New Year's Day & Passion 2013
So, as I was hanging out at my cousin's house in Atlanta, GA, we ended up having a New Year's Eve Holy Ghost party. It was great--along with glory food fondue, praise and soaking and good conversation. A friend of my cousin's ended up inviting me to volunteer at the Passion 2013 conference the next day. I was surprised and didn't consider that they would take me in since I didn't go through the application process but I was encouraged to go ahead and show up since they were short of volunteers.
The next day (New Year's Day) I ended up at the conference in the huge Georgia World Conference Center. I attended the general meeting in the morning and Shelly Giglio shared a little bit with us. Since all the volunteers were called "Door Holders," she explained the meaning behind the phrase from the verse from Psalm 84:10, "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked." This was amusing to me in two ways because, one, it is something I heard over and over again the past three months in the prayer room at International House of Prayer and two, I thought it was a great symbolic start of what this New Year would start out as... this day (New Year's day) I would open the doors for the next generation in to experience the presence of God and usher them into the house of our Lord. Wow.
After the meeting I needed to register as a volunteer and after finding the same friend (from the New Year's party) and submitting my application through her iphone I was in!
I had no idea how huge Passion had grown to be. Last year's attendance was recorded somewhere in the 40,000s and this year it is said somewhere in the 60,000 youth & college students. Amazing! I had no idea who the speakers were or the music line-up but was pleasantly surprised to find that not only Louie Giglio and Chris Tomlin were there but also John Piper, Francis Chan, Jesus Culture, Kristian Stanfill and many others were in the queue to fire up these young adults for Jesus! Sounds great! Many streams flow as one river. It is starting.
I didn't enter into the Georgia dome much but stayed mostly in the building I was volunteering at, Bldg. C. I was assigned to the group, "Touch," who mostly was in place for information, traffic control and a friendly smile to the tens of thousands of students that would rush in and out of the Bldg. before and after main sessions. Out of the four days of volunteering I met a young girl whom I known from the past. When I was living with one of my sisters in Houston, we took care of two young girls for a couple months. Their mother needed to go back to Korea and renew her U.S. visa in order to come back to the states. That was over four years ago. This young girl, who is now a junior in high school, was at the Passion conference and we were able to meet there! So funny how God will reconnect you with people in the strangest places! :)
I also met a very nice young lady from Kansas City. She had asked me to take a picture of her next to the "End it" movement sign. It was featuring Ghana, on one of the descriptions and she explained that her parents were originally from Ghana and she wanted a photo of her and the country name next to it. We chatted for a little while and I just felt the love of God on her. I hugged her at least a couple times.
I also met another woman from Kansas City from my "Touch" team. She comes every year, spending money on airfare, hotel and other expenses to volunteer for Passion. She loves it out here in Atlanta and hopes to move here one day. I was very encouraged that many people come out and actually pay money to volunteer for free for this event, but I must say it is a worthy cause. To see 60,000 students getting fired up for Christ, hearing God's word and the reality of what it is to rise up and be a light for Christ is amazing. Again, it reminded me of the IHOPpers in their intercessory missionary lifestyles. God is raising up radical and sacrificial believers to make movements in modern day times as well as move in history. Please Lord, more!
I really believe that the universal church is learning to become more united and sacrificial for the sake of Christ. When it can come to that in full fruition, then the world is going to witness the church body as a powerful statement of truth and love and a bride of Christ that will be ready for his return. This though has not excited me more than it has me now. Each step of my journey, God reveals a bit more of his plan and what is happening NOW for what's to come and it is marvelous.
The next day (New Year's Day) I ended up at the conference in the huge Georgia World Conference Center. I attended the general meeting in the morning and Shelly Giglio shared a little bit with us. Since all the volunteers were called "Door Holders," she explained the meaning behind the phrase from the verse from Psalm 84:10, "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked." This was amusing to me in two ways because, one, it is something I heard over and over again the past three months in the prayer room at International House of Prayer and two, I thought it was a great symbolic start of what this New Year would start out as... this day (New Year's day) I would open the doors for the next generation in to experience the presence of God and usher them into the house of our Lord. Wow.
After the meeting I needed to register as a volunteer and after finding the same friend (from the New Year's party) and submitting my application through her iphone I was in!
I had no idea how huge Passion had grown to be. Last year's attendance was recorded somewhere in the 40,000s and this year it is said somewhere in the 60,000 youth & college students. Amazing! I had no idea who the speakers were or the music line-up but was pleasantly surprised to find that not only Louie Giglio and Chris Tomlin were there but also John Piper, Francis Chan, Jesus Culture, Kristian Stanfill and many others were in the queue to fire up these young adults for Jesus! Sounds great! Many streams flow as one river. It is starting.
I didn't enter into the Georgia dome much but stayed mostly in the building I was volunteering at, Bldg. C. I was assigned to the group, "Touch," who mostly was in place for information, traffic control and a friendly smile to the tens of thousands of students that would rush in and out of the Bldg. before and after main sessions. Out of the four days of volunteering I met a young girl whom I known from the past. When I was living with one of my sisters in Houston, we took care of two young girls for a couple months. Their mother needed to go back to Korea and renew her U.S. visa in order to come back to the states. That was over four years ago. This young girl, who is now a junior in high school, was at the Passion conference and we were able to meet there! So funny how God will reconnect you with people in the strangest places! :)
I also met a very nice young lady from Kansas City. She had asked me to take a picture of her next to the "End it" movement sign. It was featuring Ghana, on one of the descriptions and she explained that her parents were originally from Ghana and she wanted a photo of her and the country name next to it. We chatted for a little while and I just felt the love of God on her. I hugged her at least a couple times.
I also met another woman from Kansas City from my "Touch" team. She comes every year, spending money on airfare, hotel and other expenses to volunteer for Passion. She loves it out here in Atlanta and hopes to move here one day. I was very encouraged that many people come out and actually pay money to volunteer for free for this event, but I must say it is a worthy cause. To see 60,000 students getting fired up for Christ, hearing God's word and the reality of what it is to rise up and be a light for Christ is amazing. Again, it reminded me of the IHOPpers in their intercessory missionary lifestyles. God is raising up radical and sacrificial believers to make movements in modern day times as well as move in history. Please Lord, more!
I really believe that the universal church is learning to become more united and sacrificial for the sake of Christ. When it can come to that in full fruition, then the world is going to witness the church body as a powerful statement of truth and love and a bride of Christ that will be ready for his return. This though has not excited me more than it has me now. Each step of my journey, God reveals a bit more of his plan and what is happening NOW for what's to come and it is marvelous.
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