When I close my eyes I can vividly remember the tables strung together on the outside of our Rwandan hotel patio on a July night.  I can see the snacks, and wine bottles, and laptops strung along the table, and I can hear the joy and joking, and laughter that filled the 14 of us gathered around that table.  Our whole team together, to celebrate the last night of a truly epic storytelling trip.  Our hearts and minds were full, tired, spinning over all we’d seen, heard, and learned that week.  We seemingly put all that behind us for a night to laugh, and joke, and play silly games, and just treasure that last night together.  Something happens when you travel to another country with someone, there is a deep bond that happens.

As we sat around the table, some on our laptops writing or editing, some chatting – our brave leader Jessica asked us what our dreams were.  One by one we went around the table and shared our personal or business goals and dreams.  I might have been shaking during mine, but relief came when I was done speaking and a collective cheers broke out. 

That same cheers continued as we went one by one around the table, looking at each other in the eye, putting our phones down, and genuinely celebrating the gifts and dreams God had put on each of our hearts.

Out of that dreaming session came something very important to me: the carry camp!  I nervously shared my dream and vision for this ministry and retreat with a group for the first time, and it was met with great response and a lot of “oh girl, you have got to do that!”.  There is something about speaking your dreams out loud.  Something powerful happens when we do that.

I can’t believe that this month that dream became a reality. 17 women from across the country flew into Texas for our first ever carry camp retreat.  Hearts were connected, lifelong relationships were formed as we worshiped, prayed, sweated, laughed, and ate together.  I’m over on the carry camp blog sharing a recap today. 

dreams fulfilled. dreams that were SPOKEN.

are you dreaming out loud?  do you have people in your life that you can share your deepest dreams, passions and burdens with?  are you that kind of friend to someone else?

let’s do it friends.  let’s look each other in the eye, and celebrate who God made each of us to be. 

let’s speak our dreams out loud!