HMONG LUTHERAN WOMEN IN MISSION RETREAT, September 31 – October 2, 2011.
I was delighted to be able to join the women of the Hmong Lutheran Women in Mission at their recent retreat at Spencer Lake Christian Camp. This is a synod wide group that seeks to reach out to the world with the “Word of Life.”
The theme of their retreat was “Ownership.” The theme was taken from 2 Corinthians 1:22 “(He) set his seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”
Rev. Yia Vang
Pastor Yia Vang was the Bible Study Leader. He led the group of about 40 women in a study about taking ownership for their lives. Pastor Vang encouraged us to remember that the choices we make result in the lives we live. We set the tone of our homes and our culture by what we think, say and do. We discussed cultural differences between the Hmong and the Anglo cultures and how difficult it can be sometimes to make those important choices for ourselves and our families.
This newly formed group of Hmong women have taken the name “Hmong Lutheran Women in Mission” and they are a part of the LCMS. They enjoy discussing the things that affect them as they are trying to join their two cultures. What an exciting time the Lord has for them to be forming a new group that is dedicated to reaching out to the lost with the words of eternal life.
I was eager to attend the retreat and to bring greetings to the ladies from the SWD-LWML. As part of my presentation I presented each of the women with her own mite box and shared the story of the Widow’s Mite with them. I also told them about our mite grants.
After lunch we got together for a photograph of all of the women and I was delighted to be a part of their group photo. When it was time for me to leave, Shing, their president, asked me to step to the front and pointed to the beautiful display of mite boxes that had been made by the ladies. Imagine my surprise when Shing told me that the ladies had put an offering in the mite boxes for our mites.
God is so great to provide these funds for us so that we can get closer to our goal of covering all of the grants that were chosen in June of 2012.
A big THANK YOU to the ladies of the Hmong Lutheran Women in Mission for the generous gift. When it was totaled, the gift came to $232.53.
We will use their gift wisely to help the world learn about our Jesus who we love.
When I arrived, Cindy Her met me and told me that she was to be my interpreter for the day. I learned much from her about the differences in our cultures and she was a great help to me with her translation as well.
Pastor Vang had a power point and that was written in English as well as in the Hmong language so it was very easy for me to keep up with what they were discussing. The Hmong women were very excited and animated in their interchange with Pastor Vang. They had a good time sharing different things and I know that a great bond was created between the women.
I would like to share some of the teaching from Pastor Vang. Below you will see some of the points of the presentation. I think that these are universal and help to remind us all that the way we look at life is the way we will be living it.
Taking Ownership: A Person Who Owns His/Her Call
Pastor Yia Vang
Ownership is a quality we look for in an outstanding partner, or leader.
A woman who owns her call:
• is someone who makes a full personal investment in her work
• She makes her work personally important
• This person commits to do more than her best
• She is someone who rises to the needs of the situation
• This woman is ready to do whatever is needed to succeed at any given moment.
• She cares more about the outcome than the collateral issues
• This person does whatever it takes to succeed, she avoids excuses
• She accepts full and complete responsibility - owning the results.
• She makes commitments beyond dedication
• A person who takes ownership completes the task with excellence.
• She is willing to sacrifice self for the cause
• This person is relentless in her pursuit of success,
• With victory and accomplishment she breaks through every barrier imaginable.
Hopefully we will be able to enjoy working with this group in the future to spread the Gospel to all nations.
Click Here for more pictures from the Retreat!
Jan,
LWML District President