About ten or twelve years ago, our church starting hosting an annual Ladies' Day. At first, I think it was actually every two years, then about every 18 months, but more recently we've been trying to do it every year. The speaker we had lined up for this year is named Luvenia Jenkins, and she is actually someone that my sister and I have known since we were children. Ms. Luvenia's three kids are a little bit younger than I am, but I remember vividly going to their house and playing with them a few times! Tia also has connections to her through her brother, Terrance, so we were thrilled to have her speak on our Ladies' Day.
Since accepting the invitation to speak for us, Ms. Luvenia and her family have faced some very serious trials. Her daughter-in-law is battling a very aggressive cancer, so Ms. Luvenia and her husband, Eugene, have temporarily relocated from Missouri to Georgia to be the full time care givers for their young grandchildren. While they are very happy to do it, it has not been easy on them. Because of the situation, we gave Ms. Luvenia an out regarding speaking on our Ladies' Day, but she did not want to take it. She wanted to continue to do the Lord's work when possible regardless of other trials in her life.
Our Ladies' Day was scheduled for Saturday, April 27, with the theme of "Here Am I, Send Me". Ms. Luvenia and her family have extensive experience in foreign mission fields, so this topic was perfect for her. She and Eugene, along with their two young grandchildren, drove from Georgia to Oklahoma the Friday prior to the Ladies' Day. Ross and Tia had invited us, the Earls, my parents, and the Jenkins to all meet at the golf club for dinner that evening. We ended up waiting on the Jenkins a little longer than we anticipated (traveling with littles, right?!?), but the weather was just gorgeous and the kids were all able to play outside. That always makes a wait easier! Funny side-note ... our chiropractor was there with his wife and kids, so my kids and his kids ended up playing together the whole evening! Tia had her camera and snapped a few pics for us.
Brianna and Momma
Brianna, Caroline, and Chloe
Caroline and Brianna
Bren was happy to be with his Daddy and not with all the ladies, haha!
We had a great turnout for our event! This group of young ladies who were serving as greeters brought lots of smiles to our guests' faces!
Raelyn, RyAnn, Ashlyn, Chloe, Brianna, Avery, Brecklyn, and Brooke
Mom has attended many of our Ladies' Days in the past, but this was the first one where she's been a member here.
G-Jo, Brianna, Brecklyn, Brooke, and Chloe
Ms. Luvenia's lessons did not disappoint! The whole day went very smoothly and was uplifting!
On Sunday, Mr. Eugene preached for us. I teach the 1 and 2 year old class on Sunday mornings, and Koda (Ms. Luvenia's granddaughter) is two years old. Boaz, their grandson, is three but he did not want to go to class by himself. I invited Ms. Luvenia to stay in my class with Koda and Boaz. She took these photos of me teaching, and I'm so grateful to have them! Teaching Bible class is a big part of my life, but I have very few photos of me in action.
Then, they sat with us during worship service, and all the cuteness was about more than I could handle :-).
After worship, we went to lunch with a group before the Jenkins hit the road to head to their next destination.
The kiddos were all happy to get balloon animals . . . I think they were more excited for those than for the food!
The whole weekend was just really wonderful, and we are thankful that Ms. Luvenia was still willing to speak on our Ladies' Day despite her current life circumstances. Being able to spend quality time with them was a bonus!
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