Every year I think, there is no way it can get better than this.
And every year, I am wrong.
That’s the thing about Love One International — just when you think you’ve seen the ceiling of what God can do through a room full of people who are willing to say yes, He blows the roof off entirely. The Love One Retreat 2026: Love in Bloom edition was no exception. In fact, it might have been the most extraordinary one yet.
I’ve been a Love One ambassador for four years now. And I want to tell you everything.
What Is Love One International?
Love One International is a Christian nonprofit organization dedicated to caring for orphaned and vulnerable children in Uganda. Their mission is simple and profound: every child deserves to be loved, cared for, and given a chance to thrive.
Through sponsorship, community care programs, and fundraising initiatives, Love One works to keep families together, provide for children’s basic needs, and share the love of Jesus in tangible, life-changing ways. They don’t just talk about caring for the least of these — they show up and do it.
Want to see the heart behind it all? Watch this video to learn more about Love One’s mission.
What Happened at Love One Retreat 2026
This year’s retreat theme was Love in Bloom 🌸 — and honestly, that couldn’t have been more fitting. Because watching Love One bloom over the past four years has been nothing short of breathtaking.
Here’s a glimpse of what happened:
Over $800,000 Raised for Children in Uganda
This year, our community — ambassadors, attendees, donors, and supporters like YOU — raised over $800,000 for the precious babies in Uganda. That funding allowed Love One International to serve 19,404 children. Let that number sink in for a second. Nearly twenty thousand kids. Loved, fed, cared for, seen.
It’s one of those moments where you just have to stop and thank God.
6,000 Meals Packaged with Rise Against Hunger
At the retreat, we partnered with Rise Against Hunger to package over 6,000 meals for children in Uganda. There is something profoundly moving about standing in a room full of people, working side by side, knowing that the food you’re packaging with your own hands is going to feed a child on the other side of the world.
It’s one thing to donate. It’s another thing entirely to serve.
Prayers Answered Right Before Our Eyes
One of the most incredible parts of this retreat was watching prayers we prayed last year become answered prayers this year. That is the kind of thing that makes you realize you’re not just attending an event — you’re part of something God is actively orchestrating.
Doors opened. Things happened that only He could have made happen. His fingerprints were all over it.
10 Baptisms. 10pm. Hot Tub. Blizzard. Beach.
I saved the best for last.
In one of the most unforgettable moments I have ever witnessed — 10 girls were baptized at 10pm, in a hot tub, in a blizzard, at the beach, all in response to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
I don’t have words for it. I don’t think words exist for it. You just had to be there.
And that’s exactly why I’m writing this — because I want you to be there next time.
I Went to Uganda This Year — And It Changed Me
This year, I was given the extraordinary gift of traveling to Uganda and seeing Love One’s work firsthand.
I saw the impact. I saw the lives saved. I saw the hope on the faces of children who now know they are loved — by people who crossed an ocean for them, and by a God who has never left them.
It changed me in ways I’m still processing. When you see something like that, you can’t unsee it. And you don’t want to.
Going to Uganda confirmed everything I already believed about Love One and then multiplied it. The need is real. The work is real. And the transformation happening there — in the children, and honestly in everyone who goes — is absolutely real.
Why I Keep Coming Back as a Love One Ambassador
Four years. Four retreats. And I would sign up for forty more without hesitation.
Being a Love One ambassador isn’t just a title — it’s an invitation to be part of something bigger than yourself. It’s joining a community of people who believe that love is an action, that faith without works is empty, and that God calls us to care for the vulnerable in practical, sacrificial ways.
Every retreat, I leave more full than when I arrived. More convicted. More grateful. More on fire for what God is doing in the world.
That’s not something I take lightly. And it’s not something I want to keep to myself.
How You Can Get Involved
If any part of this post stirred something in you, pay attention to that. It might just be the Holy Spirit doing what He does.
Here are a few ways you can be part of what Love One is doing:
Support the children directly: Give through my personal fundraiser and know that 100% of your donation goes toward caring for vulnerable children in Uganda. 👉 Donate here
Shop with purpose: Love One has a store where you can grab gear and give at the same time. Use code RACHELM for 10% off your order. 👉 Shop Love One
Learn more about the mission: Watch this video and see for yourself what Love One International is all about. 👉 Watch the mission video
Big Things Are Happening — Don’t Miss It
I don’t say this lightly: if you’ve been feeling called to give, to serve, to be part of something that is genuinely changing lives — Love One might be exactly where you’re supposed to be.
God is moving here. The numbers prove it. The stories prove it. The blizzard baptisms at 10pm definitely prove it.
I am beyond grateful to be a small part of what He is doing through this organization. And I would love nothing more than to have you join me.
Because big, mind-blowing, life-changing things are happening here — and you don’t want to miss it. 💖
Have questions about Love One or the retreat? Drop them in the comments below — I’d love to connect with you!
