BROOKSVILLE — The long, narrow stretch of road in Noxubee County, known as Dwelling Place Road, is flanked on either side by miles of farmland.
Massive, sprawling fields and irrigation equipment offer the only view for a stretch. But suddenly, the view is broken up by a small, 17 acre stretch of lightly wooded area. In it, one sees a collection of buildings. From the road, it might seem to be a camp or something of the sort.
Closer inspection reveals it to be The Dwelling Place, a prayer retreat that began around 50 years ago.
“This was begun nearly 50 years ago by two Trappist Monks and their desire was to have a place where they could train young monks to send them out into the communities, and that never did really catch on,” said Wayne Carter who, along with his wife Joy, run the establishment now. “So, two nuns became involved in the process and they took over. They were here for at least 30 years and became in poor health, so they decided that they were not going to be able to take care of it any longer. They tried to give it back to the diocese, and the diocese didn’t want it. They talked to the Golden Triangle Baptist Association, and it was a little more than they wanted to tackle. So, Dickie Bryan, who has the Mission there in West Point, said that he would take it.”
The Carters’ journey took them out of Mississippi only to draw them right back in.
After working years in the ministry, the two retired from Picayune and moved to a small farm in Iowa, near their granddaughter. A chance phone call changed everything though. Members of The Mission’s board knew the Carters and thought they would be perfect to take over operation of The Dwelling Place.
“We were at a point that Wayne felt like he was beginning to dry up on the vine,” Joy said. “Churches up there are not as receptive to outsiders, they are more family-oriented. … When they called us to come down here and look the place over, we came with the opinion that we were not going to move because we had worked so hard on that little piece of property and we had brought the farm back to life with animals and a garden and everything.”
One trip to The Dwelling Place changed the couple’s attitude though.
“When we got down here and we saw the place, it was very calming, and on the way home, God said, ‘You’re going to move,’” Joy added. “You have to do what God tells you to. So I started packing.”
The retreat had seen better days, and the two made it their mission to revitalize the property.
They have remodeled several of the buildings, and are actively working toward a building plan.
“We’re starting a building program and we are hoping to build a multipurpose building that will have dorms on both sides of the main room, which can be used as conference or dining and a commercial kitchen on the back,” Joy said. “That’s what we’re hoping to do, but that will be a few years down the road because we’ll have to get a campaign going so we can earn the money to do that. We’d also like to add a pavilion so we could have outdoor activities.”
Regardless of expansion plans, the Carters are keeping helping people, the retreat’s main purpose, at the forefront of their efforts.
The retreat is available for private getaways and such, but it is also available for church training and other church enrichment activities.
“The main thing that we want to do is provide a place of ministry,” Wayne said. “After the nuns took it over, it was a prayer retreat, and we intend to keep it as that plus having conferences for church leadership.”
The facility can sleep 20 people, making it a destination for family gatherings as well.
There are a set of rules: no drinking, smoking or drugs. Joy said as long as those are followed, there aren’t any problems.
There is also kitchen and dining space as well as a fire pit for roasting marshmallows and sitting around the campfire.
Aside from the amenities, there is a ¾ mile walking path with the “Stations of the Cross” along it.
“Each station, of which there are 16, are different points of Christ going to the cross and rising,” Joy said.
Expanding the retreat
When the Carters took over, the retreat had the capability to sleep 10 people. A twist of fate offered what they interpreted as divine advice though.
A group home from Louisiana, which was displaced during Hurricane Ida in 2021, found its way to The Dwelling Place. The problem was the facility only slept 10.
“At 2 a.m., we had 21 people converge on this place, and that was when we only had 10 beds,” Joy said. “We had them everywhere. They were in recliners and on the floor, everywhere. That’s when God told us, ‘You’ve got to have more space.’”
From there, the expansion to 20 rooms happened, and the eventual goal is to expand further, allowing the retreat to accommodate up to 50 people.
“Some months we have no one, and some months we are just booked,” Joy said. “So, until we’re just totally booked all the time, we won’t be able to get into a building program.”
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