AWF Women Around the World Join to Celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas

Are November and December busy months for you? To many people, these two months are their busiest, as church and family celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas. Each country has its own way of observing these holidays. For the AWF Women’s Ministries, this was the first time that we celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas with Alliance women around the world.

It was a heartwarming and blissful time together on November 30, 2022, when more than a hundred women from different regions of the AWF met on Zoom. They were asked to bring an object that represents how they were grateful to the Lord for the year 2022. Some women brought medicines that represent God as their healer; others a Bible that has been their guide and light throughout the year. Some had souvenirs from countries they visited where they had the opportunity to connect with other sisters; family pictures showed the support, unity, love and care of their families; a thanksgiving jar of prayer concerns; an evangelistic tool that the Lord used to bring many people to know him. It was a wonderful moment to hear from each other, and language was not a barrier during the sharing times.

Sister LuAnne Baker of the United States shared a portrayal of Mary, the mother of Jesus, through a monologue. It was powerful and had a great impact on us. “The monologue performed by our sister LuAnne was Spirit-filled and very powerful. It communicates and vocalizes the thoughts, the love, the pain, the emotion, the agony, and the triumph of the character, Mary,” said sister Filipinas Barrieses. “Through the story of Mary, I am reminded of her faithful obedience to God and her readiness to accept what he has called her to do. Her selfless devotion to God motivated me to be faithful to obey God even in a very difficult circumstance.” Filipinas said, “Mary’s strength in a painful situation taught me to be strong and depend on God’s strength. Praise the Lord for the message imparted through this monologue.”

During the breakout sessions the women reflected on the monologue as they pondered the question: What gift can I give to Jesus this Christmas? They also shared their own prayer concerns and prayed for one another.

God’s Word was read in different languages and worship songs were presented by our sisters from Africa, Latin America and Asia Pacific. All these led us to worship our God for he alone is worthy of our praise. Two verses, Isaiah 12:4-5, sum up our celebration well: “Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world.”

Many women told how much they were blessed by this celebration. Sister Terri Groh said, “This morning I had a wonderful reminder of the larger work of the Christian and Missionary Alliance as I participated in the AWF Alliance Women’s gathering. It was wonderful to hear women from all over the world praying in their own language. I was also thankful for my breakout session with women from Korea, the Philippines and Singapore.”

Sister Abi De Jesus said that “it was a wonderful time of thanking God and meeting dear sisters from different parts of the world. God is doing great things!”

At the end of the event, we had the privilege of blessing one another through God’s Word. One of the many Bible verses we shared was Isaiah 12:2: “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.” It is a wonderful reminder that we can claim in 2023.

We noticed during our Zoom gatherings in 2022 that the connection of women is getting deeper and closer. In 2023 we are looking forward to holding more events as we engage in these women’s ministries: Leadership, Professionals and Career, Prayer and Missions, and Pastors’ Wives.

I would like to encourage you to register and get involved in these ministries. We would love to have you in our gatherings.