Recently Eileen Quinn, a writer for Andrew Wommack Ministries, sat down with Carlie Terradez, the AWM conference manager, to talk about the upcoming Summer Family Bible Conference, July 4-8, in Woodland Park, Colorado.
Eileen Quinn: Themes always say a lot about the conference. What’s the theme for this year’s Summer Family Bible Conference?
Carlie Terradez: Well, the theme is “Celebrating Our Faith, Freedom, and Dependence on God.” It starts this year on the Fourth of July, so the Declaration of Dependence was on our minds.
EQ: How many years have they been doing this event?
CT: Forever? [laughs] Probably over a decade. They’ve been doing it since we [she and her husband, Ashley] came eight years ago, and it wasn’t new when we came. I don’t know…. But it’s one of Andrew’s original ones. And the thing that makes this conference unique is that it’s the only one that has children’s ministry. So, I don’t know if this is relevant, but when we were in England and we went to the conference—
EQ: Is that the Grace and Faith Conference that is held in England [in] May?
CT: Well, it is now. It wasn’t even called that then. It was significant to us. It was the first conference we ever attended, and it was the conference that Hannah [Carlie and Ashley’s daughter] was healed at.
EQ: May I ask what year that was in?
CT: That was in 2006. But we never would have made that move if children’s ministry hadn’t been a big part of that.
We had toddlers—a three-, four-, and five-year-old—and we were traveling by ourselves. When we phoned up the Helpline over there, we asked, “What kind of provision do you have for children?” We were just desperate and hurting to get some help. They said, “Oh, we have childcare. We’ll take good care of your boys.”
Just the fact that there was provision for childcare made us feel like we could make the journey. We felt like, This is possible. It was the start of something that we were going to be supported in. It was going to be a safe place to come, and we were going to be refreshed. We were going to be built up. It made us feel like we could do it. That’s why I’m a big believer in children’s ministry.
People come globally for this event [in England]. It’s the only [event] that ministers to the whole family. They minister to our kids as much as to us. And in the end, because we felt like we could make the move, Hannah was healed. It was life-changing for us. If it wasn’t for the fact that children’s ministry was offered to us, we probably wouldn’t have felt like we [could] ever do it.
[Hannah] wouldn’t be here today. It was life and death for us.
When I read this title—”[Celebrating Our] Faith, Freedom, and Dependence on God”—it brings back all those memories. It was the start of something new for us as a family. It was a memorable vacation in that sense, but we didn’t know then just how life-changing it would be.
EQ: Wow, I can tell that this kind of conference is close to your heart. Thank you, Carlie. I think that your testimony sort of says it all.
It was back in 2006 that the Terradez family vacation resulted in the amazing healing testimony of their then three-year-old daughter, Hannah. Hannah received healing from a rare autoimmune disease called eosinophilic enteropathy. This disorder caused her body to reject every type of food. A miracle for one member of a family changed every generation of their family, as well as the community where they lived.
But Hannah’s healing had even further impact on the Terradez family. As they partnered with Andrew Wommack Ministries, they heard the call to come to Charis Bible College in Colorado. Carlie and Ashley both now work at the ministry and also serve as adjunct instructors at the college. Their lives were truly changed during the vacation that saved their daughter’s life and then sent them across an ocean to be taught about how much God loved them and wanted them well.
Consider joining us at the Summer Family Bible Conference here in Colorado. For five days, you will be surrounded by more than a thousand like-minded believers. The worship will cause your hope to rise, and the teaching will strengthen you. And if you have children, they will receive the same grace-filled ministry that you do—but geared to their hearts and minds. It may just save your family’s lives!
If you would like to have a vacation that will impact your family while you celebrate your faith and dependence on God, go here to register for this year’s Summer Family Bible Conference!
