Fifteen countries of the Americas represented at Ohio retreat

Cincinnati, Ohio | Allegheny West Conference | October 16, 2023 | Laura Romero

The first Multicultural Ministries women's retreat to be held since the Covid-19 pandemic drew 236 women to Cincinnati.

Now we can take a breath. The pandemic has given us a break and we, again, could meet together. Women from across the Allegheny West Conference came together to have some time for themselves. They set aside routine, responsibilities, husbands, and children, to be on hold for a weekend to renew their souls and concentrate on the creator Jesus Christ.

The meeting was held in Cincinnati, Ohio, with 236 ladies representing 15 countries of the American Continent: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Venezuela, and The United States of America. They met to be refreshed, challenged, and healed. The program guide was written in Spanish and Portuguese, having instant translation to the Portuguese and English-speaking people. All of them with one heart praising and worshiping God.

The theme for the weekend was “In His Hands,” paying special emphasis to the Great Potter and master our Lord Jesus. He is the one who will mold us and transform us, ONLY if we let Him do such a thing and perform the miracle of transformation. We all know we are the clay. To be good clay and to be transformed into a beautiful pot, we need to let go of the trash, the dirt, and any little sand that we call sin. Then, and only then, our Creator will make the jar perfect, in any possible way.

This amazing group of ladies spent time having devotionals, meeting just to pray before dawn; bringing their burdens, their broken hearts, situations that don’t have human solutions, and petitions to our Lord. After every prayer time, they felt better and ready for the daily challenges. Their bodies started to feel better physically through the power of the Holy Spirit. The smiles on their faces showed relief even though their problems were not gone and not yet fixed. They know that He is in charge and the troubles will be gone.

A prayer walk activity with five stations focused on the hands of Jesus. Each station had different activities to help develop a spiritual connection with God. While on the path each lady had the opportunity to pray and create a craft which allowed them a unique two hours of intimate prayer time with Jesus.

Some of the feedback received highlighted the programming, the ambiance, and the attention to detail. Others stated that it met their spiritual needs, opened their eyes beyond expectations, and filled their hearts with joy and happiness. They were given the skills and ideas to take back to their churches and spread the amazing love of our Lord to the ladies who were not able to attend.

One attendee who came to our retreat for the very first time gave us her testimony saying “I have never experienced, what I have experienced throughout this weekend. I have seen God´s power firsthand, attention to detail, and a level of spirituality that I have not seen before, even though I have participated in and organized several events like this before. I thank God for the opportunity He gave me to be part of this retreat surrounded by many other beautiful ladies with a Christ-like spirit.”

Ladies from churches all around the Allegheny West Conference territory, Cincinnati, Columbus, Pittsburgh, and Virginia, came together for this first women’s retreat, organized by the Multicultural Ministries Department, after the COVID-19 world pandemic for the Glory of God. It was a success.

Photos: Allegheny West Conference Multilingual Ministries

By Laura Romero, Children's Ministries director and Multicultural Department Administrative Assistant for Allegheny West Conference of North American Division 

Published in Mosaic newsletter, 2023 Q4