Davao She Day 2010

The event gathered over 600 women of various persuasions in one room—the Grand Ballroom of the Apo view Hotel.                     
 
The invitation for me to be one of two speakers read, "It's for women who are feeling overworked, over-scheduled and overwhelmed. It's for the woman of today whose life is complex and demanding. . . we know you have a lot of rich stories to tell as you encourage and inspire women to be transformed in the different facets of their lives."

Rich stories about life's grace I do have—millions of them. Some of these are already in my books. But talking about them in a ballroomful of women posed a different kind of challenge and so I took a day off from grandmothering (Adrian is here on a three-week visit) and headed out to Davao. I was armed with an 11-page manuscript, 29 slides and a clicker.

The jampacked ballroom spooked me at first (crowds always do in all of my talks), but the warm smiles of the women were very encouraging. Writing about grace is one thing; talking about it is another—at many points it chokes and wrings the heart. But God's faithfulness never falters and so one can go on with whatever He allows one to say.

Timmy Cruz was a welcoming host; she set the tone with three of her inspiring songs. That helped greatly to calm my nerves. After the event, many of the women lined up patiently and cheerfully for their books to be signed and to have our pictures taken. They quoted parts of my talk which they said touched them deeply, or reminded them of a lesson learned. And I was humbled by every remark.

I thought that the blood, sweat, and tears that the staff of OMFLit (led by Lynnie of OMFLit Cebu, with the help of dear friends Mai-Mai and Carol; and ably executed by Eileen of OMFLit Davao, with a bevy of women volunteers in black and hot pink) was well worth every second. Madel, assigned to pamper me, went way beyond the call of duty.

It is I who have been transformed.