We had an amazing week at New Life where about 500 children, student and family pastors came to Colorado Springs for The Gathering Conference.

I LOVED being a part of it!!!

Sunday

After church and Monday we met to set up the church. Nearly every classroom and hallway were decorated to welcome guests.

That evening at home, Paul fell down the stairs at a friends house. He came home crying. I was holding him and said, “It must have been scary falling down those steps.” He said, “No, sliding down the stairs was the FUN part! I LOVED that, but my back got banged at the end, and I cried.” (His back WAS bruised, but I’m thankful it wasn’t anything worse and that it was “fun” for him!)

Tuesday

Our team arrived in the morning to complete the last details before we welcomed everyone to the conference. I helped check people in from all over the country – lots of people came from California, the Pacific North West, Minnesota, and Texas!

The day started with music by Jon Egan –  It’s always good when Jon’s leading!

Then Michelle Anthony, Pastor Brady Boyd, and Megan Marshman all spoke on doing “life together.”

That night after dinner, everyone came back to our main auditorium where it was full of “stations.” There was an area with comfy couches where men and women could just sit and pray and receive “comfort” from God. They wrote prayer requests and attached them to the wall, pictured below:

I helped at the “Be Encouraged” station. God often uses others to encourage you. What we did at this station was sit together in small groups. Each group had a jar of questions. We pulled out a question, read it out loud and answered the question as a way for us to get to know each other and “encourage” each other. One person pulled a question that asked, “What’s bringing you the most joy right now?” Each person went around and answered, but the last person responded, “Nothing. I have a hard time finding joy in anything right now.” One lady suggested we stop and pray for her. The group prayed the most beautiful prayers for her. Another person told her, “I’ve been where you are, I’d like to exchange phone numbers so I can help you through this.” I know this lady arrived struggling to find joy, but left encouraged.

Group after group “encouraged” each other with their stories.

After we met as a group, they were to write something on the board. Here’s a glimpse of the “God encourages” board:

The night was POWERFUL! It was scheduled from 7-9PM, but people were there until 10!

That night I fell into bed.

Wednesday

I got up early with my boys, got their breakfasts and lunches made, backpacks ready, and went back to church for another full and beautiful day.

Today our team performed a dance together that we’d been working on for a couple of months.

That day all the conference participant could choose “breakout sessions.” There were about 30 classes on all different topics.

I was with Dr. Jim Burns. He spoke on balancing family, marriage and work.

We had a DONUT WALL in the morning and chocolate fondue for everyone in the afternoon!

That night I made it home to spend some time with my family and tuck them all into bed with a song and a prayer.

Thursday

Pastor Daniel Grothe spoke to the entire group, then everyone chose a breakout session to attend.

I led one on Growing your Volunteer Team which went well!

We closed the conference with a “remember and celebrate” time where we reflected on our time together and celebrated a few people – one person’s birthday, another person just becoming a parent, another person won a free ticket for next year’s conference!

After everyone left, I went home to change. I had arrived that morning wearing a dress and sandals. I had not looked at the weather forecast – it was snowing outside. I was so cold that I changed into wool socks, pants, and a turtleneck. I brought two boys back to church with me for clean up and tear down.

That night our team had a “remember and celebrate” dinner downtown. The conference was phenomenal and we loved getting to relax, laugh and reflect on some of the things we learned and conversations that happened throughout the week.

Michelle Anthony gave each of us a box of cereal that represented who we are to her. She gave me a box of Smores. This cereal box is one of the sweetest gifts I’ve ever recieved. So much thought and love went into it! Click here to see what she said. 

Friday

I wasn’t feeling well today but needed some time with my boys. Luke wanted me to hold him all morning – just to be sure I didn’t leave his sight.

I asked if we could lay on the couch together and watch a movie. I told him I needed to rest because I wasn’t feeling well. He ran and brought me an ice pack and then didn’t stop talking to me through the entire movie. I didn’t get much rest, but we did get to snuggle and “chat.”

That evening I went to church and Ted took George to his piano recital, then met me at church.

It was such a fun and full week, but I was sure I had logged 100 hours. When I checked the time clock, I’d only worked 41 hours. That’s what a lot of moms do every week. It gave me a brand new appreciation for moms that work full time. I’m so thankful that I have a job that I enjoy, and co-workers who are incredible.

I’m also EXTREMELY grateful to Ted for carrying a LOT of the extra load this week so I could be a part of the conference!

Saturday

We had soccer in the morning. George scored the winning (and only) goal for his team!

That evening we had someone take pictures of our family for an article that will soon be published in a local magazine. I’ll let you know when it’s out and send you the link if it’s online.

That’s my week – how was yours?