First, “successful” means different things to different people. Goals for your personal or small group prayer retreat are up to you.
There are many reasons why you might want some dedicated time away:
- Maybe you mostly need rest.
- Maybe you’re looking to reconnect with the Lord during a dry season.
- It could be that you want a few undistracted days away to dig into the Bible and spend more time in prayer.
- You might be facing a big decision and need some solid prayer time before the Lord.
You might plan to come alone for a solo retreat. Or you might come with your spouse, a friend or two or your small group from church. Families can have prayer retreats together too.
Whatever the reason and number of people, getting away from home for this purpose can be helpful. This is especially true for those who get distracted easily with all that needs to be done.
After all, even Jesus often went away into the wilderness alone to pray.
One of the big reasons why your prayer retreat can be successful—no matter your goals—is because there are fewer distractions up here…
Few Distractions, Including No Cell Service
We all experience the unrelenting distraction of being connected by our mobile devices to everyone and everything else.
Even the most self-disciplined of us have a hard time not glancing at it with every notification.
Up here that’s not a problem because there’s no cell phone service in our section of the Gunflint Trail (yet, anyway).
If you’ve never experienced that, you have no idea how freeing it is!
When you stay at Okontoe, your life isn’t ruled by emails, texts, phone calls and social media.
We do have wi-fi available, but only at the campground office. You can use it to check in at home, look at the weather forecast or verify the hours of a local restaurant.
But when you’re at your campsite or cabin, walking through camp, at the beach, or out in a kayak on the lakes you won’t be connected.
You Choose Your Level of Roughing It
If you love tents, we have lovely tent sites available for you. Many of them are lakeside or with a very nice lake view. For RV owners, we also have several RV sites with electricity.
If you prefer to sleep off the ground with four walls around you, we have several rustic cabins you can choose from.
They don’t have indoor plumbing (hence, rustic), but our new, clean outhouses are just a short walk away. Each cabin has a small but well-stocked kitchen so you can make your own meals. And you’ll have electricity.
Hot showers are available whether you stay at a campsite or in a cabin. And we have a great little swimming beach for those extra hot summer days.
You Choose Your Length of Stay
Depending on how far you’ll drive to get to our property, we suggest at least two nights, if not three. A full week is even better if you can manage it, especially if you’re driving from several hours away.
Part of a successful prayer retreat is not feeling rushed or pressured to “make” something happen. You want to meet with the Lord in a genuine way. And you may have noticed that He seems to have His own timeline 🙂
We strive to make our prices affordable so staying several nights is possible for most people.
What’s Your Focus?
If you’re coming for a personal prayer retreat, you may already know what your focus needs to be. If not, just ask the Lord! He’s so good at leading us.
Maybe you’re coming with a small group. We think it works really well to split your time between solo time and group time.
How will you know if your prayer retreat is a success? You won’t if you don’t have any goals. So write down a few goals ahead of time, then keep checking in throughout your days here.
Maybe things will change, either due to the Lord moving in a different way than you thought or circumstances out of your control (the weather, for example).
But that’s OK. Flexibility within structure works well.
What to Bring Along for Your Prayer Retreat
We’re in the woods in northern Minnesota. That means there are a fair number of bugs, unfortunately.
But they’re manageable with the right strategy:
- Bring bug spray. DEET works best for our kind (even just 20-25%—no need to go full-on 100%). Natural repellents only work for about 15 minutes up here.
- Consider a heat net to wear with a ball cap to keep them away from your face and neck if they’re especially bad.
- A screen tent is a wonderful way to be able to enjoy sitting outside relatively bug free.
- We love the battery-operated bug zappers. They’re great for clearing the tent, camper or cabin of mosquitoes before bed. And they’re great for those annoying daytime flies.
The weather here is somewhat predictable but can change quickly. Bring rain gear and more than one pair of shoes or boots (in case one gets wet).
Depending on the month you come, it could be rainy or dry. It could be cool or hot. It could be warm during the day and cold at night. It’s best to be prepared for everything!
Be sure to bring your Bible and notebook/journal. You may like to have some art supplies along or an additional book you may be going through.
It’s also a great idea to have a comfy camp chair or hammock with you at your site or cabin.
Of course don’t forget your personal supplies, including bedding.
Available Activities at Camp and in Our Area
Okontoe’s Prayer Chapel
Besides our main Chapel building where we worship on Sunday mornings, Okontoe has a small Prayer Chapel.
It’s on a hill overlooking Bow Lake, between the main Chapel and the Staff House on the north end of camp.
You’re free to use it for personal prayer times if it’s unoccupied.
To access it, walk behind the main Chapel up the grassy hillside. You’ll see it on your left before long.
(If you drive there, please park at the main Chapel.)
Do You Like to Move and Pray?
Are you the type of person who likes to move while you pray? Our camp road is about a mile when you walk its full length. And we’ve completed a hiking trail around Bow Lake, along with our neighbors to the north, Adventurous Christians.
There’s loads of great hiking along the Gunflint Trail if you’d like more distance. It would be easy to bring a backpack with water, snacks, your Bible and journal and make a half day trip out of it.
If you love to canoe or kayak, you’re welcome to use ours here at camp. These are included in your campground fee. It’s very pleasant being on the lake in a canoe or kayak on a warm sunny day with a slight breeze!
And being in the middle of nature, God’s creation, somehow seems to make it especially easy to connect with the Lord.
Take Time to Rest
Maybe you’re desperate for rest. If so, Okontoe is a wonderful place for that. It’s usually very quiet around camp.
There may be a lawn mower going or even a chainsaw at times. Maybe you’ll hear kids shrieking and having fun at the beach. But those are sounds of everyday life.
You’ll also hear lots of birds, the wind in the trees and other sounds of nature you don’t notice when you’re home and in the middle of “real” life.
You’re welcome to sleep in, take lots of naps and go to bed early if you want to. Set up a hammock or a camp chair. Read a book or several books.
Rest is life giving. It’s a gift from God.
Book Your Stay
Are you ready to book your campsite or cabin for your personal or small group prayer retreat?
Click below to get started:
And if you’re here over a Sunday, we’d love to have you join us for our Sunday morning worship service in the Chapel.
We look forward to hosting you soon!