Monday January 14, 2008
Vanagon Odometer: 175,183
The unknown is upon us, and we couldn't be more excited!!! Chad and I are officially on the road this Vanagon is like a highlighter on the highway! You have to check out the CATALYST VANAGON VIDEO to see what we're talking about ...
Change of plans, ALREADY?!
We all know that planning for a road trip can sometimes be like planning for the weather - there's always elements that are out of your control. And when you're rolling in an old VW Vanagon you've got to just put on your raincoat and smile, cause the storm is coming! We got a late start to our trip today and had to postpone our face-to-face meeting with Tony Morgan and the crew from New Spring Church in Anderson, SC. Tony, we're so sorry we missed you but hope to see you sometime later this spring. Even though we weren't able to see Tony he offered to jump on the phone with us so we could try to catch a brief glimpse of his story and what the Lord is doing at New Spring Church - amazing guy, amazing story.
Tony Morgan, New Spring Church(phone conversation)Tony Morgan is the Chief Strategic Officer for New Spring Church and has been on staff for almost one year. He is an incredibly articulate writer and has one of the best blogs online:Tony Morgan Live. I wanted to share one quick highlight from Tony's response to a question we asked him about the enormous growth of their church (from a campus bible study to over 8,000 in seven years) and how they remain so successful at reaching their community one person at a time. Tony's response was illuminating - in contrast to an emphasis on programs and events Perry Noble, Sr, Pastor of New Spring, has narrowed their leadership team's focus. They have two anchor points for their mission - connection centered around spiritual disciplines and connection centered around serving in the community. They do two things, and they do them well.So much more to share about our time with Tony - we hope to get a chance to meet him soon.
EVENING - an unplanned, last minute connectionAnderson UniveristyWe found out that we weren't going to be able to meet with Tony before we left Atlanta which made us think about staying at home one more night before starting this crazy road trip. Would we sleep in our own beds and delay our departure? NO WAY! We left without knowing if we were going to get a chance to connect with anyone. But within 30 minutes Chad was on the phone with Greg Allgood getting directions so that we could meet him an an Anderson University basketball game (Go Trojans!) Greg is the campus ministry leader for Anderson Univeristy and oversees a unified mission among 5 campus ministries (Campus Crusade, FCA, and three others). It seemed that every student that walked by stopped to talk to Greg; this guy has a huge heart for these students.
Greg shared with us that his goal is to raise up leaders who graduate from college equipped to impact and influence their sphere of influence for the Lord. How is he doing this? Greg has Juniors and Seniors mentoring Freshman and Sophomores ... and some of these Freshman are invited to join their leadership team as a way to help them learn leadership firsthand. It's a mentoring program that has been working for several years now.SLEEPING IN THE VANAGON?! Tonight, Chad and I were faced with another crucial decision testing our road trip loyalty - to accept one of the MANY offers of a free place to stay for the night or stay true to the call and sleep in the Vanagon? hmmm ... warm bed or a foam pad? Insulation and heat or cloth fabric separating us from sub freezing temperatures? Are you kidding me?! It was a no brainer ... we did what every single one of you would have done - we chose the Vanagon! Parked in the Wal-Mart parking lot Chad and I finally got to sleep around 2AM. Tuesday we will drive to Gold's Gym, catch a quick shower, and then head to Greenville, SC. Day one is officially complete, no turning back now!
GOOD NIGHT! We will try to keep the updates coming at least every two days ... sorry for the delay on this one; it's been pretty crazy out here on the road. So far, we've received emails and responses from MANY of you offering your take on the best road trip snack & drink combo - I think tomorrow I might try Reese's Pieces and a Monster Energy Drink, haven't had one of those yet.
Hey, find us on Facebook or email us your favorite road trip song... Chad is tired of me singing and we want to hear some of your favorites!!!
LV's email - lv.hanson@catalystspace.com
