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I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.
Romans 1:11-12 (NIV)

This …is…so…hard!

I must have muttered that sentence a million times since my husband’s death. It’s been several years, yet sometimes I still struggle with how hard it is to walk this journey. But I walk in victory.

Picture, if you will, a movie scene of an ancient Roman battle, but there is no sound. Everyone is dirty and covered with blood. Can you tell which side is victorious in the battle? Both sides may be filthy and covered in blood, but the winners will be the ones who are gathered together. They will be standing tall, interacting with each other, some even smiling, despite what they have endured. They will walk together in victory.

As widows, we have endured a terrible battle with death.

We have endured unspeakable pain and heartache. To us, nothing will ever be the same again. But as Christians, we will walk together in victory. We have a refuge; our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And because of Him, we have the gift of Eternal life. Our suffering is only for a little while. God will not allow us to be destroyed or brought down. Just like the warriors we pictured a moment ago, we will be victorious. Gathered together, standing tall, interacting with each other, maybe even smiling, despite what we have endured. But we cannot do it alone!

Together, with Jesus as our Lord, we walk in victory.

On April 16-18th we will be gathering for our AWM Hope™conference in Denton, TX. Please don’t miss this opportunity to experience the blessing of being with other Christian women on the same journey. You will be strengthened, encouraged, loved, accepted, and refreshed by the Holy Spirit.

I will never forget how blessed I was when I attended our first conference in 2014. It seemed strange at first to fly halfway across the U.S. to meet with a group of women I didn’t know. It was even a little overwhelming to travel for the first time without my husband. But I am extremely glad that I went. What I remember most is feeling loved, accepted, and understood from the moment I walked into the room. Later I realized it was the first time I felt “normal” again. I didn’t have to work at helping people understand what I’d been through and what I needed. They all got it. But it was also so much more…

Why an AWM Hope™ Conference?

A battle isn’t won just by enduring the pain. Did you know that the ancient Romans used a battle tactic called the testudo formation in which they literally protected each others backs and formed a circle with the shields out on all sides and even covering their heads? I think it is a great picture of why biblical community is so critical. A battle is won when the enemy is defeated! And our enemy was defeated the day Jesus died on the Cross! But scripture tells us we need to be armed for the battle in this world! See Ephesians 6:11 -13 ESV

I think of our AWM Hope™ Conferences as a current way to practice the battle tactic of the testudo formation. We gather together, we have each other’s backs and each of us protects the others with our shields of faith! United, we protect each other from the enemies weapons by raising our shields of faith against the enemies lies and deceit.

By focusing together on God’s Word, we tear down the lies that say we are damaged and of no value anymore. Or the lies that tell us that we just need to raise ourselves by our bootstraps, find another husband or live for ourselves by treating ourselves to a life of travel and pleasure. Instead of buying into the lies, we support each other in focusing on God’s will for our lives and living lives of eternal significance. Encouraging one another to allow God to use us in a mighty way to build His Kingdom!

Please join us for our next AWM Hope™ Conference! Click here to find out more!