July 31, 2000

A PARADE OF FLAGS begins the first general assembly of the "Celebrating the Hispanic Woman" conference. Preceded by the Christian flag and the flag of the United States, flags from Mexico, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic were carried by women wearing traditional clothing from the various countries.

Hispanic women's conference celebrates hope
___By Matt Sanders
___Southwestern Seminary
___FORT WORTH--Motivated by the belief that fulfilling the Great Commission begins in the home, the sixth annual "Celebrating the Hispanic Woman" conference brought a message of hope and healing to mothers, wives and grandmothers who are at the core of home life in Hispanic culture.
___Nearly 600 women from all across the state attended the conference, held July 14-15 at

CONFERENCE organizer Margarita Trevino (right) welcomes nearly 600 women to what she considers a ministry that begins with women but reaches to families, churches and the entire world. This year's conference was held on the campus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth.

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth.
___"Unless we have healthy families in the church--and by healthy I mean Christ centered--we're not going to have a healthy church that can reach the world for Christ," said conference organizer Margarita Trevino. "In our culture, healthy families begin with mom."
___The conference included general assemblies for worship and fellowship; seminars on family, marriage, youth and personal development; a message from Ofilia Gomez of Primera Iglesia Bautista in Austin; and free counseling.
___The counselors were "booked solid" for the entire day-and-a-half conference, Trevino said.
___"Many women come with broken hearts under pressures from all sides and facing critical family issues," she explained, adding that many of these women are hesitant to seek professional counseling because their families are supposed to be their first support or because they feel they might be ridiculed for sharing their inner thoughts.
___Trevino, a professor at Dallas Baptist University and member of First Baptist Church of Keller, said her criterion for evaluating the conference's success is whether women were helped. According to 250 written evaluations from participants, feedback from presenters and her observations of the event, she believes the conference accomplished its purpose.
___"We don't propose that this is a cure-all, but it's a message of hope to these women," she said.
___In one of the sessions, women learned a person's relational skills in marriage

PARTICIPANTS at the conference respond during a presentation.

often can be traced to what they learned from their parents.
___"We begin to make mental notes unconsciously, decisions that we make early in life from things that we learned from our parents," said Ernie Castro, a family therapist from Wichita, Kan."
___For example, a child might make up an excuse to avoid facing an alcoholic, abusive parent, he said. The child knows the excuse is a lie but feels it is better than getting beaten.
___Because lying worked, he added, that person might continue lying in adulthood whether there is a threat or not.
___The influence of parents on a child is particularly strong, he noted, explaining a child reasons this way: "If my parents are that way, what makes me think anybody else is going to be any different?"
___When abuse occurs between parents, children often face a quandary because they don't want to be weak like the victim or abusive like the victimizer, Castro said.
___Some of the resulting attitudes in women, he noted, are anger, lack of trust of men, overcompensation in trying not to be like their fathers or mothers, and becoming very needy of a man to provide what their fathers did not.
___Ultimately, teenagers need to find their security in a relationship with Jesus Christ, said Audria Adorno, who led a session on "Finding Safety in a Confusing World."
___The world's advice on matters like relationships, drugs, sex, peer pressure and materialism is "if it feels good, do it," she noted. But Christian teenagers, she added, should follow God's advice for decision-making and ask the following questions when deciding whether or not to do something:
___ Does it bring me under its power physically, spiritually or mentally?
___ Is it helpful?
___ Does it hurt others?
___ Does it glorify God? (1 Corinthians 10:31)
___ Can I do it in God's name?
___Family life also is the solution to Texas' problem with gangs, drugs and violence, said Manual Martinez, a pastor and director of safety and security with the Irving Independent School District.
___"The disease that causes all this is what's happening at home," Martinez said. Acknowledging the roles of poor decisions made by young people and the allure of gangs and drugs, Martinez said children should be able to find in their homes guidance and discipline to make better decisions.
___Martinez suggested 10 ways families can cure the disease that begins at home:
___ Dads should act like dads. "A real dad is very important in the home, not just as a provider but also as the person who is there to love and to protect, to help."
___ Mothers should act like mothers. Mothers need to be seen as more than a cook and launderer, Martinez said. Mothers need to be a friend, but they also need to guide and correct.
___ Parents should understand what their child needs and be able to provide it.
___ Parents should stop thinking that just because a child reaches a certain age he or she is mature.
___ Parents should give children clear boundaries.
___ Parents must love their children but understand that love includes discipline.
___ Parents should provide a good environment for children "If somebody is going to contaminate your kids with evil thoughts, evil ideas, wrong things, don't take them there," he said. "You're there to protect your children."
___ Parents should understand not all children are the same.
___ Parents should take spiritual matters seriously.
___ Parents need to protect themselves and their children from harmful influences of the media.
___

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