{"id":3722,"date":"2015-07-02T16:54:54","date_gmt":"2015-07-02T16:54:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/?p=3722"},"modified":"2015-07-02T16:54:54","modified_gmt":"2015-07-02T16:54:54","slug":"why-are-conferences-so-important","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/2015\/07\/02\/why-are-conferences-so-important\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Are Conferences So Important?"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li>Gathering our team together from across 4 countries is amazing<\/li>\n<li>Hearing what God is doing across those 4 countries encourages our hearts<\/li>\n<li>Hearing the end results of years of service renews our strength<\/li>\n<li>Stepping back and seeing the big picture is so helpful<\/li>\n<li>Worshiping together unifies the soul<\/li>\n<li>People all together from different nationalities, speaking different languages, serving in varying roles and yet all gathered together for one cause&#8230;Amen!<\/li>\n<li>Being reminded of who God is redirects our focus.<\/li>\n<li>Talking business in person rather than over emails is nice for once<\/li>\n<li>Our kids meeting other kids like themselves makes immediate friends<\/li>\n<li>A chance for them to be in a program designed for them is a rare experience for<\/li>\n<li>Having AC for a week was incredibly Refreshing.<\/li>\n<li>Being around a pool and not cooking a single meal is AMAZING!!!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Conference was WONDERFUL! \u00a0It was an incredible amount of work right up to the conference, but it was worth it. \u00a0The only happen for us once ever 3 years, but that makes them even more valued and important. \u00a0We thank God for everyone he brought to Africa to make it possible. \u00a0However most of all we thank God for the work he is doing in Africa and are blessed to be playing a small role in it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A Few Pictures<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3723\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3723\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/DSC01761-1024x682-e1435854881371.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3723\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/DSC01761-1024x682-e1435854881371.jpg\" alt=\"A Beautiful Location\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3723\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Beautiful Location<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3729\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3729\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1090787-1024x768.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3729\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1090787-1024x768-e1435854958490.jpg\" alt=\"A Large Family Gathered all Together\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3729\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Large Family Gathered all Together<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3735\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3735\" style=\"width: 375px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1090912-768x1024-e1435855003223.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3735\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1090912-768x1024-e1435855003223.jpg\" alt=\"Even the newly arrived came to join us\" width=\"375\" height=\"500\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3735\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Even the newly arrived came to join us<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3742\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3742\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1100089-1024x768.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3742\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1100089-1024x768-e1435855052210.jpg\" alt=\"An Amazing Kids Program\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3742\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An Amazing Kids Program<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3738\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3738\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1100007-1024x768.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3738\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1100007-1024x768-e1435855192616.jpg\" alt=\"Lead By the best there is out there!\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3738\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lead By the best there is out there!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3724\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3724\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/DSC01819-1024x682-e1435855227135.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3724\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/DSC01819-1024x682-e1435855227135.jpg\" alt=\"With many others who came to help\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3724\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">With many others who came to help<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3725\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3725\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/DSC01836-1024x682.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3725\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/DSC01836-1024x682-e1435855271897.jpg\" alt=\"A Special Thanks to Evergreen Bible Church who played a huge role in making this possible!\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3725\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Special Thanks to Evergreen Bible Church who played a huge role in making this possible!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3731\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3731\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1090830-1024x769.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3731\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1090830-1024x769-e1435855305789.jpg\" alt=\"Amazing food!\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3731\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amazing food!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3732\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3732\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1090835-1024x768-e1435855408344.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3732\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1090835-1024x768-e1435855408344.jpg\" alt=\"The company was even better\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3732\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The company was even better<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3726\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3726\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1090698-1024x769-e1435855735854.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3726\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1090698-1024x769-e1435855735854.jpg\" alt=\"We gathered in a tent everyday for sessoins\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3726\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">We gathered in a tent everyday for sessoins<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3740\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3740\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1100024-1024x768-e1435855465462.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3740\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1100024-1024x768-e1435855465462.jpg\" alt=\"It was so good hear what God was doing\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3740\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">It was so good hear what God was doing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3728\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3728\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1090763-1024x768.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3728\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1090763-1024x768-e1435855516624.jpg\" alt=\"Some local pastor's shared their heart and perspective as well\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3728\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Some local pastors shared their heart and perspective as well<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3734\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3734\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1090905-1024x769-e1435855557388.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3734\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1090905-1024x769-e1435855557388.jpg\" alt=\"We gathered together to pray for the people who still need to hear\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3734\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">We gathered together to pray for the people who still need to hear<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3739\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3739\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1100020-1024x768.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3739\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1100020-1024x768-e1435855589871.jpg\" alt=\"Equipment was brought that made translation a lot easier\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3739\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Equipment was brought that made translation a lot easier<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3737\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3737\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1100001-1024x769.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3737\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1100001-1024x769-e1435855616489.jpg\" alt=\"The worship was amazing\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3737\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The worship was amazing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3736\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3736\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1090915-1024x768-e1435855649856.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3736\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1090915-1024x768-e1435855649856.jpg\" alt=\"We gathered as parents to talk about raising missionary kids\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3736\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">We gathered as parents to talk about raising missionary kids<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3727\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3727\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1090724-1024x768-e1435855692938.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3727\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1090724-1024x768-e1435855692938.jpg\" alt=\"I can't tell you what a blessing the time was for us\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3727\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">I can&#8217;t tell you what a blessing the time was for us<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3743\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3743\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1100170-1024x768-e1435855806506.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3743\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1100170-1024x768-e1435855806506.jpg\" alt=\"Then eventually it was time to go home\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3743\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Then eventually it was time to go home<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3733\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3733\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1090850-1024x768-e1435855834799.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3733\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1090850-1024x768-e1435855834799.jpg\" alt=\"Back to normal life\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3733\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Back to normal life<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3741\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3741\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1100077-1024x767.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3741\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/files\/2015\/07\/P1100077-1024x767-e1435855874186.jpg\" alt=\"Yet renewed in perspective\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3741\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Yet renewed in perspective<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gathering our team together from across 4 countries is amazing Hearing what God is doing across those 4 countries encourages our hearts Hearing the end results of years of service renews our strength Stepping back and seeing the big picture is so helpful Worshiping together unifies the soul People all together from different nationalities, speaking [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":830,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2545],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3722","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-updates-and-news","7":"entry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3722","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/830"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3722"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3722\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3722"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3722"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3722"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}