Getting Ready for Encouragement Night

Tomorrow night is Encouragement Night for us ladies.
I can hardly wait!
We meet each Thursday and eat loads of cake and laugh til we cry at the stories of our lives for this past week but this week is extra special! Every now and then, we try and actively encourage each other, nurturing the gifts within us such as laughter, creativity and encouragement.
It helps us celebrate and enjoy life and our adventures, mis-haps and to affirm each other for how we see each other's gifts, skills, talents and value our friendship.
We try and be creative!
One time we did it as pass the parcel, where we each wrote out a favourite verse and had a wee gift to go with it. All the wee parcels were wrapped in between layers of paper. You pass the parcel round and when the music stops, you undo a layer! The prize for that layer is revealed, then the music starts again and the parcel continues to pass until the music stops again.
Get it?
It is a classic British childhood birthday party game!
We love it!

So, in our variation of pass the parcel, the encouragement cards and gifts and verses formed the layers of the parcel.It was a bit random and surprisingly, no-one got their own verse. The one I got was a real encouragement to me: about God binding up the broken hearted. The verse was written on a cloud in the shape of a heart and came with some funky plasters with words like OWW, or OUCH!

Other times we have picked names (out of a teapot) and prayed for that person during the week and written it down in a card for them. This encouragement was the verse about the Son shining on the righteous, complete with some rather yummy smelling body lotion called: "Righteous Butter"

This time, we are doing a bit of a game based on the childhood game of "consequences". With a twist of course!
In the original game each person has a piece of paper and writes an answer to a question, for example favourite holiday place, most embarrassing moment, boy's name etc. After each category it is folded down and then passed on to the next person. It can be done with drawing people, with each fold being parts of the body like head, neck, etc.
When every one has had their turn the paper is unfolded and shared/admired/read out etc making no snese at all for the snetences, or for the drawn figure, producing lots of laughter.
Tomorrow, we will do things like write down the funniest thing the person has done, what verse reminds each of us of them, bringing an object/gift/homemade craft for each person to encourage them.
Oh, and I almost forgot.
Party bags!
We are each having a party bag that by the end of the evening will be filled with Encouragements for each of us.
We have written a list of things to write/bring to go inside during the evening!
I can't wait.
More news to follow- of course I can't spoil the surprise, yet!
How do you encourage your friends?