What better atmosphere for opening hearts than sitting around a candlelit room sipping cups of tea? Once every two months, we open our homes in this way and invite our friends and students to get together and share their hearts with one another. This isn't always easy for them. Normally, they are very private people and only have one or two close friends. And most of them are not believers.
Our theme for the evening was "Treasures" and each woman was to bring something that represented treasure to her and tell us why. It was amazing some of the original things that the ladies brought...a ring of car keys (it meant that her husband was home with her son and she had an evening all to herself)...a locket (the picture of her mother and grandfather was priceless and the memories precious)...a wedding ring (the love of her husband)...a dried rosebud (the rose that her husband gave to her before they were married and was romantic and before he became so practical)...an old stuffed cat (a handmade stuffed animal that was passed back and forth between her and her sister over the years)...the invitation to the tea party (she loves meeting new people)...a journal (the love notes passed between her and her boyfriend)...a book about friendship (with blank pages filled with memories and was a gift from her friend)...a bunch of letters tied with a pink ribbon (letters written during a ten year friendship)...a photo album (pictures of her daughter)...each of these things represented something of value to these ladies. It was obviously women getting together because most of the sharing was about relationships. :) Then, we drew their minds to the greatest treasure in our lives, the Lord Jesus Christ. It was a lovely evening.
Every tea party is unique and this one was no exception. There is always lots of food to sample, comforting tea to drink, and laughter to share and friends to connect with. We each had to sample each of the four different tea breads that had been prepared and were placed on all of the little tables scattered about the room.
We hope and pray that each woman will leave these teas with a thoughtful heart and that this can open their hearts to the love of God in their own personal lives.
Some comments from the ladies after various teas:
"I love the peaceful atmosphere."
"I love drinking out of china."
"What a wonderful chance to forget my daily troubles and routine and just relax."
"It's magical, like a fairy tale."
"It makes me think in a different way. We don't have this kind of thing in this country."
"Your lives have calmness, I wish I had such a great faith."
"We never talk to other people like this. We only talk about weather, family, husbands, boyfriends, and work."
"I must go home and think. I have a lot to ponder."
Our theme for the evening was "Treasures" and each woman was to bring something that represented treasure to her and tell us why. It was amazing some of the original things that the ladies brought...a ring of car keys (it meant that her husband was home with her son and she had an evening all to herself)...a locket (the picture of her mother and grandfather was priceless and the memories precious)...a wedding ring (the love of her husband)...a dried rosebud (the rose that her husband gave to her before they were married and was romantic and before he became so practical)...an old stuffed cat (a handmade stuffed animal that was passed back and forth between her and her sister over the years)...the invitation to the tea party (she loves meeting new people)...a journal (the love notes passed between her and her boyfriend)...a book about friendship (with blank pages filled with memories and was a gift from her friend)...a bunch of letters tied with a pink ribbon (letters written during a ten year friendship)...a photo album (pictures of her daughter)...each of these things represented something of value to these ladies. It was obviously women getting together because most of the sharing was about relationships. :) Then, we drew their minds to the greatest treasure in our lives, the Lord Jesus Christ. It was a lovely evening.
Every tea party is unique and this one was no exception. There is always lots of food to sample, comforting tea to drink, and laughter to share and friends to connect with. We each had to sample each of the four different tea breads that had been prepared and were placed on all of the little tables scattered about the room.
We hope and pray that each woman will leave these teas with a thoughtful heart and that this can open their hearts to the love of God in their own personal lives.
Some comments from the ladies after various teas:
"I love the peaceful atmosphere."
"I love drinking out of china."
"What a wonderful chance to forget my daily troubles and routine and just relax."
"It's magical, like a fairy tale."
"It makes me think in a different way. We don't have this kind of thing in this country."
"Your lives have calmness, I wish I had such a great faith."
"We never talk to other people like this. We only talk about weather, family, husbands, boyfriends, and work."
"I must go home and think. I have a lot to ponder."
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