LWML Convention Article
DESERT RED ROCK ZONE 31/32
Board of Director’s Meeting, Tuesday, 8/01/23,12:00 PM
VP of Christian Life Report - Linda Olson
Celebrate the Lord of the Nations, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Next time you are in church singing a hymn, try to imagine 4000 voices joining you. As you are making your confession, taking communion and reciting the Lord’s Prayer, imagine all those voices as well. This was my experience at the Thursday night opening service of the LWML 40th Biennial Convention on June 22. Hearing those voices in unison was awe inspiring. God was truly in that place.
Milwaukee was a great place to hold the convention. The welcoming committee at the airport held our carry-ons while we retrieved our check-in luggage for the price of having a picture taken under their sign. Nancy and I met not one, but two Linda’s also going to the convention while we were waiting to board our flight in Las Vegas. Linda Koch, President in PSD Zone 22, agreed to be included in our picture above. Nancy and I traveled a day early and left a day late to enable her to set-up and take down the Church Workers in Mission Committee Booth. It also allowed us to see Milwaukee’s sights on both a bus/walking tour and by boat. Bellow left Nancy and Elaine pose in the booth, and Nancy and I are shown in the Pabst Mansion on the right.
The convention itself was incredible. Each day started with a very beautiful procession. The picture below on the left shows our district (Pacific Southwest District - PSD) banner brought in by District President, Nila and two PSD youth representatives. Banners for the 49 districts attending the convention were paraded around the convention center. The next day flags from the 83 Mission Grant countries, including the United States of America, were paraded. The parade was a great way to grab the attention of so many participants and start the day.
The convention was all about missions. Hearing directly from the 2021-2023 Mission Grant recipients, watching the voting process for the 2023-2025 Mission Grants, and especially learning the successful future recipients immediately was very inspiring. It definitely made me want to do more to collect mites. The picture on the right above shows Elaine and I finishing the Mission Riverwalk.
Watching the voting process for new officers, being able to find out the results immediately and knowing how close the Presidential election numbers were, was also exciting. Before the Sending Service on Sunday morning, the national officers were installed. Below is a picture of outgoing LWML President Debbie Larson pinning incoming LWML President Eden Keefe. The 41st Biennial Convention will be in Omaha, Nebraska. The Sending Service Sermon, “Jesus Christ, Hope for the Nations” was excellent, and the perfect message for our travels home.
Thank you for sponsoring my attendance at the LWML Convention. I was inspired, and am elated to be part of an organization of like-minded, missionary women, who love Jesus and are primed for action to share Jesus with the world and to help others share the good news. My most lasting impression will be the music. Each night when I returned to our room I could still hear and feel the powerful voices and music. For days after, when I had returned to Las Vegas, upon waking I could hear and feel the music.
The Lord of the nations has great purpose for all of us as we reach all nations in the name of Jesus!
