This month, our theme is Women’s Spiritual Health. Before we get into the details of what that means and how we can grow in our own spiritual health, allow me to share some good news about how God has blessed me with the opportunity to focus on the spiritual health of some Honduran women.
This past weekend, more than fifty women from five congregations gathered for a time of pure delight at the first ever ladies retreat hosted by Honduras Hope at their facility just south of Tegucigalpa, Honduras (Ojojona). I had met some of these women three years ago when I conducted Ladies Days in two of their local congregations (Los Pinos and Santa Ana). It was a joy to see their personal growth and how God has blessed and grown their respective congregations, including new church plants, which were represented by some of the other women in attendance (Diamante and Tierra del Padre).
This weekend, we studied about true delight, our opportunities to rejoice (Phil. 4:4-9) and the recipe for JOY: Jesus, Others, Yourself. The Lord delights Himself in you (Zeph. 3:17) and we find true joy when we delight ourselves in Him as well (Ps. 37:4).
I was filled with joy myself as I saw these women come to new understanding of the Scriptures, delighting in the truths found there. Visitors and Christians alike went away equipped to fight Satan’s lies about our source of true joy and whether or not each one is loved by God.
Thank you for your continued prayers for these Honduran women.
As many of you know, the previous week, I was at the Baxter Seminar. Here is a report I shared via email that continues the good news of God’s work through me during this two week visit to Honduras:
“Sister, I have never heard the story of Mary and Martha is that way... Thank you for giving is a new perspective on a story we have heard and read many times.”
“I feel better prepared to return to my home congregation and share what I have learned with the women there.”
The comments from the women after the classes affirmed that we are fulfilling our purpose to equip and encourage the women in their relationship with God and with one another.
The Baxter Institute offers an annual seminar that ties into their yearly theme for the students. This year, the keynotes and workshop tracks being offered focused on “My Encounter with Jesus,” from the book of John.
I was blessed with the opportunity to teach a two-day track of classes for the women who attended the Baxter Lectureship. Not every year do they offer classes specifically for the women since the primary audience of the lectureship is preachers and those who are training to be preachers.
More than thirty women attended the workshop, “Women Who Encountered Jesus.” The first day, we looked at Mary, Martha, and the Samaritan woman—how they were each transformed by their encounters with Jesus. The second day, we discussed women that Jesus truly saw. He called them by name, respected them, saw them for who they were and not how culture dictated. The generous widow, the widow who lost her son, the Shumanite woman, the woman caught in adultery, and the woman with the issue of blood. Jesus saw each one and had a special, unique encounter with each woman.
I was also blessed with the opportunity to speak with many of the preachers attending the lectures. Some are returning with IRSM Bible study books as gifts for their wives and a resource for their local congregation.
Doors continue to open here and beyond. We are prayerful about an invitation I received to be the speaker for the National Women’s Conference in El Salvador in August 2018, attended by 500 women.
My time here at Baxter is coming to a close, but not my stay in Honduras. On Monday, I will transition to work with other local congregations and with Honduras Hope. Honduras Hope is hosting a women’s retreat this weekend on the theme Delight!
Thank you for your prayers and for keeping up with all God is doing here.
Blessings,
M.