3000 Strong - Women's Congress

With firewood & pots, mattresses, basins and soap, bags of flour, cooking oil, vegetables, and luggage filled with pretty dresses and uniforms – and their Bibles – 3000 women arrived for the Congress.  We reached the school grounds to find the ladies carrying heavy loads on their heads and with no hesitation, setting up make shift kitchens around the compound. The excitement was building for this long awaited spiritual retreat. They had traveled from the deep interior, from villages and mountains, in buses and matatus, on motor bikes and on foot.  The Turkana group voyaged for 18 hours and they wouldn’t miss it!

The early birds landed a dormitory bunk while others found sleeping space on the concrete classroom floors of the Mudavadi Girls Secondary School.  A hint of panic set in when there was an obvious overflow of delegates. Extra tents were quickly ordered and before long the green grass became the additional sleeping space, a nocturnal crib under the stars. Despite some minor complaining, none of these ‘inconveniences’ tarnished the ladies’ eagerness and expectancy.  For many, it was their ‘vacation of the year’ filled with sunrise to sunset dancing, singing, worship, and prayer – plus lots of fun and laughter.  Like many such events around the globe, women love being together. It’s in our DNA. This scene was no exception. The ear to ear smiles and their never ending energy for ‘moving to the music’ spoke volumes of their vigour to be together for hours of praise and thanksgiving to God.  Our two guests from The Salvation Army US Southern Territory, Commissioner Barbara Howell and Major Brenda Raymer, were immediately thrilled to meet and mingle with the ladies. Soon they too were dancing the African way. Warm welcomes and ‘join us’ are never in short supply for visitors!  

The messages and teaching supported the theme “Women Serving Christ Positively”. It was quite appropriate that Major Brenda reminded us to ‘pause’ this weekend and hear God speak. The days sped quickly, moving from times of worship and Bible study to limitless presentations of gospel dance, choir, drama, timbrels and poems along with life lessons about women’s health, parenting skills and child development, and a tutorial on uniform wearing.  The highlight for many, including myself, was our final session on Sunday morning.  Commissioner Barbara shared stories of several women in the Bible whose godly influence was effective despite their imperfect circumstances. It germinated our thinking about the influence we can have on our families and communities. She declared the truth that the measure of our worth is not found in the opinion of others but in whose we are and “if we belong to God, our influence is about what matters in His kingdom”, she said.  Covering her head with a crimson scarf, and mobilizing herself around the field, she relayed the story of the woman who was full of shame and despised by her village because of a bleeding condition that was out of her control. “After a very long time of enduring feelings of disgrace, this woman’s dignity was finally restored when she reached out, desperate yet determined, to touch Christ” Barbara reminded us.  She beat the odds in her life to “walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7) and found herself empowered by God’s healing spirit. The application - this can be our story too. Many of us may battle with shame and personal worth. Sometimes our circumstances defeat us.  The woman in Matthew 9 is a great example of how faith in Christ can restore our value and release the inner beauty, strength, and compassion within us which can overflow to the lives of others.  As Barbara knelt on the grass, allowing the head scarf to slowly drop to her shoulders, she invited the women to come before God, without any fear of hiding.  "With full confidence of His grace and courage to believe that His Spirit can help us, we are invited to Jesus."  Hundreds of women walked onto the field, kneeling humbly in prayer. We came together - in one accord - to confess our need of God’s help to serve from the inside out with godly impact and influence.  Loud murmurs of heart felt prayer filled the field as Commissioner Grace prayed fervently over the seeking crowd. These days were so worth it. 

Events like this are not always easy to measure in terms of impact. It is never only about what happens during the time together but perhaps more importantly, it is about how it propels us forward. What difference will this gathering make for these women personally? What impact will it have in their family life, in the church and the community? While sharing in corporate worship, praying together, and learning new truths are great blessings in the moment and well worth the planning, we long to know that deep and meaningful effects have truly taken root and will bloom with a fragrance that touches many lives in the days ahead. Some of these we will never know but others will be quite evident in the local setting. For this we now pray. 

I am very grateful to have been part of this event.  It was energizing to glimpse the traditional expressions of exalting God with voices and motion. Sometimes I had to catch my breath after joining them for a gospel dance!  It was enriching to hear God’s Word spoken with clarity and truth.  It was defining to remember the commonality of our spiritual needs as we internalized the message spoken.   When we waved good bye on Sunday afternoon, I was jolted within as I acknowledged that normal every-day life for some of these women is far from easy and some of them returned to challenges that may burst their bubbles very quickly. I prayed for God’s protection against any situations which could potentially harm any of them in body, mind, or soul. I continue to pray and hope for support and on the ground partnering to help these women find courage to overcome any circumstances that may rob them of their joy in places where they may be quite vulnerable. I pray for justice and mercy. I pray for a daring obedience for each one of them, and for myself, to follow God in ways that will translate into better lives and generational good.

God bless the women of Kenya.

Here are a few of the hundreds of pictures taken over this weekend!

Arrival & Settling in

Our Guests

Two TPWM's

Translators are such gems!

Commissioner Grace welcomes the crowd!

And the dancing begins ...

DDWM from Turkana in her native dress

I love meeting little girls :) 

Timbrels 

She can't keep still :)

An amazing crowd!

The District officers who hosted us.

They do not hesitate to pray 

I'm tryin'!! 

And it's Sunday morning ... 

Taking the salute to 3000 women takes time. 

Brenda's last Bible Study 

Sunday morning sermon

A stirring moment

Love this image of Barbara clasping hands with one of the ladies as we all pray together. 

And when it's all over, he's always there ...