In 2012, I took my first trip to volunteer at the Passion Conference in Atlanta, Georgia when my younger son was attending as a college student. The details of where we stayed, when we ate, how we managed to connect at the end of the day, and find each other during those very long four days escape me 13 years later. To be honest, the days were so long that I don’t even remember any of the details surrounding where we stayed or how we got to and from the airport.
What I do remember is that I was placed on what was referred to as the “Touch Team,” meaning I would have some sort of involvement in the everyday activities of the students. Initially I was placed in a group of about 50 people who would eventually be broken down into smaller groups, and then smaller, ones. And I’m not sure what those folks ended up doing for those four days, because when leaders asked for a volunteer, my arm shot straight up, despite the “Rita! You know better than to volunteer!” voices in my head that were immediately shouting at me to pull that arm right back down.
But I was soon moved across to the other side of the Georgia Dome where I became part of another group that was broken down into smaller groups, and then smaller again, given a lot of directions, and then broken down further and further until we were buddied up with one other person, and that’s when I met Sarah.
Sarah and I were given the task of standing at the top of a very large section of, if I had to guess, I’d say 300 seats each. We were to high-five and welcome every student coming into the Dome once the doors opened, and to be available to answer questions, point people in the direction of the food courts, restrooms, and different resources available, or anything else they might need. Sarah and I were positioned within waving distance from each other, but frequently would meet in the middle to chat, especially during sessions. In between the speakers, we walked up and down all the stairs, combed through every aisle, and were required to pick up all the junk left behind – kleenexes, drink cups, straws, wrappers, anything you can imagine. We had nothing to put it in, so we started at the bottom, and just picked up as much as we could, ran up the stairs to put it all in the trash bin, and then ran back down and started where we left off. We did this for several hours. The following day, we added “please take all of your garbage with you on the way out,” to each of our high-five’s. We went through a LOT of hand sanitizer.
On day two we were assigned an extra task for our time during the sessions. This time Sarah and I were to stand in the ladies room and hand out toilet paper to everyone waiting in line. This was supposed to help things run a little more efficiently, getting the girls in and out quicker, and back to their sessions so that they didn’t miss much. We wound up doing a lot more than handing out toilet paper, and I even remember helping one gal retrieve her cell phone out of the toilet. The bathroom ran out of soap, so Sarah and I began squirting hand sanitizer into their hands on the way out of the bathroom, then finding ourselves fresh out when we needed it after our trips up and down the stairs picking up garbage.
Yeah, it was a long four days, but I watched a young man stand up out of his wheelchair to worship, and I witnessed several people put their faith in Christ for the very first time. I ran into my cousin I hadn’t seen in many years in that bathroom while handing out toilet paper, and I also ate my very first Chick Filet sandwich. And despite both of us returning to our homes and coming down with what Sarah and I now refer to as “The Passion Flu,” I would hands-down, do it all over again. Okay, probably not the fishing-the-phone-out-of-the-toilet part, but honestly, if there’s anyone I’d stand four hours in a bathroom with to hand out toilet paper, it would definitely be Sarah.
It was years later that we both realized we’d each recorded one another’s phone numbers in our cells as “Rita Passion” and “Sarah Passion,” which is how we often refer to each other in fun.
If you’re anything like me, I’ll bet you can look back and see how God let you walk through some pretty disgusting junk, to come out the other side with a nugget of wisdom, or something special that can’t be mistaken for anything less than a gift from Him. Maybe it’s a job you’ve had to endure for a while before finally landing one you enjoy. Maybe it’s an illness, or a difficult family situation, or maybe you’ve just fallen on some really hard times. Don’t look to what is seen. Look to what is NOT seen. God is doing something – He’s ALWAYS doing something, and He often has to lead us through some pretty deep mud before we find our toes back in the sand.
That’s just how I feel about those grueling four days standing for 18 hours, running up and down the stairs and picking up some pretty disgusting stuff with my bare hands, and then coming down with the Passion Flu, which by the way, lingered for weeks!
My friend Sarah isn’t the only blessing God gave me after the Passion Flu – I also inherited her sister Ruth who feels just like a sister to me now. Not a day goes by that the three of us are not chatting back and forth with one another, and we’re always looking forward to our next visit, our next FaceTime, our next phone conversation, or our next conference.
Sarah and I continued to volunteer for a couple more years after that first Passion Conference we attended, but now she and her husband Mike open their home up for a group of college students who attend, so that they do not have to rent rooms in a hotel and can come home each night to a warm bed and a good meal. They are a kind and generous couple, and are now family to me.
You know the best part about Sarah and Ruth, their husbands and families? We all point each other to Jesus every chance we get. They are all evidence of God’s grace in my life, because I’m certain I’ve never had more faithful, kind, truthful, generous, or Jesus-y friends than them. And to think that our friendship started in a dirty stadium and a nasty bathroom… also proof that God leads us through gross places to bring us the sweetest gifts. It makes me gag and it makes me smile all at the same time. LOL And you know what? I’d do it all over again!
So the next time you tell God you’re “all in,” and are willing to be His hands and feet, and even offer to go anywhere He sends you… in the words of my old pal Jerry Carnill, “Well, buckle your seatbelt; it’s going to be an adventure.” And when you do, I pray that you never catch the Passion Flu, and especially that you don’t miss the miracle of friends who become family – the ETERNAL kind!
“Look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18 ESV
always enjoy your blogs