Saturday was our annual Mother's Day event. For the Asociacion Brazos Abiertos team (or ABA team) the preparations started on Friday with a trip to the market and then all afternoon moving furniture, preparing food, decorating, etc. Of course, most of that continued on Saturday morning.
Saturday morning was a typical Saturday morning for the Smith household. Corban was into anything and everything. I was bribing and convincing him to "go to the potty". We had to run errands so after the usual marathon of getting the three of us ready we were ready to walk out the door. Personal errands kept us busy until 11am at which time we returned home and I got busy on the computer printing out certificates for the Mother's Day event. After my computer work and a quick lunch/snack and another trip to "the potty" with Corban I was out the door with a hug and a kiss for my hubbie.
I arrived at ABA around noon and found Chrissy and Alfonso already hard at work cleaning floors, adding more decorations, and setting up sound systems, tables, and chairs. Yolanda entered soon after I did and got busy setting up a flower decoration for each mom's place at the table.
After a quick break for lunch it was back to work. A local church, Vida Real, came out to teach the mother's. The three women who came were so wonderful. The message they shared was powerful. But I am getting ahead of myself.
At 2pm the moms started trickling in. All in all 37 mothers attended the event. We started with a prayer and then some worship time. Truly amazing to see how far these women have come in their relationship with God. When we first started ministering in this area over 4 years ago the families were very reserved and few had a real relationship with the Lord. Over the years most have given their hearts to Jesus and in the process have become more expressive of their love for the Lord and gratitude for what He has done in their lives. As the music started about half of the women raised their hands in worship, others wiped at tears in their eyes as the words they sung bubbled up from the depths of their hearts. It was an aweinspiring time.
A couple of games and icebreakers followed the worship. These women are always ready to participate in the games that Chrisssy and Alfonso plan for them. They had such a good time as they competed.
The women from Vida Real shared about the power of the words you speak. It was a message conveyed in a way that is applicable to these village ladies. The examples they gave were real life examples and easy to relate to. The message impacted all present. Many of the ladies felt convicted for words they had spoken about themselves and their families. The prayer at the end was a powerful time of repentence and turning this area of their lives over to the Lord. Again many women lifted their hands in surrender. Tears trickled down many cheeks as the Holy Ghost ministered in the room. I was so thankful to the Lord for allowing us to reach these precious women with His Word and to see lives transformed before my very eyes.
After this ministry time we all went into the dining room. Our dining room was literally maxed out. 37 women sitting at 4 tables (if you can imagine), the team from Vida Real sitting in one corner, and the ABA staff serving. We raffled several prizes while the moms enjoyed a sub-sized chicken salad sandwhich and donuts. The donuts were given by Vida Real. The flower at each place donated by Chrissy's mom.
After the meal we had a craft. The mother's made a fan using the face of greeting cards, popcicle sticks, and stickers. It was a handy craft, too as it was so hot and stuffy in that over crowded room.
The ABA team was exhausted after such an event. However the exhaustion we felt was nothing compared to the sheer satisfaction of having blessed so many women. Seeing the genuine smiles and hearing the hearty laughter during the event somehow erased the tiredness that wanted to overtake us. I wonder what next year will bring us!!!!!!!!!
(recieving from the Lord during the prayer)
***if you wish to donate to this or an event like this you can do so on our website:
www.crossculturejesus.org
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