I joined a team of young ladies from all over the country this past week, who had gathered in Oak Brook, Illinois to begin a Journey to the Heart. It was a week of seeking after God and learning to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

On Sunday we enjoyed a day of fasting and prayer as Mr. Gothard shared Biblical principles that would help us prepare our hearts to seek our Savior. Monday morning, everyone packed their bags to take the seven hour trip to the Northwoods of Michigan. Each one of us was filled with joy in anticipation of what God was going to do!

I can testify that the presence of God was experienced throughout the entire week! Despite wide differences in ages and backgrounds, each of the girls came together and felt the rich blessing of a one-accord spirit.

While enjoying the great outdoors and taking in the splendor of God’s beautiful creation, we studied and learned to recognize seven sinful heart conditions (e.g. a fearful heart, a prideful heart, and an adulterous heart). We were amazed and convicted to see the sinfulness of our hearts, but had great rejoicing as we repented and looked to the Lord for His freedom, fullness, and joy. Confession of sin and a desire to make life-changing commitments brought deep rewards in many of the young ladies’ hearts. Times of memorization, prayer, singing, and crying out to God were very special.

Midway through the week, we set aside a special day to delight in the Lord and took time to fast and humble ourselves before Him. As a result we experienced the richness of God’s abundant grace!

We left the Northwoods with a song in our hearts, a perseverance to follow Christ’s commands, a freedom of repentance, and a deeper love for our Heavenly Bridegroom.

Upon returning to Headquarters, we worked through the commands of Christ with Mr. Gothard and learned what it is to become “fishers of men” with Mr. Garvin. There was also an opportunity in the evening for many of the young ladies to receive a verbal blessing from their fathers. God’s presence filled the room during this special time of prayer.

It was a Journey to be remembered for a lifetime! Not only did we come to know God in a more intimate way but special friendships were developed that will never be forgotten.

Praise be to Jesus for His love for us in doing exceeding abundantly above all that we could ask or think!

~ Sara
March 2009 Girls’ Journey

    This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 25th, 2009 at 7:19 pm and is filed under Journey Testimonies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.