Women's Conferences 2006!!!

January 7th: I was waiting for the train to Cesky Tesin and I just felt this deep, quiet joy. The conferences were done, and God moved, and we were all basking in it. On the way to the train, I talked to one of the interns, Marketa, about what the conferences were like for her. "I'm so in love with Jesus right now," she confessed. Not only was the teaching powerful for her, but also that she could serve by helping lead worship. "Praying with the girls on the worship team was strong for me." It was beautiful to see the intern girls serve at the public conference and be stretched and have joy in it!

The conference for the public felt a little tough...I looked across the sea of faces and saw hardness. When I talked to the women, I heard frustration. One young mother told our small group that she felt really far from God, she didn't have any victory over her sin, her situation, and she didn't think it would ever change.... Other women talked about situations with their families, in-laws and with themselves where they felt bound.

But thank God for Pamela, Karen and Sharon, three women from Christ Community Church (St. Charles, IL) who came to teach and serve! Their life stories of beauty from ashes gave hope to all of us--again I saw how God not only wants to heal us, but that from those areas will spring healing for others. A while before these conferences God highlighted some verses from Isaiah: "Can plunder be taken from the warriors or captives rescued from the fierce? But this is what the Lord says: 'Yes, captives will be taken from the warriors and plunder retrieved from the fierce; I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save'" (49:24-25). Later on in the conference I spoke with that same young mother and she shared how she began to see a shaft of light. He's setting the captives free to set others free!

(the details again, just so you can keep it straight!)
January 4-6: Women's conference only for intern girls, female Kam employees and wives of Kam (Kam=Josiah Venture Czech). Serving team: Agnes, Radka, Katka and me and the 3 Christ Community foxes.
January 6-7: Women's conference for the public (ages 15+). Serving team: us 7 AND 8 intern girls.
Theme: I am God's Daughter! Holding firm to who the Bible says we are rather than who others say we are...believing God