Tuesday, February 5, 2019

2018 - Looking Back

Looking Back at 2018


Knowing who we are in Christ,
 being all God has created us to be,
walking in our purpose all takes one thing:
Surrender.

Each  Girlfriend on the team began 2018 with a 21 day fast
and a walk through Rick Warren's book,
What On Earth Am I Here For?
It was a call to surrender to our calling.

The Grand Ballroom of the Historic Hotel Settles in Big Spring, Texas
 was the setting for our first Purposed Conference.
It was only fitting that we begin our event with a tea party,
complete with decadent desserts, and elegant hats.
It was two days of heartfelt worship, inspiring speakers, delicious food,
connecting with friends, and a little shopping in the GG Boutique.
Fun! Fellowship! Freedom!
And
Surrender.





In May, we surrendered to the call to help a girlfriend in need.
Tammy is a faithful team member and her little nail salon is her sole means of support.
 We hosted a paint party to help with supplies
and Tammy was an unsuspecting giver in her own fundraiser.
We donned our paint clothes,
brought hammers, scrapers,  paint brushes, rubber gloves,
and a few husbands,
 and  put the love back into Tammy's salon.





The last event of the year was in Hartville, Ohio.
Months ahead, we began putting a team together, making reservations,
 and having a giant fundraising garage sale,
because each team member provides her own travel expenses for Ohio.
The GG team is from several different areas, so the airwaves were crackling with energy as we connected, texted, emailed, and planned on social media.

Then the day finally arrived when 25 pink shirted warrior chicks
stepped off the plane in Ohio to begin the next big adventure.



Our Ohio team welcomed and entertained us grandly for a day before the conference. We toured, and shopped, and toured, and shopped. But the highlight of the day was lunch provided by some lovely Amish women at their home. Our lunch was homemade bread, lunch meat, and cheese sandwiches, put together with the most yummy peanut butter spread we could imagine.
We topped the meal off with amazing pie and coffee.
The meal was typical of meals served after Amish Sunday church, which meets in homes.




This team also partners with
Love Is A Verb - a homeless ministry in Ohio.
We shopped for blankets in the night hours.
.We surrendered sleep to make biscuits, sausage gravy and coffee for 100.
 Then at 6 am
 we went to a little park in Akron
 to give breakfast, blankets, coats, socks, and hygiene items to some cold grateful homeless folks.



The Ohio Purposed Conference couldn't have happened without those amazing Ohio GG's coming along side us. They advertised, invited, prayed, decorated, spoke, and cooked.





But the one thing that inspired us, wrecked us, and called us to total complete surrender was a girl named Cheryl who attended the conference with her mom. As the first strains of the last song began, Cheryl made her way to the front - totally unplanned, totally unrehearsed,
totally surrendered.



Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will make straight your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV

Surrender All