The Urbana Experience

Urbana 2012 was quite the experience, there was praise, there was worship, there were lessons to be learnt, and messages to be heard. Throughout the trip I kept a bit of a journal along the way, hopefully it'll give you a bit of insight of what i went through and what i got out of it.













Dec 27 - 9:53am

Bus Ride







Ugh it's like this bus hasn't stopped running for ages. But we're almost there! Twenty or so more kilometers until destination unless I read wrong. What a bus ride. 14 hours, we've had quite the delays, but PTL we're alive and safe. First, being pulled over by the cops for careless driving, then being stuck in the snow for a good five minutes, falling two hours behind schedule, but we're en route ! Yipppeeee !! Thankfully I could fall asleep, or this would have been so much longer, especially with my hunger pains, a growing headache and my half numb butt. Quite the change in weather too... We left Richmond Hill in a snow storm and until like 7am we were still driving in like full on snow, everything covered and now it's practically spring... Green grass not the slightest bit of snow to be found... Wonder what the temperature is like outside. Got a full day ahead of us! Onward ! FIRST BUS HERE.





Dec 27 - 11:45pm

Day One





Opening ceremonies ! Quite amazing! The worship was crazy, sang "revelation song" in Spanish, French, English and Mandarin ! Quite crazy. Pretty good, I'm excited for all the seminars to come!





Dec 28 - 10:39pm

Day Two





Technically it's the official first full day of Urbana but it's the second day we're here! Urbana is actually pretty awesome I must say, it's like an overblown TC, the worship is amazing, just making you get up and dance. The feeling of having like over 16 000 believers singing in one voice, praising God is just something else. You gotta come next time. I think you'll really like it.





Here's how a normal day works, morning breakfast, bible study at 9:30, morning session at 11, seminars at 2 and 3:30, dinner and an evening session at 7:30, at first I thought it was pretty spaced out but I was so wrong.





Here are my top three lessons/notes:

1. Society has reduced Christ to something so much smaller, we really don't realize his majesty and power.

2. A call is heard, not felt. You can't just say "I didn't feel like God called me". At the same time, is a call necessary to go? No, but a call is necessary to stay.

3. Christ is worth losing everything for, he is infinitely satisfying.





Dec 30 - 12:09am

Day Three





What a tiring day. So drowsy all the day long, but I got through it. There wasnt much too different from what happened yesterday, just different lessons, passages and seminars. It's so difficult to concentrate when you're tired.





I went to my two seminars, one was a q&a sharing with the vocalists on the worship team, who by the way are amazing, whether if it was singing in different languages or inviting others to experience God, they do their job really well. I learnt that being a musician and being a worship leader are completely different, it's about the heart, not the skill, if you have the heart to lead others to experience Christ, you're good to go!





Second seminar was on homosexuality, it was so heavy in context big words and everything. I wrote three pages of notes, but a big thing I got out of it was that instead of aligning my identity and behaviors to my values and beliefs one should be aligning my values / beliefs to my identity and behavior. The question to ask is one ultimately heading towards or away from Jesus?





Lastly, we packed 32000 health medical kits tonight! The most ever packed by world vision. We made these kits to help those in Swaziland, they have the highest rate of AIDS, people are constantly dying. Imagine, the two towers, 9/11 happening twice a day, seven days a week, all year round, that's the devastation going on.





I've been constantly reminded of relying on God, and I want to commit fully and be sent out and used yet there's a small part of me that wants to hold back, but when I come to think of it, a) what is there to live for? Everything is going to fail you, what will a successful and comfortable life get you? b) why not do something bigger, leaving a legacy in the world, and making a change? There's nothing to lose.





Dec 30 - 10:51pm

Day Four





I've completely lost track of time, not knowing which day of the week it is, but it's actually the second last day of the conference! That's crazy! But I'm thankful because I'm slowly losing strength and energy ahha.





Anyways, highlights of the day, heading to my seminars they both ended up being such hits that I had to sit and listen from outside the room because there was no space. The first one was The Daily life of a Disciple making Disciple, and then Reading the Bible with Joy.



Tonight was decision night and I made the decision to a) recommit my life to Christ, b) invite someone who isn't a believer to study Luke with me, c) go on a short and mid term missions trip 0-2 years.





God revealed a lot to me today, here are my top three points!

- NOTHING on this earth is worth living for except for The Lord Jesus Christ. On he will infinitely satisfy. This is the main push behind my reason on missions. Do you want to live a life of legacy, changing and saving lives, or living in a life of comfort, good money and good career? None of that lasts, so why not do something bigger and better?

- is the word stopping or spreading through you? Are you receiving or reproducing the gospel? Are you keeping it to yourself or sharing it with others?

- The Parable of the Sower: (in a "how to read the bible point of view) not deep enough roots = lack of trust/faith in his word. Thorns = choked by the distractions of the world, always pre occupied, unable to focus on the word.





Tomorrows the last day of the year! May God change my life and speak to me in the new year!





Jan 1st - 12:47pm

Day Five





Last final day of Urbana, final day of the year, and this was it. We were fortunate enough to wake up an extra half an hour late, and again went through the typical day, with sessions, but no seminars. We did get to meet up with the other 15 Guelph students who also went and we all got to share and pray with each other about our experiences.





I think what stood out to me the final few days was the worship. It was during these moments that were truly uplifting, and felt so different. It was real, it was an invitation, it was an encounter with God. I don't know what it was, the fact that 16 000 people were praising God with one voice, or the words that just were so real, or whatever, I could feel God. In fact last night, there were times where I'd be singing my heart out, and yet I felt like i couldn't do anything more to get closer, I felt like I hit a wall or something. Not saying it's a bad thing, but I just felt so close to him, and I yearned to be wrapped in his arms, desired his love, and wanted to praise him more and more. I also learnt how to break free. Whether if it was through dance, the clapping, the whole raising your hand business, so many times my mind kept thinking, people may be watching or judging but after a while, when it got so real and I was able to push myself towards breaking out, it finally happened, to let go completely, not care and praise God whole-heartedly. It kinda sucked because there wasnt enough room to full break out and dance.





Brought in the new year with music and praise, and after such a celebration it was time to head home, time to be sent out into our respective worlds and mission fields, and share God's will. Coming on the bus ride home now, and thinking through my experience, I do feel changed by God. Ive been spoken to by Him. Something is different.





I'm excited to go home, begin to discover the journey to becoming a missionary of God, locally and/or globally, to whip out my Urbana cd and praise Him, and apply everything I've learnt to my daily life.





No more shackles, no more chains, no more bondage, I am free. God has set me free and I'm ready to live for Him.

verse of the day: Matthew 28:19-20

¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”