Missions Conference Recap

Hey ya'll! (That "ya'll was in honor of my southern roomie, Karis. Lol!) So I've been a bad little blogger; here I tell you about this wonderful missions conference was about to take place & I never actually filled you in on the week. I am very sorry. Haha! I know it was a while ago now, but it was such an amazing week I have to fill you in on the details.

Missions conference officially kicked off on Monday, but really didn't start until Tuesday morning; I started out the day by going to a workshop taught by a young missionary wife from Central Asia whose name is Lucia. She taught a workshop called "The Adventures of a Young Missionary Wife." Very fitting, don't you think? =) She & her husband are ministering to Muslim people in a restricted access country, which is why I can't get too specific in the details for safety reasons. It was incredible to hear some of the crazy situations she & her husband had been in & just to see how the Lord brought them through everything. One of the stories that really stuck out was about the day after they were married. She & her new husband were traveling by train to another city & he was taken in for questioning by the KGB. I wish you could have heard her tell about all of the ways that God worked on their behalf to secure a safe release. Anyways, that workshop was very challenging & encouraging.

After the first workshop, we had several sessions throughout the day, two of which were by an evangelist based in Peru, South America whose name was Tim Chapman. After taking a short-term missions trip to Peru, it was really neat to hear from him & just see how the Lord is working in that country & opening up doors to share the gospel. He is hoping to start a year-round camp in Peru sometime in the near future & it was very cool to see his vision & heart in that! In honor of Mr. Chapman, the dining hall served a Peruvian dish called "Lomo Saltado." After having the real thing at the home of the missionaries we stayed with, I was a little let down by the Northland version. Lol!

Wednesday was amazing as well! I went to a workshop by Tom, Lucia's husband. It was entitled "Sucker Punch 'Em with the Love of God and Spam their Nation." Creative title, no? Haha! This workshop gave very practical advice in sharing the gospel with Muslims. Since I will be tutoring Muslim women this summer, I tried to attend as many sessions as I could that were applicable to that. We had a session later that day by Scott Dean, who is a missionary to Mongolia. It was so wonderful & encouraging to see all of the work that the Lord is doing in that part of the world! Again, in honor of Mr. Dean, we had Mongolian food that night, which was delicious! Then after the evening service, we had our annual "Northland International Grill." They prepared Mongolian, Peruvian, & Cambodian food for all of the missionaries, faculty, staff, & students to sample while we all mingled together. It was a great time of fellowship! Plus, the food was sooooo good! I had to go running afterwards. Lol! Although, once again, the Peruvian empanadas just weren't the same...but what can ya do? Hahaha!

Thursday, I attended another session by Tom; it was again geared towards people interested in working with Muslims & it had an even more unique title than his previous workshop. It was entitled, "Chaul, Camel Hump Soup, Beshpormak, and Other Necessities." Haha! Once again, a very helpful session about reaching out to Muslims with the love of God. The general session was by the father of one of my friends here at school who is an MK to Cambodia. J.D. Crowley was a phenomenal speaker & gave a very challenging message about presenting the gospel. Then, I was able to attend the Findings of the Great Commission Summit. This meeting was the result of some very brilliant men of God who have met in various locations across the globe, from Istanbul, Turkey, to Chicago, Illinois. They met with church leaders, missionaries, nationals, & students to discuss different aspects & challenges of the mission field. This year the summit focused on the idea of "tentmaking." It was a privilege to sit in with a large group of people with such wisdom & a real heart for God & desire to see the world reached with the gospel. Later that evening, I was able to set up a meeting with Tom & Lucia to really discuss one on one the best way to reach Muslims for the Lord. Again, I felt so privileged to be able to meet with this family that was so absolutely sold out for God. They have been through so much for the sake of the gospel, & yet they have such a joy & energy about them. It was infectious! I can't wait to begin this summer's ministry.

Friday came way too soon. We had one final workshop with J.D. Crowley, which was amazing. He has such a heart for God & a gift of communication. Then that afternoon I received an email from Mr. & Mrs. Thompson, who are former missionaries to Chile, South America. They asked if I would like to join them for dinner. So that was a huge blessing to be able to talk with them about all of their experiences & adventures on the mission field. Some if which included learning how to cook a sheep's head (which they had received as a gift!) & eating fish eyes....ewww!! Lol.

All in all, it was a crazy busy, but AMAZING week! I am already looking forward to next year's conference. Sorry it took me so long to update; I'm down to my last 2 1/2 weeks of school & it is definitely crunch time! I hope that you are all doing great & that you have a refreshing weekend =) Thanks for dropping by. God bless!