I am really in a very challenging season in my life right now in all aspects – faith, marriage, parenting, my career, and my worth. I always feel so down, alone, and anxious. I kept praying to God, to Mama Mary, and the saints to please save me, to let me be a part of a community or group with people who can understand what I am feeling because I feel that the rest of the world is invalidating me. Last August 13, 2024, I saw a Facebook post by Brother Bo about the JewelsCon 2024 and when I learned that I can attend online, I immediately signed up. When I attended online last Saturday, my tears freely flowed non-stop. I felt a sense of belongingness. I was reminded that I am worthy and that no matter what, God is always in control. Thank you for saving me from my despair. I can now start to reflect on my life and let God lead me.

I just lost my Dad last May, my Mom 2 years prior. It was hard to find ‘joy’ because I didn’t just lose my parents, but essentially I lost my sense of “home”. I lost interest in things that used to light me up and day-to-day was a struggle.  But the witnessing of all the speakers was very powerful.   They showed how joy and sorrow do go together.  So I do have hope that  “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”  (Psalm 30:5)  The night is temporary, the morning will come. 

I’ve wanted to join the Jewels Conference for several years now, but somehow there’s been conflicting concerns in the past.  This year, it’s as though everything that would conflict with my attending the event was addressed by God.  There was no work to be done, no personal commitment, no financial constraints.  Everything was seamless from the moment I decided to attend and bought my ticket.  

The event met all my expectations.  It was well-organized.  Everybody I got to interact with during the event (the people at the reception, the usherettes, the event partners representatives, and fellow attendees) were so warm and helpful.  All the speakers were amazing with their testimonies and encouragement.  The music ministry was marvelous, as always, and the surprise post-event cocktails enabled attendees to interact and get to know each other more.  

The Jewels Conference fed me in body, soul, and spirit to the brim, and the blessings I received were “siksik, liglig, at umaapaw.”   Looking forward to the next one!

My schedule was kind of busy last week, and I was also lacking sleep. The night before, I came from our site and got home late at night. While contemplating whether to go the Jewels Conference on site or just attend online because I was tired, I thought to myself, ‘Lord, I’m not going through anything difficult right now, maybe I won’t be moved by the talks.’ But then, despite being tired, I still went to SMX. I am so grateful that I showed up. That’s when I realized that one year ago, I attended because I was broken, feeling unworthy because I was going through something. 

One year later, it’s just amazing because it manifested that the Lord has already healed me without me even realizing it.  I’m no longer hurting; instead, my heart is overflowing with joy because I’ve moved on. I didn’t recognize the healing because I was still doing the same things. And that’s my story this year. Surely, I will attend in the coming years. Thank you, Jewels conference. Thank you to the servants. Thank you to the women who showed up for God. Thank you, Jesus, for everything. 

This is my first time attending the Jewels Conference, and I believe that it is the Lord who brought me to the event. I am a brain aneurysm survivor and after hearing the inspirational talks, I just felt the love of the Lord for giving me a second life. He gave me a new life to live again with my dreams and to become a better me. My tears kept falling throughout the worship for the Lord reminded me that despite all the adversities I’ve had, He is there for me and that He loves me as His own daughter. And now here I am, worshiping Him and wanting to give back all of His love to my family, my friends, and especially those in need.