Now, for my story.  I had an opposite, but similar experience to my husband Adrian’s experience. One of my greatest passions is for leadership and helping people determine the exact steps they need to take to achieve, and I’ve always had a special passion for female empowerment.  My women’s group, Renew, began in 1999 after a vision from God of a group of women who would meet, discuss the power of the Word and enjoy giving gifts and eating delicious foods in each other’s homes.  Each year, we have a calendar full of meetings, retreats and even sponsored a Renew for teenagers.

Our Renew retreats are so much fun – over the years, we’ve had city-wide scavenger hunts, pit seats at Broadway plays, themed tours and private salsa and merengue lessons…we always try to keep it creative.   One particular retreat, we went to the mountains of Tennessee and rented a gorgeous, secluded cabin that overlooked a deep valley.  Typically, wooded retreats wouldn’t appeal to our group of women, but this was no ordinary cabin!  It was beautiful…but unfortunately, the good news about this trip stops here!  Everything that could’ve gone wrong did – including (but not limited to):

1. Half our group got lost…for 6 hours
2. One member got extremely sick and had to be rushed to the hospital
3. Wasps plagued the area
4. The group that was lost was mad, angry and tired when they finally arrived
5. Two members were pregnant and ended up being dumped in the river on what was supposed to be a quiet canoe trip, at one point, one of them was stranded on a rock in the middle of rushing water! (note:  It was all our husbands could do not to drive down to Tennessee and pick us all up when they heard that one!)

You know the saying, “when it rains…” As the leader of the group and member of the planning committee, I was DONE.  Absolutely speechless at the way things were going.  I couldn’t talk to anyone but God about how awful this Renew Retreat was going.

I got up extra early the last morning of our trip and went out to sit on the sprawling covered porch of our beautiful cabin.  I didn’t know it, but the early morning sunrise in that area was known to be an amazing site.  I sat, watching the sun rise over the foggy valley, up over the mountains.

In that still, soft moment, I heard the following words – “your purpose is to be a distribution center for wealth and information around the globe.”  My first thought, like most, was “how?”  The answer came:  “through writing and speaking.”  I suddenly had a new awareness about what I was meant to do.

Fast-forward many years, and I, like Adrian, have spoken extensively on different topics over the years.  He and I, coming together to offer these specific services to the world is the ultimate love story.  We are able to love other people and love God through the expression of this gift.  We look forward to sharing it with you!

Now, on to why we are doing this together…but before I go, here’s one of my favorite pics of Renew, the Indianapolis Group.  Leave a Comment

Related posts:

1. Doing It Together – Part 3