I feel so blessed that the Lord allows me to serve in the kingdom through speaking. This past weekend I was in the beautiful town of Artesia, New Mexico where I had the privilege of speaking to a delightful group of about 80 ladies on the topic of Legacy.
I left Atlanta on Friday morning in the cold weather and left-over snow and ice, and arrived in Artesia many hours later to temperatures in the mid 70s. Lindsey Givens, who had been my contact for this event and who is a delightful lady, picked me up at the Roswell, New Mexico airport. I told her that I would meet her at baggage claim. Little did I know that the she would be waiting on me at the GATE when I stepped off the plane and onto the tarmac. Yes, I said tarmac. It was a wonderful throwback to the days when one could de-plane onto the ground rather than through a retractable hall and into a concourse. I loved the small airport. One baggage claim area and one gate. For a girl that is accustomed to the Atlanta airport, it was a true treat.
Lindsey took me to her home where she, her daughter, Paula, and I enjoyed a delicious dinner of roast pork, a wonderful potato dish, salad, bread and almond cake. YUM! I was hungry and it tasted so good. I met her beautiful blonde cat, Charlie, and her daughter’s Chihuahua, Bailey. We had dessert in the living room and after we finished I was sitting on the couch drinking my water. I noticed Paula get up and go toward the back of the house. In just a few minutes, a small, furry rocket named Minnie jumped up on my lap, flipped her body over and landed on her back, nestled in my sweater. She had her belly to the sky and looked at me as if to say, “Hi, you are my new best friend. Rub my belly.” It was the funniest thing. I laughed so hard I cried. Here is a picture that Lindsey took. That spot is exactly where Minnie landed when she flopped back. Minnie lay like that for at least 15 minutes. What a hoot.
I stayed in a stunning bed and breakfast called Adobe Rose. My large room was beautifully appointed in Southwestern décor. The owner was a cute blonde woman named Megan who was sweet as sugar. I was the only guest, so I had the run of the place. However, I was so tired that I went straight to bed. If you are ever in Artesia, you should stay at the Adobe Rose. There is a restaurant by the same name attached to the B&B where we had dinner on Saturday night. The food was incredible.
Saturday morning found me worshipping with 80 plus ladies of all ages and stages at FBC Artesia. The Holy Spirit was very present. The music for the event was such a blessing, and was performed by Melissa and Joel who are on staff at the church. The theme of the event was Legacy, and the ladies had done an outstanding job with the decor. Lots of antiques and beautiful old collectables were used for the table and stage decorations. I spoke three times. The first message was my testimony weaved around what I had learned from various Bible studies I have done. The Legacy message was the second message, and when the altar call was given, the Lord brought at least 7 ladies to salvation in Jesus. The final message was on forgiveness and came from John 8. I offered each lady a stone that symbolized un-forgiveness, bitterness, or jealousy. At the end of the presentation I offered them the option to cast their stone at the person toward whom they felt one of the above emotions, or lay the stone at the altar and ask the Lord to remove that feeling from their heart. There was audible weeping as these ladies brought their stones, laid them on the altar, and gave their un-forgiveness, jealousy, and bitterness toward others to Jesus. Praise Jesus for the work He accomplished on Saturday. Here are a few pictures from the day.
I made the announcement board! Right alongside Beth Moore, Francesa Battistelli, Sanctus Real! Yahoo!
Lovely quilt squares on the entryway table.
Stones that were given out to each lady for the last message.
Stage decorations.
Stone cast at the altar.
I was scheduled to fly home on Sunday afternoon, but God seemed to have other plans. I awoke to snow on the ground, and a message from American Airlines that both my flights had been cancelled. I stayed on the phone most of the day, and finally got a flight out of Lubbock, Texas (a 3+ hour drive from Artesia) on Monday morning. Lindsey was driving to Lubbock on Sunday evening for a Monday appointment, so it worked that I could ride with her. Praise Jesus.
An extra day on the road was not in my plans, but I used the time to accomplish some writing that I needed to finish. So, YAY! I was surely glad to get back to my husband and home, but was so blessed to have been part of God’s program for the ladies of Artesia, New Mexico.
