Preparation...

I never cease to be amazed at the importance of preparation. Today I sit at the hospital with a dear friend as she and her husband await the arrival of the fourth child to their family. The delivery room has the bassinet prepared for little Sophia’s arrival into this world. The nurse has prepared mama for the delivery by connecting her to every possible machine in the room. The extended family members and family have rescheduled their day’s events in preparation for Sophia’s birth. Everything is in place for the celebration of Sophia’s entrance into this world. I pray even as I type these words that it is a safe and quick journey for all! Ha, ha,ha,ha
Preparing for a Retreat is much like this experience….First step is conception…just like there are several ways to conceive physically these days there are several ways for this to take place with Pure Joy as well. We get a request directly from a missionary woman, a friend, another missionary, a church family, etc., requesting us to bring a retreat to their area. Second step is dates....just like you try to figure out the due date of a child, we work with our contact on the field to determine the best time to come. The third step is telling people .......we do the same thing. We get the word out to the missionary women serving in the countries close to our contact person as well as potential churches and team members here in the states. The fourth step is the process of preparation….just like an expectant family gets things ready for the arrival of the baby; we get things ready for the arrival of the women to the retreat. The fifth step is the water breaks so you head to the hospital…. We are just short of the water breaking for Costa Rica. We have a few more preparations and 21 more missionaries that need to be sponsored for the trip. I am so excited to see God, as always, working on behalf of the women that will be attending! The team is getting more and more excited as the delivery draws near!!!! Please continue to pray and rejoice with us as God shows Himself during the final days of preparation!

Love you all so much and thank you for the privilege of walking together for Him!

His,
Vickie