Experience God’s Power

The Christian retreat centre in Riederau on the banks of Lake Ammer in Bavaria was the venue of a Women’s Ministries retreat with Heather-Dawn Small, GC WM Director. 95 women from all parts of Germany, but also from Switzerland, Austria and Norway convened and filled the meeting hall from May 4-6 to hear Heather-Dawn speak about the ups and downs of her life. Many participants were able to identify with her struggles, problems and happy moments. But the topic of the weekend was encouraging, showing how God can heal and give strength, leading his children through the dark valleys into a life of joy. The superb translation by Marion Graser was greatly appreciated.
“You are the salt of the earth” was the topic of Denise Hochstrasser, WM Director of the EUD, and this theme was picked up in the afternoon program in a practical way when various projects of the Women’s Ministires Department were presented: Girls4Christ, Heartshaped pillows for breast cancer patients, cuddly comfort dolls for sick children and octopuses for preemies. Brigitte Grohrock of the Mid-Rhine Conference reported how much she had profited from the leadership training seminars. Four women received their Leadership Training Certificates from Andrews University, having completed all three levels.
This was also the last official appointment for Denise in her position at the division and Heather-Dawn and Angelika honored her for her valuable service. Her ministry has made a tremendous impact in all regions of the division.
The ladies were invited to visit the exhibits, the beautiful gardens as well as the bistro during breaks in order to get to know each other and share experiences. The exhibits provided information and material about the projects as well as a book fresh from the printing press containing material about prayer and devotional time called “Meine stille Zeit – Impulse zum Gebet” published by the German Advent-Verlag in cooperation with the WM Department.
The whole weekend was an inspiration and blessing for the women, who really filled their cups with God’s power, enabling them to return to their families and churches with renewed faith and energy.
According to a report by Angelika Pfaller, WM Director North and South German Unions