Valerie was used to hearing it, but the words never stopped stinging. And unfortunately, the words were coming from her parents. Over and over and over again. “It was so humiliating,” she says. “And for the longest time I believed them. After all, they’re my parents. Aren’t parents right?”

Nineteen-year-old Valerie volunteers as a youth leader for the teen group in her church, and when she heard about an event called “Girls of Grace,” she knew it would not only be a life-changing experience for the girls in her group, but for herself as well.

“I’ve always loved Point of Grace,” she says, “but my family could never afford anything extra after paying bills. So whenever they came to our area, I simply heard about it on the radio.”

Because Valerie volunteers her time with the teens, the church offered to pay her way to Girls of Grace. “You can imagine how excited I was,” she says. “I had admired Point of Grace from a distance for the past few years. They emulated Christ and confidence and everything I longed for.”

When Heather, Denise, Terry and Shelly walked out on stage, Valerie cried. “This was the moment I had waited for for six years!”

Twisted Thinking
And through the Girls of Grace event, Valerie began to experience healing. “Shelly spoke on family relationships, and I began to realize that even though my parents had verbally abused me for years, God doesn’t think those things about me at all! In fact, He sees me as wonderful. I’m His precious child! My parents aren’t living for Christ; therefore, they don’t know God’s truth.”

Valerie was able to forgive her parents and is now looking to Christ for her self-confidence. And after being called worthless all her life, God is helping her develop a positive self-image.

“I learned so much from each session,” Valerie says. “When Terry spoke about friendships, I realized I had been allowing people to use me. And when Heather spoke on spiritual growth, I learned how to actually maintain my relationship with Christ and go even deeper!

“I got a tremendous amount from Denise’s session on dating and guys,” Valerie says. “It’s such a comfort to know God forgives our thoughts and our actions. I love it that He completely wipes our slate clean and gives us second chances.”

Beauty in Christ
But Valerie’s favorite part? “I’m overweight and have always been self-conscious, so the fashion and beauty segment was especially meaningful to me. I was born with a huge birthmark on my jaw line. I had it removed a while back for health reasons, but it left a big scar that will remain on my face the rest of my life,” she says.

“But seeing girls of all shapes and sizes modeling the clothes for this event made me realize I’m beautiful just the way I am. Point of Grace openly talked about their fashion mistakes over the years and how they’ve struggled with weight since having babies, but they’re still able to love themselves because they know God truly loves them. It finally clicked! I’m now starting to see myself through the eyes of my loving heavenly Father, instead of through the reflection in the mirror.

“The entire weekend was life-changing! With the Girls of Grace event, you get everything — concerts from Point of Grace, incredible seminars, a fashion show, beauty tips, makeovers, and a concert from their guest artists. The weekend I attended, the special guest was Joy Williams. Her voice just rocks!”

Sisters Speak Out
Seventeen-year-old Sarah and her 13-year-old sister, Bethany, went to a Girls of Grace event with their mom. “When Shelly spoke about family relationships, it really made me think,” Sarah says. “It’s not always easy to get along with a younger sister.”

“I have to share a bedroom with my 11-year-old sister, Alicia,” Bethany says. “And I have to admit, we fight a lot.”

“During lunch on Saturday, Mom pulled both of us aside and told us that Alicia confided in her — the night before we came to the event — and said that she thinks Bethany and I hate her,” Sarah says. “That really hurt. I had no idea she felt that way.”

Sarah and Bethany both began to realize how powerful their words are. “I don’t want to be remembered as the big sister who said mean things to her,” Sarah says.

“Me neither,” Bethany agrees. “So when Shelly asked us to write a letter to someone in our family, I wrote a note to Alicia.”

“I did, too,” Sarah says. “We both told her how special she is and how much we love her.”

“You should have seen her reaction after we gave her the letters,” Bethany remembers. “She was blown away. I still say things I shouldn’t, and we still have our ups and downs, but now I’m more aware of how powerful my words are.”

“I want to be a good influence on my sisters’ lives,” Sarah says. “Girls of Grace helped me realize how incredibly fortunate I am to have the family I have.”

Packing in the Miles
Why would a mom and daughter travel from New York all the way to Denver to attend a Girls of Grace event? “Point of Grace is one of my favorite groups,” Jessica Shook says, “and I saw the announcement about Girls of Grace on the Internet. My birthday was coming up, and I asked Mom if she’d consider giving me that as a gift. I had no idea I’d actually get to go! It was a total surprise. I had no clue where we were going until we arrived in Denver and ended up at Girls of Grace!”

Jessica had enjoyed the music of Point of Grace for a few years and now had a chance to enjoy the four women as speakers as well as singers. “I loved it when they each taught a session on different topics,” she says. “Some of my friends were making choices I didn’t agree with — decisions that just weren’t wise. The seminar on friendships helped me stand up to my friends back home. I was able to tell them what I believe and why I believe it. Now they know my standards. I also loved the praise and worship times.”

And Mandy Crosser talked her mom and three friends into driving from Marysville, Ohio, to the Girls of Grace event in Grand Rapids, Mich. “I heard Point of Grace sing at our Ohio State Fair,” Mandy says, “and I heard them mention the Girls of Grace event. The whole thing just sounded so cool! So I went to their Web site, got the information and started making plans to attend.

“I was struggling in being consistent with my devotions,” Mandy says. “I’d get busy and just forget or whatever. But Heather’s session helped ground me and gave me some creative options for setting up a daily devotional time. She also gave some great tips on ways to pray that I’d never thought of. The entire weekend was definitely something I’ll never forget! My friends and I all reaffirmed our commitments to Christ.”

Healing a Broken Heart
Rachel Adkins was confused and even a little angry. Her parents had gone through a divorce, and the court mandated that she wouldn’t be able to see her real mom as often as Rachel had hoped. “My dad and stepmom are great,” she says, “but it’s been tough going through custody battles and stuff.”

When Rachel’s friend Mandy suggested they make the five-hour drive from Ohio to Grand Rapids for the Girls of Grace event, Rachel agreed. “It sounded like fun,” she says, “and I’d always enjoyed Point of Grace’s music.”

She loved the concerts on Friday evening and Saturday, but what really spoke to her were the sessions led by Point of Grace. “Shelly’s session on family relationships really helped me accept my family dynamics. God is helping me learn to accept without totally understanding.”

Become a Girl of Grace!
Of course, you can actually be a girl of grace without attending an event, but the conference will certainly put spiritual meat on your bones! So grab some girlfriends, plan a girls night out, corral your mom or female youth leader, and head to a Girls of Grace event near you. You’ll jam with Point of Grace and their special musical guests, you’ll grow from their teaching sessions, worship through incredible praise music, receive beauty, fashion and makeup tips, be challenged by speaker Nancy Alcorn (president of Mercy Ministries), laugh and grow with Brio editor Susie Shellenberger’s message on radical obedience, and make all kinds of new friends!

“It’s definitely an incredible weekend,” Rachel says. “If at all possible, get there!”

For more information, check out www.girlsofgrace.com.