I had a speaking engagement last night at the C.W.L for those of you that don't know what that is it is the Catholic Woman's League and this group was just one of many around the world. It had been a few years since i was there last time to speak to them. When they last saw me i was still trying to juggle working at the Long term care facility and also at HHSM. I showed up with a cardboard sign and a few homemade print outs of what time the mission was open and i was just excited to get the invite to talk about this crazy thing God is doing.
When i arrived there last night i started to put up our fancy sign made by a professional graphics design place and one of the ladies commented how nice it looked. I placed the professionally printed flyers and information about our many programs that now run through the program center and I was feeling really proud of where God has brought this little spark from. I sat in on their meeting that went over their budget and updates. I listened to the list of places they were giving to and joined them in prayer for the problem of Human Trafficking for the victims and for those exploiting them. They talked and prayed about abortion laws,gave updates on the latest news and on the people in their parish who were in need of any kind of help. Some spoke very passionately about the many social justice issues and through thier prayer you could feel the compassion in their hearts pouring out with every word. Above the room was a statue of St. Francis of Assisi and i might be crazy but i think he was smiling.
After their meeting it was my turn. Gladys introduced me and this time it was no longer "she has one new grade nine in the house and a little girl" it was "she has one newly married daughter and a new grade nine in her family" IT was so surreal to me how far and how long it had been. As i got up to speak about he mission with some old faces and some new something really fantastic came over me. I realized that the fancy sign and new pamphlets were great but that as i looked out at the woman listening to my every word the expressions hadn't changed at all since the last time. I saw them nod and smile when ever I mentioned God or Jesus. They had pain in their faces when I spoke about the needs there. They still laughed at my bad jokes. And when i was finished they were so joyful and excited for Gods promises for all of us and I felt like no time had passed. Oh there was more to tell, the numbers were greater, new programs were running, God was really building a community down in the city through HHSM but what remained the same was the fire I was feeling inside my soul. The Holy Spirit fire that i remember consuming me. I felt that again. My spirit was glowing and I knew I was in one of those amazing moments where God wants you to be as a part of His greater plan. Like there is no other place in the world you should be, like a little piece of heaven it seriously felt that good.
When i was finished and they presented me with a thank-you card and donation for HHSM a couple of ladies who had just been presented earlier with flowers for all the work they had done in raising funds for the group came and gave me the flowers and said "thank-you for being uniquely you. |You have a gift of speaking that shows the spirit pouring out of you and listen to |God . He is going to use you." I was breathless, excited and humbled. I knew the "unique" word was used because when the CWL think a missionary is coming I know I am not what they expect but that's why God is so great. I was humbled to hear what i felt was a prophesy of my life and where it may be heading with this speaking "gig" Gods got me on. I was breathless because i could now rest without worry that I may have re-connected with a piece of my FREAK.
I guess sometimes to get back we need to go back. I have been invited to speak in November at two different ladies conferences and I was so excited because they were bigger and I was going to be a main speaker. I am glad God brought me back to the ladies of the CWL and not just because of the amazing carrot cake,which was amazing by the way, but because it was the spark i needed to have ignited before He leads me to the next step to remind me who is in charge and where I found my FREAK in the first place.
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