the gifts of a conference...

She walked into the chapel Friday afternoon carrying burdens on her shoulders for all to see.  As the weekend progressed the light of hope began to flicker in her eyes.  When asked about making connections over the weekend she quietly admitted to getting in touch with herself for the first time.  As she left the grounds on Sunday afternoon walking with an air of confidence in the Lord, it was evident that inner healing was in process and that God's hands were guiding her step by step.

It was such a joy and a privilege to witness transformation taking place throughout the room.  This weekend's Healthy Women's Conference was indeed a blessing for the ladies who were able to attend. Our desire for the weekend was for women to move from victim to survivor, grow in their relationship with Him, and feel comforted by the Father so that in time they will be able to comfort others with the comfort they themselves have received.  

As I count the gifts from the weekend my heart overflows with gratitude for what the Lord has done...

983. watching the room fill with women...

984. Miss Diana's vision and passion for this ministry...

985. and her message of God's restorative love...

986. topics that touched the hearts of many...

987.  women learning that they are not alone...

988. Tom's teachings on What Abuse Is, The Affects of Abuse and his sermon on Forgiveness...

989. "Sell Tacos Not Children!" bracelets to create awareness and raise funds...

990.  selling out of the t-shirts with the same message...

991. resources for those who need support or want to learn more...

992.  learning more about the ministry of Mary Open Doors...

993.  hearing the courageous testimony of a woman who suffered through an horrific abortion experience...

   994.  the sound of the hammer pounding nails to the cross reminding us all of Christ's sacrifice...

995. that which we are ready to forgive nailed to the cross...

996.  the sharing of hearts during small group time...

997.  the blessing of serving as a small group leader...

998.  the freedom that comes when we our pain is traded for His restorative and redemptive love...

999.  Jadine's teaching on our identity in Christ...

as I come to the end of counting to 1000 I have to acknowledge that it has also been a gift to discover:
1000. that the blessing of practicing gratitude has altered my outlook on life!

If you would like to read posts from others in the gratitude community just click on the box below.

counting the gifts...

I am so tired from this weekend I feel as if I can barely put a sentence together.  

I have already re-started this post four times!

The conference was definitely a success and there are plans in the works to do it again next year. We are so grateful for the emotional and spiritual healing we saw take place, for the ah-ha moments some of the women experienced and for each woman who had the courage to come and speak the truth about her life.

Friday night Diana Shaw opened with the story of Gomer.  A different sort of love story.  Not one of a prince and princess but one of a harlot who became the wife of a prophet.  A story of redemption and of unconditional love.  One of the statements that seemed to resonate among the women was "if you don't address the issues of your past they will eventually lead you into sin".  There is a danger in living with unresolved issues.  It will affect not only you but those around you, especially your children and your walk with God.  Gomer could not handle her life as Hosea's wife.  She went back to her ways of adultery seeking gifts and care from lovers instead of from her husband.  But God instructed Hosea to take his wife back and to show her love once again.   What a blessing to know that there is always an opportunity for renewal with the Lord.  Hosea redeemed Gomer, gave her dignity, restored her position and gave her status.  And God can do each of those things for us as He lavishes His grace on us.

Saturday morning we had a talk from a woman who lived for 43 years with the secret of domestic violence in her home.  Her testimony of suffering at the hands of her husband truly hit a cord with some of the women.  And many were inspired by her honesty, courage and what God has done through her life.  

Tom's first talk was about how abuse and trauma in our lives affects our choices.  After Tom spoke we had lunch and then we separated into small groups for a time of discussion and of processing what we had been hearing.  There were 9 of us who were designated as small group leaders.  The small group time was truly eye opening.  Women were ready to talk about what they identified with, what they were learning and what they needed to change in their own lives to truly live the full life that God wants them to live.  

In the evening, following Tom's talk on forgiveness, those who were ready to begin the process of forgiving someone in their life were able to write that name down on a piece of paper and nail it to the cross.  

This was followed by communion.  And then we were dismissed for the night.  We heard stories the next day about women who went back to their dorm rooms and shared their testimonies with one another, and some of them stayed up until about 2am praying and singing together!

There were so many gifts from this weekend...

our hearts are truly filled to overflowing with joy over how God worked through this conference.

498.  Times of praise and worship with the ladies...

499.  gathering for meals together.
500.  whoopie pies for dessert
501.  homemade rolls
502.  fresh ice cream from Spanish Lookout
503.  times of prayer with a few of the women that were even sweeter than the ice cream we shared.

504.  different nationalities and ethnic groups coming together

505.  women from the Mennonite community joining us on Saturday. 

506. Tom being able to teach and use his gifts.

507. learning to accept interruptions no matter what form they take. 

508.  the sound of forgiveness being nailed to the cross

509.  hurts being transformed by Christ's work on the cross

510. being blessed by the serving team with great meals and hospitality

511. bonding in small groups

512. hearing testimonies 

513.  Powerful dramas showcasing how Christ intervenes in our lives.

514.  a beautiful love letter from God for each one of the ladies in attendance.
515.  unexpected gifts as thanks for being a small group leader.
516.  seeing women exchange numbers before leaving.
517.  churches who financially sponsored women from their congregations.
518.  a local woman who took in several children so their mothers could attend.
519.  the youth group clapping in support of each woman as her name was called to receive a gift for attending.  Their encouragement was spontaneous and so beautiful!
520.  knowing that we are in the right place and at just the right time.

joining in with the gratitude community:

The Healthy Woman

If you are in the area there is still time to come and join us!

The Healthy Woman Conference

 February 10-12, 2012 

YWAM Base, Roaring Creek   

Hosted By  

The Child Development Foundation   

Registration begins at 4:00 pm Friday, February 10. 

The conference will end at noon on Sunday, February 12.  

Saturday’s sessions are from 8:30 am - 9:00 pm   

Theme: 

The Joy of the Lord Is Our Strength   

Topics include:

Gomer: A Story of Hope and Redemption (Friday evening) 

Hope for the Battered Woman (Saturday) 

How Abuse and Trauma Shape Our Choices (Saturday) 

Pursuing Purity and Holiness in Singleness (Saturday)

The Path to Healing from a Past Abortion (Saturday)

The Power of Forgiveness (Saturday evening)

My Identity in Christ (Sunday morning)  

Our Speakers:

 Ms. Diana Shaw, founder/director of CDF and child advocate

Mr. Tom Sharp, Christian counselor and therapist 

Mrs. Dana Richards and Ms. Connie Oslund, post-abortion counselors

Mrs. Jadine Fritzler, CDF board member and conference coordinator

We are excited to see what God will do in the lives of the women who will be there this weekend.   

Please pray for those who will be attending...that it will be a safe and loving environment for each woman.  Pray also for all of the volunteers who are working hard to make this weekend a success.  Pray for good weather and for health for all of the speakers.  

Thank you! 

they rolled out the red carpet...

Not knowing how long it would take for us to find the Sports Palace we left our apartment early to be on time for registration. We got there 15 minutes later which made us 40 minutes early. When we arrived we saw them literally rolling out the red carpet!

We left to see the sights around the Sports Palace returning later to find male volunteers there to welcome us to the conference with applause and cheers. There was also a cameraman there to film everyone when we came in!!

All I can show you of the conference itself is the last photo posted. No photos are allowed during the conference. The slide says "welcome... the heavens believe in you"

Most of the speakers are preaching in English and then being translated into Russian. But sometimes I had to wait for the Russian translation to understand the idiom that had just been used. Cuz, I don't speak Australian!!

Today was a long day and now we are off to bed... gotta get an early start in the morning!

we are here!

We made it here to Kiev safely!!

We ate dinner at a Ukrainian Restaurant and enjoyed the tasty foods this country has to offer and then went off to meet up with Spencer. He gave Alyona the grand tour of the boat, introduced us to his classmates, teachers and roommates. It was good to see him again!

Tomorrow is day one of the Women's Conference and we are very excited!!

the sisters unite because...

I am leaving today with my friend Alyona for the Hillsongs International Women's Conference. We will be traveling by train to the city of Kiev, Ukraine. Lisa Bevere is one of the speakers so the conference will be in English and Russian. And they are expecting women from many different countries to come.

I am looking forward to getting to know Alyona better and to hearing the incredible worship music that Hillsongs never fails to provide!

You can read the reasons why the sisters unite here: http://www.colourconference.com.ua/en/node/21

and here is more info about the conference:
http://www.colourconference.com.ua/node/16


The apartment that we are staying in has internet access so I should be able to check in and give updates from the conference!

Just the girls...

Such a busy day… two of my friends came over and we filled out our registration forms together for an International Women’s Conference we will be attending in May in Ukraine. Some of the information on the form was in English and some of it in Russian so we had to work together to get it all filled out! We also went to the train station together to purchase our tickets. It was fun to be with them and talk about what we are going to do at the conference and what sight-seeing they wanted to do in Kiev.

The conference is being put on by Hillsongs Church. There will be three this year, one in London, one in Sydney and the third in Kiev. Neither one of them has been to Kiev before so it will be fun for me, the American, to show them around the former capital of Russia!