This morning began with more snow. I started talking with the man who drove the hotel shuttle driver. He loves the days it snows. He'll watch out for everyone who comes out of the hotel and asks if he can carry their luggage, or sweep the snow of their cars, or start their cars for them.
"I use every opportunity to make a good impression in the folks that come through here. It's more than just a tip now, if I do good they're going to tell their friends and family to stay here. I don't know why more of us who work here don't. I don't know why they don't see the big picture. "
Morning session
Part I: Invading Light
We were given the day off so to speak. That is the participants did not have any seminars to attend but were encouraged to spend the day thinking and processing and praying over the information overload that was thrown at us over the past few days.
It was a much needed change of pace.
In the morning Mr. Yorke Moore spoke about how there is an ebb and flow of times of darkness and times when God's invading light enters our lives. When we are first brought into our relationship with God, he brings us into a love relationship with Him, then to obedience.
We were also told that only Christ can stand at the Centerpoint of History. Not any other manmade or demonically inspired belief can stand at History, only Christ.
Part II: Adventures in Global Connexions.
I was walking through Global Connexions exhibit looking for free swag as well as some information to take home to some friends who couldn't be here. As I went toward the Center of Christian Thought, I was randomly asked by one of the exhibiters, "We'ren't you on young life staff at Windy Gap a few years ago?"
As soon as he asked, it clicked. His name was Matt and I was on staff in the kitchen when he was a volunteer. Matt was still a very young Christian at that point, for less than a semester if I remember correctly and he gave up his month of his summer for no pay to help feed a campfull of hungry teenagers.
We caught up, he told me he's helping with some college ministries as well as in seminary.
It's encouraging to see the fruits of your labors.
I kept wandering through the area and came across a ministry called "Reaching Indians Ministries International" That is folks from India, not First Nation American Indians. I really at first was only interested in the swag on the table, but when I told Ms. Astrid my name, she told me, "You are a man with a powerful voice."
This floored me, as I had just met her, unless she happened to have sat around me during any of the sessions and heard me sing. I had to ask, "How did you know?"
"It's in your name. Aaron was Moses' speaker."
We got to talking and I told her about my careers in special education and youth advocacy as well as interests in music and writing, and she prayed for me. I was incredibly grateful and amazed at how God uses these seemingly random encounters to reveal himself to us. As I was about to resume my wandering she told me,
"Get ready. Life's about to become a roller coaster."
I stopped again and told her, "I used to work on one of those."
"That was the physical one. The rest of your life will be one too very soon, so get ready."
I left the exhibition area with more fire in my steps than I had before.
Part III: The Arts Lounge
I'm going to summarize what Sunder Krishnan said in the main session, or what I got out of it, and that is to yield to God's sovereignty, and let Him use His creativity in us. In looking back at the Arts Lounge these pictures speak enough.
Part V: Broken Bread
Dinner was a unique experience as we were given a simple dinner of flatbread, beans, and about 2oz of water. We were asked to pray, as most of the world only gets to eat that, many even less. It makes one appreciate how good we have it, and how grateful we should be. We did this to eat and stand in solidarity with those who are suffering and impoverished.
No one at the table uttered a single complaint
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