by Jael Brattrud
Last Saturday my mom and I got to go to the “Anchored in Love” annual conference where we got to meet a lot of cool people including pro surfer and shark attack survivor Bethany Hamilton.
It was amazing to see Bethany in person, but it was even cooler to see my mom (Jeannie Brattrud) sharing the love of God to hundreds of girls around my age. It was a moment I’ll never forget—thousands of eyes glistening, ears listening to the message she put together. You could see their hearts filled and their spirits fulfilled as they walked throughout their day.
The conference speakers were impactful, and when we worshipped, God moved. It was powerful to see all types of people come together when we worshiped. Some people were tall, some were missing limbs (like Bethany), but…when we worshipped God, none of that mattered. We were all beautiful. Even though we were different, we all had something in common. That thing was that we all loved Jesus.
It was inspiring to hear tons of different stories of how God moved in people’s lives. Our theme was the God made us all “radiant.” The definition of “radiant” is giving off light or shining bright. God has placed a light in all of us to shine through the darkness of this world. We also learned about sunflowers and how they follow the sun as it moves from east to west. We learned that we should be “sunflowers” and follow the light wherever we go.
I’m excited to attend next year and excited to be the light where ever I go.
Jael Brattrud is the 11-year-old daughter of Drew and Jeannie Brattrud, who pastor Riverside Christian Assembly in Riverside, California.
