by: Derren & Andrea Izdepski, WCI Couple, Arcadia, WI
We are Derren, Andrea, and Owen Izdepski. Derren is a Consumer Safety Inspector (CSI) for the United States Department of Agriculture and Andrea is a Kindergarten teacher at Arcadia Elementary School in Arcadia, WI. Owen is our 5 month old miracle baby. Derren and Andrea both grew up on family dairy farms. Derren grew up in Conrath, WI and attended Flambeau High School, and Andrea in Arcadia, WI. We have been married for 8 years, have one beautiful baby boy, Owen, and reside in Mondovi, WI.
What We Expected Going Into the Retreat
In February 2025, we attended the married couples retreat in Winona, MN. We had never been to a retreat before, but we were open-minded about attending. We are fortunate to be in a married couples group with Peter and Theresa Martin, so as the keynotes, they encouraged us to attend. We are so happy we did! For the first retreat, we truly did not know what to expect. We came hopeful and open-minded, praying that the Lord would speak to us, draw us closer to Him, and strengthen our marriage. We trusted that He had something for us—even if we didn’t know exactly what that would be.
What We Experienced
Our experience was nothing short of wonderful. We are not naturally outgoing people in settings like this. Derren is an introvert, and I can take some time to come out of my shell when I’m not fully comfortable. Yet despite that, this retreat deeply touched our hearts forever. The most memorable moment for us was the activity during Adoration—praying together in church using the four guiding questions. The question that especially captured us was: “What does God want for your marriage?” As we prayed, Andrea received a vivid image of Derren walking through the sliding glass door of their home carrying a baby in a car seat. It felt so real and so powerful, but was also painful. Let me explain why.
As I stated earlier, we have been married for eight years. At the point of the retreat, we had been trying to have children for seven years. We experienced one non-viable pregnancy during the summer of 2021 and spent significant time and money with fertility specialists and treatments over those seven years, yet no one could explain why we could not conceive. Seeing that image of Derren carrying a baby into our home unsettled me. I found myself wrestling internally with God. I didn’t want to imagine what I wanted oh, so badly—I wanted to see what He wanted for us.
When Derren and I shared our responses with one another, he too did not understand why I would have had that vision from the Lord, but assured me there had to be a meaning. After the completion of adoration and late into the evening, I still felt deeply unsettled about what I had experienced. The next day I shared my “vision” with Peter. In his wisdom, he said something that gave me chills: “Sometimes what we want for ourselves is what God wants for us. Maybe what you were seeing wasn’t your mind pushing your desires, but God revealing His desire for you.”
Even after hearing that, I was still confused. We had prayed faithfully for a family for years and yet we couldn’t conceive. We had looked into adoption, but did not feel we could afford it. After years of contemplation, we had decided to begin the process of becoming approved for foster care. I wondered if the image was connected to that path instead.
Little did we know—God did, in fact, have a plan. Just one month later, we found out our little miracle was on the way.
What God Has Done in Our Lives and Marriage
There truly are no words to describe the profound impact God has had on our lives and our marriage since joining a married couples group, meeting Peter and Theresa Martin, and attending the married couples retreat. Being part of a married couples group with Peter, Theresa, Ian, Kayla, Tom, and Diane has given us the faith-centered community we didn’t even realize we were missing. It has strengthened our marriage tenfold. The weekly reset helps ground us in our faith and our marriage. The weekly sharing of the high, low, and God moments allow us to reflect on our week as a couple and share with one another things we may have missed or allow us to celebrate and relive those highs and God moments again. It also has been a fantastic opportunity for us to listen to other couples and hear about their high, low, and God moments to know we are not in this alone. The struggles others have are the same struggles we have. It is a non-judgmental, safe place to be open and honest with the group, each other, and ourselves. It has opened both of our hearts up to each other and the Lord more than we ever imagined.
At these married couples retreats, you will be asked to dialogue intentionally with your spouse. I encourage you to embrace those moments wholeheartedly. These guided conversations have become such a gift in our marriage. They’ve helped us navigate difficult topics, go deeper into each other’s hearts, and better understand who we are individually and how we can continue growing together as one. This, too, is something we enjoy participating in during our married couples group weekly challenges.
A Final Encouragement
If we could offer just one piece of advice for this weekend, it would be this: keep your hearts open. Whether you are newlyweds or have been married for 50 years, God is powerful. You will get out of this retreat what you are willing to put into it. No matter what your hopes or goals are, no dream is too big for Him. God desires to bless your marriage.
And for those of you who are hunters… remember, February retreat babies tend to be born around Wisconsin deer hunting opener.