More than 70 women from Aitutaki, Cook Islands, gathered in fellowship for a weekend of empowerment from April 26 to 28.
The event, held at Tekaaroa Adventist School, was organised by Aitutaki pastor, Sarah Arati, and led by visiting pastor from Wellington, New Zealand, Kirsten Oster Lundqvist. Pastor Lundqvist shared Bible stories on women being empowered and are called to reach out.
“Some women expressed how going deeper into the stories of biblical women brought forth surprising lessons, all pointing to how Jesus continually calls women to reach out and share His Gospel,” Pastor Lundqvist said.
Women were also encouraged by historical figures from within the Seventh-day Adventist church, looking towards pioneers such as Rachel Oats, who introduced the seventh-day Sabbath to Advent believers.
“Women were delighted to learn how Seventh-day Adventist pioneer women had been actively ministering in those early days of the church,” Pastor Lundqvist added.
Senior auditor at the Cook Island audit office, Anita Hammond, spoke with the teens and young women, looking through Psalm 139 and encouraging them that they are beautifully made.
Pastor Lundqvist created various prayer activities for the youth on the Sabbath afternoon, encouraging the women to experience prayer and reflect on Bible texts in creative ways. Activities such as writing names to pray for, acknowledging they are loved by writing their name in a heart, and using chocolate to remind them to taste and see that God is good.
“The many different experiences proved popular, and they brought a new rich experience to the women, in connecting with God through prayer”, Pastor Lundqvist said.
The Aitutaki women’s weekend ended with a dinner at Tamanu on the Beach resort where they were encouraged to dress vibrantly and wear floral ‘ei’s.
