If you are reading this post now and haven't had a chance to read my last post about the situation in Kenya, please take a second and read that. I'll wait...
Thanks.
Well, it's been a while since I last posted but I thought it would be good for me to update everyone on the conferences we had this past week.
International Getaway and Catalyst have a lot of things in common. They both take place in the Lake of the Ozarks. They are both student conferences. Both have students from Kansas and Missouri. Both have opportunities to for students to hear and respond to the Gospel. They even share meal times! Still, they are very different conferences and both serve great purposes. Tomorrow I am going to talk about Catalyst but I wanted to dedicate this post to "An Outsider's perspective to International Getaway."
Megan says that Getaway is her favorite conference of the year. It isn't hard to see why. The foundation of International Getaway is one of relationships. They have morning bible studies, a short evening session, and regular meal times but other than that, the whole thing is structured around the idea that relationships are key. Unlike many conferences where free time is the space in between sessions, Getaway has the feeling of the opposites: the sessions happen as an in between for all the free time.
This year Getaway had 30 students from KU, Mizzou, UMSL, Johnson County Community College (Kansas), and Washington University in St. Louis (Go Bears!) come together to have fun, eat good snacks, learn about each other's cultures, and hear more about who Jesus is and why the Gospel matters. There was a mix of undergraduate, graduate, professors, and even a baby in attendance (who was totally cute). Some students were Christians but from my understanding, most of the students in attendance did not have a personal relationship with Jesus. Mornings were spent in Bible study, learning about Jesus, then it was free time until the evening session. Folk went canoeing, cave exploring, did a high ropes course, and even learned how to shoot BB guns!
I didn't make it to any of the evening sessions but from what I understand there was multi-lingual worship followed by one of the staff sharing about a part of the Gospel. From there, it was more free time! One night had a bonfire. Another night had an international trivia night. I saw a bit of the Culture Night where conference goers got to share parts of their cultures including songs, dances, jokes, and even some martial arts. The late evening was spent playing games. I am happy to report that I won one round of Mah Jong, of the 7 or 8 that I played. =0).
Friends, please be praying for the folk who attended Getaway. Many of them are only in the US for a short time and many have only heard the Gospel for the first time this year. Some come from countries where religion of any sort is illegal and others where Christianity is not well understood or accepted. Please pray that God would work in the lives of those who attended so that when they return to their home countries they will return with a new faith and a desire to turn the lives of their countrymen to Christ.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
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