Passion 2010–Day 2, part 3

Hillsong United

To describe this in a word, INSANE.  The Philips Arena was COMPLETELY packed.  For whatever reason, I forget exactly, I wasn’t able to go in with my group.  They had a seat saved for me, but I never got over there.  I had to find a seat on my own, and found at the end of a row and the end of a section.  The volunteers didn’t seem to all be on the same page, something that I learned the hard way before the end of the night.  Long story short, God’s timing is amazing and perfect.  He is always there for us.  I got “talked to” twice by the same volunteer for using my camera, without flash, while MANY people around the whole arena used flash and never got yelled at.  The second time, I just sat down and cried–it had been a long, emotional day, and then the photo stuff went down, and I just couldn’t take it anymore.  I was angry, overwhelmed, etc.  The photo policy was obviously not clear or enforced that night, and because of sitting on the end of a row and section, I was very visible.  Even so, all of my life, in every season, You are still God, I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship.

Hillsong United only sang a few songs (well, compared to when I saw them over the summer), but it still was a great time, one that I was thankful to be able to see.  Once we got back to the hotel, we talked.  Meg and I talked until around 2 am, and even then, were not even tired but knew we had to get to bed for the next day.

Unlike when we saw FEE, the floor down there was absolutely packed.  Human sardines, for sure!

Miscellaneous
*I LOVED seeing my friend Sam, from Passion DC. She is being used by God in a big way. I can’t really go into more detail, but it was great seeing her again. =]
*NJ pride:

Everybody loves Lenny’s…because it started in Wildwood, NJ! =]

Passion 2010 Day 2–Part 2

After meeting up with Jeremy Cowart, I met up with the rest of my group for dinner.  I could NOT stop smiling the whole night, especially whenever I was able to re-tell the story to someone in my group. =]  We ate dinner at the Hong Kong buffet that was attached to our hotel.  It was PACKED in there.  We definitely got there just in time.

Main Session-GWCC/cameras

The second main session of the day led our group to the Georgia World Congress Center.  I wasn’t as much of a fan of the GWCC main sessions/breakout sessions due to the layout, but that was just me.  During the security check before we got seated, I opened my bag.  The guy checking the bags asked if I had a camera bag in there, and I did, so I had to show him my camera.  I took it out, and he told me I had to go to another table and leave my camera there because it was professional.  I told him it wasn’t professional, but he simply said to go over there and to talk to them, since he was just doing his job.  I walked over to the other table and as soon as I got there, explained my situation.  I showed them that the lens did NOT come off, which is the general standard for a professional camera.  The two ladies weren’t sure, so they called over Larry, who I assume was their boss.  I explained the situation to Larry, and showed him that the lens didn’t come off and that it was just a point and shoot.  Thankfully, he let me through.  I thanked him and met up with my group (they waited for me) to get seats.  Since the majority of the GWCC is floor seating, saying that we got floor seats isn’t really that exciting.  A few minutes before the night started, I headed up front for pictures of the stage and to stake my spot.  As I approached the stage, another security guard approached me about my camera.  Knowing what it was about, as soon as he got close to me, I explained that Larry had said it was okay. This security guard didn’t want to let me have the camera, but once I told him that Larry said it was okay, he had to let me keep shooting.  Since I was already getting frustrated about my camera, when other people started to come up to the stage area, I let them have the center and made sure at least one person was always in front of me.

The session started, and FEE was the band in GWCC that night. I was excited, since I had never seen them live.  Once they started, some more people came up front, but something weird happened–there was ROOM to move around.  At Passion::DC, the only time there was this much room up front was at the very beginning of a session when people were still getting seated, during the message, and as people left.

This is a photo comparison.  The first one is my roomie during Passion::DC as we waited for a session to start up front.  The second is how much room I had during FEE at Passion 2010:

FEE was great.  I bought “Hope Rising,” the new CD from FEE with a gift certificate that I got for Christmas.  As soon as I got the CD, I couldn’t stop listening to it.  Even now, it is in my car and I listen to it ALL the time.

During this session, we were also told that because of some mistakes and miscommunication on Passion’s end, everyone with a red wristband and another color (I forget which one, honestly) would be able to see Hillsong United that night at the late night concert! Yay!

Francis Chan
The night’s message was from Francis Chan. We had a live video feed of his message. He talked about how VERY important it is to simply read the Bible for ourselves. He talked about Isaiah 66:2, which says

Has not my hand made all these things,
and so they came into being?”
declares the LORD.
“This is the one I esteem:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit,
and trembles at my word.

I had actually heard most of this sermon from watching Cornerstone Simi Valley’s podcast when I was home (and couldn’t attend church because of the snow), but it had more of an impact on me the second time around.

Defining photo
After the message, we sang a song or two of worship. I stayed in my seat for a few reasons: I knew I couldn’t get up front for it, I realized that I hadn’t spent a lot of time with my group that day, and also for a different viewpoint for photos. I took a photo that I honestly loved as soon as I took it. I didn’t know it at the time, but that photo would help me see the point of going back to school after Passion instead of just going right into missions.

Community Group
After the session, we went to our Community Groups. I didn’t know it, but that would be my last time attending Community group. By that point of the day, I was flat-out exhausted. The only thing that kept me going through community group was knowing that the Hillsong United concert was afterward. We had some good discussion in our family group, even though I thought that some of the questions were too personal to fully discuss with people who I didn’t know. Even so, I did discuss stuff, but not fully.

Passion 2010–Day 2 (part one)

First off, I can NOT believe that it has been a MONTH since Passion started. Crazy!
Secondly, I know that it has been awhile since I’ve posted. The semester started up, and I had to get into the swing of things again before I found time to blog.

Day 2 of Passion, our first full day of Passion, was nothing short of intense. In order to make this more like a blog and less like a novel, I will just include highlights of the day, in a partially chronological order:

Community Group
Community groups, for those outside of Passion, is a smaller group than the main session. There were many community groups. Within each community group were groups of ten or less, called family groups. The time in community group was spent getting to know each other, and also having group discussions about Scripture. Every community group went through parts of the book of Colossians. Even though I only ended up going to my community group twice (because of exhaustion), it was a good time, and good discussion. I was in the orange community group, simply because when I was handing out the information packets to my group, I saw and orange one and snagged it.  Orange is one of my favorite colors, so it just fit.  My family group (who I didn’t get contact information for, sadly) were all from Southern states, and were genuinely excited to have a Northerner in their group.  I almost started talking with a Southern accent around them, and if I had gone more often, I probably would have.  (Nothing against accents–I actually LOVE accents!).

Main Session 1

I knew who would be speaking at the Main Session right away, only because they introduced the speaker as “she,” and since Beth Moore was the only female speaker, it wasn’t hard to put two and two together.

Beth’s talk was about how God equips us (by preparing us, adjusting us, repairing us, and filling us).  Hearing that talk helped my heart understand why certain situations in my life have occurred.

God. Period.

When I started freaking out

At the end of the session, Passion’s event director came on stage to give us a couple of announcements and directions about leaving for lunch.  I was only half listening until she mentioned the book Awakening, by Louie and Jeremy Cowart. She was explaining what it was, and that it was in the store, AND THAT JEREMY COWART  WAS THERE THAT DAY AND WE COULD MEET HIM.

I was sitting in my chair, and started FREAKING OUT.  I frantically asked people in SCF for a pen because I HAD to write it down on my hand.  OMG.  I could barely even put a full sentence together, except that I was SO excited to meet Jeremy Cowart.  I couldn’t stop smiling, as we walked to lunch or pretty much all day.  A dream of mine was about to come true–I was going to meet Jeremy Cowart, one of my FAVORITE photographers and whose work I really admire.

Breakout

I attended the breakout session called Worship + Justice: Awakening With  Hope For the World.  There were some big names leading this session, but honestly, I would have gone to this one, even if Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Joel Houston, or Louie Giglio weren’t there.  In addition to those speakers, Marilyn Skinner, co-founder of Watoto was there.  Jenna and I managed to get seats in the front row, but not on the floor–the closest seats on the first raised level (technically, we were even closer than those on the floor because they had to be behind a line of tape).  This session was about joining justice with worship, and how seeking justice is the kind of worship that God loves.  It was powerful–I laughed, I cried (as I held onto Jenna).  I can’t fully explain everything from that session, at least not yet.  I want to, but it isn’t the time to. However, after the session, I was able to go over to the Watoto table, sign the card for more information, and talk to my friend Sydney, who works with Watoto.

As I waited for Sydney to finish talking to a couple of people at the table, I got a call from Jenna.  She was standing in line with people from SCF for tickets for the Hillsong United late nite concert that night.  I told her it was OK if I didn’t get one (we had to be there to get one) because I HAD to meet Jeremy Cowart, and besides, I saw Hillsong United over the summer and was front row, so I wasn’t really overly concerned about seeing them again.  Yes, I wanted to see them again, but if it meant not meeting Jeremy, then I would pass on the Hillsong ticket.

Meeting Jeremy Cowart

As soon Sydney and I were done talking, I rushed over to the GO center so I could meet Jeremy.  I got there, asked a volunteer where to go, and then got in line.  The line wasn’t too long when I got there, which was great.  From what I could see, Jeremy wasn’t just signing a book, shaking a hand, and then moving onto the next person.  He was actually holding conversations.  The guys in front of me in line and I started to chat, and as we got closer and closer, I got more and more excited.  Visibly excited.  When it was almost my turn, one of the guys  jokingly asked if I was excited, and I replied, with a huge smile on my face, “DEFINITELY!”  He said that he could tell since I hadn’t stopped smiling, I had started to fidget a little, etc.  When it was his turn, he rubbed my arm with his arm, a huge smile on his face, and said it was almost my turn.
For the record, I know that this sounds like idolatry, but ever since I’ve seen Jeremy’s work, I’ve loved it and been inspired by it.  As soon as I saw his work, I wanted to meet him, especially after seeing someone from the Passion World Tour that I’m friends with on Facebook meet him.  It was great when Jeremy and I became friends on Facebook; even better when I messaged him and he actually responded; meeting him was even better and honestly, a dream come true.

Before I knew it, it was my turn to meet Jeremy Cowart.  My conversation wasn’t that impressive, because I was just so in shock and excited that my dream was coming true.  I explained to him how excited I was when I heard that he was there.  I didn’t have his book for him to sign, since I had pre-ordered it and sent it to school as a “welcome back” present to myself.  I had him sign my journal instead.  Even crazier than actually meeting him was the fact that he remembered me from that Facebook message.  Once he said that, any conversation that I tried to have just didn’t work.  How is it that one of my favorite photographers remembers me from a Facebook message?  He’s a professional photographer and deals with a lot of people, yet he remembers me.  I can’t explain that at all, except that God really knows how to amaze me and blow my mind.

One of the biggest smiles of my life was plastered on my face the rest of the day and the rest of the time at Passion, and heck, even now. =]

Passion 2010–Day 1

Passion 2010, Day 1.

January 2nd, 2010–the day that I had been counting down to and looking forward to for about two years was finally here. Most of us met at the house of our club adviser, Pastor Ray. We piled into Ray’s van, and the excited chatter began. We all had been excited, but putting all of that excitement into a confined space only made our excitement grow and grow. A few minutes later, we’re at the airport and in line. Steph was first, so P. Ray gave her the check in information. We were called, and I went up front with her because she didn’t know what to do. The lady behind the counter started typing, and then a few minutes later, said to us nonchalantly,

Your flight was canceled.

Steph and I were at a loss for words, and motioned P. Ray over. As it turns out, there was a maintenance problem with the plane, and the plane was still in Atlanta, not New Jersey. The airline offered to get us on a flight the next day, but we declined, knowing that even if we drove we would get to Atlanta faster.

We left the airport and drove back to P. Ray’s house. It was a quieter ride back, not counting our phones as they went off, notifying us of a new call or text from our parents. Once we got back to Ray’s house, we looked up flights from Philly and even Newark, but they all were booked. Our best option was to drive. Again we piled into his van and drove to a nearby rental place. After some waiting, we piled into the larger van,prayed, and started on our drive to Atlanta. I knew some people who were also attending Passion 2010 and were already in Atlanta, so I asked them to pray as well and kept a couple of them updated as the day wore on.

Trying to make the most of our situation, we blasted music and cheered whenever we got into a new state. It just so happened that we were able to enjoy a marvelous sunset when we were around Baltimore, which is one of my favorite cities. I was happy about that:

Miraculously, by the time we reached Washington D.C., Ray’s daughter, Kate, had gotten us on a flight out of D.C. to Atlanta. I was sitting in the back of the van with a couple of others, and we couldn’t always hear what was said up front. When Ray told us we got a flight out of D.C., we ALL cheered. Cherie, the girl behind me, said, “I definitely heard that.” Our excitement started to grow again.

Once we got to the airport and to our airline counter, as we stood in line, we were all just hoping desperately for no more problems. When they started calling out the names of those in our group to come forward and get their boarding pass, we all let out a huge sigh. We breezed through security (practically had it to ourselves), and then found our gate and proceeded to get dinner. Most of us ate at Fuddrucker’s, which of course, was in the very last part of our concourse. It was okay, we justified, because we would NEED to walk off all we ate at Fuddrucker’s. The food was good, but they didn’t have milkshakes there. =[ Now both of my Passion conference experiences involve Fuddrucker's. =]

After we ate, we headed back to our gate, where we learned that because of what happened earlier, all of us would get a free round trip flight wherever AirTran flies. WOOHOO! After talking for a bit and taking a few pictures, we finally boarded the plane. We were in the very back of the plane, but we were OK with that–we were finally on a plane.

The flight wasn’t that long or that bad. As soon as I got my free drink, I took a nap, so I don’t really know what happened on that flight. I woke up before we landed, and we kept up our tradition of cheering as we entered a new state when we landed. This time, it also involved clapping and senses of gratefulness and excitement. Josh, sitting two seats over from me, wasn’t too into the whole cheering idea. He clapped, but then said,

“You would think that we’ve never flown before.”

Our next step from the airport was to get onto a MARTA train to the area where our hotel was. In order to get to the MARTA train, we had to take a shuttle train to a different part of the airport. Getting on was not a problem. Of course, we had to have a problem as we got off. One of the doors didn’t open, so everyone had to squeeze out through one door. Eight of us got off without a problem, but the last two got stuck as the door automatically closed. Derek ran over and grabbed the door so it wouldn’t close as we got Meg and Cherie out. Another guy was standing by, yelling at Derek not to hold the door and we all wanted to yell at him, “Don’t yell, just go over and help!” Finally, we all got off the shuttle train and headed towards the MARTA station.

After getting our tickets, we rode a few escalators (one of which was the longest one any of us had ever ridden) and got to the train platform. We got on the correct train, sat down, and waited.

And waited.

A few minutes later, a train worker came into where we were and said, “Didn’t y’all hear on the loudspeaker? This train is out of service.”

Um, no.
If we had heard, we wouldn’t still be sitting there.

So we filed off of that train and went to the other side of the platform and waited for another train. Once it came, we got on. At one stop, we met another guy who was at Passion. He asked where we were from, and how we got there. We told him we were from NJ, but when he asked how we got there, we just sighed, and then told him. He understood why we all sighed once we told him.

Finally, we got to our stop. As soon as we got out of the train station, we saw a homeless guy being talked to by a couple of cops, probably forcing him to move. I had been told there were a lot of homeless in ATL, but I still was shocked. The guy was obviously there because he was cold (it was as cold in Atlanta as it was in NJ), and it hurt all of us to walk by and not pay attention to him, but that’s another blog for another time. We walked to our hotel, checked in, grabbed our Passion tickets, and walked over to try to check in for Passion.

We got to Passion, checked in, got all of our info, and walked across the street to try to get into the Late Nite Concert. We kinda snuck in, and my first glimpse of a full Passion event met my eyes. I was totally in shock and overwhelmed at what I was seeing and hearing. The place was very full. A very nice volunteer showed us a row near we where that had enough seats for us. We walked down the few steps and into our row.

David Crowder*Band was playing, and were singing “O Praise Him.” They were on the ending “La” part. We sang along, expecting another song.

They finished the “La” part, and said,

“Thank you! Have a good night.”

Figures. (As it turns out, that was our only chance to see David Crowder Band due to our wristband color group. David Crowder Band is perhaps the only band that I want to see live that have yet to see live. A few seconds doesn’t count).

We walked back to our hotel and went to sleep. Our bodies needed it, and we had missed all but maybe 30 seconds of the first day of Passion 2010.

Haiti–I’m one of the lucky ones.

From www.northjersey.com:

4 New Jerseyans stranded outside Port-au-Prince
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Last updated: Thursday January 14, 2010, 8:32 PM
BY EVONNE COUTROS
The Record
STAFF WRITER

Four New Jersey men on a Haitian humanitarian mission to build housing for orphans are stranded in Les Cayes, about 85 miles southwest of Port-Au-Prince, but plan to do what they can to help people in the earthquake-stricken nation.
“We have the skill set, we have the time, and we have ability to help these people,” said an upbeat Jeff Wells via Skype from a mission home and hotel in Les Cayes. “We’re here, so we’ll see if we can help. We have enough water and food for now.”
Wells, of Oradell, is an architect who traveled to Haiti more than a week ago with Rev. Andrew Topp, of Midland Park, Chris Duncan of Surf City and Rev. Ray Laird of Beach Haven, to help build a new home for girls through the International Humanitarian Aid Foundation, Inc.
The group had just returned from a day’s work to the two buildings where they are housed – a mission house and hotel about 200 yards farther away – when the quake struck.
“I felt the ground under me lifting… then a second tremor followed within 30 seconds that was just as bad,” Wells said Thursday. “Les Cayes is very populated. There was commotion… screaming. It was strong. There were over a dozen aftershocks… and hours of tremors.”
But unlike Port-Au-Prince, Les Cayes was on the outskirts of the epicenter. The men, however, say a mountain pass – the one accessible road to Port-Au-Prince – is closed. They find themselves wanting to help and eager to donate blood, but are proceeding with caution because of the lack of medical facilities and physicians in the area.
“It’s a pretty difficult situation,” Wells said. “Food, so far, is not a problem.”
Damage “was minimal” in Les Cayes, Topp said in an early e-mail he managed to send to friends on Wednesday. “People are all sleeping in the streets,” he wrote.
Wells and Topp – active with Gift of Life and Rotary International District 7490 – are seasoned travelers to Haiti and accustomed to the terrain having journeyed there about a dozen times as volunteers.
Tom Kelly, of Oradell, was the fifth volunteer in the group. Kelly returned the day before the quake and along with Well’s wife Bonnie is maintaining contact with the group through Skype, an Internet video conferencing service. The duo are trying to get the men out through U.S. Congressional offices in-state since the road pass to Port-Au-Prince is now blocked to travelers and the airports closed to commercial traffic and small planes.

Jeff Wells, an Oradell architect and three others are in Haiti as members of International Humanitarian Aide Foundation.
“We’re networking as much as we can with other groups,” Wells said via Skype of contacts with other Americans on the island and a local contact within the U.N. But those contacts too, are without resources for the moment, leaving the men stranded until they can find a way out by air or sea. Transferring money to the men is difficult since many of the buildings have collapsed and accessibility to cash is difficult, if not impossible.
Kelly, a financial adviser with Morgan Stanley in Ridgewood, said he was fortunate to get out of Haiti before the quake, but is actually sorry he’s not there with his friends. The group was in the early stages of building the girl’s orphanage before the quake and the structure has not been damaged.
“I just happened to have a plane to get out earlier,” Kelly said. “There is a little airstrip in Les Cayes and I got on a plane from there at 7 a.m. into Port-Au-Prince. I got out before the earthquake because I decided to come home Monday instead of Tuesday.”
Kelly praised the demeanor of the friends he’s left behind. The area was unsafe and unstable prior to the quake, so he urged his friends to be wary.

Tom Kelly, who returned to New Jersey a day before the Haitian earthquake, and Bonnie Wells, talk via Skype, to Bonnie’s husband Jeff.
“It’s very impressive how they’re handling this and they’re really great guys,” Kelly said. “They are very spiritual, strong, committed men who do good things. We need to focus on getting them out of there.”
Bonnie Wells said she is not worried, but like the wives of Duncan and Laird, certainly wants her husband home and to stay out of harms way.
The Wells, married 22 years and the parents of children ages 21, 19, and 15, are planning a family reunion in Oradell when Jeff returns.
“I totally have a peace about him being there,” she said. “If he can be used there because he does have the expertise – he does have the architectural engineering background – that’s exactly where he is meant to be right now. It is what he is gifted to do.”

I’m one of the lucky ones.

I was able to hear good news about the people I know who were in Haiti at the time of the earthquake and are still there.

What I can’t get out of my head though, is the fact that THIS would have been the trip I went on to Haiti. Up until right around Christmas, I was on board with this group. But the situation changed due to things beyond my control, and I ended up here, at home, when the earthquake hit. Part of me knows that God kept me here for a reason, a big part of which I think were the emotions and anxieties of many family and friends, had I been down there. Part of me still doesn’t understand why God kept me here. If I had gone, yes, my family and friends would have literally been worried sick about me, but that’s the reality of many, many families here in the States and in other countries who have family and friends in Haiti and are awaiting any word–good or bad.

I’m one of the lucky ones, and I just don’t understand why.

Please donate to help the relief effort in Haiti.

(Passion 2010 post coming soon).

Promises fulfilled

2009 has been quite a year, to be honest–both difficult and amazing.

While I am sure that I had read the verse over the rainbow before (2 Corinthians 1:20), I really remember it because of camp this summer. My last two weeks of camp, I was in overnight camp, which meant I got to go to counselor meetings in the morning, which just were a mini worship service/ sermon for us. This verse was emphasized a LOT, since the sermons were all about the promises of God. I heard it so much, and as a result, it got stuck in my head.

Every year, I like to look back and see where God has brought me/done in my life in the last year. I tried to literally read through all of my journal entries from this past year, but that proved to be a task too daunting to achieve–MANY things happened this year.

I helped with a retreat for high schoolers.
God revealed promises to me.
Pop-Pop was unexpectedly called Home by God.
I saw this rainbow in Exuma, and knew it would all be OK.
God showed a friend and myself Himself through a bird in Exuma.
My cousin’s wife gave birth to their son, who only lived for two weeks.
I got the job at camp.
Camp was amazing, but was also very, VERY challenging at times.
Family drama ensued.
Friends were baptized.
I was reminded of other promises from God.
I learned freedom.

And those are only a few things. Honestly, I’m blown away by all that God has done in 2009, and I only got through entries in my journal up to February.

Even so, God’s promises never fail. All of God’s promises are found in Him.

Even though there were many, many times when life felt simply…overwhelming, God’s strength pulled me through.

One day at camp in particular, a friend of mine told me perhaps the ten wisest words that I’ve ever heard (because it came from God). He told me, “It just means God knows that you can handle it.”

I’m thankful that the promises of God are based in His unfailing love. If they weren’t, they wouldn’t be promises. If they weren’t, we couldn’t base our trust on them.

I believe in the promises of God. More importantly are the last two words of that verse–HIS GLORY.

It is because of the source of the promises (God) that we praise God; when we praise God, it is for His glory, and His glory alone.

2009 definitely had highs and lows, but through it all, God is here.

2010 will start out wonderfully:
Friday: Take down tree
Saturday: LEAVE FOR PASSION 2010!!! =] =] =]

Haiti + Snow

Due to circumstances beyond my control, I will not be traveling to Haiti in January. I know that everyone on the team would appreciate it if you would keep our Exuma trip in your prayers as we prepare for it.

That was my car during the big snowstorm that the Northeast got on the 19th and the 20th.

I don’t really like snow. Actually, I do like snow, but in small amounts, and not when I have to shovel almost two feet of it.

One night of rain washed all the snow away. =]

Passion 2010 is in less than a week! =]

Life is good.

(I would write more, but I have to go help get dinner ready.)

Freedom

This semester, God has been showing me a whole TON of things. One thing in particular is rescue and freedom. I’m not who I used to be, and I only have God to thank for that. God is definitely shaping me into the person that He created me to be. I’ve been RESCUED and now am FREE. Nothing is holding me back but myself.

Glory to God, forever.

If you had told me….

If you had told me a few years ago the person I would become today, I never would have believed you.

If you had told me a few years ago how much God would change me, I never would have believed you.

If you had told me a few years ago what God was going to bring me through, I never would have believed you.

If you had told me a few years ago how much I would fall in love with Jesus, I never would have believed you.
=]

Love.

I love the way that Jesus is winning my heart to Him. I love Him more and more each day.

Time alone with God changes everything. =]