Amazing Freedom 2007

Last Friday at 5:30 am, 10 women and 1 baby, headed to Portland for Women of Faith.
Sue Davenport, Sheila Taylor, Cher Horn, Deanna & Baby Owen Debooy, Anita Haight, Rose Tilford, Lisa Patrick, Paula Hanks, Damaris Kellogg & Yvonne Wittkopf.


We arrived that afternoon, found our hotel, and settled in for a relaxing afternoon. Rose's sister, Trina Hooley and my cousin, Vicki (Aman) Gonzalez met us there at the hotel.

We attended the first night, sang along with the worship team, and listed to Patsy Clairmont speak on "Living Lively In the Valley". She is a hoot, but at the same time, she has such a beautiful way of sharing Jesus and His amazing love.
Later, we were treated to a moving concert by Nichole Nordeman. Nichole really portrays her heart through the lyrics of her songs. I was especially blessed by "I Am" and "Finally Free".
We collapsed into bed that night, and woke up refreshed the next morning....well kinda!

Saturday began with a time of worship. It is always so awe-inspiring to see 16, 500+ women worshiping our God together.
We listened to Sheila Walsh speak about "God Has a Dream for Your Life". She treated us to her version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "Find Your Dreams". We all love Sheila!!!
Thelma Wells spoke about the women in the Bible, who encountered God and experienced His freedom.
The afternoon was a concert given by Sandy Patty. She brought the house down with Lisa Smith. Lisa is a young girl with Downs Syndrome, who taught herself Sign Language by doing it to Sandy Patty's music. She dreamed of signing with Sandy in concert, but her parents told her that would probably never happen. They attended a concert where Sandy saw Lisa signing in the crowd. She called Lisa to the stage, and the rest is history.
I found myself moved to tears every time Lisa went on stage. She gives it her all!
Sandy has walked a heart-breaking road, but through the mercy and grace of God, she is now walking the road to healing & has a beautiful story of redemption.

Anita Renfroe, a Christian comedian, brought us to "happy tears" with her humor. She is known for her "Mom Song", which can be found on youtube.com
Nichole Johnson portrayed her message through three powerful dramas. What a gift God has given Nichole!
Lucy Swindoll and Marilyn Meberg, shared from their experiences about closure and freedom.
Every year I find myself hearing something from each speaker that I can apply to my life.

We went out on the town for dinner Saturday evening. Someone (hmmm...I wonder who?) told the staff at the restaurant that it was Rose's birthday, so she was treated to Flan and a lovely Spanish rendition of "Happy Birthday"!
Some of us ate out at "Salty's On the Columbia Gorge" for Lunch on Sunday. It was delicious, and relaxing.
Some drove over to the Oregon Coast. Be sure and ask Cher, Damaris or Rose about their WOF t-shirts.

God met with us in Portland, and our friendships grew deeper. What more could we ask for!
Now we can't hardly wait until next year, when it is time to go again!