START RIGHT, FINISH STRONG!

 

Our Girl Time Retreat this year was a great success. Teenaged girls from our adopted neighborhoods and other areas of our community met together for a time of encouragement, reflection and good old-fashioned fun.

 

As young women in today's world they must face and deal with issues of character, morality and identity every day. That's why Joy Ministries gives them this opportunity to take some time out to talk about these very real challenges and establish their own bed-rock code. We want to equip them to Start Right and Finish Strong, the theme of this year's retreat.

 

One very powerful topic we discussed was "the masks we wear". The Holy Spirit revealed things to the girls that were hindering their spiritual walk. Peer pressure, fear of rejection, media influence, and the need for approval and acceptance were among the top hindrances. They were able to freely give in this intimate setting some major things they were struggling with that affected the way that they felt about themselves. They recognized the deception of trying to be what they thought everyone else would "accept" or "approve of", and they broke through barriers that were keeping them from truly receiving God's amazing love for them.

 

Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will."

 

They came to realize that the only way to do this is by clinging to what the word of God says about them and not conforming to the "world's" standards.
They took with them a list of scriptures that specifically talk about who they are in Christ, their beauty as daughters of the Most High God, and about the plans He has for them.

 

We are so grateful to the Holy Spirit for doing a deep healing in the heart of every girl at the retreat. They each made a fresh commitment to run hard after Christ and to pursue the destiny that He created them to fulfill. This weekend was life-changing for our girls and we want to thank you so much for all of your prayers and financial support.