18 Inch Journey:
Young Adult Retreat

Dates: November 6th - 8th, 2026
Ages: 18 - 24
Price: $500
Applications Open: July 2nd-16th 2026

Vision

Our desire is to inspire and empower you to stay with Jesus in every season. Life is happening fast–it is both heartbreaking and wonderful–and you get a say in how you respond to your experiences. The 18 Inch Journey: Young Adult Retreat is a weekend set apart for you to encounter the love of God and learn how to connect with Him in your everyday life. In an age where many voices are competing for your attention, we are hosting a weekend where you can get away to focus on connection with the Lord and experience the camaraderie of being around other passionate believers your age. God cares about your story. You are worth connection and encouragement.

What To Expect

This retreat is set apart for:

• A weekend to step out of the noise of the world and slow down

• Powerful times of worship and encounter in the presence of the Lord

• Learning to hear and journal the voice of the Lord for yourself

• Interactive teaching sessions and creative collectives with the Cageless Birds staff

• Intentional evenings around the fire, connecting with like-hearted believers your age

• Connection around the table and eating thoughtfully prepared meals

A Place For the Heart

Facilities, Lodging, and Meals

This Young Adults’ Retreat is hosted on our beautiful 52 acres of land called A Place for the Heart. The cost of this retreat includes all food and lodging. Our campus, located in the foothills of North Carolina, was designed for coming away from the noise of the world and hearing the voice of the Father. This is where we host the 18 Inch Journey and live and work year round. Our campus includes a farmhouse for cooking and fellowship, studios for our leather, pottery, and music, a coffee roasterie, garden, art barn, cabins nestled under the trees, dance & fitness studio, pickleball court, and more. Our grounds were made to be a resting place where communion with the Trinity, creative inspiration, and belonging around the table are everyday rhythms.

You will stay in quality cabins tucked in the woods. The women's cabins have a ground floor and a loft with a bathroom located inside the cabin. Each cabin sleeps nine to ten. The men’s cabins sleep four to six per room and have a short walk to the bathrooms.

All linens and towels will be provided in your cabin.

As a community and ministry, we have a high value for relational connection and gathering around the table. With a seasonally curated menu, all meals will be excellently prepared and served by our kitchen and hospitality team. All meals will be provided from Friday evening through Sunday morning.

Transportation

Attendees are responsible for their own transportation to and from the retreat.

Shuttle Service:

We will provide one complimentary shuttle service run for pick-up and drop-off in Greensboro, NC at Piedmont Triad International Airport (PTI). If you are accepted to this retreat, we will be in touch about transportation. If you’d like to use our shuttle service, there will be space to indicate this at that time.

Airport Information:

Piedmont Triad International Airport - 40 minute drive
Raleigh Durham International Airport - 1 hour 45 minute drive
Charlotte Douglas International Airport - 1 hour 45 minute drive

Location

A Place for The Heart
4228 Beckerdite rd.
Sophia, NC 27350

Application Process

Due to the limited size of our 18 Inch Journey Young Adult Retreat, we will be implementing a lottery-based system for our application process. Our application will be open from July 2nd - 16th, 2026. During this time, any young adult within our age range is welcome to apply for our retreat. Our desire is that applicants could take their time filling out the application as it is not first come first serve. There will not be a cap on how many applications can be submitted during this window of time. Once this application period is closed, we will not be accepting any additional applications for our waitlist or roster.

After the application closes, we will begin our lottery-based selection process, and we will be in contact with every person who applied. We will be selecting retreat guests for both our roster and our waiting list for this year’s retreat. If you are not selected from the lottery, we will be in touch via email letting you know.

While we aim to accommodate as many guests as possible, we have a very limited number of spaces available and feel that a lottery-based process is the best way for us to consider applicants for this year’s retreat. If you have any questions, please reach out to us using the contact link at the bottom of this page.

FAQ’s

Why an application?

It is our desire to get to know our retreat applicants. The application process empowers us to hear more of your story and why you want to come to this retreat. We are looking for applicants who are hungry to take a risk, step beyond the normal of their everyday life, and experience the heart of the Lord in a fresh way.

Can I attend if I’m married?

Yes! This retreat allows for both single and married individuals to apply. Please note, we do not have accommodations for married couples to stay together on our campus. In the event that both you and your spouse attend this retreat, you will be staying in separate male and female cabins.

What if I need to cancel?

You may cancel your registration to receive a full refund up to 3 weeks prior to the date of the event. In the event that you cancel your registration less than 3 weeks prior to the date of the event, you will forfeit 50% of the entire registration fee. Regardless of when you cancel your registration, your registration is not transferable to another event, date, or person.

Are there resources for me if I cannot attend?

If you would like to explore more of our resources and learn some of the tools we teach in our schools and retreats, you can explore our Online Workshops, listen to the Jonathan and Melissa Helser Podcast, or purchase one of our Devotional Books on our online shop.