Ready to Serve my California Sisters

Greetings Surrendered Sisters!

I am in HOT, HOT, HOT Modesto, California. 

The temp is expected to hit 110-115 degrees today!

We often complain in Tampa about the humidity that comes with our southern/tropical heat. Trust me, sometimes humidity is good! It allows moisture in the lungs and NOSE! A very important fact when your lungs are used to receiving a little bit of liquid upon breaths.

My honey flew out from San Francisco vacation last Wednesday to head back to Florida.

He left me and my daughter Julianna (you who have done STS know about her precious self) in California. 

J and I drove from San Francisco to Stockton, California where we joined the Lifeway Women's Ministry team for a "Fully Loaded" Woman's training event. It was great fun to be with the Lifeway team again and to see so many of my California friends made at past events!!! 

One of the COOLEST parts of "Fully Loaded" was hearing from my darling little sister in ministry, Kelly Minter and to be led in worshiping God with my sweet California sisters in Christ by none other than Travis Cottrell!! 

WOW!! 

If you have not heard about these two please check out their websites.

After Fully Loaded was completed we went back to our hotel for a nap and had the treat of watching a Bible teach you all may have heard of by the name of Beth Mooore , play a little wiffle ball on the hotel lawn with her band and ministry team. That was cool!

Did anyone get a picture, my camera battery was dead.

Later Friday evening (after she lost the ball game!) Beth brought it as usual, launching her teaching from Revelation 19. The title for the message was "Bridezilla to Bride". I loved it and was challenged, as usual, to consider every day a bit closer to the "Wedding" of all weddings. The great day that we see our "King of Kings and Lord of Lords" breaking through the clouds riding on a white horse to claim us a His Bride, once and for all!!

In the meantime, we all must apprehend that for which we have been apprehended! (Phil 3:12)

One of the things that I have been "apprehended" to do is to minister God's healing love to those who have been devastated by abortion and to help equip others who want to do the same.

That is what I am doing in Modesto!

Julianna and I left FULL of the great things that happened in Stockton, and headed south to Modesto. We are enjoying a day of rest today (she is sleeping as I blog!). 

Tomorrow I am privileged to serve a group of 20 or so ladies whose desire is the same as mine.

I can not wait to pray with them, hug on them, serve them, learn from them and just generally dwell in God's sweet presence together with them!

If you have not registered and live anywhere near this HOT TOWN, please come on over!! 

Otherwise, I would be so very grateful if you would just stop at the end of this post and say a little prayer for me, for us, for what God is doing with and through STS. 

I am humbled and amazed and my eyes fill with tears of gratitude as I write.

He truly is the Bridegroom and we are His pure and spotless Bride. 

As Revelation 19:1 says

HALLELUJAH!!! Salvation, glory and power belong to our God!

Looking for a few Good Men!

Greetings Sisters (and maybe a brother or two).

As some of you know we are in the process of writing and publishing an additional "Surrendering the Secret" Resource in the form of a trade book.

STS is now available as a Bible Study that can be purchased one of three ways. You can buy STS off our website here at STS, at a Lifeway Christian Bookstore or off the Lifeway Christian Resources website. The "trade book" will be available at most retail bookstores as well as places like Walmart, Sam's Club, ect....

Other than the fact that the new book will be a chapter book verses a Bible Study, we are also incorporating the post abortion recovery journey for men as well as women.

I am looking for a few men who would be willing to have their stories published along with the stories of the STS girls.

If you know a man, or if you ARE a man, who would be interested in this ministry opportunity, please either respond here in the comments section or please email us at sts@awpm.net.

We will also be adding some post abortion testimonies from a few couples who experienced abortion together.

I will be sharing some facts and truths about Men and Abortion over the next few weeks and would love to hear your questions and experiences as we go.

For any of you who live in Northern California.....we have a training coming you way in a few weeks in Modesta, California!!

Check out the STS Website for details!

Dogs and Cats...Lions and Lambs...Darkness and Light...Life and Death!

Last summer the Board of Directors made a bold decision to move our crisis pregnancy resource ministry right next door to one of Tampa's busiest abortion businesses. 

Since that time our amazing team has experienced a wide variety of emotions as we have had hundreds of girls and women come through our doors in the heat of crisis. Many are just barely babies themselves. 

We have prayed. We have fasted. We have asked God to use us to make a difference in our city. He has said YES! 

So far this year close to 200 women who had abortion in mind have instead, chosen life for their unborn children. Many other women have turned to us after they have taken the dark walk into an abortion decision.

The incredible article found here was published in the Tampa Tribune this past Sunday as a followup up to the many stories that have headlined around the nation detailing the recent murder of George Tiller.

We are excited about how God is using "A Woman's Place" to make a difference for LIFE in Tampa Bay.

Our desire is to offer the love of God to EVERYONE who is blinded by the lie of abortion.

Our desire is to spread the message of redemption and restoration to everyone He sends our way. 

Our message is one of Life and not Death.

John 10:10 (New International Version)

¹⁰The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Free Ministry!!

We are still gathering names for our FREE MINISTRY GIVEAWAY! 

Fight Like a Girl!

I think we are at about 35 entries between our: 

Facebook "Surrendered Sisters" GROUP 

and the blogs that are helping out. 

Amy @ Mom of 4 Saved by Grace and Melinda at Traveling the Road Home 

So far our facebook entries are in the lead. 

We would be so grateful to our Blogging Buddies if you would help us to spread the word. 

Remember...out of every 3 women, one has experienced the heartbreak of abortion. Statistics say as many as 43% of all women of childbearing age.

Take a look around you and you will see someone who needs this healing ministry.

Our single desire is to reach these women through our churches, pregnancy centers, christian counseling centers and care groups who need to hear that God's Love reaches even into the darkness of abortion.

You can still join us by adding your Blog or Facebook Voice!

Check out the links above for details and visit Amy and Melinda to express your partnership and appreciation. I have visited every blog that has joined us.

We have decided that the FREE---ALL EXPENSES PAID STS Certified Training will go to bring someone to Florida in the Winter of 2010!

We are having our First Annual STS Conference right here in the Sunshine State next February. Our committee is meeting, praying and making plans now for you to be ministered to, served, blessed and trained to offer this life changing ministry in your community.

Will you join us!!?? 

The contest will end on Independence Day---July 4th, 2009.

Facebook Funny Business

Hi Sweet Fighting Girl-Friends,

I have heard you! Thank you so much for your emails about the challenges with our STS Group and our contest. If anyone out there is doing a marketing survey, let me just tell you, FACEBOOK is far more popular than blogging!!

We just arrived home from a beach getaway with most of our daily lives still in suitcases.

I will work on the group tomorrow.

Thanks for your patience, please try again. Melinda and I REALLY want to giveaway some blessings!!

TRY THIS!!!!

Thanks to my brilliant YOUNG daughter!

Fight Like a Girl...All Over the World! (Round 2)

For any of you friends who visited earlier today, you will note that my morning of blogging inspiration has disappeared. I have no idea what or how I did it but I wiped out my brainstorm through some kind of blogger botch up.

My MIA post was praising God for the fact that I have been notified by "ClusterMaps" used on Blogger, that they are putting a new map up on our site since our map is turning all red! 

We have had so many visitors from around the Nation that it is time to start all over!

God is good!

To celebrate His blessings and to help those of you who would like to be a part of the healing and restoration of men and women around our world who are experiencing the heartbreak of a past abortion, we are having an STS product giveaway. 

Lifeway Christian Resources has provided us with a wonderful resource for post abortion recovery in your church, local CPC or professional counseling office. This is your opportunity to bless one of those ministries with this ministry.

There are several ways to win:

1) Visit Amy at "Mom of 4 saved by Grace" and share your personal story of restoration!

2) Join the Facebook Group "Surrendered Sisters"!

3) Write a post about your own healing or the importance of post abortion recovery on your own Blog and link back to this blog. Be sure to let us know that you have joined us!

We  will be giving away DVD kits to Bloggers and Facebook friends.

The grand prize will be an all expenses paid registration for an upcoming STS Certified Leader Training.

Thank you for joining the Fight and helping us to fill up a new map with lots of red dots!!

Rejoicing over Richmond from the Gulf!

I am sitting at a table, in a condo, in front of my computer, looking through window at the aqua blue Gulf of Mexico. I would only do this for some people that I ADORE!!! People like you!

On the sweet occasions that my honey and I get away for some quite time on the beach, one of the things that I love most is the extra time that I have to spend with the Lord. 

Time to praise Him and thank him for all of the amazing things that he is doing in my life and through the ministry family of STS.

Our Surrendering the Secret family has just grown and I am feeling the proud joys of being a new MOM!

Last week we completed our 5th 2009 Certified Leader Training at the Heartbeat International Conference in Richmond, Virginia.

We put together a beautiful new display for STS that was visited by close to 600 conference attendees. STS is being warmly embraced by many ministry leaders across the nation. I am so honored to be able to serve Heartbeat as a National Consultant for post abortion recovery and look forward to meeting and visiting more of their affiliates over the coming months.

National Trainers Daphne Freeman and Trisha Heflin (last 2 on the right side) led this training as I peeked in and out form another meeting. They did an awesome job and we fell in love with a brand new team of God's servant leaders. The first person on the left is my daughter Julianna (many of you have heard her story) and my son Andy who serves our ministry Life Impact Network in Tampa as Executive Director. It was awesome to have them with me!

We were blessed with a group of 30 men (yep--we had 2!!) and woman who have no desire other than to serve and honor God by helping His son's and daughters to be healed and restored from a past abortion. They were incredible!!

The day was full of laughter and tears, testimony and triumph, vision and expectation.

WELCOME HEARTBEAT TEAM!!! We love you already!!

I will be leading our next National Certification Training in Modesta, California on June 29th right after I speak at the Lifeway Fully Loaded training to be held in Stockton, California.

The Fully Loaded event will be followed by a Bible teacher that we all know and love by the name of Beth Moore at a Living Proof Live event.

Join me will you!!?? 

See our website for registration information!!