|
Urbana 06
It’s impossible to describe all
that had happened at Urbana
06. The five days were packed with
things to do. There were general sessions that included 22,000 people from 140
countries and 50 states singing in English, Korean, Chinese, French, Creole,
and Spanish. Some worshipped with
theater, rap, body worship, and dances.
There were also daily bible studies which taught and challenged us how
to dive deeper into Ephesians. In
addition, over 70 seminars per day were available on various topics such as
AIDS, arts, and urban missions. Over a
hundred organizations informed us on how we could serve in other parts of the
world as missionaries. There were
ethnicity lounges for people to socialize in and enjoy delicious bubble
tea. Moreover, people could also pray
and worship in the various prayer rooms.
There was even a large bookstore with 20-50% sale on books, cds, and Urbana gear. Some of these books were only 5 dollars! Above
all, however, the most important thing to me was how God convicted and changed
me.
Why did I go to Urbana?
Some people dedicated their lives to be pastors or full-time missionaries. Others told me it was awe-inspiring to
worship God with so many people together.
Still some said to go because it was a once in a lifetime experience, since
Urbana is
targeted for college students and is held once every three years. I went to experience all this and more. I had so many questions relating to my
current role in missions and my future. I
hungered for God to further reveal what my calling is. Am I supposed to be a doctor, or even a
missionary doctor? How am I supposed to
be involved in missions? What do the
speakers have to say about God’s work throughout the rest of the world? I expected God to answer these questions, and
as I searched for His answers, God revealed many of them and continues to do so
right now.
After entering St. Louis, I expected God to melt my heart
for a specific geographic location or people overseas. I expected to hear a testimony or learn about
a specific place and have an undivided heart to evangelize to them. But what I forgot about was that
missionaries, short term or long term, don’t have to go to foreign places to
spread God’s Word. As the days passed
by, I didn’t sense a specific place overseas.
I visited many booths about medical missions, I attended a seminar on
health missions and watched a documentary on the mistreatment of Sudanese
refugees in Cairo. I learned, but nothing really prompted me to
take further action. Instead, many more
convictions pertained to my campus and serving in America.
Oscar Muriu, a pastor from Kenya, stated a
few astonishing statistics. “Today, over 75% of protestant Christians are
found in the non-western world.” “The World Church
Encyclopedia of 2001 estimated that African Christians are increasing 23,000
converts per day. That’s about 8.5
million per year. The church in Europe
and North America loses an average of 6,000
church members per day.” “America
is the 3rd largest mission field in the world today.” “America is the
largest pagan country in the world.” These
statements reminded me that God needs me to spread the gospel in America,
starting with my campus. I thought of
how much more I could witness to people around me and how little initiative
I’ve taken. I realized that since Johns
Hopkins’ atmosphere is quite competitive, academics was a major area I can
surrender to God and let Him use me in.
I realized that I had forgotten the eternal joy God gives. Instead, I had been worrying so much and
consumed with doing better than others.
Yes, studying is very important, but genuinely helping others or
receiving a poor grade with joy is how I will personally witness. My spirituality isn’t restricted to church or
fellowship but should overflow into all aspects of my life, especially
academics.
Many things throughout the
conference also revived a vision in my heart for my Christian friends on
campus. Before the conference, a student
asked me if I had a vision for our church on campus. I told him I had a small one; I wanted to see
a united passion for Christ and a spiritual growth in Christ. He told me that God wouldn’t give me a vision
for no reason. I thought about starting
a daily prayer/devotion time with a few other sophomores because my quiet times
had been quite shaky last semester. At Urbana, God further
convicted me about this.
During this conference, everyone
was placed in a “family group,” a group that prayed and participated in bible
study together. As I prayed with my
family group each night, I realized the common unity that allowed us to be as
vulnerable and honest as brothers. Seeing
how much my home-church brothers had matured in God inspired me to read the
bible more and pray with others. As we
challenged each other and told of our pasts and struggles, I realized that this
was true fellowship, like in Acts. Some
nights, the conversations lasted longer than three hours! I resolutely decided that a daily
prayer/devotion time was needed at Hopkins. Not only would it keep me in check to devote
time to God but I also hoped that it would promote accountability, challenge my
faith, and build stronger relationships by being vulnerable.
Another way that God spoke to me
was through the constant message on unity of the body from the speakers. For example, one speaker kept on mentioning
that when one part of the body suffers, the whole body suffers. In our family groups, that message resonated
in me as we prayed for friends who were sick and were experiencing great sorrow. I was convicted to pray for more unity at my
church on campus. I hope that I come to
church not just to worship God but also to take the initiative to get to know
brothers and sisters in Christ more deeply-to the point that when one suffers,
I suffer, and when one rejoices, I rejoice.
So was Urbana worth my money, my
time, my New Year’s celebration? YES! I encourage all to go with open hearts and
minds. Be willing to change. It’s true that not every question was
answered directly for me. But sometimes God
says to wait. I didn’t find my calling
as an oversea missionary, and maybe one day I will. But as of now, God has given me a larger
heart and vision as a campus missionary and to serve people in America, where
it is greatly needed. It’s difficult to
go through this alone, so I pray and ask for accountability. I hope that the words from the following Urbana songs are an encouragement
and reminder to everyone like they are for me.
“I have a calling. There is a
purpose for my life. You are awesome,
you are faithful. Lord to see it
through, to see me through.”
“Unify
us, purify us, so that we will change the world.”
|
White Plains, NY - The storm that hit Westchester was indeed a tornado, according to the National Weather Service.