Indy07 - the week in review

Yes, it has taken me over two months to finally get this posted, but I was waiting on pictures, so it's not entirely my fault. This August, over 12,000 students attended national youth convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. With so many events to participate in, such as Fine Arts Festival, AIM outreach, Campus Tour, and evening services, you'd think that students would be worn out at the end of the day...but you would be wrong. It seemed as if their energy only increased as the week passed.
The week started out with a road trip. My car buddies were Kim and Mary and we came prepared for the eight hour trek. We had sing-a-longs and, of course, the snack food of champions - Flamin' Hot Cheetos.
On Monday we headed to the convention center to start setting up our store and exhibit booths. Unfortunately, the convention center policy is to not turn on the air conditioning until the actual convention begins. We spent over 10 hours setting up in the 90+ degree heat. We were not happy campers.
Tuesday was the official kick-off for Fine Arts and youth convention. The crowds were crazy and the excitement level was through the roof. The atmosphere in the exhibit hall was electric. Since the Campus Tour didn't start until the next day, Mary and I spent some time in the nym store helping out. Mary had the chance to lead some games and we had an amazing time.
Wednesday was the start of the Campus Tour. There were workshops in the morning for students and youth leaders who were interested in being campus missionaries and making an impact on their schools. The turnout was impressive and it was really exciting to watch teens get motivated to reach their unsaved classmates.
Thursday was full of more Campus Tour workshops and afternoon concerts. That night, after the evening service, was the annual PK Party for pastor's kids. This year's music was provided by a great band called Group 1 Crew. Their sound is kind of like the Black Eyed Peas. Their performances were so fun to watch and get into. They even took some time after the party to hang out with our staff and get some pictures.
Friday was definitely the highlight of the week. During the evening service, over 7,000 students made a commitment to become campus missionaries to their schools and reach out to unsaved classmates. They were even commissioned with the all-new FIRE BIBLE Student Edition. It was a powerful sight to watch a sea of students on the main floor of the RCA Dome - definitely a moment that I won't soon forget.
Over all, Indy07 was a huge success, but it was all because of God's favor and the hard work of so many people at nym. I have so many more stories that I could tell about the incredible ways that God worked, so if you want to hear them just let me know.