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by Laurel Christensen
May 15, 2009
by Emily Freeman
August 31, 2009
by Amanda Dickson
February 09, 2010
This weekend we experienced our kick-off event of the 2010 Infinite Hope Tour in Ogden, UT and we are STILL on a high from it! We have a feeling this just might be the best year TOFW has experienced. So we thought we would share just a little sneak peak at the event with a re-cap by one of our amazing presenters, Amanda Dickson.
"No. You misunderstand. I'm Jennifer."
Oh - Linda and Shawni had me laughing from the beginning of the day Saturday. I was with them, in the grocery store, in the home, cleaning the bathrooms, creating a family mission statement. Thank you both for your humor and wisdom.
I became so engaged in Richard Holzapfel's animated wisdom and the sweet, humble, moving sounds of Mercy River . But Mariama- oh sweet sister. Laurel warned us that Mariama's story would change our lives, and it did. i couldn't take my eyes off her. Her face shown, along with her beautiful dress. Her laugh bounced and tickled my heart, even as she shared with us the unspeakable tragedy of her young life. When Mariama held that hygiene kit to her heart, I felt my heart go out, lift up, learn. How could she cherish a shampoo bottle and towel as one of her prized possessions? Because she has lived a different life than me, with challenges I can't imagine, but that I can have empathy for, thanks to her willingness to share her story.
Thank you to every sweet woman who came and shared the day with us Saturday (and the 5 brave men). Thank you for shaking our hands and having your pictures taken with us. Thank you for putting together 350 hygiene kits, more than we ever dreamed we could share. Thank you for your laughter and tears and open hearts and arms.
Oh, and Emily , i walked by the Red Box machine yesterday, and I busted up laughing. A woman sneered at me. I wished I had been wearing my pajamas.
Stay tuned for great clips of these presenters in weeks to come. We can’t wait for you to experience this INFINITE HOPE in a city near you.
by Time Out for Women
February 24, 2010
After months of preparation, we’ve FINALLY reached the top of our spring event slide. We’re sitting here with our hands up above our heads, excited and anxious to push off and begin our thrilling ride, visiting several beautiful cities within just the next few months. This is the part we look forward to most—seeing old friends, making new ones, hearing YOUR inspiring stories, and together…being lifted.
So, if an event is near your home in 2010, get ready to join us on this journey! Here are a few ideas you might want to use to help you get the most of your TOFW experience with us.…
• Read the stories of Infinite Hope from women all over the country (or submit your own!)
• Talk a neighbor, a friend, or family member into going with you. It’s always fun to have someone to share the excitement with!
• Visit the presenter’s page. Learn about the incredible people who will be speaking…we think they’re pretty incredible!
• Get a glimpse of Mariama. Her story will open your eyes, inspire you and offer you the opportunity to help your local women’s shelter.
• Have your journal and pen ready and at hand…you will have moments that are meant just for you. Be ready to write them down.
• Get inside your closet, move aside your old hand bags and make room for the new 2010 TOFW, hot new red tote bag!
How are YOU getting ready? Share with us your own tips!
by Time Out for Women
March 03, 2010
1. How long before the first TOFW does the design for the bags have to be completed?
Believe it or not, we are just a few months away from having to decide on next year’s theme. Once we have the theme in place, we pic the colors (oh, okay, sometimes we already know which colors we want). Then we take our theme and colors to our designer and have them work up a look for the theme. And THEN we can start planning for the cute tote bag. So, by next August, we’ll have it all in place for 2011 and we can start production on the bags (and it would have been really helpful this year if we had followed that little schedule better.)
2. We want to know what is entailed in having my own booth at TOFW
Maintaining the atmosphere for our attendees at the TOFW events is really important to us and so we limit the number of partners we give space to. Our 2010 events are full but if you are interested in being considered for 2011, contact us this summer. If you offer a product or service that we feel is beneficial and of interest to our attendees, we’ll consider it.
3. I want to know how to help be a part of TOFW (This one was asked a few times)
We love our team members! TOFW wouldn’t function if it weren’t for the help of you …THANK YOU! Each city has a Team Coordinator who helps us find a group of women, scattered across the area, to help us get the word out and prepare for a successful event. Our teams in the spring are full but if you are interested in being a part of the team for an event this fall, contact us!
4. I’d love to know how to become one of those really excellent speakers
Well, we’re so glad to hear that you like the presenters! Because TOFW is a division of Deseret Book Company, all of our presenters are currently published authors and artists with Deseret Book (or have a project in the works).
5. I want to know if you are coming to SLC again this year?
Yes, we will be coming to SLC this year! We’ve just been waiting for some football schedules to be released. We hope to announce our SLC event by April 1. Stay tuned!
6. I want to know what snacks they have backstage for the speakers
Cheese, crackers, fruit, water and juices. (It’s probably not nearly as exciting as you had hoped!)
7. I want to know your numbers. How many women attend TOFW last year and how many do you anticipate to reach this year?
We’ve had as few as 1000 and as many as 4000 at our events. It depends on the location and the time of year. We hope to reach as many women as we can this year and hope you’ll help us get the word out about the tour!
8. How do you pick your locations?
It’s not an easy process, that’s for sure. And we had the time and resources to share the TOFW experience with more of you. We base our tour schedule on a rotation of some core cities and then try to add 1 or 2 new locations every year. Cities get added to the schedule when we start to see support from those locations at other events. (and we’re STILL trying to get out of North America for our first time!)
by DeAnne Flynn
March 08, 2010
Orlando truly is the happiest place on earth! I loved this extraordinary event and received a very unique and unexpected “tender mercy” while there. You see, my oldest daughter has suffered from migraine headaches all of her life. We’ve tried everything—including surgery to close a hole in her heart—with only modest success. At one point, her doctor prescribed a particular medication that had proven to be quite effective for many of his patients in reducing headaches. After filling this prescription, I just couldn’t give my daughter the medication he had prescribed. Every time I tried, I felt a strong impression that she shouldn’t take it. Logic versus spiritual prompting—an interestingly familiar dilemma most women face at times in their personal stewardships.
But while at the Orlando event, I met a woman who had become unexplainably blind eleven days after taking this very medication. Would my daughter also have had a similar adverse reaction to this drug? I’ll never know. But, for me, this experience felt like a gift from the Lord. I was able to met and connect with this brave woman on a spiritual level I will never forget, and she blessed my life with her courage and testimony. Don’t we love and need Time Out for Women!
Can’t wait to see you again,
DeAnne Flynn
by Time Out for Women
March 15, 2010
Whether you live in the tropic year round or in a land with four-seasons, the idea of spring is an exciting time of renewal, growth, and new life. It’s a time when the rainstorms come through, cleaning the air and leaving their fresh scent to linger. In some places, it’s a time when one can hear the chirping from a nest of young birds for their mother...and we all want it to be a time of more sunlight (gotta love that vitamin D!) and longer days. It’s a time of spring cleaning both in your home and in your life.
Here are a few ways to celebrate and enjoy each new spring whether the weather outside your window says “spring” or not. Jot some of these ideas down, add some of your own, and post them on your fridge, mirror, or calendar. Try and do 1 fun activity everyday and feel the joy of SPRING!
• Treat yourself with a nature walk and observe the first signs of spring: the budding trees flowers, birds.
• Plant flower seeds in a pot. Watch and observe the beautiful seeds slowly sprout to life.
• Get a group together for a game of soccer or baseball in the park. Enjoy the sunshine and fresh air!
• Buy a colorful kite at the local dollar store and take it to the park to fly.
• Open the windows, turn up the music, and pick a room in your home to do a little spring cleaning. Use a lemon scent when you’re finished to leave the room smelling fresh and clean.
• Take a look on your community calendar (or often times at your local library) and participate in the fun events taking place in your neighborhood.
• Participate in a springtime Fun Run or 5k.
• Visit a nearby rest home. Sing songs, go on a walk, or listen to the life stories of incredible men and women.
• Get out your blankets on a clear night and stargaze in your yard or a nearby park.
• Visit a pet store and spend time playing with the puppies, kittens and other baby animals.
• Visit a local pond and feed the ducks.
• Make sugar cookies, decorate them in fun springtime colors, and then deliver them to your neighbors.
• Buy fresh fruit and put them in a colorful bowl on a counter or table.
Make a comment with us on our blog of YOUR springtime experience or ideas by Wednesday, March 17th and win the perfect spring TOFW tote bag!!!
(Stay tuned…winner will be announced on our blog Thursday, March 18th )
by Time Out for Women
March 18, 2010
Thank you for sharing your SPRING comments! We’ll have future give away prizes from the TOFW blog so stay tuned and continue to share YOUR thoughts with us all. (P.S. Reading everyone’s comments DEFINITELY makes blogging MUCH more fun…don’t you think?!!)
Our 10 Winners:
1) Cara Steele
2) Marsha Keller
3) Heather Murphey
4) Kate Evans
5) Robyn Bruce
6) Anneke Croese
7) JoAnna Bradshaw
8) Marcy Fluckiger
9) DeAnna Calvin
10)Victoria de Dios
CONGRATULATIONS!!
(To claim your prize, please send an email with your home address to the following email address: mmoore@deseretbook.com)
by Laurel Christensen
March 19, 2010
When I was 12 and 13, I spent both summers at a unique “girls only” program at BYU. It was called “Academy for Girls” (we lovingly called it “AFG). My counselors were Maizey and Chloe (I love that I still remember them) and there were about 10 girls in each of my groups. We cried together. We sang together. We laughed together. We learned together. But, mostly, we felt the spirit together.
Those are the kinds of experiences (along with Girls Camp and Youth Conference, of course) that impacted me in ways I might not ever be able to quantify. They helped me become….me.
Last summer I had the opportunity to speak at a program at Utah State University in the beautiful Cache Valley of Utah. The program was “Retreat for Girls” (“RFG”) and the director, Katie Smith, had once been blessed by AFG just like me. I loved being with those girls and seeing what RFG was doing for them. And I realized that perhaps there was an opportunity for Time Out for Women to help more girls enjoy the spirit of RFG…and be impacted like I had oh so many years ago (more than I care to admit.)
And so, this year we are partnering with RFG to bring this unique week-long experience to girls (ages 12-15) of our TOFW community. We have great speakers lined up and activities that will be fun while helping them build their young testimonies. The theme is “Oil for Your Lamp” and we are so excited. It seems summer can’t come soon enough.
Now, we realize this program won’t be a possibility for everyone. But, we’ve opened two sessions (July 12-16 and July 19-23) to accommodate as many as possible. So, if you have a teenage girl or you lead a teenage girl or you just love a teenage girl, will you help us spread the word? We hope this will be a summer they will never forget…and maybe, just maybe, one of them will be writing about their experience with RFG in just a few [ahem] years from now.
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