The World Missions Summit 3

I'm so exhausted, but equally amazed at the awesome things the Lord did this weekend at The World Missions Summit (TWMS).

Attending TWMS were over 3,500 students from colleges all over the United States, along with over 350 missionaries. We all gathered at the Ft. Worth Convention Center from December 28-30. It was an awesome time of investing in the lives of individual students and imparting a passion for the needs of the world.

I represented HealthCare Ministries at the summit. Part of my duties included working at the HealthCare Ministries exhibit in the exhibit hall. We had a huge version of the game "Operation". It was customized to be medical missions focused. People loved playing it!! It was fun to watch people jump with alarm when the board would buzz. There were lots of opportunities to chat with lots of nursing and pre-med students who came by the booth in the exhibit hall. Some of my favorite moments were the ones where I got to personally encourage students in their walk because of my own journey. One girl named Alicia asked me what she should do since she loved nursing in a hospital, but she felt like God was calling her to missions. She was feeling the tension of loving two things and not knowing how they could ever intersect. How often I have been there in my own walk of faith! I shared my own story with her and we prayed together for the direction of the Lord in her specific situation. I also had the opportunity to meet with another girl named Katie who was facing some obstacles in her nursing journey and some relationship problems. What a privilege it was to listen to her story, share my own experiences with her, and speak the truth about God into her life.

 Setting up the booth . . .

 A student getting to try it out . . .

In addition to working at the exhibit hall, I also got to share my story at 2 of our 7 break-out sessions. There were 60-70 students at each of the break-out sessions I spoke at and almost all the students were pre-med, nursing, pharmacy, optometry, therapy, or dental students. The students had such good questions about medical missions and were very excited about getting involved! It was awesome to watch the Holy Spirit stirring up their hearts to be involved in presenting the gospel through compassion ministries.

Sharing at a breakout session . . .

We had four meals where I got to be a table hostess and share my missions story with students. There were two meals that were especially memorable. The first meal, I had a lot of funny, energetic students who were excited about missions. At the end of the meal, two girls stayed behind to talk with me. One of them in particular was feeling very unsure about her future and what God wanted her to do. It was so much fun to be able to brainstorm about ideas for what things she could pursue as she studies, as well as assuring her of the faithfulness of God to lead her! The second day, I had a table with lots of students who were seriously considering spending time serving in missions. One student is currently serving in China, another is planning to serve in Japan, and a couple others had just decided that morning to "give a year and pray about a lifetime" in missions (one to Egypt and the another to Europe)!! We all had an in-depth discussion about why people focus on ministry to women and children in brothels, but they ignore the spiritual needs of the men who frequent the brothels. The meal turned into a prayer meeting for the men of the church and the restoration of Biblical worldviews about marriage in the church. Awesome times!

One of my "Meal With a Missionary" student groups . . .

The worship services and the speakers were phenomenal!! There were four main sessions. Right before the session on Sunday, we had an hour of prayer for the nations. How fun it was to pray together for the needs of Africa!!

Time of prayer for the nations of sub-saharan Africa . . .

Later on Sunday morning, students had an opportunity to promise to "give a year and pray about a lifetime" in missions. It was awe-inspiring and brought me to tears to see 941 students stream to the front of the arena to commit to serving a year in missions. Great and awesome potential for the kingdom of God when so many young men and young women are willing to lay down their own agendas and spend a year in service to Jesus!!