International Day 2012 Recap

International Day 2012 looked a little different this year than in years past. Roughly eighteen hours prior to this year's event, our leadership team was faced with the decision to move locations due to a threat of severe weather hitting the Ozarks on Thursday afternoon. Tracy, Randy, and other leaders sought the counsel of local weathermen and made the choice to move the event indoors to Remington's in Springfield, MO. What could have been a stressful eighteen hours, turned into a wonderful picture of the body of Christ working together to show His love to all people and accomplish a goal.

We had hundreds of students come, and despite the darkness that loomed outside during the rainstorm, Remington's was lit up with new friendships and an excitement among students from all over the world.

The students enjoyed a wonderful meal prepared by amazing volunteers.







Local businesses including the Springfield Police Force set up information tables to answer questions and inform the international students of what Springfield has to offer.





Also campus ministries were able to showcase their group and hopefully gain many more members for the upcoming school year!




Entertainment kicked off with the Red Bridge Bluegrass Band using their talents in Bluegrass music to give these students a little taste of the Ozarks through music!

Following the band a local ballet company, Petra Ballet, did a short performance featuring native dances from across the world. The students loved seeing the different types of dance!





Ending the evening, Real Encounter Ministries demonstrated the extreme talent of two of their BMX riders on an indoor ramp. These guys did flips, tricks, and jumps and were for sure a crowd favorite!




The event was a great success and we look forward to maintaining the friendships formed and seeing how God uses this event to energize the local church and community in welcoming all people to enjoy the Ozarks.

 Thank YOU for your prayers and support for the event. This event was not a success because of the efforts of man, but because of hundreds of prayers and amazing partners that allowed us to function underneath God's blessing!

Check back with us next week to learn more about Remington's and the amazing crew that allowed International Day to happen!

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(Photographs by Matt Douglas)