Candidate Seminar - Day 1

Well.....

Something that I ate at Bob Evan's didn't agree with my stomach. So consequently this morning I was feeling a bit under. We soldiered on as they say, but I took a pass on breakfast.

The morning started with some general housekeeping items, and a welcome, and then we launched into testimonies. Marge and I were first on the list, and we got through within the six min. time limit. It is so important to learn how to be brief and to the point.

There are all ages from a couple in their 60s to those in the mid 20s. Over and over there was a theme of coming to a point of surrender to whatever God wanted them to do which was followed by peace and direction. Many spoke of God "touching their lives" or of God's "hand" on their lives. I sat and wondered how I would explain such talk to my friends and acquaintances who are believers. Listening past the words what I heard was people having a vital, on-going, life changing interaction with the true and living God. It is at once intimate, awe inspiring, nurturing and humbling.

Many also spoke of being nervous about how things would turn out, but also trusting God to provide for what was needed. One of the speakers read this verse from the Bible, "Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it." The "He" is God, and He is indeed faithful.

Dr. Kempton, the former ABWE president, got up to pray for us and comitt us to God. Before he prayed he said, "I rejoice in how God has invaded your lives." That got my attention, because invasion typically has a negative conotation, but in this case it was to redirect us. I wasn't thinking missions when we got the desire to pursue it. It's the best thing we have ever done, and I believe that it is God's prompting that brought us here.

It's remarkable how ordinary everyone in the room is. No especially remarkable people. I'm nobody special. We've just said yes to the call, and trust God to equip us for the work at hand.

Before lunch we took a tour. After lunch the current ABWE president, Dr. Loftis, spoke on what the Bible teaches on missions. There were some presentations on how the mission agency is organized, and then the Administrator for Western Europe presented the work ABWE is doing there. He gave special emphasis on the challenge of reaching a Post-Modern society.

After dinner, the director of missionary care spoke on the importance of moral purity.

Then it was 8:30 and time to go get some sleap. I went for a quick bike ride,even though it was getting dark. I didn't last long in the growing dusk, especially since I was getting pelted with all kinds of bugs. Nice hills though, and I'm hoping that I can get a ride in tomorow AM.

Later,

Adam