For Rodica Railean, the 2025 women’s retreat at Pine Lake Camp, Alta., was life changing.

Though she was invited each yearby a friend from Calgary’s Glenmore Temple, Railean always found a reason to decline, until last year, when she felt drawn to accept the invitation. That retreat marked the start of her new journey with Christ, as she now faithfully attends services at Glenmore Temple and joins Bible study bi-weekly.

“I’m no longer alone in the darkness, looking for answers. I’m not rushing the spiritual learning, but I’m getting my answers piece by piece,” says Railean. “The Bible group has helped me a lot.”

FINDING HOPE

Railean was born and raised in Moldova as part of the Eastern Orthodox Church, but she was never devout.

“My faith was mostly just tradition,” she says. She knew about God and believed that he was out there somewhere, but not in her heart. Her family celebrated major holidays and occasionally went to the Orthodox church, but she never felt welcomed.

“I didn’t find peace and love there,” she shares. “I tried many times but couldn’t find a place where I felt accepted.”

Railean moved to Canada in 2013 with her second husband at the time and her eight-year-old son, and for a while, her beliefs remained the same. “God was far away,” she explains. “I prayed sometimes in the hard moments, but that was it.”

And, as Railean describes, there were many hard moments. She suffered abuse from both her first and second husbands, and she was constantly searching for a “normal life” with a normal family, a good job and stability. “I thought having that would bring me happiness,” she says.

After her second divorce, Railean married again, this time to a kind and loving man whom she is still with today. They were blessed with another child, a daughter, and she slowly began to feel like she was achieving that “normal” life she had dreamed about.

“But I couldn’t understand why I still felt this emptiness, despite having everything I had wanted. I had a full family, wonderful friends, a good work environment, and I should have been happy, but for some reason I wasn’t,” she admits. “I still didn’t have that feeling of complete joy and love that I was searching for. I didn’t know at the time that God was still leading me where I was supposed to go.”

A LIFE CHANGED

One of Railean’s good friends, Olesea Vasiliev, a woman also from Moldova whom she met here in Canada, is a soldier at Glenmore Temple and had invited her to women’s camp many times. Railean always used life circumstances as an excuse to say no.

But in 2025, when she was once again invited, something different happened.

“I just had this feeling inside that I had to go,” says Railean. “It was something I desperately needed, I just didn’t know it yet.” 

So, she went to camp and she tried worshipping. The topic of camp that year was an invitation to Jesus’ table, and Railean thought, How can this be possible?

“I was seeking something and there was the invitation. It whispered to me. During the worship, I just felt it,” she says. “I don’t know how to explain it. It was like a bucket of something warm—like sunshine, love and light—just washing over me.

“I started crying. I think I cried the whole weekend. At first, I thought they were cleansing tears, a release of all the pain that I was holding on to. But then I realized they were tears of joy, because I understood now that I didn’t need anything else but this to feel happy and have a full life.”

"I'm no longer alone in the darkness, looking for answers." - Rodica Railean

A PLACE TO BELONG

In 2025, more than 30 women from Glenmore Temple attended the divisional women’s retreat at Pine Lake Camp. While the corps typically sends a group each year, Major Dena Hepditch, corps officer, says interest in women’s ministries is steadily growing, particularly among young adults and newcomers.

“Several of them are between the ages of 19 and 25, and they’re genuinely excited about women’s ministries. It’s amazing to see,” she says. “They are eager to lead, plan and run events and share new ideas. As older women in the church, it’s important that we encourage them, show grace and be supportive, because they’re doing an amazing job.”

After returning from women’s camp in September 2024, a few of the young women were inspired to keep the momentum going. They launched a Monday night Bible study, mentored and hosted by a senior member of the group, to supplement the corps’ regular Thursday women’s Bible study. Now, up to 18 women attend regularly.

“They keep inviting friends, and some of our ESL ladies have joined and found fellowship there,” says Major Hepditch. “It’s very exciting for me to see that they’re hungry for the Word. They’re not just getting together to hang out. There’s a spiritual depth to it—they want to study together and grow.”

In November, the young adults in the group hosted a board game café one Saturday morning, creating handcrafted cappuccinos and lattes, and serving muffins, scones and pastries with a selection of fun board games. Participants of the corps’ ESL program were invited to join and many of the games could be enjoyed without a language barrier.

With several newcomers to Canada and ESL participants now attending the corps and its programs, Glenmore Temple is hoping to launch an ESL Bible study to help introduce more people to the gospel.

“Some of them don’t come from Christian backgrounds, so they have a lot of questions,” says Major Hepditch. “There’s a need here to create a safe space where they can learn more about God and Christianity, ask questions and learn the basics at their own pace.”

“HERE I AM”

Everything changed for Railean after women’s camp. Colours seemed to become brighter. She became hungry for more. She wanted to learn about God and to come to know him, and she started attending worship every Sunday at Glenmore Temple. She joined the Monday night women’s Bible study and is now surrounded by people who are loving and willing to support her on her faith journey.

“They share love and joy all around me. Everyone is so caring, and I feel like I belong,” she says. 

Railean says that this is just the beginning of her journey. She still needs God’s Word.

“I need to listen and to keep seeking my answers, and I will continue to be blessed with this joy,” she says. “Life has changed for me. I’m thankful for the people who are around me now and encouraging me. I now understand how God was working in my life, putting the right people in my path and protecting me along the way. And here I am.”

For Railean, being a part of community, having people to speak to and learn about God with, has been a blessing—one that she never would have discovered if it weren’t for the supportive group ofwomen at Glenmore Temple and God’s steady prompting.

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