Urbana Missions Conference, St. Louis

The first day of the conference, we piled into the Edward Jones Dome, and were a little bit late. We arrived in a packed stadium, filled with 22,000 students praising the Lord. It was like an endless sea of people, and what was so amazing was that these are all people who follow Jesus- who want to do more for God. It was more than just a collection of people. It was a union of students from all walks of life, and from all churches from all over North America, a the visible "body of Christ".

The theme of the event is “Live a Life Worthy of the Calling”- asking for what God’s purpose and plan is for us, based on the book of Ephesians.

(Here we are, eating porridge that is fed to 2/3rd world. Money saved from this meal went to relief missions.)


Urbana allowed me to experience just how God can be so amazing. How His Spirit can move so powerfully. It showed me that giving our life to Jesus meant total freedom, total renewal, and total empowerment. That there is significance and victory in turning towards Jesus. That being missional can mean pain and sacrifice, but it is what we are called to be as humans.

(My friend, Angela, singing with the Chorale de Reconciliation)


I experienced God at work in ways I never thought possible. First: the idea of living simply, living as a steward of God. Shane Claibourne spoke about how there is a major imbalance of wealth, and that we need to move against the injustice caused by the excesses of 1st world consumption. “There is enough in this world to meet our needs, but not enough to satisfy our greed.”

I was touched by the speakers who spoke out against racism. The need for reconciliation is huge here in the States, and we need a multi-ethnic, multi-national, multi-lingual perspective. How should I respond when it comes to bridging the gap between cultures?

There is AIDS- the one pandemic that requires urgent action. Princess Zulu gave a stirring speech. U2's Bono gave a personal video message.

The question is now what is my calling? And how do I live a life that is worthy of that calling? I believe that God is calling me to urban missions. I felt drawn to topics like monasticism, homelessness, house churches, community, and relational evangelism.