The Transformative Power Of A Silent Retreat With Ana Megrelishvili – Tommy Thompson

 

Ana Megrelishvili went through a troubled childhood: her family was poor and in disarray, and her own father sexually abused her. Nevertheless, she did not let trauma shape her identity, and she eventually found healing and peace after going on a silent retreat. In this episode, Ana joins Tommy Thompson to share how she immigrated to the United States, overcame her resentment of God, and is now changing the lives of many after fully understanding her purpose in life. She talks about the origins of her non-profit Christian Professionals Network Worldwide and how they are addressing the worsening state of homelessness in the country.

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The Transformative Power Of A Silent Retreat With Ana Megrelishvili

Welcome back to another episode. We’re in store for an amazing story and one that is not only going to be an inspiring story to know, but one that is going to have some incredible takeaways for all of us that are reading. My special guest is Ana Megrelishvili. Ana and I has just been getting to know one another. I was introduced to her amazing story and the things that she’s doing through a connection service that we both go through. I’m excited to hear on your story. Welcome to the show. I want you to say hi first then I’ll tell people about you.

Tommy, thank you so much for having me on your show. I cannot wait to share my story with your readers.

We talked for a little bit before we started and felt a real immediate kindred spirit in terms of why we’re doing this and our heart to hopefully be able to help people and particularly, you have a real message for space for life so there’s a real connection with that. Ana is the Founder of Christian Professionals Network and the Author of Finding Courage to Change.

Rediscovering God And Becoming An Exchange Student

Her story is amazing going back to a childhood in Moscow and quite a difficult story that we’ll know a lot about and not coming from a vague background. It’s coming from a very different background. I’m excited to know about all of that. As you came to a place of faith, this experience of how silent retreats have influenced your path and your walk with God, so that’s a place that is new to so many of us and yet, has such potential to be life-changing. I’m so excited to know about that. Ana, I love to have you tell you a story to begin with.

A lot of people who know me now and know what I do are very surprised when they hear where I come from and what background I come from. All the pain and all the suffering that we go through are meant there to teach us a lesson and to make a stronger. This time, I don’t want my pain to be purposeless. I want it to bring light and encouragement to others, so I am thrilled to share my story with you. As you said, it’s started in Eastern Europe.

 

 

My family originally is from Georgia, the country, but I lived as an immigrant in Moscow, Russia, for over ten years when I was a child. That was very difficult culturally because as an immigrant, you’re very isolated. We were not accepted into the culture back in the ‘90s. Russia was going through this big war with Chechnya. Anybody who looked like they are from the Caucus Region with dark hair and dark eyes would always be targeted.

I felt very unsafe at all times. People spit on me and called me names. It was part of everyday life. Externally, it was very challenging living in Moscow. There was another war going on. My father was a raging alcoholic and very abusive to me and my mother. He would go on binges where he would leave us destitute with no money and hungry for days at a time. At a very young age, I had to start going out and collecting bottles from garbage to go and take it to recycling plant to get some money and buy a loaf of bread for my mom, me and my little brother to eat.

As you can imagine, I carried a lot of shame because I always felt like, “I wish my classmates would not see me when I am digging in the garbage.” I was hungry. I’ve stolen food from my classmates out of desperation and things that you not proud of when you’re growing up. I’ve stolen food from gardens based on my mother’s instructions. It’s just been difficult. My father was abusing me sexually since at the age eight. I carried a lot of darkness and shame for many years.

When you grow up like that, not only I didn’t believe in God. I was angry with God. My thought process was, “If God exists and he allows for all those horrible things to happen to me as a child, I want nothing to do with this God.” I refused the whole notion that there is this loving God out there somewhere in the sky watching over us. I didn’t believe in that. I never went to church and prayed. The culture in Eastern Europe is Orthodox Christianity.

When you ask a lot of people, are you Christian? They will say yes, but what that means, it’s cultural Christianity when they just go to church to bless, let’s say eggs that they prepare for Easter without understanding what it means. My family was like that, too. They would do certain traditions without understanding what it meant. I never knew who Jesus was or what he did, or why we’re called Christians. None of it.

It’s interesting because there’s a version, I’m sure you’re aware of, that in the United States, too. People will have a very loose connection to a church and they would identify themselves as Christian, but it doesn’t make any difference. It doesn’t inform their lives to any degree. Not meaning that judgmentally at all because that that was my growing up, too. It was in Episcopalian Church. Twice a year, we were going to church. I would have identified myself as a Christian.

Counter to your situation, I did believe in God, but I didn’t have any substance behind it. I don’t think there are many people, my guess, even many people that read this show that can relate to the level. of trauma and difficulty that you had growing up. I’ve rarely heard a story, that destitute. I can’t even begin to imagine how.

If I started going into some of the stories, it’s crazy what I have gone through. To the point where you would think that it’s some movie that’s happening. When I summarize my family, you can summarize it by saying, every single one of the ten commandments have been broken in my family, including murder. Every single one. That gives you a perspective of how my family has been for generation after generation. That’s what I talk about in my book, how history repeats itself when there’s that pattern of trauma that just gets passed on from father to daughter to so on.

Again, resented idea of God was very angry. I want to share one story, even though I had this resentment feeling, God has played a significant role in my life when I was 12 or 13. I didn’t realize that it was God until now that I know him, but I bring this as an example. Even if we hate and resent and reject God, he’s still loves us and is there for us even when we don’t realize. What happened was when I was twelve, my family finally moved back from Russia to Georgia.

The reason why was we were on the verge of becoming homeless. We haven’t paid rent in months. The landlord was threatening to evict us. Finally, my grandmother had to sell all of her golden jewelry to be able to afford to buy us train ticket to come back to Georgia, because she had a one-bedroom apartment that we were able to live in, so we moved back. I started going to new school. I don’t have a lot of memories from my childhood. It’s a common trauma response for people who experience traumatic childhood.

This particular memory is so vivid that I can still remember everything. At this moment, I was outside my school. It was a break in between classes and suddenly, it seemed like everything quieted down. Almost like the world was in slow motion. There was this voice that said, “You are meant for more than this life.” That was the message. Back then, I thought it was me talking to myself saying like, “I meant for more than this life,” but think about logically. I was growing up in an environment where I felt like I was nothing.

I was always told that my future is to be somebody’s wife and mother. I would not amount for anything. As 12 or 13-year-old, why would I have this message that would suddenly pop like I’m meant for more than this life? That’s just not logical. Second, if I were talking about myself, I would have said, “I am meant for more than this life,” but the message was, “You are meant for more than this life.” Clearly, that was the first time God has spoken without me even realizing it was him.

Even if we hate, resent, and reject God, He is always there for us even when we do not realize it. Share on X

That moment transformed my life. There was this shift that happened within me that I suddenly felt, I am meant for more than this live. I’m going to do whatever it takes to get out of my circumstances and have a better life. At that point, what that meant for me, was wealth acquisition. I was like, “I’m never going to be hungry again. I’m never going to suffer. I’m going to get away as far as I can from my family.” That was the only thought process.

I started investing in my education. I took any opportunity to go on additional school Olympics for different mathematics or chess or whatever it was. When I was fifteen, there was this competition that if you won, you got to go to the United States as an exchange student for a whole year. I was going through this process by myself without telling my parents because I knew they would not allow me to continue, then I got to the finals, where at that point, I had to get my family involve because I was a minor and they had to sign off on things.

At fifteen, I was smart enough to know the only way my father would let me go if we played on his ego. I first spoke with my grandmother and my mother. I told them how we needed to play this, and they approached him. The way they provided this information was, “Imagine how people would react that your daughter is going to the United States. They will think you’re such an amazing father and you are paying for this.” We played my father at a young age but it worked.

You’re very smart, too.

Looking back, this was very manipulative at fifteen to be able to mastermind this whole thing with my family but I did it. I came to the US and God places me with this amazing Christian family. This is my first example ever of being a healthy family where there’s love, respect, and women has a voice in the family. I was like, “This is amazing.” I see how in the US, there’s so much opportunity. As a woman, you can be whatever you want and achieve whatever you want. I said, “I have to do whatever it takes to come back.”

Where were you in the US?

I was in Denver, Colorado.

What a beautiful place.

It’s amazing. My family was incredible. They were much older. They were close to retirement age. I was there thirteenth exchange student. They showed me so much of the US. It’s been an phenomenal experience. I was sobbing when I was returning back to Georgia. I did not want to leave.

Did you tell them? Did they come to know your story of where you of your life?

No. It’s very common when people who experienced child sexual abuse, they bury that secret on average between 20 to 25 years from the time it happened before they’re able to vocally say that has happened to them. I was no different. I was already in my twenties when for the first time was able to tell somebody that has happened to me. At that point, nobody knew I was carrying all of that secret by myself without cheering with anybody.

They didn’t know even the other levels of dysfunction within your family. They didn’t know that much. You just came over as a blank slate for them.

Yes, I did. Later on, my host mother told me that she had suspicion that I’ve gone through some abuse but they never pride and asked me anything that I didn’t want to share. They knew my father was an alcoholic. At that point, the mentality in my culture was, “You don’t take things out of family,” so you don’t share anything that happens within your family. It’s just culturally acceptable, so I didn’t share with anybody what’s been going on.

Most people who experienced child sexual abuse bury that secret on average between 20 to 25 years from the time it happened before they can vocally talk about it. Share on X

Getting A College Scholarship

You made this family. You’re exposed to a radically different world of not only the United States, but a loving, supportive, and kind family. What was next?

Imagine, this is the first time I’m seeing what the family is supposed to look like because all examples around me was also dysfunctional family one way or another. I’ve never seen anything different. In my young mind, it was the place to be. I t was like the end of milk and honey. I had to come back no matter what. Based on my visa requirement, I had to leave and I was not allowed to come back to the US for two years.

I went back to Georgia and I went to a university there for two years, but I always knew I wanted to come back. When my visa requirement was done, I applied to only one college which I knew if I got in, would pay 100% of my tuition, my room, and board which was the only way I could afford to come to the United States. By God’s will, I got in. That’s how immigrated into the US back into 2008 on my own because I got scholarship to go to college.

It’s called Berea College, and it’s a small liberal arts college in Kentucky. This is an interesting thing. I get matched with the second host family. This time, I’m not necessarily living with them but they become my adopted family in the US. My host father was a Baptist pastor at a Baptist Church and my host mother worked for international mission board. They also gently always try to introduce me to Jesus. I’ve gone to church with them a couple of times, but I was not receptive to any idea of being religious. I was very hurt by that God and I was like, “No.”

They have been the family who prayed for me for over ten years to find Jesus. It was interesting because once I did, my host mother said, “I was losing hope that our prayers would ever be answered because you lived this lavish life.” I had this beautiful career that I made a lot of money in. I traveled the world, had fun, and she’s like, “Why would she have relieved this?” There’s a reason why God placed us together. Not just for me to receive their prayers, but for them to see an example that sometimes prayers take ten years, but they do get answered.

That is such a such an important message. It’s important one for me to hear because we do easily lose hope for those situations that from all external perspective don’t seem like they will never change. Whether it’s with one of our own children or someone that we’re praying for that is sick. There’s so many situations like that. In our own understanding, we can’t understand why the prayers take so long and yet yours is an example. We called to persevere and we may not ever know why it takes so long. That’s amazing.

Hearing A Direct Message From God

God’s timing is his timing. His ways are not our ways. After I graduated college, I went and got my MBA, then I just started my career in sales because for me, wealth acquisition was my God. I knew I wanted to make a lot of money. My dream was to buy a beautiful condo in the big city. That was how I wanted my American dream. I did that for years. I was climbing the corporate ladder. I’ve traveled 44 States and over 20 countries with work. I was living my dream at that point.

I accomplished my dream of purchasing my condo in March of 2020. I purchased it in Atlanta, Georgia, and I spent thousands of dollars renovating it because I wanted it to be perfect. I move in in my beautifully renovated condo and a month goes by, I’m sitting on my couch drinking coffee and this thought comes through, “Now what?” I understood that I’ve worked so hard to achieve this dream that I thought is going to make me happy, and it only made me happy for 30 days. Now, I’m again back to feeling this, “Something is missing,” which, at that point, I didn’t know it was God who was missing.

This gap I was trying to fill with experiences, being busy, traveling, and buying things, I was like, “This is on sustainable. If I just own my life and work hard for years at a time to buy the next big thing only to feel fulfilled for 30 days then feel the same gap again. I can’t do that. This is non-sustainable,” then COVID hit. We finally have all this free time, so I decided I’m going to start going to hypnotherapy. I’ve done a lot of therapy throughout my years, which was amazing to heal my past but I wanted to do something even further.

I had a lot of suppressed anger toward my father that I didn’t realize I had until I started going to hypnotherapy. That helped a lot with the healing process. One experience that I’ve had is, I had almost an encounter something that I knew was beyond me. At that point, it wasn’t like clearly God or anything. I was like, “Do something.” That opened up something in my mind. A few months go by, and then October of 2020, I suddenly get awoken in the middle of the night and it’s 3:00 AM and I’m like wide awake, which is super unusual. I usually sleep through the night. I’ve never prayed in my life, but that night, I feel compelled to pray.

I don’t know how to pray at that point, so I just said something like, “God, if you exist why do I feel this way? Why do I feel like something is missing? What’s my purpose in this life?” Suddenly, I hear an audible voice. Not inside of me but outside of me. There’s this voice that speaks and says, “Go to the store. Prepare food and feed the hungry.” That’s it. That’s the message. I’m freaking out like pinching myself, like, “Am I sleeping?” No, I’m awake. This happened. Somehow, I forced myself to go to sleep and said, “I’m going to just think about this in the morning.”

I go to sleep and the next morning I wake up, I know in my gut something has happened. I called into work and I tell them, “I need to personal day. I can’t come in.” I go to the store and buy up supplies. I come home and prepared 24 bags of lunches. I pack them up in my car and at that point, I know that I’ve seen a lot of homeless in the downtown area of Atlanta, so, I just drive there. Every time I would see somebody in the street, I would stop. I say, “I have lunch. Would you like some lunch?” I started giving them out.

About an hour goes by, suddenly I come across a whole group of homeless hanging out together. I parked my car and counted them. I count the bags I have left and I have exact number left. I was like, “That’s weird.” I get this whole big bag and walked over there. I said, “I made some lunches.” I gave them all the lunches out. I was like, “I’m done for the day. I fulfilled what I was asked to do.” I was about to get in the car and suddenly one of the homeless ladies calls me. She says, “Honey, come over here.”

 

 

I woke up over there. She looks at me and says, “I have a gift for you.” I was like, “Okay.” She looks in her big bag of all of her belongings and finally, she pulled out this little bird made of clay. She hands it to me with a smile. I take it and it’s a sparrow. On its chest, it was written, “Now, in God’s hands.” That moment, I burst into tears. I feel like something struck my heart. I was embarrassed and got in my car. I’m sobbing. The only message in my head is, “God is real.” I get home and I order my Bible online from Amazon.

I’ve never heard a story like this. He gave you this voice. You don’t even have a relationship with God, but you hear this voice. You don’t even know what you did. You just do it.

I don’t know if ever experienced something that’s supernatural in your life, but when it happens, it’s so undeniable that you have to figure it out. I don’t know how people experience it then rejected. God knows how he needs to approach different people. I was so hardened by life that he had to do something that drastic to snap me out of it so that I would follow it and be like, “I have to figure this out.” At that point, and I’m still am, a very logical person. I consider myself highly intellectual, then suddenly something like this happens and you’re like, “No, this happened. I am not crazy. I have not made it up, so I have to see what happens with this.”

At some point, you’ll have to go back a few episodes because for the first time I shared my story and testimony which had an experience back when I was in eighth grade. That was as wild, crazy, and supernatural as what you described. Certainly, my life prior to that was not in the slightest what you’ve experienced, but it was God reaching down in an unexpected supernatural way to say.

I could almost describe it with the exact same feeling, “God is real.” It’s unmistakably that experience. It is unbelievable when you hit the point that becomes undeniable to you. At the same time, with your story and even with mine, he cares enough to interrupt and to step in in that personal away is unbelievable. It’s a beautiful story.

I had to hit at that point in my life where I had to start realizing there has to be something more to life than working and buying more things. That’s when He intervened, because probably before that moment, maybe I would not have been so receptive. He found that gap and He filled it at the right time.

That was only a few years ago.

Going On Silent Retreats And Writing A Book

This was in October of 2020. It’s been incredible. I’ll get back to the store. There’s a reason why He helped me find salvation through a homeless woman, so we’ll get back to that. Let’s put a pin on that one because there’s a beautiful craftsmanship with the story. After this whole encounter, I bought my first Bible. I started reading it, then I just googled the church and started going to church based on google reviews. I started studying, and then a little less than a year later, I was baptized. I drove back to Kentucky and my host father was the one who baptized me.

It was a very emotional baptism for both of us in front of his church. We shared the story, how I was part of their family for over ten years and he was the one who finally baptized me. We were both crying. It was very powerful. I just was so grateful that it was him who did it. That entire time, since I had the counter with the homeless women and through me realizing what it meant to follow Jesus and baptism. I had this growing feeling of dissatisfaction with my life. I felt like I had to use my talents for something different than just sales. I felt like It’s pointless.

What I’m doing makes a lot of money, but I’m not helping.  I started thinking about taking sabbatical, but I was planning it to do months later down the road. That unhappiness was growing and growing and then an unexpected thing happened. This was in January 31st of 2022. I woke up and my phone is blown up of messages and calls. My family back in Eastern Europe ends up being a national news. I open up and my 82-year-old grandfather stabbed his own son 30 times with the knife in his sleep. That’s my uncle. In the news, I see my grandfather in handcuffs.

Prayers sometimes take ten years, but they do get answers. Share on X

I see crazy interviews of him telling the police how my uncle abused him. This was the culmination of my grandfather used to abuse his children and then abused became abuser. That’s how the culminated in this horrific accident. I kept thinking like, “What a life he must have been living that it was better to kill his own son and take this sin on your soul then continue living the way he did?” I couldn’t take it anymore. I went in and gave my two-weeks notice. I quit my job and I said, “Lord, I’m going to do whatever you want me to do.”

I put that fancy condo up for sale and said, “Lord, I’m willing to relocate anywhere. You take me where you want me to go.” I started by going to heal my relationship with Georgia, where I’m from because I felt like I can’t accept myself unless I accept where I’m from and reconnect with my culture. I did that and that was healing. I went to Israel, Jordan, and Palestine. I wanted to visit all the holy places. At that point, I visited like twelve different countries with friends and reconnected with friends.

Throughout the six months that I’m traveling, my condo gets under contract and then it folds at the closing table. The second time, the same thing. Finally, the third time, it falls, and this had three different buyers. At that point, I’m like, “Clearly, Lord, you want me back in Atlanta.” I pulled my condo off the sale and off the market and move back to Atlanta. At that point, I decided I want to go on a silent retreat. I go on my first silent retreat to a monastery in Kentucky. It’s five days. You’re in silence. There is no electronics and cell phone. Nobody can reach you. I am fasting, praying, and meditating. It’s this incredible experience.

How did you get the idea for a silent retreat?

My host father. That’s something that he has done. He shared his experience and this was the time for me to do something like this during my sabbatical. I fell in love with the practice first of all. Second, an incredible thing happened. I rolled my book in two days at that silent retreat. Finding courage to change came from that and it was very interesting. I was praying about like, “Lord, is this just the healing for me or is this something that needs to be published?” God spoke, “No, this needs to be seen by others.”

I said, “Lord, I know nothing about publishing. What am I supposed to do? Do I like to figure out how to publish myself? Do I send it to publishers?” The message was, “How about option C? You don’t need to do anything just tell people about it. I’m going to send you somebody who’s going to help you to publish it.” Literally months go by, I have a coffee with a business acquaintances sharing this story and she says, “We’re going to this networking event. I’m going to introduce you to my friend. She helped me publish my book. She can help you because that’s what she does.”

Sure enough, I didn’t have to do anything. A person came to me. An amazing experience and very inexpensively, I was able to publish my book without doing any extra effort by listening to what God had to say. It’s amazing. The title of the book came from God. The cover came from the vision that God gave me. Everything just came. I know this is not a common experience for writing books, but it was incredible.

It’s the end of the year, so my sabbatical is coming to an end. It’s December of 2022. I go on another silent retreat to a different monastery. This time, the goal is specifically, “Lord, my sabbatical is coming to an end. I still don’t know what you want me to do. Tell me what you want me to do.” I’m praying and the whole time God is quiet. I don’t hear anything. Nothing. It’s the last day. My last prayer session before I go to sleep and the next day, I leave. I’m praying and I said, “Lord, I haven’t heard anything from you. I guess I’m going to go back to sales and wait on you and see what doors you open or closed.”

Suddenly, it feels like this wave or tsunami. I’ve talked to people who’ve experienced visions too, and they all describe it. It’s like this energy that’s very hard to describe that feels just hits you. Suddenly, I see this vision like a business plan almost. It’s like this picture. Imagine in the ‘70s when slideshows were shown and you changed the slide in the projector. That’s how it was. It’s like one picture and another picture. It was all about solving homelessness in the United States through this particular way.

I see this newspaper clippings that say, “This organization solves homelessness in the United States.” I see myself speaking in front of thousands of people, describing how it started and I pulled down on my knees sobbing again. I’m like, “God, how am I supposed to just know? I can’t do this. I’m nobody. I don’t know anybody. I don’t have power and money. I can’t do it. This is too much.” I’m sobbing. I go home the next day and I called my host father. I tell him about the vision.

Creating A Christian Community And Addressing Homelessness

I said, “What do you think?” He said, “Nothing about it tells me that this not come from God. This is very Godly. You’re supposed to do it and if God showed you, that means it’s a done deal. You have to start walking toward that direction.” I said, “Alright, if this was a five-year plan, how would I do it? I need to grow my Christian circle.” I’m an Atlanta, Georgia, and I’m googling Christian meetups and Christian networking organizations, and I couldn’t find anything that met consistently every month. I said, “I’m going to start my own.” I started Christian Professionals of Atlanta.

A lot of homeless people returned to homelessness within five years because they lacked Jesus as their foundation and the community to belong to. Share on X

I start the organization, and suddenly all this Christians come together. Business professionals who just want to meet other Christians and we meet every month. We focused on philanthropy. I featured it for a non-profit. We do a lot of volunteer work and so on. Throughout this entire time, I’m also studying homelessness because, trust me, if I were to pick a topic for me to serve, it would not have been homelessness. I knew nothing about it. I’m passionate about helping children.

This was truly something that God just put on me like, “You were supposed to do this.” I’m studying this and I’m learning that the number one reason why people become homeless is what’s called relational poverty. Relational poverty is lack of genuine connections in somebody’s life, then it’s starts clicking. I was like, “Okay, Lord.” I started looking at how shelters operate and they focus on the physical needs of the homeless, which is very important.

That piece of spiritual and the communities missed. A lot of homeless returned to homelessness in within five years, then it all started clicking, like, “Lord, I understand. They need Jesus as their foundation and they also need community.” We all do. The second year, I was getting ready to rebrand our organization as Christian Professionals of America because in my vision, I’ve seen this as the US wide organization.

I started to rebrand everything but then first request to start a new chapter came from Brazil. I said, “This is not supposed to be just America.” The rebrand happened, but the new name ends up being Christian professionals Network Worldwide. I’m getting ready to start new chapters, but then before I go and do something, I still go on silent retreats and see God’s wisdom. I go on a silent retreat and this time, God speaks and He says very poetically like it’s rhymed. He says, “Now is not the time to start the expansion. Now’s the time to start the foundation.” It’s like, “Really? Now? Okay, Lord.”

I go in and I start the foundation. Within a month, we have nonprofit status and within two weeks, we saved IRS approval, which is unheard of. If that was not God’s favor, I don’t know what is, so we started. Now, we had networking piece and the nonprofit piece. With the nonprofit piece, we have a mentorship program for the homeless. We pair Christian professionals with somebody who’s experiencing homelessness. We have partnered with existing organizations in Atlanta coming in and having that additional resource. We’ve proven this in Atlanta.

Our goal is basically start expanding the same thing in other cities and start growing in the United States. Let me get back to that story of how I came to know God. God has brought me to a homeless woman because my purpose in life is to help the homeless. The point is, somebody who are societies considered to be on the bottom of our societal pyramid who we often disregard. She saved my soul. In return, I’m doing all these work for God’s glory and to help. It would not have been possible if not for somebody who society considers to be a nobody.

We all are His children made in His image. He loves us and He does not want his children to be living under the bridge, forgotten, cold, and hungry. To me, this was this beautifully crafted story that He did. In the US, we love good stories. He crafted it just this way so that it all came together and this is what I do now full-time.

I love it. I think God loves good stories. I don’t know if anybody else has made this connection. Maybe I’m reaching in a huge way, but as you described your story of being in that silent retreat and God calling you to the homeless, then the slide show. It made me think of Joseph in the Exodus and how God gave him the vision, the ability to interpret Pharaoh’s vision but it was Joseph who put together the business plan.

It doesn’t say God told Joseph how to fix the problem. God gave him the you know ability to interpret the vision and then Joseph put together the business plan. It is like a business plan that saved people who was starving. The parallels, to me, jump off the page of God gave you the vision, but then you’ve been executing a business plan around that vision. It’s pretty amazing and it’s certainly astounding to me to think of what it sounds like you’ve accomplished in 2 or 3 years. That is amazing.

Going on a silent retreat has been shown by Jesus many times in the Bible. Christians need to experience it at least once in their lifetime if not every year. Share on X

I’ve never had anybody compared to that story, but thank you. That is beautiful. I often get compared to Saul on the Damascus Road because they had this resentment of God and had unexpected encounter, then now I am doing all this work for His kingdom. I’ve heard people compare my testimony of how I came to know God more of the Saul, but I’ve never thought from this perspective with Joseph and the business plan.

Why Christians Should Go On Silent Retreats

You ought to go back and look at that, because I just sense unbelievable parallels. You even think about Joseph’s life and being thrown in to slavery by his own family. Anyway, that just jumps off the page to me, but so amazing. What I also love and it fits so well with the show, you’re obviously a go-getter. You’re not afraid of doing and stepping out in incredibly bold ways and yet what has been foundational to you is this practice of silent retreats, which is so counterintuitive.

It sounds like to me too, you’re wiring as someone who is very successful in sales to go away and just be silent to listen. There is such a message to me for almost all of us. That even if silent retreats is intimidating, scary, and you don’t know what’s going to happen, and to be willing to step into that void to listen for God’s voice. That’s powerful. Not that you just did it once, but that you can continue to do this. It’s a powerful spiritual practice, and I couldn’t agree more. It’s been one I would not to put the label silent retreat on, but it’s been a huge practice in my life.

I have a doctored it. I have gone to on 7 or 8 retreats in the past. I go about every four months. This practice has been shown by Jesus many times in the Bible, so I do believe that, we, as Christians, needs to experience it at least once in our lifetime if not every year. I hear often people say, “I don’t have time for it.” I tell them is, “I don’t have time not to have it because the reason why I’m able to do things so fast.” I can go from A to B meandering and going in all kinds of ways and eventually getting there, but God allows me to bypass all this meandering and go more straight line toward what his vision is and His goal is.

While I go away for five days and I can’t work or do anything, I am working. It’s an active rest where I’m replenishing myself. I am seeking God’s voice and see what He wants me to do. Every retreat is completely different. I’ll give you an example. In my last retreat, I went specifically again to seek what He wants me to do next with the organization. I look at everything that I do, it’s His organization. I’m just here shepherding it. I’m just here to fulfill His vision.

In this particular retreat, He was quiet about anything in relation to the business or the nonprofit. What he spoke about was my character. He showed me something where I have heard my employer by living so unexpectedly. The story where I gave my two-week notice. He showed me how much I hurt that business by leaving so unexpectedly. Years later, I have reached out to the owner to apologize for my behavior. I was like, “I didn’t see how much I have hurt your business.” They deserved my apology for doing it because I disrupted it. It wasn’t the Christian like behavior.

I didn’t give them more advanced notice to hire. I just left, and there was some other things that he showed me where I need to grow my character as a leader. He focused on that rather than more permanent or more urgent things for me, which was business related. Every retreat, God is going to take you where he wants it to take it. You don’t know where it’s going to go. It’s not necessarily your agenda. It’s His agenda.

The thing I would want to add in a sense to what you’re saying that could be helpful for people is God meets us in my experience in very different unique personal ways. It sounds like and perhaps coming out of the depth of the trials and difficulties you’ve had. God has met you in a very direct unmistakable way many times in your life. It’s been my experience and for others, God communicates, but it’s more subtle. There’s a sense, a leaning. It’s more of a nudging than it is anything else. I would want to give people the permission to not enter into something like that with an expectation for the clouds to open and voices to thunder down that God does meet us in such personal individual ways. Yet at the same time, He calls us to the courage to step out.

You’re right. I’ll prove this by sharing an experience of what happened on my third retreat. When I went on my third retreat, the reason why I went and I didn’t realize it then. I was craving that big sign that God has given me the first two times that I’ve gone. When I went the third time, I didn’t get any anything. Nothing was coming. I was sitting in a prayer garden praying quietly sitting in meditating. Suddenly, there was this quiet voice that came in and said, “No more signs will be given to you. Now, your faith is strong enough where you need to seek my voice in quiet places.”

I was like, “You’re right, God. I came here because I was craving that signs and wonders that you have been given me.” Here’s the message that he gave me. The reason why he did it with me because my face was not strong. I need these signs to know that he’s real and to snap out of my previous life. In that moment, he said, “Now your faith is strong enough. No more signs will be given to you.”

That’s so interesting because it’s counterintuitive. We think that it’s because someone’s faith is strong God meets someone with such big ways. That’s such wisdom and it take courage to step into quiet.  I applaud your discipline in making this regular practice of it. This is something that I’ve encouraged to a lot of business people to do even outside of the spiritual realm. We all need space in our lives.

 

 

Where And How To Start Going On Silent Retreats

It’s out of the space that clarity and focus happen. Even just from a personal growth or a business standpoint or related to your family, but certainly, in relationship to God, this practice of stepping out. My brother calls it getting off the freeway. It’s such a powerful practice. Thank you for sharing that. There’s so much more we could talk about and I want to make sure that people have a way of connecting with you. If you could give one or two practical tips for someone who’s never considered the possibility of doing a silent retreat. You could say, “Here’s just a couple. This is a starting point. Here’s what I would suggest for you.” What would you offer to someone?

First of all, do not do it at your home because the whole point is to get outside of your normal routine because even if you decide, “I’m not going to watch TV or be disconnected.” You’ll still find things to do around the house, so do not do it. Know that you don’t have to be a Christian to do silent retreat. Nor do you have to participate if you go to a Catholic monastery or Jesuit monastery. They do not require you to participate in their services. It can be completely self-guided.

It doesn’t matter in what state you are located. You can just Google monasteries around me and you’ll be surprised. I was shocked to find out how many there are in every single state. Many of them operate on donation basis. You basically pay what you can afford and they provide you with your own room, bathroom and a pre-made meals three times a day that you can take in silence. It becomes very easy because you don’t have to worry about cooking or anything.

You shut everything off and it’s just you and God and commune with him once you establish your practice. I have done it where I rented a place at the beach because beach is my happy place. I precooked all my meals and turned off my phone. It was a beautiful experience for me. I didn’t want to come back. I would only advise for you to do it on your own at a different place. Once you experience more structured place where you can go because a lot of them will do lectures at the beginning when you check in to help you understanding what the practice is. You can attend it or chose not to, but it’s helpful.

That’s great. I wanted to encourage everybody who’s reading to move in this direction. Another possibility that I’ve encouraged some people to do is to break it down into a little bit more of baby steps bite-size that you can choose to just say, “I’m going to go away.” Even start a half a day. Go away someplace. As you go away, make sure everything’s turned off and spend that time. Even that, it’s such a powerful step in the right direction.

This is so helpful. You’re doing some beautiful work. I can’t wait. We’ll have to have you back on at some point down the road. Maybe a year when you’ve changed the world. It’s amazing story. Thank you so much for sharing I, Ana. I’d love to leave people with how they can be connected with Christian Professionals Network and with you.

All the information is on our website, including our organization, our foundation, and my book. If you go to CPNWorldwide.com, that’s the best way to connect and stay in touch with us.

Ana, this has been a joy and a privilege to talk to you. Thank you for just sharing your heart and for being so open with your life to change. Listening is one thing. A bang after you listen is another thing. I’m encouraged and inspired by your story. For those still with us in this show, this is an amazing story that needs a lot of people to know. I hope that you will be encouraged to share this episode with other people. Ana, bless you for all of the good work that you’re doing and for being part of Space for Life and for God connecting us. It’s been just a joy to be with you.

Thank you so much. It’s been such a pleasure.

Thank you, everybody, for reading. We will be back with another episode. God bless you all. Thank you. Bye-bye.

 

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About Ana Megrelishvili

Founder, Christian Professionals Network Worldwide (CPNW) | Author | Speaker | Community Leader

Ana Megrelishvili is the visionary founder of the Christian Professionals Network Worldwide (CPNW) in Atlanta, Georgia, a dynamic platform that bridges professional growth with purpose-driven impact. Passionate about fostering positive change, Ana leads CPNW with a unique approach that blends business relationships with Christian values, igniting a global movement for community transformation.

As a mission-driven leader, Ana ensures that CPNW serves as a collaborative hub, uniting leaders to advance societal betterment through actionable initiatives. Her commitment to community engagement is evident in CPNW’s monthly networking events, which not only foster professional connections but also highlight local non-profits, providing them with a platform to inspire and offer hope to others.

In addition to her work at CPNW, Ana serves on the board of Gift-Wrapping Stars for Children and chairs the Saprea gala committee, where she applies her leadership and expertise to uplift vulnerable communities and support those in need.

A best-selling author, Ana shares her personal journey of resilience and healing in her book, Finding Courage to Change, and co-authored Powerful Female Immigrants: Volume 3, where she chronicles her inspiring journey from Georgia to the United States. Ana’s work as a co-author in Success Redefined, with renowned author Jack Canfield, earned her recognition as an Amazon Best-Selling Author.

Ana’s journey is a powerful testament to the transformative power of faith, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to making a lasting impact on the world.