The National Gathering for our beloved VDC begins this week at Augustana College in Illinois! To me attending a national weekend is like an extension of my own weekend when I went through. Fellowship, Worship, listening to talks on the Christian life and the VDC life…it’s awesome.
Do you remember your weekend? Remember the feelings, the fear and trepidation melting in to incredible joy at the end of the weekend? I remember my table, I remember outdoor worship by a lake, I remember the surprises of Palanca and I remember the incredible service. I mean there were guys outside with flashlights, holding doors open and bringing drinks to the table. The food was incredible. On the Saturday of my weekend, at lunch time, one guy ate 7 sloppy joe sandwiches! (we had a little impromptu contest…and he survived the rest of the weekend).
In preparing to go to the National gathering I ran across my team roster and photo. Tears of great joy because I don’t think I’ve ever felt as close to the Lord as I did that weekend. A few of the guys have gone onto their 5th day and I grieve their loss. Others have dropped off the radar and I’ve never seen them since to serve together on a team. I wonder why I’ve not contacted them and I know life gets in the way, time goes by.
Coming to a National VDC event is as close to my original weekend as I will ever get! I feel it sometimes when I serve on a team, but when you gather with brothers and sisters from all over the country it’s pretty incredible. If you are reading this and are coming I look forward to being with you. If you are reading this and not coming I invite your prayers for us, that all might be renewed and inspired to serve the Lord in our Via de Cristo ministry. And you can know that we who gather will be praying for you!
GLYASDI,
Pr. Doug
National SD
Eric is our current Webmaster and works on the NLS Communications Team. Raised in Judaism, he found Christ and the New Testament at age 16 in a Southern Baptist Church. He searched many denominations for the real church, only to find the Holy Spirit is present in all of them. He's worked for One for Israel, a group of native Israeli believers who are sharing the gospel in the holy land in Hebrew and is part of the only Hebrew speaking seminary in Israel.
