Global Day of Prayer: HK

Date: June 4, 2006
Time: 11:45pm
Location: Hong Kong, China

Today was awesome.

It started at 9:40 am this morning, when Casey and I arrived at the Hong Kong stadium. We pulled out our production crew passes and walked into the multifunction room to begin the task of setting clothes aside, stapling technical rundown sheets, and bringing 12 cases of bottled water. This was it today...the day when churches would gather from across the city to pray and worship the Lord alongside the nations of the world...today was Global Day of Prayer.

Actually at this very moment, the events for GDOP in North America have just started if not still prepping for their turn in just a couple hours.

When Kat first told me about this event, I wasn't too thrilled or overly excited about it. I heard about it over at Missionfest this year, and it didn't really capture my attention too much. It sounded just like any other conference. When Kat showed me the video of it, I began to get more interested but...there was lacking a move in my heart regarding this whole event.

Two weeks ago, Casey asked if I would like to help out with GDOP. I offered my help, but during the first meeting this past Monday, I felt quite overwhelmed. With tons of stuff needing to be done, and everyone speaking in Chinese to one another I felt like I was the only one who didn't know how to speak...I could only listen.

I toughed it out though, and after a long day of rehearsing and setting up yesterday, I was finally at the stadium...and man, my heart has changed. I began to feel excited. Anticipating awesome things.

And as I stood at the northwest gate queuing the country flag bearers, I saw coming from the northeast gate the flags they have been talking about for so long. There was a flag with a lion on it and a crown and a star of David. It danced in the sky as it was followed by long flowing flags that declared the name of God on them. And as I watched, I could only think...Magnificent...Majestic. This is our king, and today we were proclaiming and celebrating his continuous reign. The unceasing advancement of His kingdom. This is Jesus Christ our King. And today was all about Him!

As I watched them march, behind them was a large yellow cross, 28m x 14m...and at the blowing of the shofars and the beating of the military drums, they began to march in a holy procession onto the grass field. And as soon as the tail of the cross touched the field, there went the queue for me to signal the release of the country flag bearers.

It was an awesome sight. The king Lion of Judah leading the flags pronouncing the Names of God, a cross the size of a small gymnasium, and behind them 200 flags representing the countries of the world. Awesome.

Sometime during all of this, I was so moved by it all. Just the overwhelming sense of God’s majesty, His kingship over all that is creation...my eyes were beginning to water. This is my God and He deserves the full honor and glory. This was awesome, but I began to feel in my heart like it wasn't enough, He needed more...because He is just so completely and absolutely worthy of the glory.

When the cross reached it's final position, all of a sudden youth with flags jumped out from underneath, holding shimmering flags of blue, green, yellow, purple...it looked almost arbitrary until you looked at the large screen display showing a topside view of the field and it suddenly dawned on me...the cross was radiating. The glimmer of the flags waving in the air made the cross look like it was luminous.

And at that, the cross was lowered, the youth moved to the track along the side and the rest of the program proceeded.

I didn't get a chance to focus on much of what was going on during the service, but it was ok, there was a reason and a purpose that I had to fulfill. I never knew that wearing a headset, being in constant communication through an earpiece with the production crew, would be so different of a world. I knew exactly what was going on, when everyone else was oblivious of the frantic running, queuing, and directing that went on all over the stadium.

There were a lot of interesting experiences today. Niki and I were a pair in the production crew and we had lots of intense moments. Running with the flag bearers, realizing some of the youth were still on the track waving their flags with their backs turned to the rest of us who were signaling them to leave...

One of the more remarkable moments of the day was when they called forth all the pastors and elders to walk up to the front to come together in unity to pray. Hundreds of pastors and elders stood up from the bleachers and made their way to the front of the stage. It was a big deal to me, I suppose because I am a pastors son. I felt like I had a link to all of them. That I was among all of them, and to see them all joined together in heart, just really touched my heart.

Today will definitely go down in my memory bank as one of the more memorable days of my life. The day when I stepped into the work of the kingdom as an outsider and joined with my people...40,000+ brother and sisters in Christ, to worship and pray to the Lord of Hosts, Jesus Christ our King.

Today was an experience I didn't expect coming here, but I'm so blessed and so glad to have been a part of God's work here. Because to be honest, that's what this trip is about...not shopping, not sight seeing, not even my job or the conference I'll be attending...it's about God, His Kingdom, His purpose, and His will for me, Kat, my family, my friends, my church, my people.

ps. Great job Garland, Niki, Jason, Mandy, Gabby. You were all awesome yesterday.