well, a lot of what we are doing this year comes as a surprise. for the benefit of any readers that might apply to the forge, i will continue to be cryptic so that these things will be a surprise for you, as well. our first major adventure began with us knowing what to pack and when to show up at the vans... that was all. then we loaded up in the vans and drove for 13 hours. we got to our destination and went straight to the grocery store so we'd have food for the week. next thing we know it, we're locked out of our van. awesome. well, at least the boys enjoyed trying to break in with a coat hanger. after 45 minutes and all of their macgyver moves, it only took the AAA man 30 seconds to open the door.
the next few days were full of volunteer work and learning from some incredible people. we stuffed over 10,000 packets and worked on other similar types of projects. we helped prevent fire hazards and shook a lot of hands. this is so vague, sorry... but i will tell you that we got to hear from some fantastic speakers and met a few people that are really good at what they do. as a group we're being challenged to listen with a critical ear, that we may be ready to learn from someone's content as it compares with Truth but also from presentation styles.
one of the most influential subjects i heard from was about "allowing God to disturb us." may i not be satisfied with just having right answers or living well, but may i be transformed from the inside out. may my identity be so revolutionized as i surrender to Christ that my actions and words are changed as the tangible overflow of my inner self, not the other way around.
