QUAD CITIES....HERE WE COME!!!!

A year ago we had such a wonderful revival at the Rock Island County Fairgrounds in East Moline, Illinois.  We saw old friends we hadn't seen in a long, long time.  Then, there were new friends we met for the first time. 

For several years, Ronnie and I put up a tent on the banks of the Mississippi River and held a 10 days tent meeting each year.  God was so good to us.....we saw many, many souls come to know Jesus Christ....many healings...and sweet fellowship among the saints.

We are returning again this year!  We will be at the Rock Island County Fairgrounds, 4000 Archer Drive, East Moline Illinois on Tuesday September 3rd until Saturday September 7th.  Services will begin each night at 7:00PM.

We are so looking forward to seeing our friends again this year.  There will be singing....musicians playing under the anointing and lots of worship!  Make your plans now to join us in the presence of the Lord!

SPRING IS HERE....

We traveled today from Mobile, Alabama to Valdese, North Carolina which is about a 10 hour drive. During the entire trip I couldn’t help but notice how green everything is and how fresh and new everything appears to be. Spring was a little slower this year, but she is here! We are still bouncing between warm days and chilly days in Kentucky but the May showers have definitely arrived! That cool drink of water is just what all the new flowers and lawns needed.

I can’t help but see the similarity between the natural and spiritual today. The body of Christ has been in a long winter season. One battle and storm after another has wearied the saints of God…but I hear the sound of the abundance of rain! He is faithful that if He has said it, He will also do it! It is a time of season change. Winter is coming to an end and Spring is here! There is rain! There will be new fruit! It is a time to bloom where you are planted!

We have just come out of our Spring Family Retreat in Pigeon Forge the end of March and now our sights are set on Mount Airy, NC for our Campmeeting with Mike Ferree, Cecil Hamby and many other visiting ministers, singers and musicians. It will be a time to remember! Each year has its own special visitation and this year will be no different. There is something about so many people coming together with the same purpose...to touch the hem of His garment and to leave transformed by His presence!

 I am in the process of mailing out flyers to all our churches with the details of the Campmeeting along with motel information. If your church has not received one, you can email or facebook me and I will be happy to add you to our mailing list. Make your plans now to join us under the big tent on Andy Griffith Parkway behind the Big Lots for ten wonderful nights of Campmeeting in Mount Airy, NC June 27-July 6! Services will start at 7:30PM nightly. We will also have our Minister’s Prayer Breakfast on Saturday at 10AM for all ministers and their wives. See you soon…..

A YEAR OF HILLS AND VALLEYS...

"For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs:
But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a LAND OF HILLS AND VALLEYS, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven:
A land which the LORD THY GOD CARETH FOR: the eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR EVEN UNTO THE END OF THE YEAR.
And it shall come to pass, if you shall HEARKEN DILIGENTLY UNTO MY COMMANDMENTS which I command you this day, to LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD, and to SERVE HIM WITH ALL YOUR HEART and with all your soul,
That I will give you the RAIN OF YOUR LAND IN HIS DUE SEASON, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. Deuteronomy 11:11-14

 

As we enter into 2013 we are entering into a year of unknowns.  We have no way of knowing what we will encounter...but we know this with all certainty...there will be hills and there will be valleys...good days and bad days...laughter and tears...and this great promise....that His eyes are upon us....and He cares for us!

 

He has one commandment for us that brings great reward..hearken diligently to His commandment...and His commandment is to love Him and serve Him with all your heart and all your soul.  Serve Him with great diligence and love Him completely!

 

We are in our Father's hands...He wants the same as any Father...the love of His children!  His eyes are upon us...He cares for us...and He will give rain into our lives!

 

Welcome to 2013....the year of the Lord!

 

 

LADIES RETREAT...NOW A MEMORY!

Today is a week past the end of our 12th Annual Ladies Winter Retreat.  I didn't realize it had been so long since my last blog but then...it has been like a whirlwind since the 25th! 

It never ceases to amaze me how much preparation goes into the Retreat....I forget each year until I am in the midst of it all.  There are totes to find...I have used Longaberger for the last 3 years...so they must be found on clearance!  Then dvds to be printed and ready to burn of each service.  The flyers and packets have long been mailed out in August but now the registrations are pouring in...in the mail...through paypal...email...facebook private message....texts and phone call!  I am filling out registration forms as fast as I receive the paypal email. 

Oh no...night before we leave I realize I forgot a bookmark!  So at 3am Ronnie is patiently designing our bookmark for the tote that we will take to Staples to duplicate...no time to laminate this year!  The bookmark is ready...new signs for the product table are ready...a little sleep before we drive out in the morning!

Everything is loaded...tshirts...cds...dvds....door prizes...350 totes...11 handmade wreaths...Christmas dishes for the Welcome Table to be given away as grand prize...decorations...hand sanitizer...peppermints and pretty little dishes to put them in...pink ink pens for the registration table...gifts for the boys and girls coming with Mom...always 10-12 extras for last minute surprises...sound equipment...microphones...my outfits (always more than 4....I have to decide when I get there)...my own quilt and pillow and sandals to wear in the motel!  Well, you get where I'm going....never ending list for the week! :)

Now to leave home on Tuesday so we can have a nice leisurely supper in Pigeon Forge and start setting up Wednesday morning.  We have friends coming in today to help us with the setup.   Wednesday is always a busy day.  Room is ready for us to bring our equipment for set up...but then the door prizes, wreaths, dishes, products must all be put in place...dvd recorder set up...registration table ready for my sister who will register women at the door...singers...also my nieces... bringing their equipment...doing sound checks...photographer getting backdrop ready for group photos...new tshirts to be folded in all new colors especially for the Retreat.  There are last minute door prizes to pick up from the local businesses....and my sister and niece will arrive this afternoon and we will make our yearly trip to the Old Mill for some corn chowder!  Wednesday afternoon Lindy and I will travel to Staples...remember bookmarks....then Dollar Tree for more peppermints and frames for product signs...Lil Dollys for napkins for the Christmas dishes...where I may have bought me a quilt on sale with my birthday money from my Mom! :)  Now a cup of coffee from Mcd's and a night to prop up my feet...study some more for tomorrow....good night's sleep and tomorrow we begin again!

Thursday is an exciting day!  It is finally here!  We have planned for this day since the end of last year's Retreat!  Women are checking in...checking our "to do" list for any last minute things we may have forgotten.  Bible Church ladies will meet us at 10am to stuff the totes with hand gels from Bath and Body Works, paperback 30 days of Prayer, travel brochures, pkts of kleenex and the famous bookmark. Last minute checks....one more sound check...peppermints are out...awwwww...It's done!  Now to my room to hide....prepare myself for tonight!  Doors will open at 6pm for the women to sign in and pick up their tote or register at the door!  There is a team of girls from my family and our churches that will meet at 6pm while I am in the room.  They know what to do....

7:15pm....Ferree family begin playing music....7:30 opening prayer....the singing begins and.....oh yes, I remember!  WE WALK WITH THE KING!

The rest is just a memory now of a visitation of His presence...healings taking place....reunions....laughter....tears...worship...sermons of little Much Afraid...meekness...going to Hawaii...a new master switch....well, you would just have to have been there!  It was perfect!  All I can say is...we have hundreds of pictures from 4 photographers getting every imaginable shot...from all the gifts...the altar service...to Pat with her cell phone open so her daughter in South Carolina can hear the singing!   One memory after another....then we have dvds of the services....but what you need is to mark your calendar for November 7-9, 2013 and join us to make new memories!

12th Annual Ladies Winter Retreat Countdown...

We are swiftly approaching our 12th Annual Ladies Winter Retreat in beautiful Pigeon Forge, Tennessee on November 8-10!  There is still time to register and get a room to join us in the Retreat!

This Retreat was birthed 12 years ago after battling depression for nearly a year.  I purposed in my heart at the end of that ordeal that I would reach for women in the same battle and create a weekend together with other women where they can bond with one another in the presence of the Lord.  Little did I know then that 12 years later over 900 women would pass through those doors one way and leave another way.

Each year we have grown, changed and tried to make the Retreat a great time of fellowship, reunion, laughter, tears, sharing, talking, and worship that carries us deep into His divine presence!  We have 4 services with a hot buffet lunch following the Friday morning meeting....Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, southern green beans, tossed salad, rolls, cheesecake, tea and coffee....early Thanksgiving dinner!  There is time between the morning and evening meeting for you to sightsee or shop in Pigeon Forge at one of the several outlet malls during Winterfest with 1 million Christmas lights which turns Pigeon Forge into a Winter Wonderland!  It is like driving back into your childhood where everything was magical!

Each woman attending is invited to bring a wrapped gift to exchange during the Retreat.  Although this is not necessary...if you bring a gift, you receive a gift.  We also have door prizes from some of the local merchants along with special gifts I have prepared from home...each year we give a set of Christmas dishes for your holiday table and 14-16 Christmas wreaths handmade by my nieces and sister-in-laws especially for the Retreat.

The Ferree Girls, my 4 nieces and my sister-in-law, do the praise and worship for each service.  It is a time of refreshing and worship that will be life changing for you. 

Now we are 13 days away...on October 25th....the Retreat is November 8-10!  The deadline for the pre-registration of $30 is October 30th.  Children 12 and under are free.  We just need their name and age along with your registration.  You can also register at the door but the registration goes to $40.  You can register online by going to paypal and sending us your name and address....I will fill out your form for you!

Your room can be registered by calling 1 800 523 3919 and mentioning He Died for Me Ministries for the group rate of $64 for a room of 2 queen beds and up to 4 women per room. 

We have prepared Longaberger totes for each of the ladies with some goodies inside.  We also have prepared totes with gifts for each of your children if you need to bring them with you.  We only need the name of your child and their age so we can be sure and make your gift age appropriate.  The children 12 and under do not need to register...they are free.  We just need their information for their gift.

We have everything ready for your arrival!  Make your plans now to join us!!!

Another day to remember why...

We just closed a revival in Ohio that was another one of those life-changing moments.  On the last night of the revival we had a young man addicted to heroin...of his own admission.  He came looking for help.  I understand that concept because I remember 37 years ago going to a church looking for help.  I found THAT help comes from the Lord.  37 years later....my Help is still here!

We also had a group of young men and women....maybe 12 to 17 years old.  After me giving my testimony....being delivered from drug addiction and a heroin overdose....they filled the altar.  One after another saying the same thing..."want to make sure I am ready..."...rededicating their life to the Lord.  As I prayed for one after another crying with them...I remembered how much I love what I do.

There are days after miles and miles on the road and many nights in a motel and one restaurant after another that I feel like I would weary or faint in my vision...  Then it happens...  It happened a few weeks ago in Royston Georgia when 11 people gave their heart to the Lord in one of our Campmeetings.  It happened again last night!

First the nine young people coming to the altar...then the young man wanting to come off drugs giving his heart to Jesus!  The night before a young man ....maybe 12 or 13 coming to our product table at the end of service and kneeling at the coat rack with me and asking Jesus to come into his heart.

My nephew explained it this way...you feel like a giant and humble at the same time.  That is so, so true.  Like a giant and small all at the same time....knowing God has used you but without Him you can do nothing!!!

I went back to our motel room and remembered this is why.  This is why we travel.  This is why we live in a motel.  This is why we eat most of our meals in a restaurant.  This is why we seem to miss babies being born in our family and birthday parties and many times graduations.  37 years ago He delivered me, saved me and gave me a call.  Last night, He reminded me one more time of the call and the "why"!  I am so thankful today as we travel to our next meeting for the "call"....

THE REASON WHY....

About 30 years ago in a Campmeeting in Cleveland, Tennessee a pastor walked up to me and gave me his business card with the name of his church and phone number.  He asked me to come to Royston, Georgia and hold him a revival.  To anyone else, this may not have been such a big deal....but this was my first invitation for a revival.  That man was Pastor Vaughn.  I went to that revival.  I have held many, many revivals for him since that day.

Last week my husband and I, my brother and another evangelist held the 1st Annual Campmeeting in Pastor Vaughn's church in Royston, GA.  In four days we had 12 people saved and 5 filled with the Holy Ghost.  That alone would have made a great revival.  But there was something else...watching Sister Vaughn still singing....I'm following the One who knows the way.  Tag team preaching with Pastor Vaughn after all these years in a packed out building.

Thirty years later....still preaching, singing, praying and winning souls into the Kingdom of God.  I couldn't help but think at the end of the revival....THIS IS THE REASON WHY.

This is the reason we travel...
This is the reason we sleep away from home...
This is the reason we eat most meals in a restaurant...
This is the reason we travel 60,000 miles a year...
This is the reason we move from place to place every 3 or 4 days...
THIS IS THE REASON WHY.