God Weekend...

I just returned from a GIC (Global Impact Conference) in Jonesboro, AR. For those of you that don’t know what that is: it is when a church brings in missionaries from the local community, state, nation, and overseas to spend time with their church family and share needs and opportunities for all ages. Many partnerships with local churches and missions organizations take place as a result of this time together. Larry Bailey, the Missions Minister of Central Baptist Church in Jonesboro, does know how to throw a great GIC conference with 9+ years of experience putting them together!

Pure Joy was invited because we are missionaries to the missionaries. Patty, who you all know as our techno person, attended the retreat with me. We spent time with 3 ladies Sunday School Groups there at Central. Friday night we had a meal with them, how many people know that you can’t beat a potluck with a group of women cooking! I truly have to say I personally had to confess sin over the gluttony I participated in. I then was able to share with them for a while about Pure Joy and how they could be a part of what God is doing through Pure Joy. Saturday morning we had breakfast at a wonderful restaurant. Again, I left there confessing sin. Then we went to a fellowship for all missionaries attend the event. While there we made connections for two possible retreats in 2009 one in Jordan and another in Mexico. Believe it or not I left there without the sin of gluttony.



We then attended a luncheon for women. There we heard a wonderful speaker as she encouraged us to be on mission for God. If I had eaten the second Snicker Doodle cookie I would have crossed over into sin but luckily someone else got to it first and took the opportunity for sin away.

We then had the afternoon free, so I took that opportunity to meet with some key people regarding our Venezuela Retreat coming up in Sept or Oct of this year. We had a sweet time of planning and you will be able to see our theme, verse, etc. soon for the Venezuela trip by going to www.purejoyinternational and clicking on Venezuela. Melinda Emerson our graphics design guru is the best!

We then attended a banquet for the church and the missionaries. Walker Moore, Awe Star Ministries, was the speaker and did an awesome job! The rest of the night was free so some of us girls made our way to a very important place in my life…..a coffee shop. In case you don’t know this about me yet, coffee and some blood runs through my veins. They almost had to have me carried out off the coffee plantation when we were in Costa Rica. Just awesome, the smell, the coffee, the chocolate beans, etc.

And then finally Sunday morning the sweetest opportunity was in being able to share with the three ladies classes a word from God and about Pure Joy. Those sweet ladies went together and purchased a HDTV flat screen TV for our ministry to be used at events such as theirs along with extra money left over towards a new laptop for the ministry. The blessings were overwhelming. The most precious thing they gave us was encouragement and hearts for JESUS!! What a Jesus weekend! Thank you ladies of Dorothy Jackson’s, Charlotte Greenwood’s, and Kathy Farley’s Classes at Central Baptist for all you did to encourage our mission with God! Keep praying, giving, going wherever HE calls you to be a part!

We left Central yesterday afternoon with three possible trips on the pages for 2009, Poland, Mexico, and Jordan. Please pray and see if God would have you be a part of any of those trips and please begin to pray as God puts together the team and resources for Venezuela.

His,
vickie