So, let's recap ...
REFRESH was awesome!! It was an amazing day and I could see God's hand over the whole event. It would have never worked out so well if it had been just my event. It was God's day and He did not disappoint us. The group of women that came on Saturday was perfect. Everyone got along and opened up to each other and created an environment of safety and security. The older moms all took a part in mentoring the younger moms and it was beautiful to watch.
For those of you who weren't able to come, let me give you an idea of our day ...
The ladies were welcomed at the door and received their gift bags. Inside the bags were: a journal, pen, chocolate!, recipe cards with the recipe for Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup (yum), a schedule of the day, slips for the giveaways, and a card for questions for our Q & A panel.
Once inside the cafe, we ate the yummiest muffins and fruit, entered the giveaways, wrote down our questions, and drank coffee and hot chocolate. After that, we made our way into the sanctuary for worship. Lisa and the whole worship team did an excellent job of leading worship. It was a refreshing way to start our day.
After worship, it was my turn ... I knew from the beginning this was something I was supposed to do but dreaded it something fierce. God was gracious. He gave me exactly what to say. My only job was to drag my body on stage and stay upright while talking. I think I succeeded in that. I know I wasn't eloquent but God used that time to touch women. I had SO many women come up to me afterward and just hug me and tell me that they could relate and they thanked me for having the guts to do what I did. So was it all worth it? Definitely! Would I want to do it again any time soon? Probably not but if God decided He wanted me to, I would obey.
Next came our skit called "Doubly Blessed." Each of the women did such an awesome job!! It's like the parts were written just for them and the message was so powerful. The skit was about the Holy Spirit guiding 4 women to do things they normally wouldn't do but ended up being a blessing and being blessed at the same time by doing them.
After the skit, our speaker, Kristina Hill, led a great talk/discussion on behavior management. She had such wise advice and included all of the women in a group discussion. We all left with some great handouts, as well.
We all broke up into our different craft workshops after this. Each of our workshop leaders did a super job with their groups! The crafts that were created were really awesome and everyone had fun making them.
Next up was lunch!! It was delicious! The soup, salad, rolls, and homemade dessert were all a delight. I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch and I know the others did as well. We announced half of our wonderful giveaways at the end of lunch and the winners were thrilled!
After lunch, was our Q & A panel with 4 older, wiser moms. It was such an excellent time! The questions were great and the answers were very helpful. These women did such an amazing job and were such a blessing! Then we split up into small groups. Each of the panel moms took a group of women into another room. We discussed more, introduced ourselves, prayed, and made connections.
We ended the day with an individual quiet time for the ladies to just be still before the Lord. We sort of ran out of time, so it was a shortened version of what we were hoping for. I pray that God's will was done through it, though.
At the very end of the day, Charlotte told us of all the exciting things coming up and finished announcing the awesome giveaways.
It was such a fun day! There were so many people involved in this day and I can't thank them enough for their help! Before the day was even over, everyone was talking about next year's event. Even Pastor Todd made mention to next year from the pulpit. So, if you missed out this year, there will always be next year!! :)
And if you haven't heard yet ... a big announcement was made later in the day! God has decided to bless our family with baby #5! This month has been wild to say the least! I'm looking forward to what God has in store for the rest of the year!
Thank you for praying!! Everyone felt your prayers and it was a blessed day!
*Photos courtesy of Michelle Pope
**I took these pictures from my sister's blog. She made these awesome photo montages because she's cool like that. Thanks, Kelly! ;) If you want to check out her recap of REFRESH and see where I stole the pictures from, visit her blog here.
