A few years ago, my dear friend Sally Clarkson invited me and some other blogging friends to her home in the mountains of Colorado for a weekend intensive. Her desire was simple: to mentor a group of women who were impacting their generation for Christ. The result for me was life changing.
For three days, Sally poured her years of knowledge as a wife, mother, and ministry leader into us as we sat in her living room soaking up every word. We were challenged to own our lives and the influence God had given us.
I walked away from that weekend filled up, and with a new dream in my heart.
What I was blessed to experience, I wanted to give away to other women who wouldn’t normally have that kind of opportunity.
So the dreaming and praying began, and God moved in miraculous ways…
This past September, the dream God planted in my heart a few years ago came to fruition.
The night before my translators and leadership team arrived, I had some dear friends over to my house helping me personalize the bedrooms where the women would sleep. One of my friends pulled me aside and said, “Angela, I have to admit… I thought you were a little crazy when you started telling us how you would one day fly all of your translators to your house for an intensive. I honestly never thought it would happen, and look at us now – getting ready for 20+ women to fill your home to capacity!”
Ohhh friends, we serve an amazing God who plants dreams in our hearts and hears our prayers! I am honored to invite you into my home to see a little glimpse of what we experienced this past September…
It truly was a little slice of heaven on earth.
The intensive was everything I had dreamed and prayed it would be and then some… God totally showed off!
During the week my translators and leadership team were with me, I told them over and over again not to pay attention to how things look, but to pay attention to how they were encouraged, inspired, and equipped. The heart and goal behind the intensive was to give them an experience they would be able to duplicate when they went back home.
I wanted them to walk away from the week- long intensive feeling loved, empowered, and valued.
I didn’t use any fancy tools – just what Jesus used when He led the Disciples:
Food.
Fellowship.
Love.
Universal gifts God has given all of us, no matter where we call home around the world.
These brave women traveled to Dallas from around the world, many of them leaving their country for the first time in their lives! From the moment these precious women started arriving, every time I opened the door to my home I was welcoming in a dear, dear friend. There were lots of happy tears and even more hugs sprinkled with laughter! Though none of my translators had ever met face-to-face, we all bonded instantly – like we had known each other for years.
We spent one glorious week together – feasting, loving, and dreaming of how we can impact our countries for Christ.
My home was full to the brim… and I LOVED every minute of it!
Day after day my kitchen overflowed with love and laughter… the best two ingredients a home can have. Stories were shared and friendships deepened around tables as bread was broken and hearts were strengthened.
And remember that knowledge that was shared with me a few years ago? Well, sweet Sally came in for my international intensive and shared it again! She challenged us with Biblical principals, encouraged us to live for Christ right where He has planted us, and above all else… she reminded us to love like Jesus.
Not only did we learn together, fellowship together, and eat together… we also worshipped together with the larger Love God Greatly community in Dallas, TX at our Girls Night Out: Praise & Worship Concert!
We raised our arms high and our hearts even higher, singing in ONE VOICE as 13+ nations gathered to PRAISE our GREAT GOD!
(Special thanks to Gina Cooper and band for their amazing performance!)
(If you haven’t had the chance to see this video from our concert, please do! Nothing like women from around the world singing and reading the same Scripture in their native language! It truly is powerful!)
On Saturday night of the intensive we set up tables and chairs and hosted a cookout in my backyard. We welcomed friends from my personal Love God Greatly group as well as family and friends from my local church. One of the comments I kept hearing over and over again from my translators was, “Angela we knew you loved us, but we didn’t realize you have so many people behind you who love us too!”
I truly couldn’t be more proud of my family, friends and church. You all loved these women so well!
Thank you for joining me and investing in what really matters: friendships, communities… souls.
Because we all have but one life… let’s make it count by investing in what will last forever!
I have no doubt that the investment made from spending one week together will ripple through time and make a difference for Christ. Lives were forever changed, friendships were strengthened, and a greater vision was cast. As women were empowered to reach their nations for Christ, new dreams were birthed.
And the beautiful cycle starts all over again.
Special thanks to…
My husband, Dirk, for your unwavering support, sacrifice, and encouragement. I know it’s not always easy being married to a “Dreamer,” and yet you choose to dream with me and encourage me on the days when I needed it most! Thank you for your generous heart as you picked up more shifts as the intensive approached, for making sure our translators and leadership team had just what they needed, and then taking the week off during the intensive to help watch our girls, drive us all around, and doing it all with a smile on your face and an eagerness to help!
My girls, for dreaming with me and loving our translators and leadership team as much as I do! You follow in your daddy’s footsteps with your generosity, giving your every penny so we could have beds for all of the women!
My mom, for helping in a million different ways this past summer as I planned and organized this event… but most importantly for helping to watch my girls during the intensive! You made sure they were at all the main events but allowed me time to invest in the lives of my translators as you invested in the lives of my girls! It’s a team effort around here and I couldn’t do this without you!
Joanie, thank you for flying in to cook, encourage, and cook some more! You filled more than just our tummies… you filled our hearts too! I am forever thankful for you! Welcome to the team!
Tyler, what an amazing support you are to Whitney and to me! Thank you for taking the week off of work too, for flying in and then joining Joanie in the kitchen… helping to feed all of us so beautifully! You blessed us not only with your crazy good cooking skills but with your love for God and for advancing His Kingdom!
Stephanie, you came to support, cook and serve… and you loved us in a million different ways! Thank you for your daily intentional gifts but most importantly for your love and friendship!
Russell and Sarah, you served and gave and served us some more! “Thank you” will never be enough! Your support of LGG and the vision we have to reach more women with God’s Word has been such a blessing to us! We are forever thankful for you!
Mike, Sherri and Shelbi, thank you for being such an amazing support and encouragement to me! You are an answer to prayer and I’m so blessed to have in my life!
Jonathan (Global Advance), thank you for your support, for taking time out of your busy schedule to come and speak wisdom and encouragement into our hearts! So honored to serve our Lord with you and help reach more women around the world with God’s Word!
Lisa (Lily Claire), thank you so much for your support of this ministry, for your sweet generosity, and for blessing our women with your beautiful bags! You sure do know how to make some women feel special! So proud of you and the amazing work you are doing for women around the world!
Finally, thank you sweet friends for traveling across the country and around the world to be a part of this incredible week. I am deeply honored to serve our Lord beside each of you, and I can’t wait to see God continue to multiply your sweet investments in your nations for His glory!!
And now there’s a great work to do.
With united hearts, we look ahead with JOY and great anticipation – trusting God to move in women’s lives around the world like never before as we keep serving, praying, and dreaming together…
Love God GREATLY!
Wow reading this was like being there again. Tears came to my eyes when I saw Dirk, Tyler, Joan, Stephany, your mom, Sarah and Russell and all your friends and church that loved us in a million ways; when I see us again with Sally, with Jonathan, with all the amazing people who encouraged us, taught us, helped us grow; when I see again those precious moments at your home – moments of tears, joy, dreams, prayers and lots of love; when I remember the concert and the feeling of praising God together in our own languages. And, especially, when I see you, my friend, dreaming big for God and working so hard to make this dream come true. That week impacted my life forever. The friendship and bonds between us all are priceless and the encouragement to continue to serve the Lord, ah, just amazing.
Thank you so much Angela for showing us what true love can make. God bless you my friend 🙂
Angela, this was just fabulous. I read the whole post and listened to the to the music. It was marvelous. A dream come true. Seeds being sown. Relationships being deepened and something really great for God to happen. I am sure this pleased His Heart to know that His Word is being spread around the world. May God bless you all-every, single one of you. 🙂
It is such a blessing to be apart of your dream Angela! Thank you for listening to the Spirit. It will be so amazing to see how God wove all this together in so many peoples lives!
Wow…makes me want to dream or like Miranda said ‘listen to the Spirit’ Yes, lots of work I realize but the smiles and the joy of being part of God’s work is worth it all and more! Be blessed for being a blessing!
Ohh Angela I can’t stop crying reading this!!! Those days were life transforming your gift to us and to the world will be always be treasured. I thank God for every second we spend together with you and the girls at your house and for every detail that made our day as so special beyond imagination!! I have always remember the laughter and the love of ya’ll
Thanks won’t be never enough for that precious gift and for all the wonderful people we got the opportunity to meet !!! Love you love you !!!!
Wow! Thank you so much for sharing, Angela. I feel like I know you all and we have never even met. This was an event I wasn’t able to make it to. My face was covered in tears as I read more and more of this thankful, love filled message.
Great article, I think that dreams can really become reality.
Amada Angela, en verdad que aunque no estuve allí, las lagrimas inundaron mis ojos porque este sueño hecho realidad es como si fuera mio también, siempre anhele poder ser parte de un equipo de mujeres apasionadas y amantes de Jesus y en ADG lo encontre, con EDURNE y GUISSE ha sido maravillo ir creciendo poco a poco y conociendo LoveGodGeatly a Angela, gracias DIOS por que nos pones en el camino a las personas correctas cuando anhelamos de corazón servirte, amarte y conocerte, con aprecio y amor de CRISTO. Bernarda Patricia