To honour this year?s Women?s Day celebration, Miracle Temple brought Bermudian Veronica Robinson home as guest speaker during the morning and evening services last week.

Mrs. Robinson, and her husband, Colin, are the first family at Miracle Temple?s sister church, Reaching the Lost ? Church of God, in North Carolina, where they have been ministering for the last eight years.

The couple left Bermuda 22 years ago when they left to attend East Coast Bible College in Charlotte, North Carolina.

?Then my husband got a position and we stayed there and I went to school as well,? Mrs. Robinson said. ?From there, we went from one church to another.?

Reaching the Lost, which is affiliated with the New Testament Church of God in Bermuda, reaches out to its community through a variety of ministries, including youth, women and prayer.

The connection for Mrs. Robinson to return for the services at Miracle Temple stemmed from a long-term friendship between she and her husband and Pastor Minors.

?Pastor Minors called and asked me if I would come and do his women?s ministry service,? Mrs. Robinson explained.

?He?s been to our church, he?s spoken for us, and we?ve been friends for years.?

A central topic for Mrs. Robinson, particularly during the morning service, was forgiveness.

?We?re talking about how true forgiveness is embedded in love,? Mrs. Robinson said. ?In order to forgive, then you must have the love of God. And if you really have the love of God, then somewhere deep down you?ll find it in your heart to forgive people, regardless of what they do to hurt you. As long as your living you can be hurt by someone, but once you take it to God, and the love is there, then you?ll find it in your heart to forgive.?

While Mrs. Robinson?s address was mainly focused on women, the lesson was for everyone.

?Forgiveness is hard for everyone, regardless, women, men. I think it?s something you have to work out. I don?t think it?s something all the time that we just want to do. But in order to be free, then you have to forgive. It?s not necessarily make the other person right, but it makes you free. And so if to be free to serve God and effective in ministry, you have to forgive.?

?As Christians, God tells us that we must forgive. If you love one another, to forgive. And so in order to be effective, you have to forgive. Not that it?s easy ? To me, if you don?t forgive, it?s like a sickness, almost like a cancer that grows, so it hinders you from growing. It hinders you from accomplishing things, but if you can learn to forgive some things, not that you change people, but its mainly changing yourself. I think another thing that stops us from forgiving is pride, like, ?You shouldn?t have done that to me. I don?t deserve it.? But if you can just say, ?Okay, this is what something really is, and while it does hurt me, I do need to get over it.? So I guess it?s our self that we need to let go. And like I said, it doesn?t make the other person right, it just sets us free.?

To follow her message on forgiveness, Mrs. Robinson shared on the topic of issues during the evening service.

?We all have issues. It kind of goes along [with forgiveness. We must learn to get along with one another and accept in people for who they are, and even situations for what they are. You can?t change people, but again, you can change yourself.

?One of the quotes I like is by Maya Angelou, which says that: ?If you don?t like it, change it. If you can?t change it, change your attitude, but don?t complain.? And that?s what we do. If you can?t change it, change your attitude toward it and go on.?

Ultimately, she has one prayer for all women: ?That we will come together, accept our differences and work together, regardless of who you are. Accept people for who they are and what they are, and just come together and work.?