Expectations exceeded at first God’s Karoo Women Conference

God’s Karoo Women Conference co-founder, Sonja Spies, has been inundated with messages and phone calls following the success of the first women’s conference which took place last weekend, November 7 – 8.

1 300 women flocked to the Willowmore Showgrounds in the south of the Karoo, to meet with the Lord at the event which was birthed when Spies and fellow coordinators saw a need for women’s gatherings comparable with the Karoo Mighty Men Conferences.

“There was such a strong anointing,” Spies shared, “that already on the Friday night, during the opening worship session, there were women coming forward and giving their lives to Christ.” She added that when they gave the ladies an opportunity to be baptised, at first only one lady and her daughter came forward. Then when they turned around there were suddenly about 50 women standing in line, ready to symbolically bury their old selves!

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The conference testimonies and photographs can be seen on the God’s Karoo Women Facebook page, where details regarding the 2016 God’s Karoo Women Conference, which will take place on November 5 to 6 2016, will be shared as well.

Blessed assurance
Testimonies and photographs have been streaming onto the events Facebook page where many have expressed a desire to do just as the organisers of the Conference did; making themselves available for Him to do His work in and through them right there in the communities where they live.

Conference attendee, Deborah J Hardman, shared a photo of a prophetic drawing she made during the Conference. Posted via social media, Hardman, explained that the vision was accompanied by a poem which was a reflection of “a celebration of new seasons.”

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Her poem is titled ‘Blessed assurance’.

Blessed assurance!
I clothed you from the time
Of your birth
I have anointed you with
Oil of Joy

My Son, I placed in a
Wooden manger
So you could look down on Him
From above

As my Son arose
As the bright Morning Star
So, will He arise in your life
Turning your tears
To tears of oil
Tears of Joy

A new anointing I give you.

Renewed dedication
Antoinette Ferreira-Saayman wrote, “God gave me a task to do during the services and this morning I took the leap of faith and started to execute it.” She also said, “While we were worshiping [Jesus] I saw in the Spirit how we were trampling the enemy under our feet. I saw the women of South Africa stand up and worship Him with a new song in their hearts.”

Fransuné Smit wrote, “Linda and Danie [speakers at the conference] so awakened God’s Spirit in me that last night I began to pray. I prayed non-stop for thirty minutes without even realising I was praying for so long. I have never been someone who prayed a lot. The ‘yesterday’ is truly gone and I am a new person who has been reborn.”

Sharlene De Boer Tait shared the following: “… this weekend I realised anew that it does not matter who we are or where we come from, in the Lord’s eyes we are perfect enough for Him, and that we, as women, have the capacity to be peacemakers and to deny ourselves and serve more. Everyone has something they can serve with, and I will certainly try to make a difference in the lives of all who know me. The change shall and will start with me.”

A young lady who prefers to remain anonymous shared with the organisers how she had always thought she was a child of God, but that the Lord used this weekend to help her realise she had never really repented. She says, “It was the greatest moment of my life on Saturday when I gave my heart, my life, my everything into the hands of the Lord. That day I cried like I have never cried before in my life. So much so that my eyes were still puffy all of Sunday!”

Photographic testimonies
In addition to the comments on God’s Karoo Women’s Facebook page, many women posted photographs showing God at work at the conference. Ilse Janse Van Rensburg shared a photo of herself being baptised and declared, “New nature in Jesus Christ!”

Annelize Baker took a photo of the rain clouds on the way to the venue, after being warned in an email that the road she would be travelling on would be dangerous. Feeling a bit apprehensive when she saw the impending rain clouds she looked up and saw what she believes to be a message from God spelled out in the clouds. “It was as if the Lord was speaking to us and saying: ‘My children, you are surrounded by storms and dark clouds, but see, I am the light for your path. The way is shining with my glory. Simply trust.’ She explained in an email in which she thanked the organisers for a wonderful conference. “We were totally amazed.”

She went on to add, “We were five in the car, and not one of us saw the message (love) in the clouds. We only noticed it on the photograph late on the Sunday afternoon.” It took me a while as well, but sure enough, when I looked closely I saw the clouds amazingly form the letters L O V E…

Physical healing
Another anonymous conference attendee, who calls her Facebook profile ‘New Life’, testified that she went to the conference suffering from emotional problems, after being on medication for five years for the treatment of depression and other psychological problems. She shared that the Lord touched her mightily and that she was officially no longer dependent on her medication.

Gerolene Clark Sterley wrote: “I awoke on the Sunday morning at 5am with a migraine. I took the medication that I had brought with, just in case, and had no idea how I was going to drive my two friends and I back to Cape Town. They went off to the tent and I slept in the car for a while. On my way to the bathroom, I met Danie Botha’s wife and we chatted for a while and as I was walking out, she came up behind me, laid hands on me and prayed. My migraine and all side effects of the medication vanished and I was clear thinking again. My friends and I arrived safely back in Cape Town on Sunday evening. Praise be to God and many thanks to His faithful child for her prayers.”

The reward of obedience
The closing service, which took place on Sunday, November 8, was open to husbands and family members, who were encouraged to attend. Spies shared that the conference team is still in awe at the overwhelming response at the initial God’s Karoo Women Conference. Planning for the 2016 conference is already underway with talks of adding an English speaker to the itinerary as well. “We are definitely already planning a Conference for next year, around the same dates. Although we will probably have to hold it somewhere bigger because our numbers are expected to far exceed this year’s!” She said. “

We have ladies who have already booked their seats for next year, and so many ladies offering to help in so many ways. We are so blessed to see how the Lord has taken what we started and grown it into much more than we could ever have imagined!”

A DVD of the 2015 event is currently in production and will be used as a marketing tool for next year’s conference. For more information about the God’s Karoo Women Conferences and the conference materials, you can email the team info@godskaroowomen.co.za or contact them at 041 365 0498 (Office hours) or 083 658 4000.

You can also visit the conference website and Facebook page to keep up to date with the latest developments.