Morninglight’s 11^th anniversary meeting held on November 20, 2010 at Keeley’s was a practical display of the ministry’s mission—“Uniting women in the body of Christ across denominations, races and generations.” Women from nine countries on three continents, teenagers to octogenarians, from at least 28 different churches of all different Christian denominations, house churches to “megachurches,” joined together in Portland, Maine to lift up the name of Jesus. At the end of the meeting, a recent newcomer to the United States gave her heart to the Lord Jesus Christ.  We give all the glory to the one who unites us in His love, the Lord Jesus.

Among other highlights at the meeting, Darlene Trefry, a former leader of Women Aglow, mother and grandmother, facilitator at Greater Portland Vineyard’s Marriage Encounter weekend, and recent addition to Morninglight’s leadership team shared her testimony of God’s faithfulness in restoring her soul and calling her back into ministry.   Darlene shared that, at the beginning of 2010, she felt trapped in a dry and desperate place and “put on the shelf” as far as ministry was concerned.  A woman she hardly knew called and invited her to Morninglight ‘s January 2010 meeting.  She accepted but only with great reluctance and apprehension.  When Darlene arrived, she recounted “I was touched as the music began and saw my spirit as a “dry and cracked desert place.”  The message from Ezekiel 47 spoke of the tiny trickle of water that becomes God’s mighty rushing river that brings refreshing wherever it goes.  “The Holy Spirit ministered to me personally…I closed my eyes and surrendered to God whatever He wanted of me.”  She explained that as she was leaving a sweet elderly woman identified herself as Marie and asked Darlene if she had enjoyed the meeting.  “I told her that I had felt like laundry that had been hung on the line and forgotten, and it had been there so long that the edges were tattered and torn. Marie gave me a hug and told me that she wanted to help me bring in the laundry…I think I cried all the way home.  God met me that day in Morninglight, in the deepest places.  He knew what I needed and used a simple invitation from a lady I hardly knew. ”

Since her first Morninglight meeting, Darlene says that she has fallen in love with this group of women, especially the African ladies.  According to her God has “filled [her] eyes and revived [her] soul.”  She finished her testimony by exhorting us all to open our eyes to see other women who are hurting and to reach to them with the love of Jesus.  “The time is now!”

We would be remiss not to mention that one of our dear friends and sisters, Immaculee Ntibatingeso, passed from Earth into Heaven just a few hours before the start of Morninglight’s anniversary meeting. While we deeply miss Immaculee, we rejoice that she now sees her Savior face to face. As the old spiritual goes, and as we sang together on November 20th, “soon and very soon, we are going to see the King. Hallelujah, hallelujah, we are going to see the King.”