I've been meaning to get this on here for weeks now. It seems hard for me to keep this blog updated! Several weeks ago, 5 ladies came from America to speak at a ladies' retreat we hosted here in Padova...actually it was at a Venetian hostel in a town called Monselice, which is about 30 minutes away from Padova, but our church hosted it. Although I was "working" to help everything run smoothly behind the scenes of the retreat, God provided me such encouragement and reassurance throughout the entire weekend. The ladies had themed the retreat "Fight to the Finish" and taught from Ephesians 6 about the armor of God. The Lord was so faithful to remind me that He is with me...that He has my way prepared...that He is my strength, hope, and in Whom I can fully rely on. He really strengthened my faith through their testimonies and testimonies of others they told about. All of their messages and lessons spoke so powerfully to me. Good reminders...about Jesus responding with the word when the "if's" came (when Satan tempted Him-Matthew 4:3-11), that we should soak our mind in the word, so it will come out when pressure comes and we're being squeezed by life, circumstances, darts of the enemy...and many more things from the word to meditate on and apply.
Thank you Lord for Your word, reassurance, provision, and love!
From lower left to right...Sarah, Trish, Melody, Amanda, Joey & in the back Rose and Karen...what a huge blessing to meet all of you! We all had our snazzy scarves on!
A group shot of all the ladies at the retreat
Worship
Sitting at the breakfast table...we had breakfast, lunch, and dinner there at the hostel between sessions
Beautiful Vana & Lovely
A glimpse of Monselice...
A beautiful park where Trish and I enjoyed......
...these delectable little pastries! They were wrapped so beautifully!
These are just a few of the dear friends God has blessed me with here in Padova....Julie (who is also my Italian teacher!), Amy (who does the college student ministry here in Padova with her husband, Kurtis), Lovely (who always, always has a smile and hug for everyone!), and Melody (who lived only a few hours away from me in the US, but I had the privilege of meeting her here in Italy!)
Cleaning up after meals....
Vana took some pictures of us "working" :)
What a wonderful time of fellowship, encouragement, and growth in the Lord!
"Wait on the LORD;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart..."
Psalm 27:14
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