# Event Details - **Event Name**: A "Life After Breath Experience" Widow's Retreat 2026 - **Event Start and End Date**: Fri, 16 Oct, 2026 at 05:00 pm – Sun, 18 Oct, 2026 at 01:30 pm (-04:00) - **Event Description**: Susan VandePol and other acclaimed speakers host their annual widow's retreat designed to minister to your unique needs as a widow.About this EventREGISTRATION NOW OPEN!Interested in group accommodations?Contact mattersoflifeandbreath@gmail.com. New options for groups have been added this year - scroll to the bottom of this page for options and virtual tours!Looking for lodging and room details, including ticket price?Scroll to bottom of this page for conference grounds map, accommodations legend, and additional details with lodging-specific descriptions and price.Questions? Still confused or not sure which option is best for you?No worries! Email us, and we'd love to help you! mattersoflifeandbreath@gmail.com* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Join Susan VandePol and nationally-renowned speakers at this one-of-a-kind, annual widow’s retreat. The weekend will feature invaluable resources, special vendors, and even surprise guests, specifically designed to minister to your unique needs and concerns as a widow, all set alongside beautiful Lake Michigan.Our time will be rich with encouragement, comfort, revelation from God’s Word, uplifting praise and worship, inspirational speakers and informative sessions.Keynote speakers, main session subjects and breakout topics TBA.This is your opportunity to break away, breathe, be refreshed and meet other widows who are walking a familiar road of grief, as well as learn some Biblical truths about your sacred calling as a widow that you may have never heard before. Ages range from early twenties to late nineties, with losses as fresh as a week to several decades gone by. You will find fresh HOPE, renewed purpose, and the abundant healing Jesus readily offers! And…you’ll laugh too!The retreat is held at the lovely Maranatha Conference Grounds in Norton Shores, Michigan. We’re praying you here! Join us!* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *SCHOLARSHIPS:We are blessed to be able to offer both partial & complete scholarships to those who would not otherwise be able to attend.To apply, please complete a 2026 Scholarship application at: https://forms.gle/VMC4QyjfbABGJhHD6 https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events5/banners/d87f4480-a680-11f1-8990-5d04d231a2dd-rimg-w1012-h740-dcf8f8f8-gmir.jpg Notes on AccommodationSINGLE OCCUPANCY (Located in Main Lodge)$395 standard registration.This ticket includes single occupancy of a spacious hotel-style room featuring 2 queen beds, and 1 bath.Included meals consist of hors d'oeuvre/coffee hour Friday evening, Saturday breakfast/lunch/dinner, Sunday breakfast, and lunch following final session.Your room will be located in the main lodge, per availability.Note...while we recognize that these rooms are highly desirable and sell out quickly, we have chosen to minimize the number of single occupancy rooms in the Main Lodge to maximize the number of women that are able to come experience the retreat weekend (as each of these rooms has the potential to house two attendees). Thank you for understanding our heart behind this decision.SINGLE OCCUPANCY - SUITE (Located in Israel & Jordan Buildings)$335 standard registration.This ticket includes single occupancy of a spacious hotel-style room featuring 1 queen bed and 1 bath, located in a suite containing (2) such private apartments.You will have your own lovely, private bedroom & bathroom, but share a living area and fully-functional kitchen with one other attendee. Requests for suite-mates will be honored as long as other attendee has also purchased the suite option (please use the roommate request box to specif your suite-mate).Please note, these accommodations are either a 1min drive or a 3-5min walk from where we hold our sessions. Parking is available directly in front of the Israel/Jordan buildings, and valets will be available to assist with luggage.Included meals consist of hors d'oeuvre/coffee hour Friday evening, Saturday breakfast/lunch/dinner, Sunday breakfast, and lunch following final session.DOUBLE OCCUPANCY - $320 standard registration.This ticket includes one bed (double occupancy) of a spacious hotel-style room featuring 2 queen beds, and 1 bath located in the main lodge.These rooms are accessible via stairs OR elevator, and are located in the same building as the dining area/cafeteria.Roommates will be assigned at random unless otherwise requested at checkout. Roommates must have purchased a separate, comparable (double occupancy-main lodge) ticket.Included meals consist of hors d'oeuvre/coffee hour Friday evening, Saturday breakfast/lunch/dinner, Sunday breakfast, and lunch following final session.DOUBLE OCCUPANCY - $320 standard registration starting June 23rd.This ticket includes one bed (double occupancy) of a spacious apartment, featuring a bedroom with 2 queen beds, 1shared bath, living area and fully-functional kitchen located in the Duneside Apartments directly behind the Main Lodge.Please note, this lodging is only accessible via stairs (no elevator). There is a ramp that goes to the 2nd (main) level, but does not go to the third level. If you have accessibility issues or cannot tolerate stairs, please note this in your registration.Roommates will be assigned at random unless otherwise requested at checkout. Roommates must have purchased a separate, comparable (double occupancy-Duneside) ticket.Included meals consist of hors d'oeuvre/coffee hour Friday evening, Saturday breakfast/lunch/dinner, Sunday breakfast, and lunch following final session.GROUP OPTIONS (Guest Bungalows - available June 23rd)$320 per personMaranatha offers a variety of options to accommodate groups who would like to stay together, including (but not limited to) guest houses/bungalows with an assortment of bed/bath options. If you are interested in exploring this option, please contact us at mattersoflifeandbreath@gmail.com. ALL Group options must be scheduled through admin.Available group accommodations include China Upper/China Lower (view tour), Korea (view tour), Albania (view tour), Japan (view tour), Paraguay/Uruguay (view tour), Indonesia (view tour), Ecuador 1/Ecuador 2 (view tour), and the Founders Home (view tour). Prices vary based on beds/amenities.As these accommodations are group-specific, there are minimum ticket numbers (beds filled) that must be met in order to complete registration. This number varies based on the amenities available and all attendee information will be required to complete checkout.Important note: Individual room and bed assignments are determined by your group, not by Maranatha or Matters of Life & Breath. Cottage accommodations come with a mix of queen, full, twin and bunk beds. Once you have registered for the cottage that will fit your group's needs best, it is your responsibility to practically determine which room and/or bed assignments make the best sense for each individual's needs/abilities. Some accommodations featuring porch steps or stairs. Please double check to make sure the cottage you select meets accessibility criteria for your group.https://youtu.be/KOqE_j9a1pA - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/muskegon/a-life-after-breath-experience-widows-retreat-2026/100001983976315567 - **Event Categories**: business, conferences - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 1 - **Event Highlights**: - Duration: 20 hours 30 minutes - Location: Maranatha Bible & Missionary Conference - Languages: English ## Ticket Details - **Ticket Price Range**: min: 0, max: 395, currency: USD ## Event venue details - **city**: Muskegon - **state**: MI - **country**: United States - **location**: Maranatha Bible & Missionary Conference - **lat**: 43.166687 - **long**: -86.291589 - **full address**: Maranatha Bible & Missionary Conference, 4759 Lake Harbor Road, Muskegon, United States ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: A "Life After Breath Experience" Widow's Retreat 2026 - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events5/banners/9cd55781d3529716d9cadb5de63aaf8debc511629e9ebeedca56c6406d7065cb-rimg-w1200-h630-dc151c38-gmir.jpg?v=1779908347 ## FAQs - **Q**: When and where is A "Life After Breath Experience" Widow's Retreat 2026 being held? - **A:** A "Life After Breath Experience" Widow's Retreat 2026 takes place on Fri, 16 Oct, 2026 at 05:00 pm to Sun, 18 Oct, 2026 at 01:30 pm at Maranatha Bible & Missionary Conference, 4759 Lake Harbor Road, Muskegon, United States. - **Q**: Who is organizing A "Life After Breath Experience" Widow's Retreat 2026? - **A:** A "Life After Breath Experience" Widow's Retreat 2026 is organized by Susan VandePol. - **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me? - **A:** A "Life After Breath Experience" Widow's Retreat 2026 is ideal for professionals, entrepreneurs, startup founders, and networking enthusiasts eager to grow their connections. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in Muskegon, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. If A "Life After Breath Experience" Widow's Retreat 2026 sounds like your kind of event, don't wait - spots fill up fast. ## Structured Data (JSON-LD) ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Event", "name": "A "Life After Breath Experience" Widow's Retreat 2026", "image": "https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events5/banners/9cd55781d3529716d9cadb5de63aaf8debc511629e9ebeedca56c6406d7065cb-rimg-w1200-h630-dc151c38-gmir.jpg?v=1779908347", "startDate": "2026-10-16T17:00:00-04:00", "endDate": "2026-10-18T13:30:00-04:00", "url": "https://allevents.in/muskegon/a-life-after-breath-experience-widows-retreat-2026/100001983976315567", "eventStatus": "https://schema.org/EventScheduled", "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "Maranatha Bible & Missionary Conference", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "4759 Lake Harbor Road", "postalCode": "49441", "addressLocality": "Muskegon", "addressRegion": "MI", "addressCountry": "US" }, "geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": "43.166687", "longitude": "-86.291589" } }, "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode", "description": "Susan VandePol and other acclaimed speakers host their annual widow's retreat designed to minister to your unique needs as a widow.", "offers": [ { "@type": "AggregateOffer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-05-27", "availabilityEnds": "2026-10-18T13:30:00-04:00", "validFrom": "2026-05-27", "lowPrice": "0.00", "highPrice": "395.00", "price": "0.00", "url": "https://allevents.in/muskegon/a-life-after-breath-experience-widows-retreat-2026/100001983976315567" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/SoldOut", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-05-27", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-05-27", "url": "https://allevents.in/muskegon/a-life-after-breath-experience-widows-retreat-2026/100001983976315567", "price": "395.00", "name": "Single Occupancy" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/SoldOut", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-05-27", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-05-27", "url": "https://allevents.in/muskegon/a-life-after-breath-experience-widows-retreat-2026/100001983976315567", "price": "335.00", "name": "Single Occupancy - SUITE" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-05-27", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-05-27", "url": "https://allevents.in/muskegon/a-life-after-breath-experience-widows-retreat-2026/100001983976315567", "price": "320.00", "name": "Double Occupancy - DUNESIDE" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-05-27", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-05-27", "url": "https://allevents.in/muskegon/a-life-after-breath-experience-widows-retreat-2026/100001983976315567", "price": "320.00", "name": "Double Occupancy - LODGE" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-05-27", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-05-27", "url": "https://allevents.in/muskegon/a-life-after-breath-experience-widows-retreat-2026/100001983976315567", "price": "320.00", "name": "Sponsor a Widow" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-05-27", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-05-27", "url": "https://allevents.in/muskegon/a-life-after-breath-experience-widows-retreat-2026/100001983976315567", "price": 0, "name": "Donate to the Ministry" } ], "organizer": [ { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Susan VandePol", "url": "https://allevents.in/org/susan-vandepol/23674823", "description": "Susan VandepolfoundedFamilies of the Fallenafter the duty-related death of her husband in 2005. Its accompanying protocol supplies a model to firefighters and first responders to use when coming alongside a widow of a fallen firefighter, as well as providing firefighters with a pragmatic way to express their own grief in a way that won’t compromise all that is inherently masculine about their profession. It is now being used in departments around the country and is endorsed by experts in the fields of grief, crisis, trauma, suicide prevention, CIR, PTSD, and CISM.The congruent“Life After Breath”protocol was developed primarily for churches and faith-based organizations, and is a way for the Body of Christ to answer its Biblical mandate to care for widows so that they can thrive in their new role, and fulfill their set-apart calling highlighted in Luke 17 and 18.Susan is certified in Grief, Crisis, and Trauma Counseling, Grief Coaching, Master Life Coaching, Individual Crisis Intervention, Victim Response, and Basic and Family Mediation. Her speaking engagements include women’s retreats and conferences, a keynote at the ICISF World Congress, the CSFA Convention, and the Honor Guard at the International Association of Firefighters Memorial.Susan homeschooled her three children without ever succumbing to pressure to wear Birkenstocks, and now lives with her husband whom she shamelessly manipulated into falling in love with her. He obliged by sweeping her off her feet with a large broom. They now reside in Michigan." } ] } ] ```