is a reset and a dose of hope. It’s a dose of courage, and I can’t tell you how much I needed that past few weeks of immobility and discouragement. And then you come here and you see people, guys that are struggling too, and they just keep putting one foot in front of the other and they just keep going and it’s super encouraging.”

-Morgan, 2x Forge Attendee/Leader

These testimonies are just a few of many from our two four-day retreats. We’re always amazed to see how the Lord moves in the retreats to really bring hope to those in their time of need.

We have a time of need right now at the Beautifully Flawed Foundation — we need to raise $70,000 to hit our end of year goal as a nonprofit organization. This year we hosted a total of 3 retreats in 2 states, bringing together 54 limb-different attendees/leaders from 50 cities, 24 states & provinces, and 2 countries. We were able to give 15 scholarships to attendees that helped with both retreat funds and travel expenses. And for 2024, we have a lot of great, new, and exciting things to come, but we need your help.

We ask that you prayerfully consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Beautifully Flawed Foundation. Nothing is too small or too great. We are so thankful for this faithful community and would be truly humbled if you would consider us in your end of year giving!

Check out other inspiring stories

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Help further our mission and programs that support young people living with limb difference or those who’ve experienced traumatic limb loss by making a tax-deductible donation.