“Lord, only You could do this! I will never forget what you have done here.”

The dream God placed in our hearts years ago actually happened…we just lived it out…Pure Joy in Sulphur Springs, Texas! My hometown ♥

2 hours after it was “over,” it wasn’t over: I watched in awe as ladies continued to come to the altar to pray with the prayer team. Throughout the night we witnessed unity, laughter, encouragement, truth, deliverance, life change: women set free from chains of addictions and deceptions and most importantly…salvations!

During the aftermath, I stood on the stage with Pastor Jeff Tiemeyer and his precious daughter Katie (who did a beautiful job serving on the praise team, and she’s only 14!) and we soaked in our surroundings. It was as if no one wanted to leave. The Lord’s love completely infiltrated The Way Bible Church. Every one of our expectations for Pure Joy Texas was not only met, but God over exceeded what we could have ever imagined or asked for!

 

I could not help but think: the Lord has so much for each one of us. We really have no idea what He is capable of. If we will just trust Him, He will do amazing, powerful things way beyond our comprehension.

Pastor Jeff jokingly asked,“Back in Jr. High, would we have ever believed this is what we would be doing when we grew up?” When he asked that question, it really put things in perspective.  He and I graduated from Sulphur Springs High School in the same class, and believe me… I would have never guessed it! I’m so thankful for God’s grace and mercy!

Jeff is the Adult Ministries Pastor at the Way Bible Church, and his brother, Joel, is the Senior Pastor. Not only did I go to school with them, but also their worship pastor, Mitch Griggs, and Family Connect Pastor, Damon Wilks, too!  Their church is AMAZING and I could not be more proud of them!! They caught the vision of Pure Joy and welcomed our team from Missouri and all of the women from their community with lots of love, generosity, and support. And they provide a place after the Pure Joy event where the women can keep coming and growing and learning and healing!

Jeff’s wife, Amy, has an incredible heart for God and people. She leads the women’s ministry at The Way. Connecting with her has provided me with a lifelong friend! I love how she described what God did: “The uniting of two teams from two different states who are wild about Jesus and people!”

When I introduced Sandy Jacobson (founder of Pure Joy) to Amy, there was no doubt that it was a divine connection. God was up to something really special!

 

I’ve witnessed that God works powerfully through Pure Joy events because of the amount of prayer and fasting the teams are willing to commit to. We’ve seen God do miracles! For years it’s been a dream of ours to bring Pure Joy to Texas. Honestly there were many times when I would think,  “How is this going to work? How will we do this or that? How do we coordinate being 400 miles away?” But God orchestrated every step into fruition in His perfect timing.

 

Seeing His results brings tears of joy and thankfulness to my eyes.

 

Here is a testimonial sent to Sandy from one of the ladies who was part of Pure Joy in Texas:

 

“Thank you so much for all that you and your Squad did for me and my girls. I can’t put things into words the way I need to right now, given that I’m learning a brand new walk and talk…  I can only say that on January 23, 2019 the words of prayer spoken over me opened my mind, heart and soul.

I had been chasing, begging, pleading, to be released from trash… that (I) was holding onto and that the Lord was waiting on me to let go:  the control, the guilt, worry, and shame…to lay the chains down and not look back and to not pick them up ever again! As you and your prayer warriors claimed Life and Freedom and Healing, and the team of ladies from my church claimed a new Heart and spiritual healing for me…I was and am so thankful!  I did not understand the words that were being said at the time, but I felt the love and the Spirit…I felt like the wings of Gods angels wrapped around me!!

With this I need to tell you that your Morgan began to speak last night and it was God that I heard translating the words from Wednesday night..directly into my Soul, my Ears and Heart! Leslie on your team has also brought a huge understanding for me in my walk with the Lord as well!! There is so much More I want to share and maybe one day I can! For now this is not me saying goodbye but until next time! I love each of you ladies and I’m truly thankful for our time together and the Chains that are Broken and the Freedom of a New Beginning and the Fire that is Burning Deep Within My soul!! ♥️”

 

Praise God!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is another message sent to Pastor Mitch and the praise team:

 

“I can not thank you enough for the beautiful and anointed worship that you brought us into! God was lifted up, Jesus was magnified and the precious Holy Spirit was mighty to move among us all in such a powerful and tender way.

I know the sacrifice of time and physical effort was great, and I pray that God multiplies it back to you even greater than you can imagine! The unity and power you all are walking in to lift the name of Jesus higher brings the anointing that we all get to take part in.

I have already received phone calls, texts, personal contacts throughout today of women sharing what God has done in them from the moment they drove on The Way Bible Church’s property and through each aspect of the evening. And definitely during the worship. Thank you for loving Jesus and people! It shows! I truly love and appreciate every one of you!”

A little more about Pure Joy Women’s ministry:

 

Sandy Jacobson said “Yes!” To God’s call to begin Pure Joy Women’s Ministry. She explains, “For so long I just settled for hearing others tell of their Kingdom adventures. It was a blessed day when I realized HE had something for this cowgirl from Polk County, Missouri – just an ordinary gal with no qualifications but a burning passion to know HIM more. My life is forever changed & I want everybody to experience the same freedom & JOY in Christ! What an amazing life HE has for us all.”

 

It wasn’t long and Betsy Berry, Sandy’s sister, took the challenge of heading up the Pure Joy Branson events. The Branson events have grown to 2,500 + women in attendance! Sandy, Betsy and the Pure Joy “Army” have taken Pure Joy (always a FREE event for ladies) to many towns across Missouri and the USA and even to Brazil and Nicaragua!  “At Pure Joy we firmly believe that laughter is good medicine. We consider it a priority to make the event fun in a relaxed atmosphere! During our events you will hear stories from women in your community. You will see hilarious skits, and experience God through worship with a community of believers.”

I love what Betsy shared,

“What an amazing time we have had seeing God do HIS work through a group of gals that are as real as it gets, no celebrities, no divinity degrees, just everyday gals that LOVE God and want to serve Him with all they have.” 

www.purejoyonline.org