Everyone is excited about this convention

   

The press has published many reports about this week's events. And yet there are still people stopping us on the streets to inquire about what's going on this week.  In fact, on our way to dinner tonight, a restaurant worker stopped our group to ask about the badges.  He said he knew something big was going on in town.  Wish we had those invitations with us.

And then, on our way back to the hotel, a group of young people stopped us to ask us why we were there.  I guess curiosity got the best of them as they had obviously seen many of the delegates walking around town all night.  And they seemed genuinely excited to find out about the convention and even asked what time it will be held tomorrow.  Where's an invitation when you need one?  Won't it be amazing if they actually show up tomorrow.  Just another reminder to stay in our dress clothes after the program - people notice!

Speaking of noticing, Samone spotted a young girl at the convention.  She has worn the same dress for the past two days. And Samone has always seen her by herself. For some reason, this has impelled Samone to perform a random act of kindness. Can't wait to see the exchange tomorrow!

Speaking of Samone and gift giving, we are all now on a mission to help Samone distribute the many generous gifts her congregation and other friends have sent.  We've got two different kinds of bookmarks, bow ties, hair bows, and bible ribbons.  And since she still has about half of what she brought (and we only have one more day), we are having a 2 for 1 clearance at the convention tomorrow.  

One of the illustrations used during the baptism talk really resonated with me. Likened our life of dedicated service to that of a tight rope walker.  Baptism is the first step and although it is an important one, it's just the beginning. We need to take the same kind of care with each consecutive step in order to be successful in our walk with God.  Congratulations to our new brother, Corey McCloud!  So glad we got to see your baptism even though we are over 4200 miles away right now. Thanks for connecting us via FaceTime, Paula.