Okay, so try to imagine if the Super Bowl only occurred once every three years. That's kind of what it's like in my world with Urbana, InterVarsity's triennial student global missions conference. It's 18,000(ish) people all gathered together to engage with (and respond to) God's heart for the world.
The goal of Urbana is to bring together the issues facing people all over the world, the church, the Scriptures, and the passion and potential that is 18,000 mostly college-aged attendees.
This time around we tackled issues like human trafficking, money, the environment, and the walls between people groups along with the ever-present need for the good news of God's love made evident in Christ to go into all the nations.
The night we tackled human trafficking was particularly disturbing: slavery, child slavery, trafficking of pre-teen girls for sex, the millions of people displaced by war and persecution and poverty and disease and oppressions of all types.
I'm coming back thinking about what I might be able to do about all this. I'm grateful for some friends and family who are further along in dealing with this particular issue than I am who might be able to help me. Jesus has much to say about these things. I want to be a part of his work, his kingdom coming, his will being done here on earth as it is in heaven.
UNC took around forty students, I'm praying that their experience will reverberate back onto campus.
I had lots of great conversations and blog-post material from my time at Urbana. But for now I just wanted to check-in, say happy new year, and look forward to a joyful 2010!
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