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)

God is Your Protector

Today we heard from one of our North Dakota Godly Girlfriends, Heidi, with a story about her five year old warrior princess, Gracie: 

Girls! My 5 yr. old GRACIE told me about her day today - get this!!! 

She said "I played Godly Girlfriends at lunch today!" 

I asked, "How do you play that?"  

"Well, I stand on the slide and yell 'God is my protector' !"

On my gosh!! How precious is that???

My cup runneth over! 

I am constantly reminded of God's love through my girls. 

And to think that when I leave for retreats 

and such, that I think about my girls missing me, and I debate whether or not to go.

I realize that I am impacting 

them in ways I had no idea!!! I was so blown away with Gracie's game!! 

She told me, "The other girls play Monster High, Mom, but not me.

Sometimes I just play alone, but sometimes my friends join me."

Out of the mouth of a 5 year old! Spread the news!!

Godly Girlfriends is working and you are changing hearts!!! Young and old!

 Can't you just imagine Gracie all decked out in her pink armor (that is toboggan, gloves, jacket, and boots) standing firm at the top of the cold, icy slide, shaking her fist in that monster's face.
"I am NOT afraid! GOD is MY Protector. I will not FEAR!"

 What about us? What do we do when we stand at the top of this sometimes slippery slope called life? Can we shake our fist in the face of monsters who have names like fear, and disappointment, and rejection, and pain, and loss, and worry, and choose to play alone exhaling warmth from the bottom of our lungs, and yell as loud as we can, "GOD IS MY PROTECTOR".  And really believe it.

GOD. IS. MY. PROTECTOR.

The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior: my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. (Psalm 18;2)

Shout to the LORD, all the earth; break out in praise and sing for joy. (Psalm 98:4)

GOD IS YOUR PROTECTOR!

Thanks, Heidi, for sharing.

Make your plans to attend the next Godly Girlfriends Retreat. It's all about a Warrior Woman named, Deborah. And it's all about empowering us to know without a single doubt that 

God is our Protector

See you soon.

One Word Testimonies

The KING is ENTHRALLED with your Beauty

(Psalm 45:11)

 Godly Girlfriends Texas Retreat met at Beautiful Camp Butman, Merkel Texas for a Night with THE KING.

We have a few one word testimonies about the retreat.

Reunion

Sacrifice

Freedom

Re-filling

Blessed

Royalty

Enthralled

 Truth

Heartfelt

Moms & Daughters

Sisters

And More Sisters

Surrender

(Signing Class)

Victory

 Laughter

The Wrong King

 & 

The Lost Sister

Crafts

 and Shopping

What more could a girl ask for - 

shopping, crafting, laughing, eating, singing, dancing,  a sleep-over, and playing dress-up!

But more than anything, we heard over and over how our KING is enthralled, delighted, attracted, ravished, by our beauty. We heard and believed that we, like the orphan turned Queen Esther are also chosen for such a time as this. 

We believed that we are HIS princesses. 

We worshipped HIM. 

We spent time in HIS presence. 

And we surrendered to OUR KING.

Who is this KING OF GLORY?

 The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.

(Psalm 24:8)

He is enthralled by YOUR beauty, too.