monday night. im at school in the lab writing this - trying to recall all my feelings and experiences from this last weekend - that i think was probably one of the most awesome, real, heart wrenching, challenging and just amazing weekends that i have ever had. i met some amazing people whom i connected with on a level that doesnt happen often in my life. meeting people who have the same exact heart that you do doesnt happen often. they teach you lots, make you think, help you pray better and more and give you more community than you ever thought possible. they even help to break your heart for other nations and peoples. we inherently need this. some of us may not know it - but we do. this is the kind of community that is spoken of in the acts. ok - so where to start. i will attempt to say some things tonight that i want to say - although i know for certain that i wont be able to recall it all. plus - none of you would finish reading the post.

rewind to wednesday night. i came to the lab to check some emails and blog a bit. i signed on to instant messenger - which most of you know i dont do tooo often anymore- and just started chatting with my friend shannon in the UK. see - i was really looking for hostels to stay in this weekend in dresden. my luck - and having found out so late about this gathering - there was no room at the inn. so shannon tells me that she is going to ask a friend of hers if she knows anyone in dresden that i can stay with. well it turns out that heidi is going to dresden as well and i can stay with her and another guy with a family there. this is 2 days before i leave. amazing. i stay with a family that is so gracious and loving and they let us all crash on their couch. answered prayers. community. amazing god. wow - so just a good start in general overall.

on the train - i am very nervous about the whole weekend. i know no one going - and i dont even know the people i am staying with. so i get off the train and start walking. i find the house no problem - and meet the family and so we go to the conference that night. just almost instantly i started meeting people. people from all over the uk, finland, spain, canada, germany, south africa, mexico, america, macedonia and so many other places. they are people who have basically dedicated their lives to jesus and his work and living in community with each other. real community. not going to church on sundays and wednesdays sitting in pews and soaking things up like sponges that we are not meant to be - but people who are really trying to live like jesus intends for us to live. i met people who had sold everything that they had (a family with 2 young kids - 2&4 i believe) and were traveling around to the ends of the earth doing missions, a guy who came from a family who while he was growing up lived with over 350 people that came through his parents house because they just loved jesus so much - they knew this was what he would have done, a few families who live in areas in their towns that no one else would care to go - because these people are exactly that. people. people created in christ's image and who we should not forget. instead of trying to live the suburbian utopia dream of most people - they choose to be broken every day for christ. to love these people so much that they can honestly see jesus in us. and not worry about the things that one day will be gone anyway.

i learned that from what christ did for us - there are some things that should happen. prayer should be the majority of our life. and from this comes naturally an outpouring of missions and justice. it is a way of life and the way we love other people is the way we love jesus. think about that for a second. the way we love others is the way we love christ. these are his people. just like you and i. made in his image and loved by him more that anything in the world. in fact he has a bias for these people. yep - jesus with a bias. it is true - and i intend to write more later on this. just look through your bible a bit and see all the verses dealing with the widows and poor people. yep - people. gods people. this is real community.

yeah - i had my heart changed this weekend. but it was good - and much needed. got a sense of the reality of the whole thing. and people the world over are much the same when we dont let ignorant things get in our way. so anyway - enough for now. more to come. i know you are sitting on the edge of your seat. my head is swirling. swirling really fast. but things are good. god definitly knows what he is doing.