Two years ago, Anyoly Figueroa felt led by God to organize a Christian women’s conference in her community in the Dominican Republic, and she wanted to include Moms in Prayer International. I was able to travel to the Dominican Republic and share Moms in Prayer at the women's conference called "Mujer: Practica Tu Fe," or "Woman: Practice Your Faith."
The conference included many wonderful presenters, activities, crafts, worship and drama. Several speakers encouraged the women on how to put their faith into practice, and my purpose was to show them how to do this by using the Four Steps of Prayer for their children. I was given three one-hour time slots each day to teach about Moms in Prayer. I was also thankful to have a translator this time, unlike my trip in March when I had to present in Spanish! Still, I used my Spanish-speaking skills during conversations with the women in between sessions.
During the three sessions, I shared the background and purpose of Moms in Prayer International, the Four Steps of Prayer, ideas on how to pray for children, teachers and schools, and personal stories from my own Moms in Prayer group. Approximately 40 women attended, and during the first two sessions, I held a mini Moms in Prayer hour so the women could practice. They loved it so much that they didn't want to stop praying!
During the first session, the attribute was God is our Savior. We prayed for salvation for a child in each of the women's lives. One grandmother prayed for her grandchild and went home to talk to him. That night he asked Jesus into his heart! The next day, I purposely had her wait until the "Thanksgiving" step to tell everyone, just as if we were in a regular Moms In Prayer group. As she thanked God, everyone was incredibly excited to see God answer our prayers.
One mom told our group she had not planned on attending the conference, because her husband is a pastor and they were in the process of changing churches. She had too much to do and was worried how the move would affect her children. Nevertheless, she felt God telling her she needed to go. Joyfully, she held up the Booklet and exclaimed, "THIS is why I was supposed to come!" She is planning to start a Moms in Prayer group at her new church.
During the third session, I wanted to perform a skit using the "mat" where women take turns lifting up their children in prayer on a symbolic mat, like the one used by the four friends who brought the paralytic to Jesus. There weren't any mats available, but we did have a port-a-crib with the translator's 4-month-old son. I "tried" to lift the port-a-crib by myself, but the burden was too heavy. So, I had three other moms join me in "lifting him up" to show how much easier it is when we help each other bring our children to God in prayer. The women loved the visual!
At the end of the conference, nine women stepped forward to lead groups, and the pastor's wife of a large church requested 10 Leader Guides. She would like to train 10 women in her church to lead Moms in Prayer groups. I am so thankful to God for this opportunity, the love and warm welcome from all the ladies, the program director's hospitality, and the messages of putting our faith into action.
And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. Hebrews 11:6 (NLT)
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