It's been a couple of weeks since Urbana and I just want to share with you a few stories and lessons learned...
Story 1: Alec Hill (national president of IVCF/USA) has a pretty awesome wife that likes to give fist bumps to those who pick her up at the airport. (PS. also was able to give a lift to the previous Urbana Director, David Howard on the same trip)
Story 2: Shane Claiborne, although a good speaker, likes to jaywalk across the street...but to his defense he wasn't aware that he was supposed to stay on the sidewalk (it was a turn around type area)...although I would think that about 20 people suited in bright yellow vests and carrying walky talkies lining the sidewalks would be a clue....but it wasn't to a lot of people so...much love to Shane, much love. :)
Trevor, Melody, and Karla...taking a short Urbana breather.
Lesson learned 1: God really taught me what sacrificial serving really means through my job at Urbana. Because I worked from 7am-3ishpm I missed a lot of the things most people go for...morning Bible studies, community time, morning plenaries, and seminars. However, I am not complaining about missing these things. Yes I was looking forward to them, but God taught me so much more as I learned to put others above myself, and learn what it takes to do everything I can so that they are enabled to have as much as a transformative encounter with God at Urbana 2009, as I did at Urbana 2006...and I was happy to do it.
Story 3: when in a clumped line of mass people waiting to go into the Dome, it is inevitable that songs sung in KiSwahili and spanish will break out, resulting in a domino effect of off-beat and different keys of the same song (sometimes with...altered words :p)
**If you listen hard in the video you can hear the singing...it seemed much louder in person**
Story 4: Our wimpy puny cameras can not reach the stage!
Lesson 2: A speaker, Sunder, challenged our lack of creativity and smallness when we pray. He really moved me to thinking bigger and expecting bigger when I pray, going beyond the initial issue and getting to the bigger issue causing the smaller one. One story he shared of a friend who was jailed overseas for sharing the gospel. He was isolated from everyone else, and Sunder prayed that God would give this man creative thinking of ways he could preach and others listen. A few weeks later he learned that his friend discovered in the small cell, a vent at the bottom of the wall, and if he laid on the floor just right he was able to preach through the vent allowing the entire jail to hear the gospel! Awesome!
Story 5: Tech difficulties happen even at national, professionally run conferences.
Story 6: where there is a room full of artists of all kinds, there is a party happening (namingly in the artist's lounge)
**Me and Mikaela (Pitt student) in the Art Lounge**
Lesson 3: Shane Claiborne, although a jay walker ;p, shared of how often times we will pray for something or a situation, and then feel accomplished that we did our part. Where in reality, we are often times the answer to our own prayers! prayer is needed and can be all we can do a t times, but when we pray we need to look at what we are praying about and ask ourselves, how may God be leading me to be the solution to this prayer.
Story 7: over 300 people came to Christ at Urbana!
Story 8: Greg Jao is the best emcee in the world...complete with his santa hat and quick wit.
Story 9: When you go to a missions conference...don't expect it to go on forever! If it doesn't end then it's a failure. You're there to learn how to go out and bring people into the kingdom...not to be constantly learning about it surrounded by Christians.
And those are just a few things I've encountered. Our 8 students who went have learned even more than this, to which I hope I will be able to share them with you soon.
***Yes this is Greg Jao telling us to leave Urbana***
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