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Individual Focused EncountersOne-on-one counselling and support for ministry
couples or individuals in immediate crisis, requiring
focused attention on a specific area of concern, or
proactive/preventative maintenance
Book Now
To arrange an Individual Focus Encounter, please contact Bob Armstrong. Encounters can often be arranged within a 2 week period.
Phone (604.832.6792)
or Email
[email protected]
GET HELP NOW
When ministry couples or individuals are in immediate crisis, require focused attention on a specific area of concern, or desire proactive/preventative maintenance promoting ministry longevity, an Oasis Individual Focused Encounter provides 20 hours of one-on-one counselling and support when its needed most. Enjoy a safe and comfortable setting away from home and ministry for this four-day encounter. Each morning, issues and concerns will be addressed and processed by our professional ministry and counselling staff. Afternoons and evenings after 7 pm. will afford personal time for further processing and much needed rest and relaxation. Our husband and wife team have 28 years pastoral experience and almost as many as Registered Clinical Counsellors. Additional Oasis Team members have both ministry experience as a pastor or missionary and are Registered Clinical Counsellors.
Cost: $3495
Ask about ongoing Spiritual Direction with our qualifiedÂ
What others have to say about our encounters
Powerful, great insight, sensitive, painful, releasing, enlightening and hopeful are all the words we would use to describe our experience. Your warm, understanding and accepting attitudes helped us let down our guard and engage in the process. Your God-focus insight throughout helped you correctly read where we were at and what we needed. We feel like now that we are aware of what is inside us, we can choose to acknowledge it and continue to work it out. Thank you for helping us to get to this place of awareness, empowerment and hope.

Freeing, humbling...I thought I was further along than my spouse, eye opening, understanding, very nice, restful and peaceful, really enjoyed many good conversations in the hot tub, dinner at Bob and Penny’s was great, appreciated the amount of time spent addressing our core issues one on one with Bob, we really needed this focused attention at this time, we definitely addressed core issues...certainly more than I had anticipated, excellent guidance in helping me and us to dig deep and also connect emotions to events, balance of sessions just right, enjoyed blocks of time to talk together over coffee or in hot tub and time to do nothing after dealing with heavy issues, we loved the gift of the movie on one of our evenings, balance was perfect for me...I prefer a loose, casual and flexible schedule with lots of down time, really loved this retreat, words of insight given by Oasis Team were beneficial, really appreciated being prayed over.

Place to truly quiet my spirit and rest...core issues were addressed...I was able to come to a place of release through forgiveness...I am taking responsibility for myself, body, mind, emotions and spirit...the balance of sessions and time off allowed me to reflect, meditate, feel, and even rest, which, I’m learning, is okay to do...this is what I truly needed...Thank you Bob for who you are! May you continue to be used by God with the gift you have been given to reach the hurting...You are a blessing...Lord continue to use this ministry and bless it.

Amazing location, very warm and inviting, meals were outstanding, amazing, and abundant, hosts were very caring and encouraging, all our core issues were addressed, worked through some tough things and got pushed in areas needed, I realize where I need to be more direct in some conversations that still need to happen, good balance, any more time working would have been too taxing for me, the time away, the setting, all created a safe environment for being vulnerable, I wouldn’t change anything, I feel this is a wonderful ministry which is very much needed, having the partnership with Twin Creeks is a perfect blend, Bob was great facilitator, very caring and wise, it is very evident that he has a passion for this ministry, he was very helpful in helping us deal and realize our issues and feelings attached to them, there was a good balance of him sharing about his own experience that opened me up, he pushed me to deal with areas I hadn’t, but in a gentle way by explaining the benefits of doing the work and the costs of not.

Loved the hot tub, very quiet and restful, beautiful surroundings and scenery, nice variety of meals, yes, core issues were addressed...even issues we didn’t know were there...thank you.
Thank you Bob and Penny for doing the ministry you do...will definitely recommend it to others...so helpful for us...we know God wanted us here...Thank you for sharing some of your personal experiences, it was helpful to hear...thank you for going the extra mile in loaning us your car and computer.

Accommodation was beautiful...extravagant...very comfortable...provisions and supplies very good...hot tub was very enjoyable, great meals with great with great conversation...especially appreciated the hard work providing excellent options that worked with our dietary restrictions, yes...core issues were addressed...very much so...Bob did a great job of pressing in to make sure we got to the issues we needed/wanted to address...the process we walked through helped to get the conversation flowing again so we can continue to process ourselves...Yes, I really feel the big barriers to healing and relationship were addressed and the tools used to help process were very appropriately and effectively used...good council helped reveal blocks and give meaning to issues we felt but couldn’t articulate, good breaks for mental space...good balance and use of homework to keep us moving in our breaks, this time has helped us to begin to get back to a better communication pattern...to be able to share in a healthy way even in the mist of our hurts...I have hope that we’ll be okay again...I really appreciated Bob’s vulnerability in sharing his experience...it was so valuable to be working with someone who could understand what we were feeling...Bob was very helpful, very sensitive, and very easy to talk with.

I couldn’t have asked for more from the sessions—thank you so much. You didn’t waste time, were on time, and ended when you said you would. Great insight, sensitivity, and speaking into our lives was really beautiful. One on one with Bob was just what I needed. I think each day you correctly read where we were at and what we needed. If you’ve only done these intensives twice you are fast learners. Thanks for the good God-focus throughout.
I felt like I had my core issues addressed. I felt a bit guilty...like I high-jacked the sessions a bit because I was unaware of what was in there that I needed to come to the surface. This gave me a good starting place for further future work. I felt that the insight and questions—the direction we went with topics was very surprising/discerning. I didn’t expect my week to go like it did. Taking some time with family of origin issues was both really painful but very freeing and affirming too. I felt that your (Bob and Penny’s) warm, understanding and accepting attitudes was very helpful for me to let down my guard and engage in the process. Overall, the process of participating in the Oasis Intensive was very good. Powerful, painful, releasing, enlightening and hopeful are all the words I would use to describe this experience. I have the hope that I can work toward healing and growing. I feel like now that I am aware of what is inside me, I can choose to acknowledge it and continue to work it out. Thank you for helping me to get to this place of awareness, empowerment and hope. Thanks also to all who prayed for us and that God is so good in His mercy and grace.

Excellent, great hospitality, restful, quality, set us at ease, loved the accommodations, we felt pampered and loved, the hosts were amazing, the grounds were a very peaceful setting where reflection could easily take place, meals were incredible. Core issues were definitely addressed...surprised us in some ways...but you have a great gift of getting to the heart of the matter. Thanks for the deep tissue massage of the heart! So good to have the morning full of discussion and digging deep. Great to have the afternoon to process and spend time as a couple to discuss together. And loved the fun in the evenings...so thankful. We thank God for you (Bob and Penny). You were a great gift to us and an amazing resource (and good people to boot!). You complement each other well and your love for healthy leaders shines through.

Fabulous location and facility, views are spectacular, different rooms are picturesque and comfortable, beds and bedding are excellent, privacy is very good and there is spiritual peace, meals were unbelievable, yummy, definitely felt pampered, lunches and welcome baskets were a very nice personal touch, Pat and Peggy were wonderful hosts, Bob and Penny were professional, very engaging, discerning, warm, compassionate and passionate about bringing help to the relationship. You can tell there is more going on around you than just the encounter, so hospitable, what a great gift, core issues were absolutely addressed, I feel that for the first time we have received the help on the issues that affect both of us...That help came in the form of getting both of us to see some root problems as well as providing us with very practical tools to move forward. I feel like we are finally out of the ditch...no longer stuck. The car needs to be cleaned and the drive needs to continue, but I think we can stay out of the ditch...we can now move forward...I have hope! YAY! There is no question that God has gifted Bob and Penny for this ministry. They are uniquely gifted and the combination of their education and experience make them idea for this ministry...I finally feel like I received the help that I needed personally as well as the help I needed with my wife. Bob and Penny possess a good mix of skills and gifts, got the job done...the rest is up to us and I have hope, which is awesome. I love that you are Spirit led in your sessions and very intuitive, perceptive.

Hosts (Pat and Peggy) were sensitive to where we were at, did not intrude but were graciously available, our accommodations were faultless, beautiful...could not have been better, suite was large, comfortable, clean, full of amenities and most of all, restful, the grounds were a great place to experience the outdoors, meals were delicious, well prepared, fresh, abundant, felt like they were especially for us, bent over backwards to accommodate and spoils us with food, WOW! We experienced a balance of tenderness and firmness with Bob and Penny. They were able to lead, guide and push wherever necessary. They used a combination of love, identification and wise insight to bring God into our lives to help understand what I am going through. I have more hope now than before I came here. I did not feel like any program was forced upon me. Bob and Penny skilfully helped me find the direction I needed to go in and walked through the issues with me. They were willing to listen, and did not have the answers before I asked the question. Yes, we got to what I thought were core issues. It was very valuable to be able to work through some of our arguments in front of you, and to receive your insights into our habitual ways of (non) communicating, and to hear some ideas of better ways to relate. That was so practical and helpful. Having you give feedback to me about how I come across was not easy to hear but was sure necessary and good to know. You were a pretty good mirror for me to be able to see more honestly where I was at. Your ways with us were pretty direct and gracious. I really valued the spontaneous prayer times when difficult areas were touched. And I appreciated how you wouldn’t settle for surface answers but pressured us and challenged us with truth. The generous use of your car was a real gift, as were the tip about cheap move night and the excursion to the monastery. Thank you, Bob and Penny! At the start I thought one session per day would hardly be enough. Then, after the first session I changed my mind. It took the rest of the day to try to process what those 2 ½ hrs. brought up. At first, I also thought it was too much free time, but pretty quickly began to experience the value of down time, maps, walks in this beautiful nature, and conversations with my husband that arose during restful breaks. Before coming here I had no idea what to expect. I did not even know what I wanted to happen or what I needed. What I did know, was that I didn’t want someone to try and “fix me” into the image they wanted. I knew I was broken. I didn’t want pity or anyone to tell me what to do. What I did want was someone to help me discover what was wrong, point me to God to find a solution(s) according to God’s mind. I know I can hear from God and know He wants to speak to me. Right now I just need some help. I don’t want someone else to be responsible for the success of failure of how I respond. If their suggestions don’t work perfectly it is important that I am not able to blame them. But if I just get help and discover God’s plan myself, I can take total ownership of it. I believe this is what happened during the past 5 days. Thanks Bob and Penny...I honestly can’t think of what we would desire differently. I’m so grateful for God’s perfect timing of this, for the individualized week, for the understanding that God has given through you two, Bob and Penny. My hopes were actually realized through this week. Oh—and the first 2 days at Cedar Springs was a perfect place to rest up, and be before coming here. God has truly overwhelmed me with His care during this whole time. Bob and Penny, thank you so very much for following Jesus and His call upon your lives to minister to people like us. What you had to offer us was exactly what we needed. God has used you in incredibly significant ways in our lives. You are now part of His redemption story in our own story. We are grateful.

Powerful, great insight, sensitive, painful, releasing, enlightening and hopeful are all the words we would use to describe our experience. Your warm, understanding and accepting attitudes helped us let down our guard and engage in the process. Your God-focus insight throughout helped you correctly read where we were at and what we needed. We feel like now that we are aware of what is inside us, we can choose to acknowledge it and continue to work it out. Thank you for helping us to get to this place of awareness, empowerment and hope.

Freeing, humbling...I thought I was further along than my spouse, eye opening, understanding, very nice, restful and peaceful, really enjoyed many good conversations in the hot tub, dinner at Bob and Penny’s was great, appreciated the amount of time spent addressing our core issues one on one with Bob, we really needed this focused attention at this time, we definitely addressed core issues...certainly more than I had anticipated, excellent guidance in helping me and us to dig deep and also connect emotions to events, balance of sessions just right, enjoyed blocks of time to talk together over coffee or in hot tub and time to do nothing after dealing with heavy issues, we loved the gift of the movie on one of our evenings, balance was perfect for me...I prefer a loose, casual and flexible schedule with lots of down time, really loved this retreat, words of insight given by Oasis Team were beneficial, really appreciated being prayed over.

Place to truly quiet my spirit and rest...core issues were addressed...I was able to come to a place of release through forgiveness...I am taking responsibility for myself, body, mind, emotions and spirit...the balance of sessions and time off allowed me to reflect, meditate, feel, and even rest, which, I’m learning, is okay to do...this is what I truly needed...Thank you Bob for who you are! May you continue to be used by God with the gift you have been given to reach the hurting...You are a blessing...Lord continue to use this ministry and bless it.

Amazing location, very warm and inviting, meals were outstanding, amazing, and abundant, hosts were very caring and encouraging, all our core issues were addressed, worked through some tough things and got pushed in areas needed, I realize where I need to be more direct in some conversations that still need to happen, good balance, any more time working would have been too taxing for me, the time away, the setting, all created a safe environment for being vulnerable, I wouldn’t change anything, I feel this is a wonderful ministry which is very much needed, having the partnership with Twin Creeks is a perfect blend, Bob was great facilitator, very caring and wise, it is very evident that he has a passion for this ministry, he was very helpful in helping us deal and realize our issues and feelings attached to them, there was a good balance of him sharing about his own experience that opened me up, he pushed me to deal with areas I hadn’t, but in a gentle way by explaining the benefits of doing the work and the costs of not.

Loved the hot tub, very quiet and restful, beautiful surroundings and scenery, nice variety of meals, yes, core issues were addressed...even issues we didn’t know were there...thank you.
Thank you Bob and Penny for doing the ministry you do...will definitely recommend it to others...so helpful for us...we know God wanted us here...Thank you for sharing some of your personal experiences, it was helpful to hear...thank you for going the extra mile in loaning us your car and computer.

Accommodation was beautiful...extravagant...very comfortable...provisions and supplies very good...hot tub was very enjoyable, great meals with great with great conversation...especially appreciated the hard work providing excellent options that worked with our dietary restrictions, yes...core issues were addressed...very much so...Bob did a great job of pressing in to make sure we got to the issues we needed/wanted to address...the process we walked through helped to get the conversation flowing again so we can continue to process ourselves...Yes, I really feel the big barriers to healing and relationship were addressed and the tools used to help process were very appropriately and effectively used...good council helped reveal blocks and give meaning to issues we felt but couldn’t articulate, good breaks for mental space...good balance and use of homework to keep us moving in our breaks, this time has helped us to begin to get back to a better communication pattern...to be able to share in a healthy way even in the mist of our hurts...I have hope that we’ll be okay again...I really appreciated Bob’s vulnerability in sharing his experience...it was so valuable to be working with someone who could understand what we were feeling...Bob was very helpful, very sensitive, and very easy to talk with.

I couldn’t have asked for more from the sessions—thank you so much. You didn’t waste time, were on time, and ended when you said you would. Great insight, sensitivity, and speaking into our lives was really beautiful. One on one with Bob was just what I needed. I think each day you correctly read where we were at and what we needed. If you’ve only done these intensives twice you are fast learners. Thanks for the good God-focus throughout.
I felt like I had my core issues addressed. I felt a bit guilty...like I high-jacked the sessions a bit because I was unaware of what was in there that I needed to come to the surface. This gave me a good starting place for further future work. I felt that the insight and questions—the direction we went with topics was very surprising/discerning. I didn’t expect my week to go like it did. Taking some time with family of origin issues was both really painful but very freeing and affirming too. I felt that your (Bob and Penny’s) warm, understanding and accepting attitudes was very helpful for me to let down my guard and engage in the process. Overall, the process of participating in the Oasis Intensive was very good. Powerful, painful, releasing, enlightening and hopeful are all the words I would use to describe this experience. I have the hope that I can work toward healing and growing. I feel like now that I am aware of what is inside me, I can choose to acknowledge it and continue to work it out. Thank you for helping me to get to this place of awareness, empowerment and hope. Thanks also to all who prayed for us and that God is so good in His mercy and grace.

Excellent, great hospitality, restful, quality, set us at ease, loved the accommodations, we felt pampered and loved, the hosts were amazing, the grounds were a very peaceful setting where reflection could easily take place, meals were incredible. Core issues were definitely addressed...surprised us in some ways...but you have a great gift of getting to the heart of the matter. Thanks for the deep tissue massage of the heart! So good to have the morning full of discussion and digging deep. Great to have the afternoon to process and spend time as a couple to discuss together. And loved the fun in the evenings...so thankful. We thank God for you (Bob and Penny). You were a great gift to us and an amazing resource (and good people to boot!). You complement each other well and your love for healthy leaders shines through.

Fabulous location and facility, views are spectacular, different rooms are picturesque and comfortable, beds and bedding are excellent, privacy is very good and there is spiritual peace, meals were unbelievable, yummy, definitely felt pampered, lunches and welcome baskets were a very nice personal touch, Pat and Peggy were wonderful hosts, Bob and Penny were professional, very engaging, discerning, warm, compassionate and passionate about bringing help to the relationship. You can tell there is more going on around you than just the encounter, so hospitable, what a great gift, core issues were absolutely addressed, I feel that for the first time we have received the help on the issues that affect both of us...That help came in the form of getting both of us to see some root problems as well as providing us with very practical tools to move forward. I feel like we are finally out of the ditch...no longer stuck. The car needs to be cleaned and the drive needs to continue, but I think we can stay out of the ditch...we can now move forward...I have hope! YAY! There is no question that God has gifted Bob and Penny for this ministry. They are uniquely gifted and the combination of their education and experience make them idea for this ministry...I finally feel like I received the help that I needed personally as well as the help I needed with my wife. Bob and Penny possess a good mix of skills and gifts, got the job done...the rest is up to us and I have hope, which is awesome. I love that you are Spirit led in your sessions and very intuitive, perceptive.

Hosts (Pat and Peggy) were sensitive to where we were at, did not intrude but were graciously available, our accommodations were faultless, beautiful...could not have been better, suite was large, comfortable, clean, full of amenities and most of all, restful, the grounds were a great place to experience the outdoors, meals were delicious, well prepared, fresh, abundant, felt like they were especially for us, bent over backwards to accommodate and spoils us with food, WOW! We experienced a balance of tenderness and firmness with Bob and Penny. They were able to lead, guide and push wherever necessary. They used a combination of love, identification and wise insight to bring God into our lives to help understand what I am going through. I have more hope now than before I came here. I did not feel like any program was forced upon me. Bob and Penny skilfully helped me find the direction I needed to go in and walked through the issues with me. They were willing to listen, and did not have the answers before I asked the question. Yes, we got to what I thought were core issues. It was very valuable to be able to work through some of our arguments in front of you, and to receive your insights into our habitual ways of (non) communicating, and to hear some ideas of better ways to relate. That was so practical and helpful. Having you give feedback to me about how I come across was not easy to hear but was sure necessary and good to know. You were a pretty good mirror for me to be able to see more honestly where I was at. Your ways with us were pretty direct and gracious. I really valued the spontaneous prayer times when difficult areas were touched. And I appreciated how you wouldn’t settle for surface answers but pressured us and challenged us with truth. The generous use of your car was a real gift, as were the tip about cheap move night and the excursion to the monastery. Thank you, Bob and Penny! At the start I thought one session per day would hardly be enough. Then, after the first session I changed my mind. It took the rest of the day to try to process what those 2 ½ hrs. brought up. At first, I also thought it was too much free time, but pretty quickly began to experience the value of down time, maps, walks in this beautiful nature, and conversations with my husband that arose during restful breaks. Before coming here I had no idea what to expect. I did not even know what I wanted to happen or what I needed. What I did know, was that I didn’t want someone to try and “fix me” into the image they wanted. I knew I was broken. I didn’t want pity or anyone to tell me what to do. What I did want was someone to help me discover what was wrong, point me to God to find a solution(s) according to God’s mind. I know I can hear from God and know He wants to speak to me. Right now I just need some help. I don’t want someone else to be responsible for the success of failure of how I respond. If their suggestions don’t work perfectly it is important that I am not able to blame them. But if I just get help and discover God’s plan myself, I can take total ownership of it. I believe this is what happened during the past 5 days. Thanks Bob and Penny...I honestly can’t think of what we would desire differently. I’m so grateful for God’s perfect timing of this, for the individualized week, for the understanding that God has given through you two, Bob and Penny. My hopes were actually realized through this week. Oh—and the first 2 days at Cedar Springs was a perfect place to rest up, and be before coming here. God has truly overwhelmed me with His care during this whole time. Bob and Penny, thank you so very much for following Jesus and His call upon your lives to minister to people like us. What you had to offer us was exactly what we needed. God has used you in incredibly significant ways in our lives. You are now part of His redemption story in our own story. We are grateful.
