This is the table that I hostessed, right before I filled the serving plates with the "dainties" for our tea.
And what proper tea is complete without finger sandwiches? Of course there were cucumber sandwiches, chicken salad and some yummy little open faced homemade pimiento sandwiches.
God was there with us on Thursday. He was glorified in every word and every action that took place. The women at my table were precious, to say the very least. I will treasure the handwritten prayer requests that they gave to me at the tea. I had the very high privilege of praying individually with each one over each of these humble requests. These women may be in some extremely dire circumstances as of late, including drug addiction, alcoholism, abuses of every sort and other issues to many to name. But on Thursday, they dined with us. They were ladies with us. They sipped hot tea, enjoyed scones with lemon curd, double Devonshire clotted cream and fresh strawberry jam. Some took their tea with cream and sugar, and some took their tea without. They laughed, they smiled, they heard a wonderful word from the Lord, and just for a minute, they were able to go to another place in time. It was a safe place, without ridicule and without judgement. It was a place that they were allowed to be the true ladies that they are, underneath what seems to others to be "tough exteriors". They wore the best clothes that they had...and they were our HIGHLY HONORED GUESTS for the afternoon. I can think of no place that I would have rather been at two o'clock in the afternoon on Thursday. Thank you again for your prayers. The Lord heard them, each one. And glory be to the Lord, at the close of Thursday, there were three more added to the Lamb's book of life (as reported to me from the sweet, precious owner of the facility).
Labels: Ladies Night Out, NoMo Women's Ministry