The weekend before last, I volunteered with my friends Bonnie & Shannon at the Passion Dallas Regional Event at Nokia Theatre. I have been involved in several Passion events and conferences in the past and this was my second time to volunteer, the first being Passion '05 in Nashville, TN. (If you're not familiar with the Passion organization, then take a few minutes to check out their website: http://www.268generation.com/.)
Let me just say....Passion Dallas was amazing! There were 6,000 college students in attendance for the 2 day event! Nokia Theater was packed with students from campuses throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri and beyond. They may have been from different states and colleges, but their hearts were united for one purpose.... to lift up the name of Jesus on their campuses! The messages from Louie Giglio and Frances Chan were both challenging and inspiring and the worship times with lead worshipers Chris Tomlin, David Crowder Band, Kristian Stanfill and Christy Nockels were powerful! But this event wasn't just about singing songs and hearing sermons....
One of the coolest things about Passion events is the "Do Something Now" Campaign. This campaign brings awareness to the students about the needs of others locally and around the world and gives them the opportunity to make a difference and touch people in a practical way with the gospel of Jesus. The following is an excerpt from Louie's blog about the DSN in Dallas..."DSN (Do Something Now) was incredible. Are you ready for this? The students brought 3700 towels and 17800 pairs of socks for shelters throughout the Metroplex. They gave $18,992 to build over 6 wells for African villages (through Blood:Water Mission), and $80,040 to help make a Passion event in Seoul possible in October! The Do Something Now Campaign took on a very cool turn as the students responded to the need at Union University and gave their clothes for those who have none as a result of the tornado. What an awesome sight seeing a 26' truck filled with the kindness of one group of students for another."
Wow! So cool to see God move in the hearts of these students. On Friday night, when Louie mentioned donating clothes to the Union University students, one of the attendees took off his hoodie, walked up to the stage and handed it to him. My friend Bonnie also saw a student take off his shoes and put them in one of the clothing bins. He left Nokia in his sock-feet out into the rain and cold! Not only did the students blow the Passion staff and volunteers away with their generosity, but they also impacted the staff at Nokia. I had several employees tell me how incredible they thought it was to see "poor college students" giving in such a generous manner. They were also impressed with how nice everyone was and how organized the (primarily volunteer staffed) event was. How amazing that God is using this willing generation to be agents of change, to show the love of Jesus, to make His name famous above their own names, above the names of their sororities and fraternities, and above the names of their colleges. It was such a blessing to serve these students and to be a small part of what God is doing in their generation.
The Passion crew was in Washington D.C. this past weekend and God did amazing things there as well. In April, they'll be in Atlanta, then it's off on a world tour, where they'll touch the lives of college students in Jakarta, Kyiv, Johannesburg, Stockholm, Cape Town, Sao Paulo, Mexico City, Dubai, Vancouver, Kampala, Seoul, Paris, Tokyo, London, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Sydney. Please join me in praying for Louie and the Passion team. Pray for provision (as many of the international dates will be free of charge to the students), for wisdom, for perseverance, for strength, for humility and for God to continue to use them for his glory!
“Yes Lord, walking in the way of Your truth we wait eagerly for You, for Your name and renown are the desire of our souls.” Isaiah 26:8
Peace & Blessings,
Andi
p.s. So cool.... I met three Club3ooo Members who were volunteering as well! It was really fun to serve with some of our Power FM peeps!
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