One more sleep to go!!!

Off to Soul Survivor in the morning - need to be at EMBC at 6am!!! Apparently according to some of the guys the trick is not to wake up fully. That way you can go back to sleep as soon as your bus starts off. Me, I'm too excited to go back to sleep! Usually I'm too excited to sleep to well the night before at all!!

Not sure of the final numbers of 'us' yet, but reckon maybe 58 or so. Think that equates to three mini-buses in the end, a car (with an extra two coming later) and a van. This year we're splitting into 'Tribes' to look get duties done and make sure people are looked after. Is a great idea, know it will work well.

So, what am I looking forward to and so excited about? Well, love this week because of the oppertunity it is to worship the Triune God and catch a glimpse of God's glory, God's power and God's heart. Every meeting we go to something happens. The Spirit falls and God's glory, grace and power are manifest - in both visible ways and invisible ways. You're left in awe and wonder, sometimes face down, others times dancing in the aisles. In the course of the week you find yourself moved to tears and weeping in repentance as well as laughing with joy and assurance of God's very presence with you. Every year we see young people apprehensive at first either come to know Jesus for the first time, recommit their lives to Him, or explode in worship in a new-found way. While its primarily for the young folks we go with, each year God in all His goodness does as much in leaders as He does with the youth.

I'm looking forward to the seminars. Getting a chance to hear thoughts on things you don't always. Hearing voices who think differently than you and challenge your perceptions, or at times think in similar ways and you realise perhaps your not crazy after all, or the only one hearing God speak this word at this time for this season.

I'm looking forward to the time together. I'm looking forward to the time to catch up with specific friends over coffee (and perhaps cake), some of whom I see all the time here so will be nice to have some 'deeper' chats, some of whom I rarely see because they live so far away so will be nice to spend time with face-to-face as opposed to only on the phone. I'm looking forward to the time we spent together as a YF group. Tents, meals together, games in the afternoon, sitting around chatting ... we care for each other, love each other, encourage each other, pray for each other - and when we come home we build on that and continue to do all that stuff.

Yahey, only one more sleep to go. Tell you what happens when I come back ... I'm so excited, I'm so excited, I'm so excited!!!