It was December 2012 and I felt a tugging at my heart. I needed something more. I needed more Jesus and someone to encourage me to be the woman of God that I needed to be.
Our Sunday school class was doing a study on Jonah and obeying God's call. All the while, God was calling me.
At the time, I was a busy mom of 2 and about to start my last semester of NP school. Our family went to Sunday school and church on Sunday but that was about it. We were in survival mode most if the time. Josh worked a crazy job that left me feeling like a single mom most nights. So why me? Why now? I was sure it was because of what I needed. I needed more Bible study. I needed some girl time. I needed deeper friendships. God must've known that I needed to start a Bible study for me. But I'm so shy! And I didn't have any in depth Spiritual knowledge.
So, I sent a Facebook message to the ladies in my Sunday school class. I explained my heart and offered my home. They were very responsive and excited! We decided on Thursday nights and just every other week.
And in January 2013, Soul Sisters began. We were born out of the Soul Purpose Sunday School class so Soul Sisters was a fitting name. We used a Bible study book and we got together and studied, prayed, ate snacks, and encouraged each other. There were 9 of us.
During that first year, we had Bible study while our kids played (rather loudly at times) in my kids' bedrooms. And after I added baby #3 in 2014, it became a little much for me and harder to manage Bible study with all the kids in tow.
We decided (after much prayer and some hesitation) to move our Bible study to our church on Wednesday nights. There was already stuff going on for our kids so we would no longer have to try to study with so many little interruptions. And we decided that if we were going to have it at church, we should open it up to other women in the church.
Boy was I surprised at the response! Women told us that this was just what they were needing....just what they had been praying for. And our little group began to grow.
We have now gone from a group of 9 women to having (at last count) 86 women on our Facebook page! We now average around 20-25 on a given Wednesday night.
It still amazes me that what I thought was just for me was actually not. Little did I know God was preparing me for something big! I am humbled by the thought that God would choose me to lead.
And so, saying yes in December 2012 led to the Soul Sisters Bible study that we enjoy today.
I am so blessed to be a part of this wonderful group of encouraging women!
