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LPL - Stockton, California

Melanie - June 29, 2009 - Comments (0)

Living Proof Live - Stockton from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.

Last year at Living Proof Live in San Antonio, Melanie and I were about to leave for LPL on Saturday morning when Beth Moore and her daughter Amanda walked into the hotel lobby. They were as cheerful and kind as they always are, but I noticed that Amanda was carrying a pretty good-sized box that had definitely seen better days. I think my expression pretty much screamed "What in the sam hill is THAT?," and Amanda smiled and said, "It's Mom's fan."

Since Melanie and I had spent a substantial portion of the previous night wide awake because we'd both forgotten to pack our sound machines (ALL THE QUIET WAS ABSOLUTELY DEAFENING), I found some comfort in the fact that Beth likes to have a fan running when she sleeps. And while I thought that it must get a little inconvenient for her to haul that fan on a plane, I figured that given how much she travels, she must have her packing down to a science. And I didn't think anything else about it.

Until I went to Pittsburgh. And discovered the red box.

Because LOOK WHAT I FOUND INSIDE!

Beth's fan!

According to the event team, when they first started doing LPL events, Beth would arrive with a GINORMOUS suitcase even though she was only going to be in a city for around 24 hours. The event team wondered what in the world she was packing - how many wardrobe options could one girl need? - but then they realized her suitcase was so huge because SHE WAS PACKING A TWENTY-INCH BOX FAN IN HER SUITCASE.

So the event team decided that, in light of the fact that a fan that size pretty much wipes out any possibility of only packing a carry-on bag, it might be easier if they assumed the fan-transport responsibilities.

Beth has told the event girls that she really doesn't have to have the big honkin' fan, that something small and compact would work just as well. But I think that for the LifeWay crew, the big fan is a bit of a tradition. It travels in the red box to every single event, and it stays wherever Beth stays, and then it's returned to its red box home on Saturday mornings.

So there you have it. All of the red box-related information you never knew you wanted. Except for one thing that I just thought of right this second, and OH MY WORD I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner.

Do y'all think that fan is somehow part of Beth's secret for achieving maximum hair volume?

I think we may be on to something.

Living Proof Live Stockton - Friday

Sophie - June 27, 2009 - Comments (5)

Thanks, Rich, for the incredible photos!

And don't forget to check Twitter for updates (in addition to @lifewaywomen, you can follow @cottrelltravis, @bobonickalonick, @vjproctor, @amycato, @alexiscruz and @kevperry for all sorts of behind-the-scenes fun).

Going beyond

Melanie - June 26, 2009 - Comments (2)

This weekend I'm heading to Great Hills Baptist Church in Austin, Texas to hear Priscilla Shirer speak. I've heard Priscilla speak at a few Deeper Stills, but have never been to one of her Going Beyond events.

I can't wait to hear what she has to say because, not only does Priscilla always have an incredible message, she presents it in an incredibly powerful way. She is just a gifted communicator.

I'll be checking back in with some updates about the event but, if you're going to be anywhere near Austin, you should totally check it out for yourself.

The volunteers

Sophie - June 25, 2009 - Comments (5)

I'm sure that at some point I'll move on to topics other than Living Proof Live in Pittsburgh, but I still have SO MUCH STUFF to tell y'all.

(By the way, there's an LPL in Stockton, CA this weekend.)

(Melanie and I won't be there, but we'd love to hear from you if you will be.)

(Anyway.)

One of the things I'd never really considered about an event like Living Proof is that at some point the volunteers have to be trained. Whether they're working with special needs attendees, distributing worship guides or ministering to women who need encouragement, the volunteers really are the unsung heroes of any LifeWay Women event.

So here's how it works.

At a pre-arranged time on the day of the event, the volunteers check in at the event site, head down to the arena floor and meet as a group with the event coordinator. In Pittsburgh the event coordinator was Amy Cato. Amy is calm, organized, upbeat - and did I mention that she's calm? I never saw her even remotely flustered throughout the whole event, even when there were unexpected hiccups.

In Pittsburgh, Amy thanked the volunteers for their willingness to serve, gave them some basic instructions, prayed with them - and then the volunteers split off into groups to get some more specific instructions.

The encouragers in Pittsburgh - who were fortunate enough to wear the beautiful blue vests - had the added bonus of getting a sassy vest-related fashion show from Kaye.

The city coordinator and her volunteers are such a critical part of each and every event, and the work they do ministers to so many. It was cool to get a glimpse of how LifeWay incorporates those women into the event team - and to see how truly eager they were to serve.

Have you ever volunteered at an event? What was your experience like? Or if you haven't volunteered, have you ever thought about it?