I did decide to give a few ministry highlights here. Originally this trip included a meet up with several BSN sista's and their husbands . Three couples weren't able to attend because of various personal reasons but Angie Bledsoe and I had been trying to connect since we first "met" nearly 6 years ago. Angie was one of several PW's I first connected with online via their blogs. At the time I knew it wouldn't be long before I became a PW myself and I wanted to connect with others in the same boat. Over all I've had mostly good experiences when it comes to cyber friendships and thankfully Angie turned out to be not only a great contact, but a great friend, and over the years her and Pastor Byron have prayed for our ministry. I can't tell you what a blessing that has been to us!
But getting to meet them in person, being able to hug my sista friend and then have the opportunity to be encouraged, and prayed over was the icing on the cake! Pastor Byron and Angie could not have been more hospitable and they gave us valuable advice that I'm sure will help keep us motivated in the long run! Connecting with them as a ministry couple, sharing stories, learning of new ways we can impact our community, and getting words of affirmation that we are heeding God's plans for our life just made me more determined then ever to bring that same type of feeling to other ministry leaders. If your ever in the Orlando area on Sunday drop in at C3 Church and say hello.
I think an even more personal affirmation to me to keep moving forward, and to not give up on my dreams came from my meet up with this lady!!!
Chandra Mickle Lee and I also met via the World Wide Web. Over the years we have kept up with each other through twitter and Facebook and even though it took a little longer then we thought to connect we finally did at the end of this week.
Chandra swooped in with a ball of energy, gave us a bit of reprieve from the heat (long story that I will talk about in my trip report) and then proceeded to keep Marcus and I in stitches over dinner.
Pastor Byron and Angie encouraged Marc and I to keep on doing what we are doing as far as WABC was concerned but Chandra encouraged me to not give up on my dreams for BSN! And that was the most special blessing I received that week other then time alone with the luv of my life.
Blended Souls Network is really my baby. Marc is there to support me no matter what. Whether that's financially, emotionally, or even driving me all over God's green earth promoting it and recruiting other couples to become involved. But first and foremost it's a ministry formed in my heart to really make a difference in our communities and Chandra just reminded me of that. But just like any other baby you birth you must be willing to make the sacrifices it takes to see that baby grow into fruition!
Sometimes ministry seems easy and the path seems very clear. But other times you may have to accept that the growth or survival of that ministry may require change, re-branding, bigger ideas, smaller ideas, or really just may require that you see the bigger picture! In my head and in my heart I think I was just to scared to really dream the dream that BSN had first inspired me to do. Which was to connect ministry couples from different ethnic, economic, denominational and regional backgrounds with one another so that we could really make an impact in our perspective community. By connecting with one another, building genuine friendships, sharing ideas and life stories and then taking that fellowship to a whole new level by breaking down "turf wars" and "neighborhood boundaries" to really come together as a community of churches who work with each other to really make a difference in this world.
In my heart is sounded great but in my head I saw too many limitations. I wasn't willing to think "large" because I saw myself as insignificant. Talking to Chandra reminded me that my God is a great big God and with him all things are possible, even BIG Dreams! If your organization is looking to improve their online presence you need to connect with my girl Chandra over at Strategic Online Networking!
We really had a great week (yes, even without going to the parks) but the best part was hanging with Marc, and breaking bread with ministry friends!
