On September 29 and 30, the National Convention of the Women's Ministries (WM) Department took place in Stupini under the title "Edelweiss – the flower in the corner". The motto of the meeting was Exodus 33:21: The Lord said, "Then the Lord said, ‘There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock.” The approximately 200 participants from all over the country enjoyed presentations by special guests, prayed together, listened to great music and socialized, sharing life experiences with God.
The opening evening began with moments of getting to know one another, with each Conference WM Director connecting the Conference they represent to some feature of the Edelweiss flower. There were also small treats from the Conferences given to all participants. Then we had the privilege of hearing Br. Aurel Neațu, President of the Romanian Adventist Church, who shared the Word of God with us on Friday evening. He spoke about the importance and value of women and the blessings that a woman consecrated to God brings to the family, the church, and society. The emphasis was on character and service, with the sisters being encouraged to make their homes a corner of heaven, full of harmony and delight, in this troubled world and wherever they may be.
The morning devotional that was presented by EUD WM Director Dagmar Dorn, pointed our attention to two women of the Exodus, Shifra and Puah, who were full of courage and the holy desire to do God's will, even at the risk of their lives. We were encouraged to feel the pulse of history and do God's will, even in the most difficult moments of life.
The midday sermon was presented by Sister Nilde Itin, WM Associate Director at the General Conference, and was an invitation for women to engage in mission in each of our roles as women, wives, mothers, and missionaries in our communities. These roles were beautifully illustrated through the bags of all sizes that a woman carries for the various needs that may arise as a woman is always ready to step in. Characters from the Bible were presented to whom God gave the message to preach the Gospel and work so that they became a living Gospel in the lives of those around them. God can do many wonders with our witness if we put all our potential at His disposal.
In the afternoon, there was a training session on enditnow®, a global awareness-raising initiative advocating for an end to violence around the world. The project started in October 2009, as a joint effort of ADRA and the WM Department worldwide, with other Church departments joining in after 2016, the enditnow® initiative was launched in Romania on this occasion. During this meeting, sister Dagmar Dorn explained its importance globally, sister Simona Anca (psychotherapist) brought to our attention the contrast between the pain and violence around us and the hope that God can work with our imperfect hearts and fully restore them, sister Alina Bordaș-Mohorea (psychotherapist) talked about Casa ADRA (women’s shelter) and the cases they face, how to deal with victims of domestic violence, their rehabilitation and reintegration into normality, and Sister Dana Bordeianu (lawyer), engaged the entire audience in her role play on violence and its implications, helping us to understand how important it is to educate ourselves and not remain passive to the suffering of those around us.
The spiritual message presented by sister Nilde Itin in the afternoon directed hearts towards gratitude and joy, two of Heaven's values. Another highlight of the program included the presentation of students who have received scholarships offered by the WM Department. They were personally congratulated by Sisters Dagmar Dorn and Nilde Itin.
Another special moment was thanking Sister Teodora Nae for her pioneering work in 1996-1999 as the first director of the WM Department at the Union Conference at that time, and Sisters Silvia Dima and Teodora Goran for their service to the department in the following years. Appreciation was also shown to Sister Lidia Poll who organized the first convention for women in her Conference, Northern Transylvania.
The program also included an interesting moment when the history of the WM department was presented in a unique way by Iunia. To better understand the history, Iunia, our guide on this journey, wore a beautiful dress, recalling the era in which this work began, and the sisters were able to inform themselves at the specially prepared booth.
All the musical pieces were a foreshadowing of heaven, starting with Mirela's bells and ending with the two soloists, Diana and Abigail. During this time, we had a pleasant, blessed, meaningful time. Translation was provided by Gianina Floricel and Anamaria Maier. May God be praised for this occasion of meeting and we say with the psalmist: "Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song!" (Psalm 95:1-2)
As reported by Liliana Radu, WM Director, Romanian Union
To see more go to: https://cloud.eud.adventist.org/index.php/apps/files/?dir=/WM%20Webseite/Videos%202023&openfile=39729170