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A picture tells a story. Let me tell you the backstory of the smiles we see as we look at the beautiful ladies in this picture. I do not doubt that these two sweet gals found themselves in this moment and said, "This is so random. How did we get here?" However, we know that as we walk out God's perfect plan for our lives, nothing is random. Each step is truly God-ordained, and God had divinely orchestrated this season and moment for Karen and Debbie.
The story begins when these two ladies embark on a spiritual growth journey with a group of women they have never met. They started a relationship with others that God knew they needed, and He willingly provided. Debbie, Karen, and several other ladies signed up for the online Women of Valor Journey. They committed to meet weekly for 26 weeks, guided by the shared purpose of discovering their role in God's plan, deepening their relationship with Him, and growing together in a community of sisterhood.
God was, and continues, to use Karen in a church in Kansas, where she ministers to many. Her vibrant personality, love, and encouragement for others are evident. She remains teachable and open to God's voice, seeking His guidance for her life's next steps. She had been sharing the significance of baptism with her Women of Valor group. She encouraged them to follow an outward sign of obedience that followed the inward change brought about by salvation.
Debbie came to Women of Valor seeking a deeper walk with God. She shared openly with the group her desire to know God deeper, hear God's voice through His Word, and find direction from spending time listening to Him. She loved being a part of this group, sharing her insights, and listening to the other gals as they weekly ministered to her.
Karen and Debbie lived a distance apart and had never met before their discipleship journey began. They quickly became sisters in Christ as they shared their daily encounters with God and insights from His Word. They shared their testimonies of the God stories in their lives that have brought them to where they are today.
Debbie had surrendered her life to Jesus and had a desire to be water baptized but had not had the opportunity. She shared how she was falling in love with God and His Word in a new way and had come to a better understanding of her salvation and what it means to surrender her life to Him fully. In this conversation, Karen shared about baptism; she shared an opportunity at her church for baptism in the coming weeks. Debbie knew she had to make it work to travel to Karen's church and to show her declaration of faith by water baptism. Here is Debbie's description of that moment,
"The absolute best part was when Karen told me she would be doing the baptism because she was a pastor at the church. I was ecstatic!
It was the most amazing experience and even more remarkable because I got to share it with Karen and Stacey, another sister in our Women of Valor group! I will never forget the feeling I had. The Holy Spirit just washed over me. I felt His peace in such a real way!"
Karen shares the beauty of the community formed through Women of Valor virtual. She was honored to have the privilege of baptizing Debbie and was so impressed with her desire and willingness to drive four hours to be baptized. Karen shares the significance of developing friendships that become close spiritual sisters through a virtual platform.
God continues to ordain relationships between people from all over the country and worldwide when individuals say yes to the Valor Discipleship Journey. He has a beautiful plan for us to be disciples and disciple-makers. This discipleship process God has called us to happens in a beautiful way when people come together for a season of growing in their faith.
For more information on being a part of the Valor Discipleship Journey online this fall, go to:
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