Over 100 faithful women gathered last September for a weekend of spiritual and physical renewal at the historic Rough Riders Hotel in the quaint community of Medora, North Dakota. The town sits beside Theodore Roosevelt National Park, giving attendees easy access to the surrounding landscape.
The historic town also has a hiking trail within a couple of blocks of the hotel. On Friday afternoon, before the retreat officially began, eager hikers met early to walk the trail, led by Tami Flemmer and Char Timothy.
The retreat theme “Crafted by Grace,” based on Ephesians 2:10, set the stage for the décor and for reflections on how special and important we are to our Creator.
Keynote speaker Jean Boonstra led the ladies through a series of inspiring sessions woven together with an intriguing story of her own family.
Elder Donna Brown, Mid-America Union women’s ministries director, was one of the two featured breakout speakers. Elder Brown’s topic was “Purge, Merge, Then Consecrate” based on Joshua 3:5 and Romans 12:1. She invited attendees to consider lives set apart for God’s purposes and the call to intentional spiritual growth. Shelly Paul from the 31:8 Project shared the organization’s mission to equip and challenge individuals and communities to proactively address the hidden crisis of human trafficking, advocating for the vulnerable through education, prevention and survivor support.
During lunch on Sabbath, the group was surprised by a visit from President Theodore Roosevelt! In reality, the visitor was Joe Weigand, an actor who portrays the president at many public presentations.
Set featured imageOn Sabbath afternoon, ample time was intentionally set aside for rest and fellowship. Ladies were able to explore Theodore Roosevelt National Park and take advantage of National Public Lands Day, a nationwide observance that allows visitors to enjoy public lands without a park pass. Others chose to visit with one another, while some attended the book club meeting led by Anita Kopplin.
When the sun went down after an amazing Sabbath of rest and renewal, the lights went up on an entertaining fashion show! Participants were encouraged to purchase an outfit from a charitable thrift store to model on the runway. They had the option to sell all or a portion of the outfit as a fundraiser for Dakota Conference women’s ministries, adding a fun element to the weekend.
This year’s Woman to Woman project was to provide gift cards for the 31:8 Project. The gift cards are used to help trafficked victims with food, personal care products, groceries and other essentials. The ladies attending were extremely generous!
In addition to the wonderful speakers and outstanding weekend, attendees were blessed by the talented musicians Jodi Dossenko and Joann O’Hare. Leading out with traditional and contemporary praise songs, they shared reflections on how special and important we are to our Creator, and their sense of humor and energy were delightful.
This year’s retreat included many first-time attendees. Thanks to a great planning team and Dakota Conference staff, the retreat was phenomenal, and many expressed appreciation for the warm welcome and thoughtful details throughout the weekend.
We are looking forward to gathering again in the fall of 2026, when the Dakota Women’s Retreat will be held September 18-20 in Bismarck, North Dakota, on the campus of Dakota Adventist Academy, with Elder Donna Brown serving as the featured speaker.
Paulette Bullinger is the Dakota Conference women’s ministries director.
