The day was met with much excitement by everyone involved – from the girls attending to the women helping; everyone was very excited to be there. The girls were pampered and beautified by very talented women, as well as met with warm smiles and laughs. It was so fun to see how excited the girls were to be pampered and loved, and from the start I knew that we were ready to meet all the challenges the day had to offer. The prep period was followed by a fun fashion show where the girls got to strut their stuff while being cheered and applauded. After the fashion show, we had a beautiful lunch and time of fellowship. This was one of my favorite parts of the day as we got to just talk with the girls and find out more about them. As lunch settled down, we heard a great message about beauty and all the ways it could be found. The speaker was able to meet the girls where they were at, and discuss topics meaningful to the middle and high school audience. The breakout sessions to follow were excellent as the smaller groups gave the girls an opportunity to open up a little more and bounce ideas off of each other and their leaders. In closing, we heard a great blurb about finding the Truth about who you are in God’s eyes and truly loving every single about yourself and the way you were made.
Overall, I was thrilled with the day. Not only were girls loved, encouraged, pampered, and ministered to; but as a High School Teacher, I also had the unique opportunity of connecting with some of my students in a special way. Without Celebrate Beauty I may not have been able to really reach a level of intimacy with some of the girls, and now we have a shared experience that we can draw on to discuss how God sees us in comparison to how we see ourselves, and my hope is that there are more spiritual discussions to come out of that. I am thankful and grateful for the opportunity to have been blessed by this event, and more so for the opportunities it will present for me to minister to those special girls in my life who were able to share in this day with me."
Stef, 24
"The idea of beauty has always interested me- discussions, sermons, or bible studies which delve into the idea of beauty, security, and what it means to be a woman of God, and so I was immediately captured by the idea of an event which celebrated that very subject.
Celebrate Beauty exceeded my expectations: the room was decorated beautifully, it was loads of fun to dress up and see others so, the food was scrumptious (especially the cakes), and the talks were encouraging. What I loved most was being around women of all ages, seeing that this issue of beauty and confidence is something that we all struggle with. Coming together and exploring God’s intent in creating us as beautiful women was truly encouraging and uplifting. As I was emboldened, God was honored.
I recommend that everyone come to an event like this- even if the idea of dressing up doesn't grab you: there’s so much to learn in this area--so much Biblical encouragement to be received in the midst of all the belittling and unsatisfying messages which we hear throughout our days. The offer of true confidence has been given to us- will we choose it? Come, and be heartened."--DL, 19
"Before attending Celebrate Beauty I would have never chosen to describe myself as a woman of God. Although I had thought previously about why God made me the way He did, I never looked at the fact that I was distinctly female. I have always been really into athletics and less into extremely “girly” activities. As I have grown up, this has changed a little bit but I would still say I am unlike many girls. This did not mean that I didn’t want to look good, or that I was able to completely get rid of caring about what others thought of me. Celebrate Beauty helped me embrace the fact that I am female, and that God distinctly made me female for a reason. It helped me recognize many aspects of my life that exist simply because I was MADE a female rather than a male. It also defined places in my life where I needed to place more emphasis—such as my heart and places or ideas I needed to deemphasize—such as earthly possessions, appearance, or athletic performance. After attending I began to recognize myself as a beautiful woman of Christ whom He made exactly the way He wanted. I really enjoyed my experience and it brought more depth to my relationship with Christ."
Kate, 20
"Attending the Celebrate Beauty conference gave me joy and a sense of relief because finally a young woman was using her gifts to reach the next generation of young ladies by delivering deep truths about feminine topics that aren't addressed frequently in churches."
Kara, 22
“When I arrived at the Holiday Inn the first thing I saw were a few young girls in the lobby in very formal ball “Cinderella” like gowns…I thought, Ah Geeze I’m gonna stand out like a sore thumb. Maybe I should just go home. Just then, I heard a little voice whisper ‘Just go in, you’re beautiful too... As I entered the ballroom I was blown away with how beautiful everything was. As I entered the ballroom I was blown away with how beautiful everything was. The room was a nice size with mirrors and white twinkle lights all around…I love twinkle lights…they are magical. There were about 10 or 15 tables draped in white cloths and red roses on the table. Very warm and inviting. The warmth and light I felt from all the beauty in that room was almost blinding. Quite overwhelming…all these beautiful ladies each lovelier than the next and each in a different colored dress. A sea of beautiful jewels. There were diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires everywhere I looked. The ladies; some young, some old, some thin, some voluptuous full figured were each and everyone of them so very beautiful. There were blondes, brunettes, redheads, frosted, highlighted, and gray…I was taken aback by the beauty in the room. It was quite heavenly. I tell you the truth--I was changed. I had a new and renewed outlook on beauty and I was feeling soooooo beautiful! I could hardly stand myself. I had seen it with my own eyes. I was bubbling over with God's beauty. So in love with Him. So thankful for my beautiful life. My beautiful family. My beautiful friends. I felt like the luckiest person on earth. That evening I shared was such a beautiful gift and I can't thank you enough for reminding me of the best present I have ever received--the gift of grace--and since that day, I have not been the same; forever, I have been beautifully changed.
--Deb, 50
Kara, 22
“When I arrived at the Holiday Inn the first thing I saw were a few young girls in the lobby in very formal ball “Cinderella” like gowns…I thought, Ah Geeze I’m gonna stand out like a sore thumb. Maybe I should just go home. Just then, I heard a little voice whisper ‘Just go in, you’re beautiful too... As I entered the ballroom I was blown away with how beautiful everything was. As I entered the ballroom I was blown away with how beautiful everything was. The room was a nice size with mirrors and white twinkle lights all around…I love twinkle lights…they are magical. There were about 10 or 15 tables draped in white cloths and red roses on the table. Very warm and inviting. The warmth and light I felt from all the beauty in that room was almost blinding. Quite overwhelming…all these beautiful ladies each lovelier than the next and each in a different colored dress. A sea of beautiful jewels. There were diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires everywhere I looked. The ladies; some young, some old, some thin, some voluptuous full figured were each and everyone of them so very beautiful. There were blondes, brunettes, redheads, frosted, highlighted, and gray…I was taken aback by the beauty in the room. It was quite heavenly. I tell you the truth--I was changed. I had a new and renewed outlook on beauty and I was feeling soooooo beautiful! I could hardly stand myself. I had seen it with my own eyes. I was bubbling over with God's beauty. So in love with Him. So thankful for my beautiful life. My beautiful family. My beautiful friends. I felt like the luckiest person on earth. That evening I shared was such a beautiful gift and I can't thank you enough for reminding me of the best present I have ever received--the gift of grace--and since that day, I have not been the same; forever, I have been beautifully changed.
--Deb, 50
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