WOMEN'S CONFERENCE - Paynesville, Mn. - KEEP YOUR FORK!

Last weekend Carrie & Annette joined Pastor Joyce and a friend from Russell, Mn., to attend a women's conference at beautiful Lake Koronis near Paynesville, Mn. Despite driving through pouring rain for part of the trip, we arrived safely (thanks to Cathy's careful driving). We were joined by about 80 other women from 15 AFCM
(Association of faith churches & ministries) churches. Our speaker was Brenda Thomas, from the bay area of California. She and her husband pastor a church in Hayward. It was interesting to hear her testimony of how, when she was a teenager, God showed her faces of people from many nationalities, especially Asiatic. She began then to pray for the people she had seen, doing most of it in tongues, since she didn't know just how to pray specifically. She said she was just a young teen in Oklahoma who had never traveled the world, but surmised God had called her to be a missionary, probably somewhere in the Orient.

Well, that didn't happen. She met her husband, Mark, at Bible school in Oklahoma and they began pastoring in Minnesota. In 1982 they moved to the San Francisco area.
When they drove to this area, she saw the faces she had seen as a teen; the presence of the Lord filled the car and she began to weep. Her husband wondered why she was crying. She answered that these were the people she had seen decades earlier in prayer; she knew she was "home" and this was their calling--to minister to the many different ethnic groups of people in the bay area. So their church is a kaleidoscope of nationalities. Isn't that a great testimony of the leading of the Holy Spirit?

Despite not getting the greatest sleep the first night, we enjoyed our time at the conference. The weather was perfect! We had time to take walks around the campground and enjoy the mild air, sunshine, gorgeous Lake Koronis, the good and ample fare of food, and the meetings.

The speaker had brought her daughter-in-law with her, who shared her own testimony of redemption. The young woman's parents "stood in the gap" for her during the years she spent in rebellion against God and His call on her life. After her testimony an altar call was given for those moms who have wayward children for whom they are praying. It's always unnerving and sad to see at least one-third of the women respond to such an altar call. That is when I thank and praise God that I never had to go through the agony these moms are experiencing as they pray for their kids and watch them struggle against God.

Pastor Brenda left us with this reminder: KEEP YOUR FORK--THE BEST IS YET TO COME!
She reminded us that God is not done on this earth yet; He has not forgotten this nation; He will answer our prayers for deliverance. When we eat a company meal, and the hostess tells us to "keep your fork", it means there is still something else coming that will taste REALLY good. And that's what she was reminding us of--we should "keep our forks--THE BEST (with God) IS YET TO COME!!"

I was home by mid-afternoon on Sunday. It's good to be unpacked and know I can stay home for awhile now. It's still my favorite place to be!