Nearly 220 women and teens attended the Hispanic women’s retreat in Junction City, Kansas, last April, including over 20 who were not Adventists.
We were very blessed with biblical and spiritual presentations on mental health. We learned how our emotional health affects our relationship with God and others. We gained tools to identify emotional issues and know when to address them ourselves and when to seek professional help. The teen speaker presented a very unusual topic for teenagers: stress. She explained that they can have a better life if they learn how to manage stress early. She nailed it, and the teens loved every presentation.
Although we have called this retreat the Hispanic Women’s Retreat for years, it is now more than that. This year, a group of Haitian church members delighted us with their presence. We had translation devices, and one person translated for them into French. They expressed gratitude and joy in participating in this event. One Haitian lady said that attending this weekend was the best birthday gift she had ever received.
We also had a parade of nations on Saturday night, with 20 nations represented. Ladies brought their beautiful traditional clothing and paraded with the flags of their countries. We celebrated together a God who made us all with different colors and cultures. During the event, I meditated on Zech. 14:9, which says: “And the Lord will be King over all the earth. On that day, there will be one Lord, and his name alone will be worshiped.” Soon, there will be no more barriers of language or country because we will all be citizens of a better kingdom.
Miriam Dovald is women’s ministries director for the Kansas-Nebraska Conference.
