the obligatory main event post

First of all, I need to mention that right now I'm using the Firefox v.2 update and loving it. The coolest part is that there's an inline spell checking feature which means that no matter where you're typing it lets you know if you've mis-spelled something immediately. Great idea. Love Firefox. Anyway...Main Event.

Main Event was awesome. I got to spend some sweet time with some really great people. I got dinner with DeeDee and Kari and sat with them during the sessions. It was so good to share that worship time with them, as well as try and figure out what boys talked about before Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. Kyle and Jennifer (Jen was in my growth group and then we met one on one after that for a couple years. She and Kyle got married almost a year ago and have been raising support for their first year of marriage) stayed at my house so we had some really great talks. They got to go up on stage and talk about going to Japan and share their hearts with the whole ME crew. They spoke some sweet truth ("Don't wait for a dramatic call from God - don't wait to be 100% sure you should go, I've never talked to anyone who was 100% sure.") and definitely got my "Amen." We got to talk about our hearts and how God is leading us and share things that have been encouraging to us along the way. I'm so thankful that those two are in my life. It felt really good to just talk about that stuff. It's definitely something I took for granted in Iowa City. I got to talk to (and pray with) Weaver- the representative from Africa Inland Mission (who has the coolest Africa stories EVER) and ran into some other high school/CF people - even a girl I work with at Starbucks! (btw- "Starbucks" is apparently not in the Firefox spelling dictionary...nor is "btw")

Oh and also about 25 girls slept in my basement. I invited Betsy and her girls and told her to invite whoever. It was super fun. I got to know some ladies I've seen around and done ministry with for years but never really talked to and nothing is better than late night silliness with Betsy Skat. Nothing.

evidence:
lots and lots of mini cereal boxes

rows of sleeping bags with a pathway to the bathroom

the shoe pileEveryone is always so grateful to be sleeping on my basement floor for a weekend which seems a little strange because there are very very few things I look forward to more than filling up my house once a year. Coming downstairs on Saturday morning and seeing every chair and place at the table taken by a college girl doing a quiet time is pretty sweet. It just fills up my heart. Betsy also made fun of my because I was so excited to do things like bake cupcakes and get breakfast ready. Washing towels and buying cereal seems like an unfair trade for filling up my house with laughter, community and spiritual hunger for a whole weekend. The fact that God set it up so that we can bless and be blessed at the same time is so great.

oh and they decorated a cupcake for me
with trix
amazing