What's Goin' On?

Hello Again West Michigan,



Here are some things going on near and dear to my heart lately. At this very moment the Olympics is on my TV, as it has been from the very beginning ceremonies! I find if I sit for a moment to watch then I'm glued there for quite awhile! Tragedy and victory all at the same time!

We still have a bundle of snow on the ground and thankful for a very kind neighbor for shoveling us out! There are days I love it, when I have no place to go and I smell the coffee and fresh baked cookies...yum! But more often I have to go out in the freezing cold and tromp through it all.

I am still recovering from a broken arm, that happened the first week in December, when I fell in my home. Broke my arm at the wrist and at the elbow, which has almost healed completely but the Doctor thinks I have a tear in my rotator cuff, because I have been in so much shoulder and upper arm pain. So now I am doing some physical therapy. Workin' it into an already packed schedule is so hard! It hurts to do physical therapy but it hurts more later. I know I'm whining waaawaaawaaa!

I visited Faith Church Women of Faith's Winter Retreat on Fri., Feb 19 and was so blessed! As usual they did a fantastic job of planning and had a wonderful speaker, Lucy Wingerd, from southern California. The question was "Why did God create Woman?"



Our WW of West MI is in the midst of making plans for our annual convention/mini retreat, June 26, 2010 and will be held at West Berlin Wesleyan Church, Lake Odessa. Start now helping to collect donations to assist our Haitian brothers and sisters. We will be purchasing, also, farm animals from World Hope, Int. to help those in need. We suggest you have a piggy bank set out now for collections and make it a fun "dressed up" pig. Then bring your pig and donations to the convention for a pig contest. We are doing a pig roast.



Also, for the convention/mini retreat we are looking for churches to help us promote "Joy Basket" ministries. Be creative as to how to fix up a basket to use as ministry to someone, such as a meal in a basket (foods already to prepare easily and partly prepared), a devotional basket (a quiet time of prayer and thought, chocolates, note cards, candle, Bible...etc.), a Tea Time Basket (take a service for 2 w/Tea Pot and cookies, to share with a shut in or anyone new to church but don't leave your Tea set because you will need to keep doing this with others), A new mom basket, welcome to neighborhood basket, a just because basket, and whatever else you think of. We would like to display these at the convention and pick out a couple to talk about. Let me know what your church would like to do. I will be calling some of you.



North Central Area Spring Retreat!!!! Get registered if you haven't done so and reserve your room! This will be an awesome time. I have an extra room reserved if someone needs it, at the Farmstead Inn. See the following link for more information.



This month has been our Wesleyan Women's Heart of Ministries! Please order more flyers if you need to from our headquarters, www.wesleyan.org/ww You can still promote this even in March. Wesleyan Women do so much for so many and we need to pull our resources together and accomplish more. Also while you on that website take a look around at all of the resources available to you. You don't have to do ministry alone! We have great ways to reach women in your church, community and around the world!! Join Us Now!

One more thing! Those of us who love Beth Moore, she will be in Grand Rapids, MI, May 21-22, at Van Andel Arena. I have been asked to please have our women be in pray and help promote this event. You can get tickets and flyers online @ www.lifeway.com (click on women) I know many of our Wesleyan Churches are attending this event. But I have found out the hotel rooms are getting hard to find, so if you plan on going get you remove fast.

My schedule for March is working on our West MI convention retreat, moving forward with my human trafficking Project Liberty Task Force (should hear soon about our 501 (c) 3 status) and MI Hands of Hope (our WW Human Trafficking Awareness), attending the Spring Retreat in Shipshewana in April, speaking at Cascades Wesleyan Ladies of Faith Retreat April 17, attending the Beth Moore Retreat in May, speaking at the American Baptist Women's Conference June 5th, West MI WW Convention Retreat June 26th. Plus, I'm sure, more will fill in.

Let me know how your life is going! You are most likely as busy as the rest of us. Let's encourage each other.

EXCTING NEWS!!!!!REGISTER NOW FOR SPRING RETREAT! REGISTER BY JAN. 15, 2010.$75 plus your hotel. Please click on link for printing brochure and registrationwww.indiananorth.com scroll down Wesleyan WomenPLAN ON ATTENDING APRIL 9-11, 2010SHIPSHEWANA, IN, IS THE FUN PLACEA TIME TO GET TOGETHER WITH FIVE STATES OF WESLEYAN WOMEN!!AN OPEN HEART AND COMFY SHOES ARE REQUIRED!Our West MI district is giving a refund of a $50 bill to 3 women attending through three drawings on Friday night dessert time and special recognition to the church that has the most attending. YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS!

Love and Blessings to each of you,
Saundra