He speaks, "She Speaks"

So, what exactly is the "She Speaks" conference?

"She Speaks" is a conference dedicated to women and young women alike, who are seeking to reach the women in their churches, communities or world for Jesus Christ. All who attend find encouragement and motivation to continue in their pursuit of fulfilling God's plans and purposes for their lives, whether it be through public speaking, the written word or connecting to women through women's ministry. It is not only an opportunity to receive the tools and know-how needed to persevere and increase your level of impact in the area of ministry you are currently in, but is also a conference that will give you practical ways to take the first steps towards that which God has called you to.

Why is this of interest to me?

When I went to South Africa as a missionary, I went with very different plans and intentions than what God had in store for me. Once I was well-acquainted with the missions organization with whom I would be serving, God made it very clear to me that I would not be starting an orphanage for children with HIV or AIDS, but would instead be the sole writer for the leadership development program. Initially, I was stunned, unsure of how I managed to totally misunderstand God's calling on my life. After all, writing was not something I had previously enjoyed or even excelled at in school. After a brief wrestling match with God, I surrendered my entire being to Him and began pursuing that which He had called me to do. As it turns out, God had given me a gift I had never used to its fullest capacity, and once I opened that gift I wanted to use it whenever, wherever and however I could!
When I left the mission field, God did not make me leave my gift of writing there. He told me, "Pack your bags of memories and life lessons and don't forget the gift I gave you to write." Upon my return, life was a whirlwind, and before I knew it the gift was pushed aside until I was ready to write again. God has been tugging on my heart reminding me of the gift He gave me for months now, and I have responded on a couple of occasions, but when I couldn't seem to get very far, I dismissed the tugs as "it must not really be time yet".
Well, in recent weeks, that tug has become painfully stronger. I have spent a lot of time thinking and praying about fulfilling the new purpose for my writing and once again surrendering myself and my gift of writing to God. In my Quiet Time this morning, I heard God FINALLY speak so clearly in response to my prayer! He told me very plan and simple, "Go to Proverbs 31 Ministries website." And there I found an advertisement for the "She Speaks" conference. The conference description crossed the Ts and dotted the Is of my prayer for direction. That is why I would like to be apart of the 2010 "She Speaks" conference. It is truly amazing what God can do with a yielded vessel. He will unleash a potential never dreamed of, and I can't wait to see what He has in store!
Even though I exhausted my resources as a full-time missionary in South Africa and currently work at a very small private Christian school, I am trusting God to provide the means for me to attend this conference. But, as a winner of the Cecil Murphy scholarship, I would no doubt be able the take the next step in answering His call!

Checkout the following link if you too are interested in a scholarship to attend this conference:

http://lysaterkeurst.blogspot.com/2010/03/she-speaks-scholarship-contest.html

This is the link to the "She Speaks" conference website:

http://www.shespeaksconference.com/