Dear New Horizon Family,
I greet you in the name of Jesus and from the other side of the world. It’s cold here, but very special being with my daughter Rebekah and her husband Chris. Yesterday I wore FIVE layers of clothes, and I am not quite sure they were enough because I felt the cold in my bones! Clearly, this new environment is a shock to my system. I am delighted to share with you that my R1 visa was approved yesterday, and I will be able to collect it next Wednesday and fly back to Florida on Thursday. This whole process has taken me so completely out of my comfort zone and made me rely more on God and faith. Perhaps this is part of our Lenten journey, and our intentional choice to move into the DESERT. Getting out of our comfort zones and finding a new rhythm.
I share with you a reflection on the desert that has meaning for me.This desert may initially seem barren, dull, and colorless, but eventually our perceptions start to change…. Here we empty ourselves of our own obstacles to God. In the space of this emptiness, we encounter the enormity of God’s presence…. The ammas [Desert Mothers] teach us that the desert becomes the place of a mature repentance and conversion toward transformation into true radical freedom. [1]
1] Laura Swan, The Forgotten Desert Mothers: Sayings, Lives, and Stories of Early Christian Women (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2001), 168.
I pray that in everything you face this week God’s presence will be ENORMOUS, bigger than any challenge.
If you haven’t already registered for the District Training day PLEASE do so it’s going to be excellent and if you have Youth in your family the Youth event is going to be phenomenal.
Please find all the links below.
Love and blessings Jacqui
2023 District Training Event, Eliminating Racism Through Change: Being the Body of Christ
Please find here the detailed information for our 2023 District Training Event, Eliminating Racism Through Change: Being the Body of Christ. This will be a day of learning and sharing as we grow in our discipleship and faithfulness. The event is Saturday, March 4 from 8:30 – 1:00 at Christ Church United Methodist in Ft. Lauderdale. Please find an information flyer attached (the link to the attachment is below my signature) and click here to register and sign up for break-out sessions.
Also on the same day is our third annual District Youth Event. This will be held at the same location, on the same day, from 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. There will be games, food, small groups, worship and a hands-on service project. All 6th – 12th graders are welcome to attend. Please find an informational flyer attached (the link to the attachment is below my signature) and click here to register your church’s intention to attend. We hope you will make every effort to attend.