At a Beauty for Ashes Retreat in the Dominican Republic, Kingdom Journeys participant, Erika Michael, taught on what it means to be a daughter of God. 

Our first retreat was for the women in the mountain town of Lajas, Dominican Republic where we are living this month. We had about 20 women there. We spent the day talking about our worth.

We use an illustration with a crisp and clean dollar bill. 

I ask the women if they want it.

Of course everyone says “Yes, I want it!”

Then I crumple it up and ask if they still want it.

They all still say, “Yes!”

I throw it on the ground and step on it. Then ask if they still want it.

Less certain they all still say, “Yes.”

This time I spit on it, and ask if they still want it.

Very few of the women say “Yes, I still want it.”

I asked one of the women why she still wants it.

She said, “I can buy one bag, no TWO bags of sugar with that!”

“Even though it is wrinkled, stepped on, and spit on,” I asked?

“Yes, it still has value,” was her response.

Using this illustration, I shared with the women that the same is true for them—that their worth isn’t based on how well they cook or clean, but on the fact that they are daughters of God… and nothing they do can change that.

For many, this is the first time they have ever heard this. It’s a life-changing moment.  

After sharing everything that we had prepared one of the women raised her hand and said “I don’t think everyone understands what you are saying. Can you please explain more? Otherwise there is no point in us being here today.”

In that moment I prayed, “God, I have nothing left to say, give me words.”

Words came in the simplicity of the Gospel, what exactly it was that God did for us. The cost of His Son upon the cross. That His Son dying on the cross meant we can have a relationship with the Father. That when we choose the Father, He chooses to call us His children.

At every retreat we give a journal to each of the women. On the front page of each journal we write a verse about who God says we are. We had the women stand up and get in a circle with their journal. We had them each open to the first page of their journal, and declare the statement out loud, boldly.

So we went around the circle each women making their declaration:

I am forgiven. 1 Peter 2:24

I am free. Galatians 5:1

I am washed clean. Isaiah 1:18

I am adopted into God’s family. Romans 8:15

I am a co-heir with Christ. Romans 8:17

It was almost my turn. I didn’t have a journal with a Spanish verse in it but I wanted to be able to make my declaration in Spanish with them. I was trying to remember what some of the words were in Spanish. It was my turn. “Yo soy nueve!” I boldly declared, only to see a few smiles on the women’s faces and have Vicky correct me, nueva.

Instead of declaring that I was new, I had declared that I was nine.

Thankfully my value isn’t in how well I speak Spanish. Thankfully the women just love that I try to speak Spanish.

Is God calling you to share God’s hope and healing with women across the world? Click HERE for more about men’s and women’s Kingdom Journey trips and HERE for short term Beauty for Ashes trips — including our latest to Colombia!

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