For Hazel Lim, the journey to bringing Sr Miriam Heidland SOLT to Sydney began with a single YouTube video.
“I actually came across a video of her being interviewed by Matt Fradd on healing. It was an hour-long YouTube video—but I was crying the whole time,” Hazel recalls.
“She shared her testimony and how Jesus is the source of healing, she spoke in a way that was soft and feminine that really struck my heart.”
Hazel, Mission Manager for the Life Marriage and Family team within the Sydney Centre for Evangelisation (SCE), soon became a devoted follower of Sr Miriam’s “Abiding Together” podcast, drawn by her ability to “articulate the identities of a woman in the lens of Christ and his love for us.”
She explains the impact of Sr Miriam’s gifts: “It’s as if she sees me as a woman and all the joys and challenges this come with, because she speaks through a woman’s heart.
“But also, it’s her overflowing love for Jesus.
“She’s in love with Jesus. When she speaks about Jesus – her love for him and the abundant love that she receives from him, she shares this so genuinely and authentically, it’s contagious.”
The connection deepened when Hazel attended The Good News Conference in the United States, with the support of SCE Director, Daniel Ang, where she met Sr Miriam in person.
“It was just such a blessed moment to be able to hear her in person.
“She was like a rock star at the conference, everyone was crowding around her. Everyone wants to talk to her and meet her and but when I was able to see her, she was really warm.
“She gave me a big hug because I had emailed her previously to say, I’m going to try and meet you and she was so welcoming saying, ‘My goodness! You came all the way from Sydney, Australia, to Minneapolis to just see me!’ She was just so humble,” Hazel recalls.
‘I also had the opportunity to speak to her and invite her to Sydney with the blessing of our archbishop,” Hazel shares.
“I came prepared at the conference with a letter of invitation from Archbishop Fisher, a packet of Tim Tams, a book, and I handed it to her, and I said, ‘Please, we would love for you to come to Sydney, to minister to our religious but also to minister to our women and the people of Sydney, the faithful people of Sydney.’”
Hazel’s anticipation was rewarded when Sr Miriam accepted the invitation. “You don’t understand the excitement I got, when I received an email to accept the invitation,” she said.
A joyful Hazel believes Sr Miriam’s presence at the Anointed Women’s Conference will be transformative for all who attend.
“They’re going to experience a day of really being seen, known and loved by Christ, and be reminded of their identity as a woman in Christ.
“This is an opportunity for them to stop and pause and just see themselves the way God sees them.
“The moment that we give ourselves permission to stop and listen to God’s voice and allow him to embrace and love us—that’s when healing happens.”
Reflecting on Sr Miriam’s unique gifts, Hazel says, “There’s something about Sr Miriam in her delivery and in her content, where she knows what women go through, and she clearly articulates the identities of a woman in the lens of Christ and his love for us.”
As Sydney prepares to welcome Sr Miriam as keynote speaker at the Anointed Women’s Conference on 27 September at Randwick Racecourse, Hazel’s hope is clear: “It’s not about Sr Miriam, it’s about her bringing Jesus to us and using her gifts to be able to do that in such a feminine way that touches feminine hearts.”
Register to hear Sr Miriam in person at the Women’s Conference on 27 September at Royal Randwick Racecourse.
