A word of encouragement from the Aglow Uruguay 30th Anniversary Virtual Conference
Aglow Uruguay, under the leadership of Aglow National President Nely de Bottino and together with her national board members, recently sponsored a virtual meeting via Zoom in celebration of 30 years of Aglow in the nation. Aglow women and men from all across Uruguay and neighboring Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, as well as Aglow national leaders from several other South American nations, enjoyed this celebration "together but apart". All agreed there is no distance in the love we shared with each other.
Jervae Brooks, Executive Director International Field, was asked to bring a greeting. We believe her message will be a blessing to many, so we are sharing the core of her message here.
Jervae writes: As I prayed about what God would have me share I immediately saw, in my mind's eye, a very clear but unusual picture. I saw a beautiful horse, and hanging over the horse was a string of large pearls. A strange combination of images!
I went to my computer and decided to research the traditional gift usually given for 30th Anniversaries. To my surprise it is pearls!
A pearl is a rare and valuable gem, and one of its qualities is that it endures under pressure. Pearls symbolize wisdom acquired through experience and we also know they are valuable in God's sight. We recall the parable in the book of Matthew about the 'pearl of great price' and even the gates in heaven that are described in Revelations are each made of a single pearl.
And what about the horse? I believe God wanted to speak something about the strength He has put into the Uruguayan people. As I read about the nation of Uruguay and it's history I learned about a breed of horse called the Criollo, which is also the official symbol of the Uruguayan cultural heritage.
The Criollo horse has many strong qualities, including having a strong character, being easy to train (teachable), very intelligent and versatile. The Criollo fears nothing and can travel in all kinds of terrain. It is an excellent working horse, with a powerful body and strong endurance.
These are amazing qualities, and beautifully describe the characteristics of a Christian. God wanted each of our dear Uruguayan sisters and brothers to know that is how He sees them. It is their identity in Christ."
These comments were first expressed to our Uruguayan family, but if you long to be known in this way before Christ, We encourage you to reach out and take this for yourself as well.