Wanawake meeting of the Kenya Assemblies of God

     Today, I was able to attend a session at the WWK meeting in Kitengale, Kenya. Once a year, the ladies of the Kenya Assemblies of God gather together to fellowship and worship God.  They ride for hours on a bus and arrive excited.  For some, it is the only break from hauling water each day to the house for washing and cooking.  I imagine for some it is the one time a year that during the weekday, they can sit and listen to sermons, hear words of encouragement, sing praises to God instead of taking care of the garden, feeding the children and washing the clothes by hand.  Many of the ladies slept in a large hall in the conference center.  They had a thin, foam mattress to sleep on in a room with hundreds of other women.  Perhaps that does not sound inviting to most of us, however, the laughter and chattering all during the night is evidence that most of the women were thrilled to have the company of other women.
     During the altar call today, women flocked to the front and cried out to the Lord to help with their burdens. The guest speaker for the conference, Deanna Shrodes, encouraged the women to live in unity with one another based on Psalm 133.  The message is one that is universal.  We have a choice to make in our relationships.  We can chose to speak words of life to one another or we can chose words that destroy our relationships with others.
     Our words can either bring unity or discord.  For me, I often allow words to flow too quickly from my mouth.  I do enjoy a relaxed conversation among friends.  However, I want to be more careful about speaking words of compassion and encouragement.  This life is filled with so many hardships and as believers, we should uplift one another and show the world our brotherly love.