Turning It Over

As the end of September drew near and the long awaited Pheasant hunt was upon us, I was having some serious doubts on if we would be able to pull it off this year.  Life seemed to be running wide open and I was feeling run down and out of energy. 

Thoughts of canceling the hunt were top of mind and I voiced this to my sister, Brenda. I explained the situation and that I felt as though I, personally, was not prepared with a Faith based lesson for the women to focus on. I also had heard from some of the other ladies on how overwhelmed and overworked they were feeling. “Maybe it is easier to cancel” I said. 

“Of course it is easier to cancel and that is EXACTLY what satan wants you to do Karin,” were the wise words from my sister. “This hunt is designed to gather women together, enjoy nature and to recharge so they can be the moms, teachers, and executives they are every other week of the year. YOU don’t have to have a faith lesson nor do you have to have it all planned, let God provide the lesson. Do not let satan win by cancelling this trip!” 

Psalm 124:8 says,  Our help is in the name of the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth. 

This one sentence is small but oh so powerful. Repeating this over and over on a daily basis as we face difficulties, doubts, hurts and hangups gives us the confidence to move forward in truth. 

My sister was right of course and we pushed on to have the hunt…and it was the best hunt we have had yet. One woman was especially touched by the experience and chose to share her story here. 

I’m not sure where to begin. This past weekend I can’t count the times I said “this is just what I needed” along with hearing that exact same thing from every woman there!  Leading up to the weekend, I can’t tell you how many times I said “I think I’m going to cancel on going to the Faith & Pheasant Hunt this year, there is just too much happening.” I am beyond thankful the Lord did not allow me to back out.  When I say I’m getting together with like minded women, I truly mean it.  We all had the same thoughts and feelings, the same hustle of life going on and everyone of us waited until the night before to pack, thinking “I know I’m the only one waiting until the last minute.” Satan was trying to keep us from what God knew we needed!!

For the past several months I have had one thing after another going on. I’ve been down for weeks from having my wisdom teeth cut out and still dealing with a swollen jaw, intense pain and inability to chew anything. My grandmother got extremely sick and I spent as much time with her as I could. I was also helping out the rest of my family who got sick. Grandma passed away last Tuesday which made it very difficult for me to leave to go on the hunt, but the last thing she told me was, to take care of myself. I thought, “how am I ever going to pull myself together for this trip? These women are going to think I am a basket case”, in which they wouldn’t be wrong. I prayed, “God if it is your will that I go on the Women’s trip please help me to get through it. I need you”. And He did just that. He got me there safely, He reassured me through all the women there that I was where I needed to be and He blessed me throughout the weekend. He showed all of us that we do not always need a planned out agenda and that it is okay to rest and relax. In fact He encourages it. I was in no way put together before or during the weekend, however I left more put together than I have in a very long time. Don’t let Satan rule you, don’t let him stand in the way of what God is telling you that you need. 

-Karrie 

I love how raw Karrie’s story is.  We all have stuff going on in our lives and taking time for ourselves can be very hard to do. I am so proud of all the ladies that stepped out of their comfort zone, not only to try something different and new to them but also to meet new people and conquer the fear of the unknown.