The weekend of March 9 and 10 was an amazing weekend. The second Community Women’s Retreat was held that weekend at the Lied Lodge in Nebraska City, Nebraska. We had 160 women attend from the area. Local supporting churches were Henderson MB Church, Stockham Community Church, Bethesda Mennonite Church, Faith Evangelical Bible Church, Monroe Evangelical Free Church and Lushton Bible Church. The event was planned by women made up of these congregations.
There were chair massages, great food, beautiful lodging, trails to walk, prizes to win, beautiful weather, time to hang out, and activities to join in on but the highlight of the event, according to evaluations and the people that came to share with members of our team was Jen Hatmaker, our speaker. She brought us all to tears with her jokes and stories and then spoke with such biblical depth bringing something new and fresh to everyone. Jen Hatmaker is a author, pastor’s wife, church planter, disciple maker and speaker. She is authentic and is living out what she teaches. You can read more about Jen at www.jenhatmaker.com
In summary, her challenge that weekend was to live as a disciple of Jesus, to love our neighbors, and to love those hurting and in great need in the world. It was challenging, emotional and a call to action. Calling all of us to “get in the game”.
We invited everyone to bring a new pair of children’s shoes that would be sent over seas to children that live shoeless lives. We filled wooden wells with shoes. It was a beautiful picture. We had well over 200 pairs of children’s shoes. We also had a 31 Bits table. This is all jewelry that was made in Uganda and the proceeds go directly back to these women helping them in their education and living costs. The women enjoyed shopping with a purpose. By noon on Saturday our book table was empty; every book Jen brought was sold by noon.
I am so excited to see how the messages we heard will take root in our communities. I dream of a community where we all look around and view ourselves on mission, right here at our ball games, our pool, our school events and more.  The challenge to love our neighbor affects us all.  I also get excited to see how God taps each of us differently to engage in the world of pain beyond our neighborhood. The options are endless when it comes to joining in the fight against suffering in the world.
Thank you to all the local businesses that supported this event by donating your services and your merchandise. Thank you to each of the supporting churches. This event could not have happened with out the generous giving from churches and several individual donors. Seeing women from a variety of churches worshiping our God together is a beautiful thing to be a part of! Thank you for making that happen and for being a part of bringing our community together!
Nicole Quiring
