Small Group #wa2015

This is my small group, coming from Kenya, Denmark, UK, South Africa, New Zealand, USA and Nepal, and including folk who were at World Assembly as students, national movement and IFES staff, national movement board members and interpreters, we had a lot of fun together. For the sharp eyed among you, yes, I am holding a vuvuzela! This photo was taken after we had done the official passing on of the baton from Compa Mexico (current IFES World Assembly hosts) to SCO South Africa, who will be hosting the next World Assembly (in Durban, my home town!). Mamodike, who is to my left here, is one of their board members, and had brought a vuvuzela to blow during the celebrations! Such a lovely group of people. Sadly I was only there half the time, but really enjoyed getting to know them even just a little. Hopefully lots of the African movements will be able to bring large delegations, which for visa and cost reasons, few of them were able to do this time.

It was a wonderful last day, with a lot of laughter, a few tears and many inspiring words! Oh, and a last swim and chat round the table with Eurasian friends. We were told by one of the speakers, a Brazilian who works in Italy, that the Latin Americans voted Eurasia the party region, which seemed quite a compliment to us! Tomorrow I will have to cope on about 2.5 hours of sleep due to a late night and an early start, but it was all worth it!

It has been such a privilege to be here, to spend time with old friends, make new ones and to hear so many stories of what God is doing in and through students all over the world, some of which I will take joy in sharing over the next few months in various resources we produce, and others which we can't tell to protect Christians in places where their faith makes them a target. Munther Isaac, a Palestinian lecturer at Bethlehem Bible College who preached in one of our main sessions, made a very challenging statement when he preached the other day, saying that 'the goal of faithful witness is not our safety. It is God's glory.' I have met a good number of people who face that challenge on a daily basis. In my own life it's not a question of safety, but I do have to ask myself how faithful my witness and just how much God's glory is seen through me. I fear it is not remotely close to how much they should be!