So it’s hard to believe it’s just about 24 hours we’ve been down here in Baltimore. As some of you may know we’re at the FOCUS NATIONAL CONFERENCE 2011. Unlike in previous years where it was a 5day/4 night experience over Winter Break (Last year in Orlando Florida, two years before that in Dallas Texas), this year FOCUS split the conference into 4 different venues over 4 different weekends. So this is “stop 3” if you will after already holding conferences in Denver Colorado and St. Paul Minnesota. Next week they’ll be in Nashville Tennessee.

The thought was that perhaps the larger conferences were too expensive and difficult for students to get that amount of time free during break. (For those who remember, last year it was a 22 hour bus trip from Montclair to Orlando and then back – so in effect, it was an entire week of Winter Break)

For us here at Montclair State we went from 23 students who attended to 40, so maybe they’re onto something! In any event, we’re all having a great time. The bus ride was a breeze in comparison to last year… The talks have been centered on the theme “ANSWERING THE CALL” – where we are challenged to discern what it is God is asking of each of us and then to do it!

Our students with our FOCUS missionaries designed our T-Shirts (which those of you who hail from the Garden State will appreciate!) With a quote on the back from Pope John Paul II that is our “motto” for this conference “Totus Tuus” – Totally Yours