Written by Tawni Miller
The top five needs of women serving overseas include: to be spiritually mentored; to feel connected; to be known/understood/prayed for; to have a close friend; and time away from ministry & life responsibilities.
An attendee was asked:
How have you been cared for in a way that you never or rarely have been before and how has it impacted you?
Her response:
“In the village where I serve, I am definitely known. Everyone knows me as the long-haired, white girl with freckles! They get in my personal space constantly. They run ahead of me when I’m walking so they can see me and touch me. They pick at my freckles on my arms. I’m known but it’s lonely because they’re only interested in the outside of me. I stand out. I was a little scared coming to the Thrive retreat. Scared of being known. But what I experienced was quite different. Here, people are touching my soul… not my freckles or hair (except when I got my hair cut!). I’m not being stared at or having my space invaded. I didn’t know I needed to be {truly} known until I felt it and then I knew I needed it!”
God knows us—he knows every hair on our heads—he also knows about every ache and pain, wound, thought and emotion. The best way to know others is to look at how God knows us. If we love him we are known by him. Loving others by meeting that need to be known is one of the many ways we can exemplify Christ to these precious women.
If anyone loves God, he is known by God. 1 Corinthians 8:3
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