Pumped!!!

This past weekend, I got pumped. Really really pumped. About what? Well, the fact that I am going to the European Leadership Forum and am serving with one of the most incredible volunteer teams, working to support something I think is so important.

To be honest, I had not been looking forward to the weekend very much. I was nervous how everything was going to go at the Volunteer Training since I had been responsible for putting it all together. We had a really tough start to the day, but once we go there, boy, it just took off and I had to hold on. The time went by so incredibly quickly.

I met wonderful wonderful people, whose applications and personality tests, etc. I have been processing for the past 5 months and I finally got to meet them. What a wonderful group of people who are coming. I can't wait to meet the other half who are going to be coming from Scottsdale.

There was so much laughter and such a sense of community and joint purpose within just seconds of being together. Ever since college, I have been missing that sense of community and it was just refreshing to be on a team together.

My boss cast the vision of the Forum on Saturday morning, which was followed by an amazing introduction to what our role is going to be at the Forum: serving, loving, working with excellence, and being flexible. I was deeply touched by Pastor Eric's words as he described how Christ's disciples were floored every day as they walked with Jesus and he performed one miracle after the other. The Forum is such an incredibly big thing with so many people and so many tasks and we are going to have the privilege of seeing God show up and work.

I loved getting to talk and connect and with so many different personalities - each person bringing a different set of strengths to the table.

It is my heart to see Europe change. It needs to change desperately as it continues to become more and more secularized. I don't just read statistics about people who are spiritually isolated, but I think about people in my life for whom I wish there was more spiritual nourishment. I long for my childhood friends to have godly mentors pouring into their lives. The resources simply aren't there. That is why I am so excited and supportive of this ministry. Let's empower the leaders that do exist. Let's help them network together and give them resources.

It is my dream, that one day not only my friends and some of my family members will have godly people pouring into their lives, but millions of other Europeans as well.

Five more weeks until Hungary.... :0)