I have this habit of going to meetings and conferences by myself. Not that I dislike going with friends, it's just that calenders and personal schedules make it difficut to make a group trips happen. So I sometimes make the trip flying - well, driving solo.
This week marks trip number 3 to the Pittsburgh area for such meetings. Last fall I attended the Youth Specialties National Conference, this year Emergent Mission Conference and finally the Alph Course Conference. (All of which would be well worth the time and money - I'm rather thrifty concerning both resources.)
Two of the three (ys and Alpha) I attended by myself. There are some things that make attending anything in the Pittsburgh area helpful - a live navigatior to look at your mapquest print out or a GPS system. I have driven in New Jersey area and had an easier time finding my way around than I did in the Mkeesport and Pleasant Hills area of Pittsburgh. Between the landscape and road built on hills perfect for a mountian goat and the various belt colors (orange, yellow, blue...)its a miracle that I found my location two days in a row and in one collective piece. Be prepared with maps a plenty if you are heading to Steel City anytime soon.
Alson, it can be very tiring always talking about: 1. Who you are, 2. Why you are there, 3. Are you there alone (gasp!) 4. and Did you drive here? (gasp! gasp!) Maybe it's because I'm a woman, or maybe it's because I'm a woman in a field primaraly filled by men - but I felt somewhat a spectacle and a tired one at that. It helps to ask other people these questions as soon as you get in conversation. This is the only talking rest that occurs in these circumstances that I've found. Also, I'm a talker. There are times when it is nice to have people that know you already with you. Thankfully, I stayed with my parents so when I go back in the evening it wasn't necessary to recycle my conversation yet again.
Sometimes, if you are lucky you will find people that a genuine and kind and willing to include you in their group. Sometimes you get stuck in a never ending cycle of conversation that you know by heart and are bored to tears with, but is all new to the audience.
Thankfully there were three wise men that asked if they could sit with me during coffee break the first morning. They asked the typical questions and carried on with polite conversation, but they took it one step further...
" You are welcome to sit with/ hang out with us during the conference if you like - you don't have to feel like you have to, but we'd like it if you would."
So let me make something clear. No they were not hitting on me. No they were not Jeff Dahlmer wanna bes. Yes they were three nice guys from a Vineyard church in the Philadelpha area. It was their kindness and hospitality that helped a frustrated, directionally challenged, and road weary traveler feel at home.
Thanks guys - your friendship was greatly appreciated! You can sit and have coffee with me anytime.
Peace.
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4 comments:
what was the alpha conference? Is that THE alpha out of England stuff?
Yes this is tha Alpha out of England--- I think you would like the approach they take.
This is my last comment of the day. I think.
I love that you had that wonderful experience of being invited to join your "three wise men." I'm a talker, too and quite outgoing in right circumstances. That would have been right up my proverbial alley. And I hope that I would have been an inviter in the right circumstances like your friends were.
We are doing Alpha at our church. It has been slow going but the people who have gone seem to have really gotten so much out of it. Hopefully as the word spreads, more people from our church will go so they know what they would be inviting people to.
Mary-lue,
I can'twait to have to opportunity to put Alpha in practice soon. It's a neat way of reaching out to the people that are in our lives -
I'll be excited to hear more!
Lamont
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