Get-together in New York
by Colette Varanouskas

Once again, it was a privilege to co-host the Annual Hudson Valley Conference. Our out-of-town guests began arriving Friday afternoon and on into the early evening. The weekend was spent at Joe and Sherryl Laffin’s house and we were all grateful for the warm, cozy atmosphere afforded to us O. Friday evening we had a leisurely supper and quiet fellowship. It was relatively early to bed and early to rise.

Saturday morning found us in a situation requiring some discussion and application of right discipline. We were privileged to be part of a family’s efforts to develop and maintain proper attitudes and Christ-centeredness in their children. The adults then moved on to read and discuss Page Prewitt’s Alphabet Soup booklet, as the children went off together to their activities. Saturday turned into such a lovely day that lunch evolved into a picnic outside, followed by naps and walks and chats (catching up!). Good, clean fun! The children went to "Fun Central" where they spent the afternoon playing miniature golf and other games.

After dinner, we broke out the songbooks for a marathon of music. Tony Mansoor then gave us his testimony. It’s always exciting to hear how God has won the victory in a person’s life…we’ll let Tony tell you himself sometime! And for those who don’t know, Tony, being a Back Yard Burger manager/owner, very naturally slid into telling us about some of the adventures, the characters, and God’s workings in the "store." Of course, he had help from his cohorts–Ginny, Janie, Sanda, and 1[Cari…they made a very entertaining lot!

Sunday morning we did–guess what?–more singing! The children put together a presentation for the adults–a large map of the route that Zerubbabel traveled, and they took turns reading about him from selected scripture verses. Later, the adults heard from one person how she had been seeing herself in her home situation, and her need to identify and press through difficult feelings to see Christ’s life in her lived out to the fullest there. It was very encouraging to see how God was at work in her for some time, forming the desire to live, not unto herself, but poured out for the purpose of bringing her family to Christ.

We also read Norman Grubb’s The Key to Everything, then broke for a late lunch and the end of our conference. After airport runs, those still staying on, relaxed in the evening with pizza at "Gino’s" and a movie.

This year’s conference seemed to focus on family relationships and how right discipline toward our children enables them to grow into healthy, unselfish adults. It also seemed to be a time when those fairly new folks could rub elbows with other people whose life’s breath is living the truth of this message–Christ in us , as us. We saw God plainly at work in several areas. We’re sure too that God was/is at work in areas that we could not see with our eyes. Because we know His nature, we have the assurance that His time was well spent and He was at work in each person’s heart–to will and to do of His good pleasure.