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Mission Conference at Green Lake

What an amazing place!  If you have never been to Green Lake, you need to plan for it and go.  The conference center is set on the shores of the deepest lake in Wisconsin.  They have added a huge administration and dining center since I was last here over 15 years ago.  There are tables for over 700 people to eat at once. Since 1500 people are here in attendance for the mission conference, we have to eat in two shifts.  Except for breakfast, the meals this week have been from various parts of the world.  Some of the dishes are a bit of an adventure.
     We have morning devotions at 7:00.  Ripon, where we are staying is about 8 miles from the Convention Center.  However, the road between is under reconstruction, so the detour makes the trip about a half hour.  Most people, including us, have been lost at least once.  One night we had to act as guide for a couple women from California.  They had wandered around for over an hour in the morning before getting to the center and needed to follow us to get back to the motel.
     We meet morning and evening in a huge tent for singing and listening to speakers.  The music, especially that first evening when they brought in the flags from around the world , has been inspiring.  In the forenoon and afternoon we attend break out sessions.  I would guess there are about 20 to chose from.  All I have been to have been outstanding.  Human trafficking is a huge issue and has been addressed many times.  I will address that in one of my Bible studies this fall.
     Here's the best part for me.  I will be sitting in one of the easy chairs in the lobby watching the people.  Two people will meet each other in the crowd and suddenly there is this emotional reunion.  They are hugging and laughing and firing question at each other.  Perhaps they had attended a Christian college together or maybe it was seminary.  Maybe they had served together in the mission field.  Some of them have been volunteer missionaries who are meeting fellow volunteers who shared the same mission trip or the missionaries who hosted them.  But it is just amazing the emotion bond that has been formed and is now reignited.  It is a fun thing to watch.
     The girls went on a 5K run/walk to raise money for and education program.  They worked the crowd and raised close to a thousand dollars between them.  Most of it came from one generous donor who gave them over $700.  There is plenty of opportunities to practice generosity at the conference.  As of last night over a quarter million dollars has been raised through offerings and matching funds from individuals who are blessed with the means to make matching donations in the tens of thousands of dollars.  They do this because here at the conference they get a chance to meet the missionaries and hear their stories, most of which are absolutely astounding and inspiring.  I will blog on that  later.
     This has been an incredible experience for me.  And it is not over yet.  I have a feeling the best is yet to come.

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