Heritage Missions Conference

One part of my job serving in Mobilization for our office is to attend Missions conferences at local Bible Colleges.  Recently, this allowed me to return to my alma mater.  I have not been back for global outreach week since I was a student there. It was fun to see some of the traditions that have continued, namely the annual international dinner and cake auction.  This is an event that the committee I was on started while I was a student at the school.  I remember that first year it was a rather pathetically attended evening, as we auctioned off cakes to raise money for students going on summer mission’s trips.   The grand total raised that first year was a measly 36 dollars.  I have no idea why we even tried it again the second year; but we did; and, over time, it has grown into one of the highlights of the week. This year, I was back on campus for the 20^th anniversary cake auction which raised almost 9 thousand dollars towards bursaries for students doing their internships overseas. I am so thankful to have gotten the chance to play a small part in this tradition that the Father has used to provide funds for a generation of students seeking to serve Him overseas.  But more than just eating cake, it was wonderful to be back on campus, interacting with young students who remind me of myself at that age, interested and eager for missions but so unsure of what is all involved.  These college visits have provided opportunities for me to share in panel discussions on culture, share how God has used something as simple as banana bread in my own ministry, and give seminars on willingly giving up our rights for the sake of the gospel.