Staff Conference Wrap Up

Sitting here with a cup of coffee and the hum of fans in the background, I'm realizing one thing...even with the humidity, it's good to be back home to our apartment. Our time at CSU wrapped up yesterday, and Jennifer and I spent the day riding bus and plane traveling back to our apartment in Texas.

Sometimes an extended time traveling back home can be a blessing. It gives you time to sit, reflect, and ponder about all that has transpired during a trip. Yesterday was that way for me. As I sat buckled in the plane and later seat belted in the car, I thought about all the things that we had undergone at Staff Conference.

Here's some of what I learned...

The Power of Story. The theme of "story" was very prevalent in all of the talks and seminars at the conference. Whether it's God's master redemptive story or our own personal testimonies, narrative story is a powerful form of evangelism that can be used with today's postmodern students.

My Own Story. The conference took me to new depths in my walk with the Lord as it surfaced some of the hurts I've suppressed over the years in my own story. I experienced a greater appreciation for God's love and comfort as certain verses penetrated my heart during reflective times of the conference. As past wounds were opened, there was indeed many tears, but yet a healing process has begun that is incredible.

Worship. If you ever get the chance to worship with 5,000 missionaries do it. Trust me, it's incredible. You won't be disappointed.

Campus Strategy. It was wonderful to sit down and hear from our campus director how we are indeed going to reach every student at the U of Idaho with the Gospel. God is piecing together some wonderful things for the campus. We're so excited to get to full support and get on campus!!!

God Likes to Show Off. We visited Rocky Mountain National Park on one of our afternoons off, and it was incredible. Standing on the top of mountain peaks always brings of sense of God saying, "Be still and know that I am God." I love seeing God's creation...

I'm Horrible at Disc Golf. Yeah, I know it's a strange revelation, but yes it's true. The men from our campus team went disc golfing one night, and I found out how horrible at the sport I am. Whether it was climbing trees to get the disc down or trying to fish it out of the lake, let's just say that my first time disc golfing didn't go so well. I'll need to practice up before we report to campus. I hear the Washington State staff team likes to compete against the Idaho staff team...

Fellowship Importance. It was incredible to be able to reconnect with others who understand what it feels like to raise support. It was a refreshing time for both Jenn and I to be able to see so many of our staff friends.

Overall, the conference was a wonderful time. It gave us both clearer vision of where Campus Crusade is heading in the future while at the same time ministering to our hearts in deep ways. I'm excited we were able to attend. Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support to get us there!