Day One of the Conference!

Margie, Silvia, and Kaitlin at "Rise and Shine"

Words cannot express the day we had!  There is no way to translate what we experienced today, but with that said we will try to share pieces of our day.

This morning we were able to enjoy breakfast with the women from other countries in Africa who journeyed to Ethiopia for the conference.  These women are all on staff with CCC in their countries.  We met this morning and have already started to form sweet friendships!

As we arrived at the conference we were overwhelmed by how many women were there. As we entered the church, we were welcomed by the sounds of women worshiping God with all of themselves.

Just a few of the thousands of women at the conference!

You could feel the presence of God.  He was there and it was beautiful to see everyone worshiping Him.

A worship team of sorts lead us in worship.  They were comprised of a choir, dancers, and drummers.  It was a sight to see! Everyone worshiped with their whole body dancing and singing.

We heard from several speakers who encouraged the women to rise.  Servant leadership was emphasized and the women were exhorted to follow Christ's example as image bearers of God.  The importance of character was proclaimed and the challenge of making heart choices was uncovered.

Judy Douglass reminded that every spiritual gift is ours in Christ as we have been chosen by God and adopted into his family.  Finally, Elizabeth Shenkel spoke about the meaning of taking up our cross, which is to suffer for others to know Christ and to give thanksgiving in every moment.  She shared her powerful testimony of suffering and the women were captivated and moved.  God spoke powerfully through her!