Leading and Loving It

L&L It Local … San Antonio

September 15, 2011 by Lori Wilhite

Posted by: Lori Wilhite

Friday, September 9th, Eleana Garza launched our first Leading and Loving It Local Event in San Antonio, Texas. These events are designed to give Pastors’ Wives and Women in Ministry the opportunity to connect, build community, gain encouragement, and be lifted up in prayer. When these events take place, we’ll highlight them and let everyone have a peek into the fantastic time the ladies had together. Thanks Eleana for sharing your experience and for hosting this gathering. We know that God really used your efforts!

From Eleana:

I can’t begin to share how instrumental L&L It has been in my personal life and ministry. For most of my ministry time (going on a little over a decade), I was lonely and isolated. I truly wanted to connect with the pastors’ wives in my life. While in youth ministry, the pastors’ wives kept a distance from their staff and people. That was the example I was given. You don’t share with anyone, and you separate yourself in order to stay safe and keep appearances. I became miserable, and when hard times hit, I had no one I could go to, no one I could cry with, no one to just be there. I was expected to hold it all in, and keep it together at all costs. The reality is, God did not intend for us to keep everything in … in fact, if there is no outlet, the result is an explosion. As my husband and I entered a new season in our life and ministry as lead pastors, I began searching for community … well really, I realized I just didn’t have any friends. The summer after our church had launched, I was in a really painful season in ministry, and came across Leading & Loving It.

The community that I had found, the connections and friends that I started to make through Leading and Loving It, was a much-needed breath of fresh air. On Friday September 9, we had our first ever Leading & Loving It San Antonio Mocktail Party. We planned for months, prayed for months, and poured ourselves, (and my husband’s money) into preparing for this event. Why? Because I know where I was not quite 2 years ago, and where I am now. What has been key in having a healthy marriage and ministry has been my relationships outside of our church with other women in my similar role. Women that I can call, text, share and pray with. The event began at 7 pm but women started pouring in a little after 6 pm, and by 6:45 we had a packed house. We had 100 women total in attendance. We had 13 tables with women in their similar role, sharing, connecting, and making friends. You could hear the life, laughter, and sighs of relief as the women began sharing with the women at their table.

As I got on Facebook that night, I could see women connecting, adding each other, and in the days that have followed I see them encouraging, celebrating, and embracing each other. This event was totally about embracing and connecting women to each other in a life-giving environment with Chick-Fila and tons of candy!

The awesome thing about attending and/or hosting a local event, is that the pastors’ wives that have connected can meet for coffee or dinner, and they are only a short drive down the street! Whether it’s a party of 5 or 100 – it’s so worth being a part of a local event. Just do it!

I truly believe that if we can embrace each other, encourage each other, have a community of women that we can share with … an outlet … then we will be able to be effective in ministry, walk confidently in our calling, impact our community, and enjoy the journey.