written by Sarah Wauterlek
As a newcomer to LA, as well as to WOGA, I wasn’t sure what to anticipate when I walked through the door to Cheryl’s warm and inviting home that cool Wednesday evening. What I found was a group of women who were brought together by their common interest in helping women around the world.
I was initially met by Lori, one of the designers at Raven + Lily, who graciously welcomed me in. Cheryl, the founder of WOGA: LA, greeted me soon after and introduced me to the group.
The smell of homemade food filled the home and the genuine smiles on the women’s faces warmed my heart. I placed my potluck contribution down on the table. Soon after we filled our plates, as well as our stomachs. Sitting around the dinning room table, some of us having never met, we shared pieces of our lives together. It felt comfortable, encouraging, and right.
After dinner we moved into Cheryl’s living room and Lori made chai tea for everyone. The agenda for the rest of the night was to pray for the impossible to be made possible through Christ. We were to each share a seemingly impossible prayer request for women in the world, as well as, a personal one.
Cheryl began by sharing about her recent trip to SE Asis. Although there are concerns for the people there, she was inspired by the joy and hope that she encountered in the women. She asked us to pray for the country and specifically for a young girl Cheryl had met on a previous trip who told her that she was worried for her future. She had good reason to be too because her parents have now sold her into prostitution.
One by one the group shared their prayer requests. There were prayer requests for the war in Afghanistan, a cure for HIV/Aids, Christ's love to spread in India, the rape happening in Congo, forced prostitution in Cambodia, the elections in Burundi next year, the homeless women at Hope Gardens in LA, for ten very specific women in India to come to know God's love for them and for local women who are struggling with unemployment, divorce, and raising children alone. It was inspiring to hear how different issues and different cultures were placed on our individual hearts to be brought to a collective group. It was also encouraging to pray to the God of possible for what we feels impossible to us.
In addition to the prayer time, future events for WOGA LA were discussed. Ideas for panel discussions, a retreat, and a study group to explore the issue of human slavery were brought forward. Please keep posted for details.
At the end of an evening saturated with discussions of sobering matter, I somehow found myself feeling uplifted, inspired, encouraged, and energized. In the ugliness of the world issues brought up that night, I saw the beauty of unity among these women. God brings us together to serve because we can do so much more together than we could ever do alone. I felt empowered and fulfilled. I’m anxious to meet again and I would encourage anyone who is at all interested to attend the next meeting.
"It is not enough for us to say: 'I love God,' but I also have to love my neighbor. St. John says that you are a liar if you say you love God and you don't love your neighbor. How can you love God whom you do not see, if you do not love your neighbor whom you see, whom you touch, with whom you live? " Mother Teresa
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