Michael Taylor – Casper, Wyoming … Nearly 60 attendees from Wyoming and Colorado gathered on for the 2024 Wyoming Winter Retreat at Mills Spring Ranch (MSR) in Casper, Wyoming, February 16-18. This event has happened annually for more than 30 years, and this year’s program happened thanks to the hard work of the team from MSR with a team of lay people from the Casper area.
After a mild start to the 2024 winter season, a fresh blanket of snow arrived just days before the guests showed up to provide the “winter” feeling of this retreat. The timely arrival of fluffy white powder allowed many attendees to enjoy such outdoor activities as sledding and snowshoeing.
However, the favorite option for many attendees was snowmobiling, as Hasina from Mead, Colorado, shared, “I loved learning how to drive a snow mobile with my friends.” Mary from Torrington, Wyoming, also giggled as she mentioned that she rode a snow mobile for the first time in her more than 60 years of life.
While the recreational activities were popular, they were not the only highlight of the weekend. This weekend was also a spiritual retreat and focused on drawing closer to God through meaningful worship services each day.
These services were enriched with music by a praise team made up of members from across Wyoming and Colorado, led by Lyle Wortman and his praise team. Sydney from Casper, Wyoming, noted that she especially enjoyed seeing little kids and youth involved in the music for the retreat.
Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) Youth director Brandon Westgate was the featured speaker for worship services. During his talks, Pastor Westgate appealed to members with the Good News of freedom from sin and our status as a child of God. He shared his testimony along with Bible stories to connect Bible truths in a practical and personal way. He also presented a workshop on how to have meaningful Sabbath experiences. Karen from Fort Morgan, Colorado, said that she was thankful for the chance to reconnect with God through the weekend’s spiritual services.
The Winter Retreat team is already looking forward to next year’s event at beautiful Mills Spring Ranch, and they hope to see many more people gather for the weekend of February 14-16, 2025. For more information about other family-friendly events happening throughout the year at MSR, visit www.millsspringrach.com
—Michael Taylor is pastor of Casper Seventh-day Adventist Church. Photos supplied.
