Collide 2006 Memories

These past couple of weeks at work I've been plugging away through the Winter Conference 2006 evaluations. After students and staff returned home from the conference, we sent them a link for an online survey to fill out with questions about the conference.
I can have my opinions about what went well and what needs to be improved at the conference from a behind the scenes perspective, but these surveys give a perspective from "inside" the conference so to speak.
I wanted to share what some students had to say about their experiences. I hope you will feel encouraged and excited about what God is doing in the lives of college students in the Northwest!
Here are some answers to the question: "What was the most significant or meaningful thing God did in your life at the conference?"

-He opened up my heart and helped me release a lot of things I've been holding onto and blessed me with amazing friends to help me sort through my heart! I was freed from captivity!

-For me, God really moved and called me out on how I had stopped really living for Him. I would ask for guidance and seek Him, but my heart just wasn't willing to submit to His will. It sounds funny, but I would ask for Him to show me where He wants me, but probably wasn't willing to go there. I guess he just broke my heart up little by little, by the time I was driving home I was seriously willing to surrender myself to Him and follow as He leads. My prayer is that that heart remains in me for a lifetime.

-He touched my heart and I found Him again!!! I collided with Jesus.

-God really taught me about how to fully live for Him. How to take the idea of the American Dream out of my idea of the perfect picture and replace that with the goal of completely giving my life to God and realizing that everything I have is His. I have no reason to have more than others.

While at conference, students took one day as a "Day of Outreach". This year, they were spread all over Portland - doing yard work in neighborhoods, working at homeless shelters, and even giving socks to homeless people living on the streets all while trying to share the love of Christ through words and actions. Here are some experiences students had on this day:

-My group fed the homeless under a bridge in Portland. It was a humbling experience and great o have conversations with them. My experience there carried over later on that night when I met a woman who was in need of financial help and prayer.

-I had the opportunity to hand out socks in Chinatown. It was a neat experience to see the people in the cold with nothing, but they were all so thankful for the socks...I think that even my providing them with warmth God's love definitely shined through.

-It was so humbling and fulfilling to be able to serve those people whom I would not normally think of serving. what an excellent opportunity to expand the minds of all students and open them to the myriad of ministry possibilities.

-It was a positive experience in forcing myself to step out of my comfort zone. I was able to witness the faith of my other brothers and sisters, which helped me listen more to what God's will is for my life. I experienced the Holy Spirit and was humbled by talking with the homeless and listening to their stories. Our God is truly AMAZING!

Our God is amazing and what's even more amazing is how He can take the shell of the conference we planned and put together and breathe life into it, to make it something students remember for a lifetime.