The Lord raised up Laquanda Bowden of Empowering Word Ministries and her church crew to organize an incredible 2014 Youth Conference. Yes, Partners in Health and Wholeness co-hosted this event, and I don’t want to downplay the role that Willona Stallings played or our summer intern, Johnny Rogers, without whom the PHW side could not have been fulfilled. But I have to say that Laquanda Bowden and the church crew had a turn-out that was phenomenal. They transported children from all over the community, and we worked together to provide a safe, fun, and healthy experience.
Saturday started out with fresh carrots being juiced. The lunch was the magic of the day, a vegan taco salad, and without much explanation as to what the “cheese sauce” was (cashews), children were already back in line for thirds and fourths. I was amazed at how the Lord has given us such favor in the eyes of precious children. We did it, I wanted to exclaim, but I didn’t because I was hungry.
The day included workshops on raising worms, bee keeping, learning about smoothies and how carrots grow, making soap, learning about the spiritual principles of Jesus and the importance of taking care of our bodies, and so much more.
If you missed this year’s conference, go ahead and mark your calendar for next year, summer 2015, at Empowering Word Ministries in Wadesboro. I hope to see you then!
