Update from July 2025: To see pictures, click here to view pdf.
 

July: Fullness and Growth

It is midsummer here in Michigan and outside our retreat center the lake is busy with people swimming, kayaking and paddle boarding, as well as catching fish with stories to tell.

Summer is a time for making memories. But more importantly, it is a time for sitting and sharing those memories—especially around a campfire with friends and family! Our Radiant Life Retreat (RLR) is that kind of time for missionaries—a time to “sit around the campfire and share”.

During our retreat in June, we walked alongside six adult missionaries and twelve missionary kids that served in Central America, Asia, Africa and the USA. Yes, they had fun and made memories on the lake during the retreat, but each of them came with their own individual stories to process.

Some of those stories were very heavy, Covenant CRC, filled with pain and disappointments. Sometimes there are tears as they shared, and sometimes laughter. All of that is part of debriefing.

But what is “debriefing”?

We get that question asked all the time.

Debriefing is helping a person tell their story, process their past and how it affected their life, with the purpose of giving it to God to find release and renewal. We guide them through the resources and give them steps to move forward.

That is what the 9-day RLR is all about. Yes, there can be tears but also times for memory-making fun too!

We have had many missionaries come needing to share and process their stories, and we get the joy of seeing them leave lighter, fuller and growing, and more prepared for their next season of life and ministry.

We are seeing that fullness and growth on the emotional and spiritual side, but also within the debrief program itself. This year, every single one of our 9-day RLRs have been full, with a waitlist of missionaries and their kids who want to come!

The problem is that we don’t have the space or capacity for them all.

Thankfully, for our October retreat this year, we can open two more spaces for missionary families, but there are still many others waiting.
We are already starting to fill up our 2026 retreat schedule, Covenant CRC!

There is a huge need for growth on our ministry property to meet the needs of the missionaries who come.

Our Retreat Center is on 10 acres of land, 5 of which have not been developed yet. We have been waiting on timing, resources, and God’s direction for that land. A few months ago we announced a renovation plan for the property we wanted to finish before our October retreat this year, but God is inviting us to expand our vision for the property to accommodate even more than we had originally planned. And when God says, “dream bigger,” we listen!

We have been blessed with a company in Ohio who is willing to help us design those five acres with walking paths, gardens, as well as buildings focused on our program, purpose, and wellness teaching themes. These development plans include small outbuildings for one-on-one debriefing spaces, a prayer chapel (moving the old storage shed to the center), and a pole barn for our maintenance equipment. This pole barn would then allow us to convert our existing shop/maintenance building into the teenager debrief and gathering area.

All these new structures will allow us to transform some of our existing buildings to better serve those who come through our programs for rest, renewal, and re-equipping!

As a ministry, we are in an exciting season of dreaming, planning, and expanding! These past 4 years have been a huge blessing on this property, as we have watched God transform lives as well as buildings.

As a team, we feel that God inviting us to “enlarge the place of our tent” (Isaiah 54:2) onto those previously undeveloped 5 acres, to transform a cornfield into a garden of peace and restoration.

Would you pray with us, Covenant CRC, for wisdom in design as well as for the funds and labor needed to touch more missionaries and their kids through this space?

RAGBRAI: Riding for Excelling Leaders

And they’re off!
Today marks Day Five of the 2025 RAGBRAI event – the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. Every year, thousands of people grab their bikes and travel together across the state for 8 days.

This is the biggest bike event in the world!

This year, we have someone representing the Excelling Leaders ministry – Bob Groot! 

Bob has been a long-time friend of the Prins' (our ministry founders and directors), as well as an advocate for our ministry of encouraging and equipping missionaries and missionary families. Bob is using this year’s ride to spread awareness for our ministry and to raise funds for our growing need for campus development and space as we minister to more and more missionaries. All this week, we have been posting updates, photos, and stories about this ride so you can join in the adventure!

All proceeds and funds raised will be donated to Excelling Leaders for our property development fund.

The goal: $10,000
The deadline: Sunday, July 27
The cause: expanding the Radiant Life Retreat Center campus development project to bless more missionaries as they come for rest, renewal, and re-equipping.

Join us as we invest in this property God has entrusted to us and believe with us  for God's provision and blessing as we step out in faith!

Thank you, Covenant CRC, for being a part of our mission to encourage and equip missionaries and their families so they can be effective and resilient!

Blessings,
The Excelling Leaders Team