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Journal of Joy Women's Retreat - REST STOP - September 23-25, 2005 "But whoever drinks of the water that I give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:14). 09.22.05 ~ It is a sweet gift to be invited to a conference, yet sweeter still when your friends are the leaders. Karyn Roy-Smith was the worship leader, Tina Hamous provided prophetic worship dance as well as being part of the worship team, and Kim Maas was the guest minister. Where does one find the words to express such sweet victory in the lives of such faithful women of God. A friend provided the transportation to the airport, the gates were open, flight 2451 was smooth all the way to Burbank arriving 22 minutes early at 1:03 pm (Psalm 103). Signs along the way: Divine Revelation, Hebrews 11:1 (100 fold), Airforce (2x), Flight Plan, and Spirit of the Red Horse. Flexibility is always key in traveling and in ministry. The plans of the day radically changed and graciously the Freiberg's allowed me to spend the afternoon with them. Randy, Colette and their daughter Megan are HGRM intercessors, in addition to Megan being one of our Handmaiden's. Randy and Colette's son, Robbie is in the photo below where we shared a meal at a Greek Deli. Degna picked me up at 9:45 pm and we stopped by Kim's for some very anointed prayer time. Wahoo!
Degna and her husband, Keith graciously hosted me for the weekend providing a wonderful "Bed and Breakfast." Their peaceful home is adorned with Scriptures and symbols of life in Jesus Christ. Often when I travel, as I say, "I am on the Wall," which means most nights are spent in intercession and prayer. It just comes with the territory of ministry. How delightful to be interceding in a place where the presence of God already resides. The reason I have placed the photo of the bedroom on the site is because it is almost identical to the guest room where I stayed in Tennessee as well as my own bedroom. I believe that GOD' heart was for me to feel at home, to feel welcome, to confirm the assignment even though I had been in a car wreck two weeks earlier and was uncertain my physical strength would be enough.
09.23.05 ~ Nicki came over to Degna's in the morning to cut my hair. Yes, it is worth the flight to California for her to cut my hair. It is a small thing to most people, but to those of us with naturally curly hair, it is a huge thing. The point being, the kindness and mercy of GOD never cease even to the smallest details of our finite lives. GOD will love us even more than we know, if we will just let HIM do what HE does best - LOVE! HE loves to bless us! I pray you will let HIM express HIS love to you in the smallest of details! After a challenging drive to Ventura, we checked into the Marriott Ventura Beach Hotel and then immediately I went to the Rest-Stop Conference meeting room to pray. There is something to be said for presentation and a warm welcome. The entrance to the conference was extravagantly beautiful, each table inside adorned reflecting the light and grace of JESUS CHRIST!
This was a women's retreat! The worship team, the leaders and the prayer team were women....and GOD was GLORIFIED and DELIGHTED!
09.24.05 ~ Following the morning session, Kim and I went to lunch, then we went for a walk on the beach. The Holy Spirit had clearly defined my priority assignment of "standing in the gap" for Kim as she ministered. I was very determined to stay focused on that task even though there were many distractions and interruptions. It is imperative to do that which the Holy Spirit has directed us to do...the FATHER's will must always be first in our lives. While we walked and Kim talked through her evening message (the third in the four-part series), I noticed a bumble bee on the ground. As we walked forward and I looked back and the bumble bee was gone. Her foot print in the wet sand next to where it was. So, I interrupted her "preaching" and removed the bumble bee that had crawled inside her pant leg. The reason I share this is because I have ministered many times and am usually dependent on others to see what I cannot see at that time. We need each other in the body of Christ and we need to be willing to serve each other. Another assignment the LORD has given me over the years is to be HIS Ring Bearer. Often giving HIS Covenant Glory Rings to those HE chooses when I travel. When preparing for a trip I always ask the LORD what HE would have me pack...with the awareness that I may not bring anything home - as it all belongs to HIM! This time HE had me give rings to adorn hands. Nonetheless the message is the same: HIS OVERT LOVE! Again, the focus is: What is HIS purpose in this time and season! It is about JESUS! One of the photos above is Tina Hamous prophetically dancing over the women at the conference. Since, I met Tina a few years ago and she served as an Advisor to HGRM in, the LORD has called her to develop and lead a ministry called: Heart Key Ministries. It was truly "Joy unspeakable and full of Glory!" Tina will be dancing at the Azuza Street Revival this April 2006 in Los Angeles, CA. 09.25.05 ~ On Sunday Morning the Holy Spirit asked me to go get coffee for Kim and Karyn. I did not have a car...minor detail. I met Diane in the hall and asked her to take me to a coffee shop. Diane is one with a servant's heart and was more than willing to make my request come true. It was delightfully hilarious to look at her license plate.....because it really was a GODSPEED mission.
Following the morning session, we went to celebrate the September birthdays of Kim, Karyn and Shealeah. That was quite the party! Sometimes girls just want to have fun! So we did! Before departing we had a Holy Spirit ordained prayer session in the van. Glory! We stopped by Jon and Karyn's briefly where the group photo was taken. Since the retreat, Karyn has returned to the recording studio and is working on a new CD for release! 09.26.05 ~ Kim came by early in the morning and we went to breakfast at one of our favorite places - Jack's Deli, spending time debriefing the weekend. It is amazing how many things there are to learn! GOD open our eyes to see the fullness of who YOU are in our environment! We stopped by Kim's home so that I could see Nicki's wedding dress (wedding December 11, 2005) - I met Nathan on my last trip to Moorpark and was delighted to hear of their engagement to be married. We met Degna who then transported me to the airport as Kim had classes at the King's Seminary. Signs along the way: Psalm 150, Psalm 103, Unprecedented, Hebrews 11:11, Deuteronomy 1:11, Yahveh, Infiniti, Knights, Gold Eagle, Where there's hope, there's life. Flight 2508 departed Burbank at 5 pm and arrived in Portland on time. There were two rainbows over California on the flight home. One that pierced through the clouds at two or three places from my view and another in circle formation. FATHER, cause us to receive double portion of YOUR promises, in the name of JESUS! May the JOY of the LORD be completed in YOU! With heartfelt gratitude for all that prayed and made this possible. Jennifer Lynn Joy P.S. It is my heart to give you the opportunity to experience more of the Rest Stop Conference - Kim has graciously offered her Rest Stop Teaching Notes. If you would like to contact her about speaking at a Women's Retreat or Conference you may email her at kimbi59@hotmail.com. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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