This past weekend, we hosted nearly 100 women at the Better Together conference. It was an encouraging and life-giving time spent discussing what the Bible says about suffering and restoring hope to the weary as we dissected and expounded upon Romans 5:1-5. Read this story of how God was at work this weekend in the life of a non-Hallows community member.
My name is Gina Pierce, and I moved from Texas a little over two years ago to be part of a church plant here in Seattle. The Lord has been faithful to my family during this time, but it has not been without discouragement and frustration. What I didn’t expect was how hard it is to make friends as an adult. We moved here with a desire to see people changed by Jesus, and even though we know He is working in the background, it’s not always easy to keep going when you don’t see a lot of what we perceive to be successes, and when you are far away from friends and family.
I was blessed to attend the Better Together Conference this past weekend at Hallows Church in Seattle. I’m going to be honest and say I really didn’t want to go. Sometimes you try so hard to guard your heart, that you know a conference like this is likely to make some of those rough edges tender…and frankly I wanted to keep the callouses because it makes the rejection easier to swallow. But God in His infinite grace and mercy led me into worship of Him and let my heart be softened to hear from Him.
I was not only changed by the content of the conference, but I became friends with the ladies that were part of the small group I gathered with. They listened to me, prayed for me, and encouraged me to continue enduring for the sake of the Gospel. I want to be more like Christ, and I know that suffering and endurance are part of that process. I’m so thankful that the Hallows Church followed the leading that God put in their heart for women to be encouraged and changed.