On Sunday night, June 26, we celebrated the end of our first year of the Elizabeth Project. Our mentors and mentees from last year were acknowledged and testimonies were given about the impact of the project in their lives. It was exciting to hear women speak about sharing their lives together and how beneficial the mentoring relationship was to them personally. There was laughter, tears, and a lot of hugs!
Following our celebration, we launched the 2011-2012 Elizabeth Project mentor/mentee pairs. 
We first announced the mentors and mentees who were part of the project last year and continuing this next year. Then, we announced our new pairs. This is always an exciting time as the pairs are kept secret until this night. Women anxiously waited to hear their names called. The mentors name was read first and she then waited at the front of the room until her mentees name was announced. Hugs were given, pictures taken, and their first meeting together was arranged. And so began their journey together as an Elizabeth Project mentoring pair.
We ended the meeting praying together as pairs and then participated in a sand ceremony. Each pair poured sand into a small silver cup. Combining the red and gold colored sand is a picture of combining two different lives together. These cups were then poured into a larger jar. This symbolizes that each pair is part of the larger Elizabeth Project. Pastor Barry ended our evening with a prayer of blessing for the coming year.
This June, the women at Silverdale Baptist Church will begin their second year of intentional mentoring through the Elizabeth Project. This is an exciting time as new pairs of mentors and mentees have just been matched by the Elizabeth Project committee.
