Could I Take That To Go?

The True Woman Conference was .... the best thing I've ever done. Even with the setbacks. And let me tell you, there were setbacks aplenty. Lost car rental reservation, horrible traffic, finding out my mother is (very) sick, going to the wrong airport, (I mean, really? c'mon!), among other things ... if you have an extra thirty minutes... But I digress...

In a nutshell, my faith was (severely) tested, yet I grew closer to the Lord than I've ever been. I feel His presence in a way I never have before, and I find myself clinging to the memory of it all. Remember when you and your husband were dating, and when you parted company, you could smell his cologne on your clothes, and you didn't want to wash them? It's kind of like that. Only better. (Sorry hun).

Bob Lepine (master of ceremonies) mentioned the spirit that was there. The camaraderie of the women was palpable. The fact that this was a women's  conference, and that everything said and done was geared toward women specifically left me so full and yet starving for more. I felt more fed spiritually than I ever have in my life. Bob talked about how you wouldn't just walk up to a woman at the mall and act towards her like we were acting while there. And it's true! I truly felt surrounded by sisters. The open, unashamed weeping, for both ourselves and the person next to us, the unashamed prayers for ourselves and each other..... there was such a FREEDOM to it, one that you just don't get in your every day normal life! I ran into a True Woman at the airport on the way home. When we got to our destination, before parting ways, we prayed for each other - ten feet from the baggage claim!! I would've never done that before the conference!

Someone who was tweeting during the conference mentioned the amount of prayer that took place. I've never done so much praying, and never been surrounded by so much praying. When Nancy brought out the men at the beginning of the conference who were praying for us, I got all choked up. There were prayer cards in our schedule booklet that she asked us to fill out so that she and her team could pray for us - all four thousand of us! And those are just a few examples. It made me feel special. It showed how SERIOUS Nancy and the other speakers were about this conference making an impact on us in such a way that we share it with others. She wanted this to be more than just a feel-good women's get-together. She wanted this to be a heart-breaking, life-altering experience. It was.

So now, I'm home. Back to every day life. What did I bring back with me? What change took place in my heart while I was there? I'll cover that in the next post. :)

There's something missing here. Something I felt at the conference that I don't feel at home. This was my first women's conference, so maybe the things that I'm feeling are the normal 'down' side, like coming off a high; but I don't think so. What happened to all the hugging, the crying, the praying? These were perfect strangers, yet I was completely comfortable doing these things with them. So why doesn't that happen in church? We aren't just sisters in Christ, we're sisters belonging to the same church; the same Sunday School class. Is it because it isn't a group of just women? Do other genders and other ages prohibit us from ministering to each other? I suppose this is one reason why we have ladies' groups, or fellowships, but even those types of settings seem, at times, to be lacking in something, a connection to each other that runs deeper than just the similarities of age, marital status and number of children. Is it me? He who hath a friend must show himself friendly, Proverbs says - am I just not being friendly enough? Nancy asked the question 'when was the last time our hearts were broken over others'? When was the last time we were broken over our sisters in Christ? Maybe, for the first time, mine is.

In the end, yes mom, I would definitely do this again. Next one that comes - I am SO there!

My heart aches to share my experience, both spiritually and mentally, with the sisters I see three times a week. My prayer is that the Lord will somehow use me to this end. 

Fight the good fight - with tears, with hugs, with prayers!

Jenny