It feels like the day after Christmas. All of the work, and planning, and prayers that went into this weekend, and now it’s just over. I had so many dreams for this weekend but had absolutely no idea how it would actually turn out. I had a hard time trusting God on this one. He put this dream on our hearts, and we knew that it was from Him, but still my human doubt kept creeping in trying to convince me this wouldn’t work. Thank God my friends were right there to whip me back into shape every time!

I’ve been thinking about how to describe this weekend, and I almost can’t even put it into words. The only thing I can say, is God. God was so present in this weekend and we were constantly so aware that this was because of Him, and that this was part of His plan. We had 18 women under one roof, and there was not an ounce of drama, there was no competing with one another, and there was nobody that was made to feel less than. These women lifted one another up, encouraged one another, and just poured out love to these strangers turned friends. It was an incredible feeling watching all of our hard work turn into more than we could have imagined. My personal theme for the weekend was “More God, Less Me.” God got all the glory for this weekend!

The craft house was absolutely beautiful, and the women loved staying there! It was perfect for this retreat. It was so intimate and personal, but was full of bright colors and fun things to look at. Every person that attended said they would definitely recommend using it again, so I know that they loved it as much as me. The husbands might not like us so much though, because I think everyone went home wanting to remodel their houses!

We knew we wanted the women to be pampered this weekend and feel special, so we added a few little touches to make that happen. We cooked all of the meals for them from scratch, and wouldn’t let them carry their dishes to the sink when they were done. Yes, it only takes a second to take a plate to the sink, but that one little act is probably something that’s not normal for them. Most of them are the ones carrying dishes to the sink, so we wanted to reverse that role even if just for a couple of days.

Then the fellowship. Oh, was the fellowship amazing! There were stories, and encouragement, and laughing, and so much more that I think I could have stayed forever. We had five different speakers, and had a discussion after each talk. All of the speakers did great at giving tips and tricks from everything from time management, to being involved on the farm, to communication with your farmer. And the discussion afterwards was always so good. Everyone got involved and shared something they have learned or been through or had an encouraging word to give.

We did a craft that the girls loved and they got to take home some special goodies from us and some sponsors we had.

There was one woman there, that the weekend wouldn’t have been the same for all of us without. Melva. Oh, this woman was sent by God to us to share her wisdom and love. She replied to a story in the newspaper about this weekend, and somehow we talked her into coming. She kept telling us all weekend about how she had no idea why she was there because she had never done anything like this before. It was crystal clear to the rest of us why she was there. I could have listened to her for hours. She was the sweetest woman, and always told us how good of a job all of us young farm wives were doing and that we should be proud of ourselves. I am so thankful that she was obedient and came this weekend!

Then there are the three girls that hold a very special place in my heart. Three friends that had the same dream as me and were brave enough to take it on. This never would have happened without them and I don’t think they know how much they mean to me.

Katie is a leader, and not afraid of a challenge, thank goodness! Every time I let that doubt get in she was there to gracefully get me back to where I needed to be. Always reminding me that this was from God and would work. She did so much this weekend, and I am so grateful for her. We ended up staying up until about 2 AM every morning, and both days she was up by 6 AM getting breakfast ready while the rest of us slept. Saturday night I got a phone call from Jake that a good friend had passed away, and when I got off the phone she had ran me a bath so I could relax. That’s what I love about Katie. She always knows what a friend needs and is so in tune with people, right there ready to help them.

When we asked Amanda to help us, she jumped right in and was such a lifesaver! She is a crafter and she was in charge of leading all of the crafts, the behind the scenes work for everything, and a large part of the cooking and clean up. I don’t think that girl sat down one time this weekend, but you would have never been able to tell. I am so glad I have gotten to know her and her heart of gold better. She would do anything for anyone and I am so lucky to call her my friend! She even made necklaces for everyone that said “enough” on them, because we all struggle with feeling like we aren’t enough. I love this girl!

Sadly, I have almost no pictures of Janna, because she was constantly running around and helping things go smoothly. Despite the fact that she is several months pregnant, I don’t think that sweet girl took a break once. We would have been lost without her. She is type A, so she always kept us organized and on top of things. This weekend came together so smoothly at the end because of her charts and spreadsheets, and I don’t think she knows how much we appreciate her and all the work she did. We live a couple of hours from each other, so it was so nice to get to spend more time with her this weekend and get to know her better!

I know one thing for sure. Fellowship On The Farm will be happening again. We are praying that God would show us how soon he wants us to do this again, but after this weekend it is clear that this is something we can do to help farm wives. To empower them in their roles, no matter what that may be. To encourage them, uplift them, and just pour love into them. To let them know they are enough, they are adequate, and they are loved.