Saturday, October 8, 2016

Teen Girls Retreat 2016

Third Annual TEEN Godly Girlfriends Retreat
August 19-20, 2016
Ages 13-17
"Weapons of TRUTH"


Grandmas, Mamas, Sisters, and girlfriends some barely older than the teens, planned, gathered and readied for their baby birds to get there. 


Fellowship, Fun and Freedom were definitely welcome guests . They were invited, hoped and planned for and they showed up.  The Fellowship started early as the girls gathered with some leaders and got to know each other. They learned each others' names and character traits circled up in the beauty of Butman Camp, Merkel Texas. They were grouped in little nests and stayed with their designated Mama birds for the entire retreat. They were roommates and table mates and playmates. The mama's stayed with them faithfully .


 And it was Fun by way of swimming,  music, games, crafts and even a black light show complete with glow in the dark food, necklaces and nail polish. Smiles and laughter were everywhere.



The speakers were real and raw and painfully honest. More than once we heard something like, "Y'ALL. Don't do what I did. Make good choices. Make right choices. Choose Jesus."

These 13-17 year olds were fed truth and love and the Word and with it came Freedom. Freedom from the pain in their lives, freedom in their choices, freedom in the choices of others, and freedom to step into the call of God. Freedom to be the girls and women God created them to be.




Just outside the conference room was a nest of baby birds almost ready to leave their home. Had they ventured out too early they would have fallen. These baby birds were dependent on the Mama bird to bring them nourishment. They waited patiently, but goodness did they ever sing when they could see Mama on her way with a tasty morsel.






Our precious little baby birds inside were fed yummy food, encouragement, hugs, love, friendship, truth, and the WORD of God.


Our prayer is that each one went home with bellies full of food, hearts full of Jesus, and FREEDOM to leave the nest and fly successfully into the world ahead of them.

God created those sweet baby birds, but you girlfriend, 
are more valuable
 to God our Father than any bird 
in the nest, on the ground, or in the air. 
You are His precious creation. 
Fly, girlfriend.
FLY.
(Luke 12:24)