Peninsular Florida Girls Retreat (formerly Missionette retreat)-- My experience as special speaker

Girls retreat is over and I finally have a moment sitting with my coffee, my new MacBook named Maxi (name inspired by my new friend Sara who names everything) to reflect on a week of sharing the Word and the powerful Presence of Jesus with my sisterchics. 

Deborah Chapin, who happens to be one of my favorite people in this world, asked me to speak back in December. Looking back on it now, I don’t know what she was thinking!!! I have spent the last 15 years of my life in a small third-world country speaking spanish. On top of that, I am the mother of four BOYS, hello?  I honestly had NO CLUE as to how to minister to girls in the USA in ENGLISH!!! 

So as it got time to prepare I started to despair, I WAS TERRIFIED! And anytime that I get terrified -- you probably do this too-- I get down on my knees. I asked Jesus about it and he reminded me that I had been a missionary 15 years and that after 15 years I am pretty much an expert at studying culture and adapting. He reminded me that we have spent a lot of time working out the practical ways God’s Word must impact our lives within the good and the bad of culture. So.... it was time to study the culture of american girls and young women.

(lauging out loud here--while I type Nelson is doing the hula hoop on Wii Fit!!!! hahaha!! Composure.. ok...sorry... back to the story) 

So my first step was cable television, I watched Hannah Montana, iCarly, Zoey101 and the only thing I really learned from them was that my teenage wardrobe from the 80’s is actually in fashion again!!! I can truthfully say that I can live the rest of my life without watching Hannah Montana. So we had the wardrobe down...

Then I began to observe the girls at church and that’s when I God spoke to me. I got to know a girl whose family has been having a rough time financially, she’s a little socially awkward but she has become my friend. I noticed that the other girls at church ignore her. Then one day I heard a girl who loves Jesus and really is a great girl say to my socially awkward, financially struggling friend, “Didn’t you wear that shirt to church yesterday?” I watched my friend’s countenance change. Her face turned red, she fidgeted, she nervously tried to explain that it was a clean shirt... My soul was grieved. I began to look into this. I could see that there was something going on with girls that needed to be addressed by the WORD of GOD. 

Then God worked it out with my very own BFF, Rhonda Gray,  to help me. Boy did she help...She has a daughter, age 11 and she knows all about this stuff. We wrote a story together with the Holy Spirit. I love ministering with story -- just like Jesus did with the Parables. We felt led to hit the topics of friendship, bullying, cyberbullying, gossip and revenge. 

Rhonda and I became teenagers, Lexi and Chloe. Please, I know its weird to see two women in their thirties try to be teenagers. I hope that there is no you tube video that will come back to haunt me!! We had a blast and God moved in EVERY retreat. 

The small girls were so fun! We adapted the story a little bit but they actually were very engaged and they really loved the characters. I believe that even some of the little girls received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. It was beautiful to see them flood the altars when we gave an altar call. Nobody held back. I love that!!!

Then we ministered to 12-18 year old girls. Big Jump, but God showed up in a big way! One girl asked me, “Please pray that God will give me a friend, I am always left out.” Tears were streaming down her cheeks. 

The morning of this retreat, I was reading about Zaccheus and the Word jumped out at me of how Jesus looked up at Zaccheus and he called him by name. I felt impressed that the Lord would look at these girls, even the ones who were outcasts like Zaccheus. During altar call as we prayed, I looked over and my eyes met with this teenage girl and I got goosebumps, it was electrifying!!! I felt like a vessel and Jesus was looking at this girl. We prayed together and IT WAS POWERFUL! 

The Holy Spirit was poured out, several girls received and one girl stayed and stayed and stayed all by herself with just her leader. I mean she practically missed lunch. She was NOT gonna go home without the baptism. She didn’t!!! She was so excited. 

We also had a message in tongues. I had been really praying for the gifts to be in operation. THIS WAS AN ANSWER TO MY PRAYERs! Yay! An adult gave the message and I explained to the girls what it was all about. In my spirit I KNEW that the interpretation would come from one of the girls. I actually started to tell the girls, “the interpretation could be in one of you, it does not have to be an adult” but I didn’t say it thinking that I did not want to influence the work of the Spirit. It turns out that He does not need my help!!!! And sure enough a young girl came forward with a message! The Lord spoke through her saying to the girls, “You are not too young to influence your church, your school or your community”   Wow...so cool! 

Stars retreat was the last and in this one we ministered to the upper elementary girls. This is probably my favorite age. They were really in to it. They listened intently and really connected with the message. In all the retreats I felt passionate about communicating to the girls that God’s Word really APPLIES to our everyday walking around lives, even our friendships! (especially our friendships!) It is better than a teen magazine!!! 

They really went after God and it was awesome. LOTS of girls were filled with the Spirit and there was a beautiful healing presence. God did a lot of work healing emotions and heart hurts in all the retreats and it wasn’t just the girls. There were several leaders who told me that had to get free of past hurts. 

One last testimony. It was wonderful feel the gifts in operation. Gifts of knowledge and prophecy. But I especially asked the Lord to let his Word speak into the lives of the girls. Often as I ministered in the altars the Scriptures would flood my prayers. As I prayed over girls in the stars retreat I kept reminding the girls that the Lord God never would forget them. I prayed Isaiah 49:15-16

Can a mother forget her nursing child?

      Can she feel no love for the child she has borne?

   But even if that were possible,

      I would not forget you!

See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.

In the altars as I ministered this scripture a little girl fell out under the power of God and she just wailed. It was almost gut-wrenching, yet I knew at the same time Jesus was doing a beautiful work. It turns out that this child has been in and out of foster care and most recently her Stars leaders had to turn in her step father for child abuse. Big time stuff that ONLY JESUS can really heal. And in that moment the Holy Spirit hovered over her and it was as though He was holding her in that altar and healing her.

Well that is my story. Jesus did his thing and I got to be a part of it!!! Except for the few times that I forgot to pray in English with the girls (crazy--I am so used to ministering in Spanish in the altars) and for the demons in the sound system, (but I’m used that) it was a week of victories for everyone myself included. 

Oh and one last thing-- Pray for me, I am working hard to remove  “like” “totally” “awesome” and “cool” from my every-other-word vocabulary. You should have heard me in church yesterday!!! lol!!!

Human Trafficking in Dominican Republic

The Persons in Trafficking report was just recently released and it doesn’t show much improvement on the part of the government of our beloved island of Dominican Republic. The fact of the matter is that I know that the hope for children of our country will never be found in any government solutions. The real hope for a little girl in the bondage of prostitution in the tourist zones of our island can only be found through the power of Jesus Christ. That power is most often presented to those girls through a walking and talking and loving and “being with” relationships with Spirit-filled believers. It is my passion to see the church, the Pentecostal church, in particular become a powerful force for transformation in the lives of boys and girls who live in the filth of bars and brothels. 

Today I am thinking about my friends in Boca Chica. Angela, Natalie, Jaquelin. Their journey towards transformation was just beginning when I left. I am wondering about the three girls in a little town where the traffickers are very active. Their aunt had been taken to Argentina and was dying of AIDS. She would never return to her homeland because of the disgrace that it would cause her family. I’ll never forget 16 year old Miseidy asking me “When will we see you again? When can you come back to visit us?” 

We have just a few months left to raise the remaining part of our budget to be able return in August. Please pray for God to provide and pray for the boys and girls in Dominican Republic that are victimized EVERY DAY, yes even TODAY.

Below I have posted a summary about the report from the Dominican Republic’s English news website www.DR1.com

Persons Trafficking report


The 2008 Trafficking in Persons Report from the US State Department highlights the DR as a Tier 2 country and urges the country to increase efforts to bring human traffickers to justice. The report also urged the DR to emphasize pursuing "complicit high-ranking government officials" who partake in this illegal activity." The Dominican Republic is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor. A large number of Dominican women are trafficked into prostitution and sexual exploitation in Western Europe, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Panama, Haiti, and other Caribbean destinations. A significant number of women, boys, and girls are trafficked within the country for sexual exploitation and domestic servitude." The report indicates that the Dominican government has made some attempt to curb the illegal trafficking of people. "The Government of the Dominican Republic does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so." 
For more information see: www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2008/