After a three-year hiatus, more than 200 women gathered for the 2022 Texico Conference Women’s Ministries Retreat on Oct. 14-16, 2022 in Albuquerque. The three-day event included general sessions, breakout seminars, worship services, and also featured a full program in Spanish and a community service project.
“We are thrilled that we were finally able to get together after not being able to meet for the last several years,” said Nancy Monge, Texico Conference women’s ministries director. “The theme [After the Storm] was chosen prayerfully, and with a lot of in- tention,” said Monge. “We wanted to present a message of hope and remind attendees of their resilience and that, ultimately, God is our anchor through the storms of life.”
Becky House, a licensed family and marriage therapist, was the keynote speaker for the English program. On the Spanish side, the keynote speaker was Adly Campos, an international lay evangelist, family counselor and current director of the independent ministry “Family Well Being International.” Campos shared, “There is a way to witness by saying ‘thank you Lord for the trials that come my way.’ When people see that Christians can go through difficulties and can still smile and praise the Lord amid any situation, they will understand the beauty of our message. Jesus is with us; He is in control of our life and that has been my answer to life’s problems. We must hold on to Jesus as the true anchor.”
An exciting highlight of the retreat came during a community service project that was led by Teresa Flores. Prior to the retreat, Flores received assistance from Adventist Community Services and from women who attended the retreat who in turn received support from their local churches with donations for backpack care kits for the homeless community in Albuquerque. On Sabbath afternoon, 40 women walked several miles through downtown and handed out approximately 70 backpacks filled with personal care products and other treats.
“We had a great experience,” said Flores.”We were able to pray for many people. At one point, a homeless man prayed for us. It was a blessing!”
Lorene Ballew, member of the Dalhart Seventh-day Adventist Church was among those in attendance. She said she had recently been in a serious car accident that almost took her life. She asked God to give her the strength, healing and lift that she needed.
“I feel God said to me that I needed to come to the women’s retreat because I needed the healing by all the sisters that are here,” said Ballew. “He said, ‘I will take care of you as long as you keep your eyes focused on me.’”
“Sometimes I think I am a strong woman of faith, but I was touched and amazed by the powerful testimonies that I heard from different women this weekend,” said Nina Jaquez. “These women are amazingly strong warriors that have been able to overcome difficult times through God’s power. My prayer is that as life’s storms come my way, I can cling to our Heavenly Father the same way they have.”
The Texico women’s ministries team is eagerly looking forward to the next retreat when they can continue to encourage and equip women to experience a deeper relationship with Jesus.
By Debby Marquez Communication Director
