It doesn’t really matter where they live; women around the world are very much alike. They may be married or single; they may be tall or short, have dark skin or light. They may be rich or poor live in a big city or in a very small village, but there are some things that they all have in common. They need some time to rest and relax. They want to learn new things about themselves as well as the people and things they love. They need female friendships and companionship. They want to know that there are others going through similar struggles and situations. Most of all, they need to know Jesus.
Jackie and Annette share a common passion for reaching out to women, for sharing with them things that God has helped them to learn, the very things that make being a woman easier. They have both found that there is no greater way to reach a woman than to take time to share with her. Sometimes it might mean a long afternoon spent over a cup of tea or coffee with a neighbor, just to listen to her joys and her hurts. Other times it is in the form of an organized craft class or Bible Study group, where many women share together about their lives, their families, and their needs.
Because of their desire to reach women with the Good News, Annette and Jackie recently began a new Women’s Bible Study group in the Theological Institute building. The group is just now finishing its first study series, “The Love Languages of God” by Gary Chapman. Most weeks there have been 12 to 15 ladies present. More than half of the ladies are not church members and many are from Catholic backgrounds but haven’t attended services in years.
It has been so exciting to see ladies like Bernadita who arrived on the arm of her friend Jeannette. She wasn’t sure where she was being taken, but after just one week she shared that the time had been such a wonderful blessing to her week and that she had been anxious for time to come for the second meeting. She hasn’t missed one week since she started coming. Bernadita said “In the first session you showed me how much God loves me.”
Ivonne, a very quite and humble lady, has openly shared how meaningful it has been to meet with the ladies and to study God’s Word in the group. On the first day Annette noticed that she had with her a large, used Bible. It’s evident that this isn’t the first time that she has studied God’s Word, but it is wonderful to see her opening it now to see promises of God’s love for her.
Maria Teresa came once and then missed several meetings. When she arrived again she shared with Jackie that it was difficult for her to get out in the mornings. She also shared that she was experiencing some very difficult times in her life. Her marriage is at the point of breaking up and she is very concerned about how she will care for her family. She told Jackie that she really needed the support of the other ladies and the study of God’s Word at this point in her life. She has been attending ever since and is a great blessing to everyone.
Pray with us as this group finishes this series and starts a new 5-week study called “Woman, Jesus is Interested in You.” Pray that God will call out more ladies who will have a desire to know Jesus more.
One Saturday a month a large group of ladies meet for a time of fellowship and crafts. Since December of last year the group has been continually growing. You may remember that it started in Annette’s dining room and was moved to Jackie’s house because her living and dining room are together and provide a larger space. After one meeting, when 27 ladies attended, it was moved to the Bible Institute where the rooms are much larger. In May there were 25 women present. All together more than 40 different women have attended the group.
A very special blessing this month was that Natasha, Annette’s neighbor, finally agreed to come to the class and had a very nice time. Natasha loves crafts, and is almost always busy painting some pretty thing for her house. The problem is that as a mother of two young children she is also a “cleaning fanatic” which has made it difficult to convince her that she could get away for activities outside of the house. Annette is praying and encouraging her to work her time so that she can “escape” on Thursday mornings to attend the Bible Study group.
Maria has been attending the Women’s Bible Study as well as the Sunday House Church group for the last couple of months. During this time, Hector, Maria’s husband has moved from not wanting to come with her to convincing her to come on a Sunday morning when she felt that she needed to stay home to prepare a special meal for the family. Maria shared in the beginning, that he wasn’t very loving and demonstrative toward her. Since she has learned through the Bible Study to change her “love language” toward him she has seen him change in his treatment of her.
Maria Blanca, one of Annette and Mike’s English students for the last 2 years has become very interested in know God’s plan for her life. She had a very difficult summer, with the unexpected death of two of her friends. This difficult time helped made her realize that she couldn’t face things alone. She shared with Annette that she needed to attend House Church to learn what God was all about. She has shared many times that Sunday morning is a difficult time for her to get out, that it is the one time during the week that she normally spends with her teenaged daughter. Last week, however, she shared with the group that even though it is hard for her, she now finds that she “can’t not come” on Sundays.
Miriam is an English student in Jackie’s conversation class. She comes from a very dysfunctional family background, yet is a very loving and tender-hearted woman. With three children and a husband her life is never static as she deals with each of their needs. Last year she and her son attended a Sunday evening Bible study. This year she has had one thing or another to keep her from participating. Satan is working hard to keep her from having an opportunity to really understand what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus. While she craves acceptance and friendship Miriam needs encouragement to break away from Satan’s hold on her schedule in order to spend more time with those who can lead her to the Lord.
Maribel is another woman who is participating in English classes. One of the most organized people that we have met, Maribel always strives to fulfill her commitments. When she began to attend English classes she was very reticent about “Evangelicals”. She was defensive toward them. Through the last two years of classes Maribel has changed dramatically. She has had an encounter with the Lord and is very open about how blessed she is to be able to study the Bible and how the study and prayers are helping her cope with all of her responsibilities at home and work.
Recently Janette began attending Thursday morning Bible study. She was invited by Sandra. She also has been participating in Kathy’s craft class on Thursday afternoons. She has been “super excited” about learning how to quilt. When it was mentioned that we would be learning that in the next Saturday craft class she made plans to arrive early and was the last to leave. At the end of the meeting Annette invited her to house church on Sunday evening. She and her sister came to the meeting. At the end of the meeting Janette shared that she really didn’t understand what was happening. She was invited to one thing, which brought an invitation to another meeting which brought her to a third group and finally to this meeting. She thought maybe the Lord was directing her path. Maybe? The following Thursday after hearing the Bible story she and Annette spent some time together, at the end of which Janette invited Jesus into her heart. She is still questioning what happened to her then but wants to know more and understand what it means to be a Christian. On Father’s Day she brought her husband and two sons to a special lunch for the House Church. Pray for her as she understands and grows as a new Christian.
There are many others that should be mentioned but time and space do not allow it. As well as those mentioned above pray for Claudia and Nidia who study the Bible with Jackie; for Sandra and Kathy who work with the team in sharing God’s love; for Solomé and María in Villa Tehuelches; for Luisa, Gloria, Violeta, Gina and Veronica and many others who are just beginning to learn what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus.
