Young Women's Page Esther: A Young Woman of Faith Her name is Esther. She was the Jewish wife of a Persian king, the man who was about to be tricked into making an irrevocable, disastrous decision. All Jews would be exterminated ... Esther's adoptive father, realizing that she, alone, held the keys to her husband's heart, appealed to her conscience ... She broke long-standing protocol, marched into the king's throne room, spoke her mind ... and rescued the Jews from holocaust ... She didn't think, Someone else should be doing this, not me ... nor did she ignore the need because of the risk. She was willing to get personally involved, to the point of great sacrifice What about you? What challenges has God set before you as His young Christian woman? What risks lie before you? What grace is He waiting to pour out on you to meet the situation? What sacrifice are you willing to make for the One who sacrificed His all for you? Read Esther's Bible book, the one that bears her name, and see what words—and challenges—and risks and blessings God has for you, His young woman of faith! Someday, by His grace, we might be remembering your name and reading your book! Rev. Larry A. Miller, LWML Pastoral Counselor. Reprinted from Impressions Newsletter, March 2004. Used by permission from the www.lwml.org Web site. See the site for more newsletters and other YWR information. Live Joyfully as Salt and Light! Here's what women ages 18 to 35 have to say about their convention experiences as Young Women Representatives (YWR) to the LWML Convention in Tampa (June 2005). What an experience! I had never attended a gathering of this magnitude before; about 7,000 Lutherans (registered women plus pastors, husbands, children) were in Tampa at the opening worship service. I imagine our singing rivaled the choirs of heavenThe friendships I made were one of the greatest things...a fantastic networking experience. Amy Becker, YWR, Kansas District I participated in a servant event to collect the "Gifts from the Heart." Our leader encouraged us to accept the gifts joyfully. With the help of LWML pom-poms, we collected the gifts with cheering and applause. You cannot imagine the smiles this brought to the women's faces as they dropped off their gifts. Laurie Ascher, YWR, South Dakota District WOW! What made a huge impact on me was hearing the totals of the mite collectionsWe heard from missionaries and got to see exactly what the money does and how it is put to use to further God's kingdom. Heather Puddephatt, YWR, Mid-South District Amaze-ing Race! This special activity at the annual Atlantic District LWML retreat might work in your district, too: The young women teamed up and followed clues that led them around the retreat grounds. Along the way, they stopped to do activities (e.g., making and sharing witness bracelets, looking up Bible verses) that eventually led them to a finish line for a discussion of Philippians 3:13-14 with one of the district's Young Women Reps who attended the Tampa convention. Jessica Sauer (left), Atlantic District YWR, goes over the contest map with Violet Fermin and Heather Palkewick. A Bright Idea! The Mid-South District LWML has a newsletter especially for young women ages 18-35 called Alive! The young women in your district might like to have a newsletter of their very own. Consider including the happenings of the young women on a dedicated page in your official district publication, too. We have heard ... that the following women now involved on LWML committees and task forces were once official Young Women Representatives to a national convention. We thank and praise God for their enthusiasm about all things LWML! Gina Franke, Texas District, Chairman of the Teen LWML Task Force Katy Gifford, Nebraska North District, Teen LWML Task Force Anne Hartman, North Wisconsin District, Leader Development Committee Cheryl Petersen, Minnesota North District, Chairman of the Christian Resources Editors Committee Christine Sommers-Austin, Montana District, Teen LWML Task Force Tammy Songer, Kansas District, Media and Marketing Committee Rae Ann Spitzenberger, Texas District, Chairman of the Media & Marketing Committee Nikki Tyrrell, North Dakota District, Leader Development Committee Quotable Quotes Esther 4:14b: [Mordecai said to Queen Esther] And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this? (Read more about it in the Bible book of Esther!) The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you! The Quarterly will continue to feature pages for and by young women in future issues. Please forward any news or information and original or electronic photos about the young women in your district to: Sharon Goertzen 347 D Street Hampton, NE 68843 goertzen@hamilton.net