GC 2015

In July, Chris, Katy, and I went to our first General Conference of the Seventh Day Adventist Church.  It was like going to the Disney World version of church - feeling exhausted and excited at the same time due to thousands of people, a lot of walking, and too much to see.

Chris' meal on the way to GC. It was very
un-Adventist.

The exhibit halls surpassed my expectations in both size and quality.  There were so many booths and so many old friends wondering through the space that it became overwhelming.

Part of one of 3 exhibit halls.  

It was very cool to be in such a large city surrounded by so many fellow Adventists.  The Adventists were everywhere.  There were so many Adventists that some coworkers of mine who also traveled to San Antonio while GC was taking place noticed the lack of hotel rooms and the crowds of well-dressed people all over the place.

One of the Alamodome meetings.  Lots of people!

The sense of belonging among the crowds was most impressive after evening and Sabbath services, when a seemingly never-ending stream of people filled the closed streets between the Alamodome and the convention center.  I have never seen such a large, orderly movement of people in the middle of a busy city.  

Standing in the constant stream of Adventists Friday evening.

Of course, the result of thousands of Adventists from around the world overtaking downtown San Antonio was comical at times as well.  It was funny to see so many people in church clothes among the summer tourists, especially considering the summer heat.  I saw several foreigners walking around in suits and oversized cowboy hats, perhaps thinking that their Texas souvenirs helped them blend in.  On Friday afternoon, I saw a group from Africa attempt to prepay for their lunch at a restaurant the following Saturday.  The poor girl at the front kiosk had a difficult time explaining why this arrangement was not possible.   Also on Friday, Chris went shopping at a downtown department store for some dress clothes.  The store was ridiculously crowded with other Adventists.  When Chris asked a sales person about the crowds, the sales person said it started when "they arrived."   On the final evening of meetings, I saw a group of people standing in the Alamodome chatting next the scooter parking area.  One of the ladies had draped her sweater over the edge of the "scooter parking" sign so as to cover the "s" in "scooter parking."  Unfortunately, the group standing next to to the sign was comprised entirely of women.

Heather shared a women's ordination button with Katy.

With all the crowds, Chris and I were happy to get away for a while and spend some time at my cousin Matt's house.  It was a nice break from GC.

At Matt's pool. 

With Matt and Harry.

Katy tries the timeout chair at Matt's house.

Timeout is funny.

Katy did fabulously well with the changes in her routine while we were at GC and even slept all night in her travel crib, which prompted me to start using her crib at home as well.  For a baby who started out sleeping in bed with mom, I am very proud of her relatively short transition to sleeping through the night in her own bed.  She's a keeper.

We ran into Brian!

With some Scenic Hills Pathfinders.

One of our favorite families.