I recently joined a water aerobics class at my local gym.
It’s honestly one of those situations that fit under the category of “my worst nightmare”. I wasn’t sure what to expect, I didn’t know anyone, and I wondered if I would be able to keep up or know the right moves.
Long story short, I did just fine. There were kind greetings and smiles and plenty of people to watch when I wasn’t totally sure what to do.
As cross-cultural workers, we are accustomed to these “I’m the new person” situations. And we also know the power of a welcoming smile and a little help when we aren’t sure what to do.
Maybe you’ve been around here at Velvet Ashes for a while, but there are corners you haven’t explored yet. Or you have been hanging out around the edges and need a wave and encouragement to hop in!
If you read the weekly blog posts, listen to the podcast or audio blogs, or follow us on social media, that’s all wonderful and we are so glad you are here! If you would like to connect in other ways, here are a few of the options available to you.
Connection Groups
We have two eight-week sessions each year of our online small groups, providing a way to get to know a small group of women and encourage each other in this cross-cultural life. Groups meet via a weekly Zoom call, in a private Facebook group (via comments and responding to one another on posts), and in WhatsApp groups. Our next session will be starting in September, and if you would like to learn more, head to our Connection Group page and sign up to be notified about all the group happenings!
Membership Connection
Our membership community is a sweet place to be. We totally understand that you might be in a season where you need to just check out the monthly resources or listen to the spiritual formation prompts that Danielle creates each month and that’s all you have space for. But if you want to go deeper with your membership experience, there are some fun ways to connect! This year we started something new by gathering on Zoom once a month for our Community Chat. It is an opportunity to see one another’s faces and hear each other’s stories related to our theme that month. Sometimes we have special guests who start us off thinking about the topic and other times we just follow the conversation wherever it leads.
On the membership Spiritual Formation page, you can add your thoughts and the ways that God is working or encouraging you in the comments. This is a sweet place to commune together and learn from one another as we listen to God’s word.
Our Book Club reads a different book each month and then we hop on a Zoom call to chat about it. Even if you haven’t read the book, you are with others who love reading so we can always find something to talk about! This is my favorite little corner of the membership site.
If you haven’t checked out the options for membership, you can do that here.
Are you looking for deeper ways to connect with other women who get this cross-cultural life? What are some of your favorite spaces in the Velvet Ashes community? What do you want to know more about?
