The Garden of Your Heart
Identity • Surrender • Mission

"Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these." - Luke 12:27

Join us for The Garden of Your Heart, a retreat designed to help women encounter Christ in the midst of their stories and discover the beauty He is cultivating within them. Through prayer, reflection, inspiring presentations, workshops, and fellowship, we will journey through three biblical gardens that reveal God's work in every heart.

Identity — The Garden of Eden

Who did I think I was before grief and suffering, and who does God say I am now? Together, we will explore our identity as beloved daughters of God and learn to release perfectionism, control, shame, and self-reliance in order to root ourselves more deeply in His promises.

Surrender — The Garden of Gethsemane

How do I trust God with my suffering? Following Christ into Gethsemane, we will reflect on vulnerability, surrender, and the courage to bring our whole hearts before the Lord. We will consider how suffering softens the soil of our hearts and prepares us for new growth.

Mission — The Garden of Golgotha

Where is God bringing new life? Encountering the risen Christ as the Divine Gardener, we will reflect on resurrection, healing, purpose, and the unique mission God is calling each of us to embrace. What dreams does He have for the garden of your heart?

Throughout the retreat, each woman will be invited to prayerfully reflect on the seeds He has planted, the places where He is cultivating growth, and the ways He is calling her to trust His loving care.

Introducing our Main Event Speaker

Elizabeth Leon is a Catholic speaker and writer from Ashburn, Virginia and the founder of the Journey of the Beloved, a ministry that inspires and equips women to find freedom and healing through Christ. She is the author of the award-winning memoir, Let Yourself Be Loved: Big Lessons from a Little Life, winner of Best Memoir from the Catholic Media Association (2023) and a silver medalist for the prestigious Nautilus Awards (2023). She serves as the Director of Family Support for Red Bird Ministries, a Catholic grief support ministry for families of child loss, where she co-hosts and produces the Red Bird podcast, It’s Not for Nothing. Elizabeth provides Catholic inner healing coaching and Sacred Story workshops through You Are Made New Ministries. She holds a B.S. in Biology from the College of William and Mary and a Level II Narrative Focused Trauma Care Certification from The Allender Center at the Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, as well as graduate-level study in Social Work from George Mason University. She and her husband Ralph are the parents of 10 children, 5 of hers, 4 of his, and their son, John Paul Raphael who died in 2018. Her gift is her willingness to be vulnerable and love with a heart wide-open despite the brokenness of divorce, death, and abuse. She invites audiences to consider grief, uncertainty, and suffering as a pathway to joy. You can find her online at www.elizabethleon.org.

Who Should Attend?

All women ages 18 and older are warmly invited to attend. Whether you are walking through grief, longing, healing, discernment, or a season of renewed hope, this retreat offers a welcoming space to encounter Christ and connect with other women seeking Him.

Learn More About Lily of the Valley Catholic Ministry

Our Mission

LOTV Ministry is a Catholic apostolate that prayerfully supports families facing infertility, prenatal diagnosis, pregnancy loss, and infant loss with beauty, prayer, dignity, and by increasing community awareness—making Christ’s love visible in their grief.

We do this by offering:

Prayer Based Support to Families — prayer care packages filled with beauty, hope, and the love of Christ
Community Events — gatherings for remembrance, healing, and prayer
Education & Outreach — speaking opportunities and resource development aimed to increase awareness and help the Church accompany families with dignity and compassion

Our Vision

To make Christ’s love visible to all families walking through sorrow from infertility, a difficult pregnancy, or baby loss and to remind families they are not alone.

*All proceeds go towards the mission of LOTV Ministry. We seek to prayerfully support families, raise awareness, and provide educational opportunities related to our mission.

The Garden of Your Heart

Lily of the Valley Ministry's 3rd Annual Women's Retreat