“Empowering women to experience God’s restoration and hope through story telling and community”
This is the mission statement for Beauty for Ashes. At training camp I, along with one more girl from my squad, was given the position of Beauty for Ashes Coordinator. In case you haven’t heard me talk your ear off about it yet, it is Adventures in Mission’s women’s ministry and by being chosen coordinator my job is to bring their mission and vision to the field and act as a facilitator. Our hope is to be able to host retreats in the countries that we are serving for women that we encounter and to bring them hope and walk along side them in freedom through our faith stories and community.
It was a Thursday morning. I woke up in my tent like any other day in Swaziland. I crawled out of my lime green (very small) tent and headed to the main room for coffee. Once a little more awake I said to myself, “today is the day”.
On this Thursday morning, it was the day of the first full on retreat that I would be hosting. Swaziland was “All Squad Month” for us, meaning that all 60 of us J Squad were together for the whole month. So thankfully I had my other partner Jessie there with me as well as we were able to coordinate and plan this whole thing together. I remember walking into the main room and could feel the excitement from all the girls that were helping us out with the logistics. “What can I do?”, “Where am I needed?”, “Should I bring my paints?”, “do you need help with set up?” everyone was so willing to help out and that was such a special moment for me to witness. I think something powerful happens when women pull together to serve other women, especially across culture, race, age, and homes.
As the day went on I kept going through all the details in my head. Just a sidenote*- planning an event in Africa looks very different than any other event that I have ever planned before. It took me a few deep breaths to jump through the hoops of “Africa time” as well as “Africa Communication”. For those who are unfamiliar with Africa time, basically any time that is set could be hours off, and you would still be on time….quite a concept for this Southern Californian recent college graduate where time not only set in stone-but that stone pretty much rules your life. So with that being said, about an hour before the event our big event tent wasn’t set up, there were no people to set it up, and our translator had left to go into the city to “just run a few errands”. Deep breathe in and exhale…. Okay new plan. Again, I watched as people from my squad quit what they were doing and jumped right in to help get it all together.
This is the Body of Christ, even if you have no direct part in something, if a need is there and you are able to fill it- you fill it.
So, through all the craziness of the set up, it came and women actually showed up! I was so nervous leading up to it that no women would come- But they came. Not just one, or two, but twenty five women from all over the village came.
As they started walking in and finding their seats, we eagerly greeted them and showed them all we had for them. Some looked tired from walking, as some came from far distances, but the smiles on their faces to be here made my heart leap. I loved watching their faces as they turned the corner and saw all the “sweeties”, popcorn, and tea we had for them. What a privilege is was to be able to spoil them and pamper them! These women who have seen more brokenness, abuse, sickness, hardship, and life than I could probably ever fathom.
The event started. We opened with prayer and every thing that followed seemed to be completely from the good good Father. All we had to do was say “yes” to His invitation to be apart of it and He took care of the rest and more. It was a wonderful time of togetherness, teaching, vulnerability, and relationship building. We shared on the views that we have of God and how they can affect how we look at the world, we shared on worth and the worth that they all have in Christ and that can never be taken away, and finally on forgiving yourself. At the end of the event we closed it by asking the women to write down a person or area of their life that needed forgiveness; whether they needed to forgive someone or they needed to forgive themselves. Then we asked that if they felt ready or led, to bring it up to the cross that we had placed at the front of the room. And surely enough, one by one each of them came up and dropped it at the cross.
As we closed out the retreat and the women started walking home, I had so many come up and encourage me and the others. Even if they couldn’t speak English, their warm embrace, smiles, and the way they held my hand and didn’t let go, spoke more than enough. I strongly believe that God planted seeds of hope in hearts during this retreat, and more than that, I believe He is telling me that there is more coming for the women in Nsoko. That more will come to water and to tenderly pour more into these women, as well as they will pour into each other. Being vulnerable with one another and stepping along side each other, and that is something that I know they will hold onto and that they will be able to lean on each other during life’s joys and heartbreaks.
There was such power and beauty in those moments, being able to sit back and watch what the Lord was doing in each of their hearts. All because they were saying yes to trusting Him with their lives and burdens and because I was given the opportunity to say yes into this role a few months ago.
What is God asking you to say yes too?
As always, thanks for letting my story be apart of your day.
xo Katie
