DeColores, Great Banquet Community!
I was honored and humbled to have been asked to be the Lay Director for the Women’s Great Banquet #187. I am eternally grateful for the Great Banquet itself because it is the tool God used to reveal Himself and His free gift of grace to me, 18 years ago on Banquet #97. It was truly a life changer for me.
Being a Lay Director was a wonderful, yet challenging experience. One week after saying “yes” to the call, the enemy started throwing his “fiery darts” my way. I started to battle with a chronic health issue and my faith started to waiver. Over the next several months, the Lord started to write my talk, “Staying Power”. I pressed into the Lord and His Word and He taught me a very valuable lesson in faith, trust and perseverance.
Needless to say, the team selection did not go as easy as I had hoped or planned. However, the Lord again was teaching me to trust completely in Him and to persevere. For every single “no” I received, He was leading me to the perfect “yes”. In hindsight, I can now say it was the BEST team! I stand amazed at God and how He orchestrated all the details, every single one of them. Every person, team member or guest, was strategically placed in their spot by God. It was one of THE most rewarding experiences for me—to see the women encounter breakthrough! Friday morning many women walked in the conference room tightly bound with a “rope of despair”. After surrendering all their “junk” to God, He graciously gave them a “garment of praise” in return. I am still hearing testimonies of how God used the Banquet to speak to them. We serve an Awesome God, the One True God and HIS loving kindness is everlasting. It is through these Banquet weekends in which we are witnesses to His greatness.
Many, many thanks to the Banquet community and those who took the time to pray and/or serve in some form. Without willing workers the harvest will be destroyed.
So now I am asking the community to unite in prayer and “ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Luke 10:2 NIV
May each one of you be blessed as we continue to do the good works which God has prepared for us to do.
DeColores,
Melinda McGaw