July 11th was a day of traveling from our homes, to the airport and on to our destination: Louisville. Excitement filled the air of wonders to come.  The Galt House was my first stop. The room was beautiful and comfortable.  Then to the Louisville Convention Center to get the official Thai tote bags, programs and everything needed to make the visit easier to participate in music and prayer.

The morning worship was a delightful way to start each day. So many women in complete unison in prayer and worship was very empowering. The next part of the next two days was dedicated to the Business Meetings. I was a voting delegate and learned the dynamics of the PW Churchwide Coordinating Team. Voting on Changes in the By-Laws, working out a new budget for the next three years, we voted and became incorporated plus voted on the new Coordinating Team for 2009-2012. This was a very educational experience for me.

The visits to the Global Marketplace located in the Great Room Garden was interesting and quite rewarding to learn about our Global Partners and admire the many talents, crafts and articles made in their countries. The Great Room Garden had a lot of information of many of the PW Missions. The Cokesbury Gathering Bookstore had many items for sale.  I picked up a most useful calendar with information for me to function better as a PW Moderator.

Each evening in the Plenary was a wonderful experience. There were dynamic speakers, great music, funny Horizon Skits that were spiritually uplifting.  It amazes me each time I have gone to one of these Churchwide Gatherings.

How spiritually empowered I feel during and after the PW Gatherings.  I wish every woman could have the chance to be at one PW Churchwide Gathering in her lifetime. It is something she would never forget.

A week before going to Louisville, I was chosen by the Synod of the Northeast to host a Global Exchange Partner from the Czech Republic, Jana Buzkova. It was an experience that I shall cherish forever. Jana and I met again at the Synod of the Northeast Luncheon at the PW Churchwide Gathering. The smile on our faces and pictures of our journey together in the United States says it all. We started our journey as strangers and ended the journey as sisters in Christ. I will never forget my friend from the Czech Republic, Jana. I would love to visit her in the future.

I was not able to take any workshops, but I was able to take a tour of the Kentucky Refugee Ministries Tour. It was surprising to know that 80,000 refugees enter this country each year. The hardships of leaving your home land, having a very short time to adjust to a new country, learning a new language, finding a job, relocated in an apartment and starting with absolutely nothing but the clothes on their backs requires a leap of faith in hopes of a new life and starting all over again. What a challenge! How thankful I am to be born in the USA.

PW in the Albany Presbytery Scholarship Application

October Retreat 2008

Enjoying the retreat in the picture left-to-right below:

Front row: Isabel Miller, Charlotte Hasselbarth, Corinne Wiley, Lois Morehouse, Jo Ann Baccari

Back row: Dorothy Kohler, Carol Henderson, Rosalie Hemingway, Ardelle Stewart, Betty Deitz, Frances Kamp, Gloria Ghiraduzzi