1 . I was in the Sants Cruz Mountains not long ago, speaking and singing at a women’s conference. We were focusing on the theme of loving others in practical ways through our gifts, and something in particular happened during one of the sessions（会议）will remain imprinted in memory.
A young Syrian woman (Lilith) was invited to the conference at the last minute, and everyone seemed surprised and delighted that she’d actually come. Just a few days earlier, Lilith had fled her country and found refuge with one of the women attending the conference. As an Orthodox Christian in Syria, she and her loved ones had become attacked targets of violent terrorist groups in the country’s ongoing civil war.
Lilith had witnessed horrors no one of her young age should ever see. Despite the further danger it presented, she’d decided to leave her home and her family to find safety here in America. Knowing some of her story, and seeing her sitting through the sessions at the retreat（畏缩不前）---head, covered in a scarf, bowed toward the floor---broke my heart.
Lilith’s story touched all of us, including Pam, who was quilt maker. Pam had just finished a beautiful quilt, and had brought it with her. She, along with a few of the leaders, decided to give it to Lilith as a symbol of their comfort and love.
During our last session, Lilith was called forward and prayed over, hugged, and wrapped up in that beautiful quilt. I thought of the many hours Pam undoubtedly spent working on it, and the terrible events that led Lilith to this moment---surrounded by the beauty and love quilt embodied. I wept. When they told her it was for her, she wept.
1. What is the purpose of the women’s conference?| A．To help others in a practical way. | B．To win equal rights for women. |
| C．To get together to dance and sing. | D．To exchange gifts with each other. |
| A．To attend the women’s conference. | B．To find safety. |
| C．To find her family. | D．To find a better job. |
| A．enthusiastic | B．sympathetic |
| C．intelligent | D．talented |
| A．a place of interest | B．a place of danger |
| C．a place of conference | D．a place of shelter |
