Dear friends, I've just spent the most wonderful weekend with the ladies from Grace Chapel in Lexington, MA speaking at their annual retreat "Winterlude." Just days after the horrible earthquake in Haiti, 550 women gathered at the Hyannis Conference Center on Cape Cod, almost half of them Haitian women. Such a tender spirit of loving compassion moved among us. It was no accident we were together that weekend. Many were awaiting word on the safety and survival of family and friends.
After our evening sessions on Friday, these dear Haitian ladies met for prayer in a conference room, spilling out into the hallway. The sound of their prayer and singing of hymns could be heard throughout the hotel. Everyone who heard it was moved.
A deep personal joy was being joined by Lisa Troyer for the first time in a retreat. Her new CD to accompany Meet Me at the Well had arrived, and she sang after each of my sessions, plus a concert on Saturday evening. Wow! I'd never experienced her in concert previously. What a deep, passionate, rich voice she has. I was blown away. Her music added so much to the retreat, and the new CD is amazing. I hope you will listen to it on iTunes and make her music a part of your day. This photo of us was taken late Saturday night after we'd experienced a powerful moving of God calling women to Himself. We were both humbled and grateful to be part of that.
Lisa and I were also joined by Circle of Friends board member, Jocelyn Hamsher, who co-authored the new 13 week Bible study with me. Actually, Lisa did the lion's share of the writing. Her unflappable spirit and warm smile at the book table were so much fun. Later in February I'll join Lisa and Jocelyn again in Wooster, Ohio for the Circle of Friends conference. Hope you can join us. Please visit www.meeetmeatthewell.fm for more details. Save the dates, Feb. 26, 27. I hope to meet you there.
For those of you who are writers, I'll be teaching soon at Write for the Soul, the annual conference of the Christian Writers' Guild in Denver, CO at the Grand Hyatt. This is one of the premier writers' conferences in the country, and it's a thrill to teach there on "Writing from Personal Experience." The dates are February 17-21. If you have a story on your heart that needs a shepherd, consider checking it out at www.christianwritersguild.com.
May God's presence be near you today, and His hope fill your heart.
Virelle
