World Mandate West

This past weekend we took close to 60 people from our church out to San Diego for 

the first annual World Mandate West!

World Mandate is a missions conference started by Antioch Waco many years (20+?) ago, 

which was reproduced in Boston several years ago (World Mandate East).

It's always a weekend full of passionate worship, 

stirring, inspiring speakers from the mission field, 

sweet time worshipping and growing with friends,

and powerful times of prayer and hearing from God for our lives.

My first World Mandate was in 2004 when I was a sophomore at BC.

My eyes were opened to God's greater plan for the world, 

and my heart was set on fire to see the lost saved, 

and I tasted for the first time the truth that the local church is the hope of the world.

The pastors at All People's Church (Antioch church in San Diego) have had it on their hearts 

to bring World Mandate out to the west coast.  

Totally perfect that it happened the first year of us being out here!

So many people signed up to go that we cancelled church last Sunday.

We caravanned across Arizona (about a 6 hr drive), 

through the Arabian-like deserts, 

and into sunny Southern California for a great weekend.

Many lives and hearts got changed, 

and God showed up.

The thing I get most excited about being a part of Antioch

is that I'm a part of something so much bigger than myself, 

and I'm giving my life (or trying) to see God's purposes for the earth be accomplished through the 

local church, and I'm doing it alongside so many amazing men and women.

So I was super excited for all these new believers and newcomers to our church

get a taste of this bigger-than-ourselves movement of God.

World Mandate East was held in Waltham, MA the same weekend!

Part of our team got to Skype in and say hi to the conference Sunday morning.

That was so fun and sweet!
We couldn't see anyone, but they could see us.  Our old pastor, Sean, asked us questions, 

and Travis answered for us as we stood there smiling :)

I can't believe we have been gone for 8 months.  Almost a year.

I miss my friends in Boston, but there is a peace and purpose that comes with following the will of God 

for your life.  (It also helps to have my family living there--so I will always return!)

I only got one picture, on Andy's iPhone:

Ocean Beach, San Diego