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Passion '07 Getting to know you ... by Nicole Panepinto The last MANY January Firsts have been ... um ..."medium." In fact, I can't actually remember a really phenomenal New Year's Day. New Year's Eve is a great time, but New Year's Day has pretty much just amounted to a lot of sleep ... maybe some snow. So, needless to say, I was really looking forward to starting this year as a volunteer at Passion '07. I was excited to actually get to "meet you" (or at least your contemporaries) to see if you matched the impression I had of you. It's not so much that I have a physical image in my mind (honestly, I usually imagine that you look like our "Lily7"  girl on the top of the web page — the one with the highlighted hair and one eye. Yep, that's you, our little collegiate Cyclops) as a psychological one. When I write for you, I imagine that you are (usually) confident, (somewhat) sure of your choices, (relatively) optimistic, (fairly) peaceful, (rather) driven, and (generally) happy. I guess I think of you a lot like I remember myself when I was in my twenties: an "almost" ... almost satisfied ... almost sure of myself ... almost who I wanted to be. Right or wrong, that's how I think of you. When we sit down together here to "talk," I imagine that you are on the cusp of greatness — you just may not know it yet. Anyway, I was amped to be a part of Passion '07. I was, admittedly, expecting to see a bunch of "almosts" wandering around the Georgia World Congress Center looking for some direction (which would, of course, be my perfect opportunity to swoop in, decked out in my super-hero costume ... cape included ... to save the day ...). Instead, I came face to face with thousands of really fantastic college students. Men and women who are so much more than I ever remember being ... and so much more than they know. To the extent, in fact, that I really feel it necessary to share my discovery ABOUT you WITH you. You are SO smart. You are articulate and capable. I had such a blast hanging out with students before the conference started, in between sessions, and late at night as things were winding down. You are respectful. The staff from the two venues (Georgia World Congress Center and Phillips Arena) that were used for this year's conference told several of the volunteers that the group of young people at Passion '07 was their favorite group of guests EVER! (I would not make that up!) You can REALLY sing! My favorite part of each day was sneaking in the back of the auditoriums and listening to the voices during worship. The worship leaders were great on their own, but there was something remarkable about the voices of students calling out to God: "We! Are! The! Redeemed! ... We are the ones who are FREE! ... And we belong to Jesus!" Wow. You are hysterical. My "job" after main sessions was to direct traffic. Most of the time that meant standing up in between arm railings on top of escalators and sort of herding traffic out of a main arena and into common areas (using my little whisper of a voice ... hehe). Considering that I was at a set of only three escalators and there were often upwards of 7,000 people trying to "get out," this could have been a pretty ugly scene. But honestly, I. Had. A. Blast! People told jokes and asked funny questions and were just generally great to be around ... thanks, thanks, thanks. You long for a relationship with God. Whenever a large group of people gather there are bound to be some heavy hearts in the crowd ... hearts aching for acknowledgment or acceptance or approval or affection. Often times, people who are hurting turn to temporary satisfiers. I relished the opportunity (and was humbled) to observe literally thousands of students crying out to God to meet their needs, to make them whole, and to fill the void that the world, in all its harshness, had left in their lives. You are not alone. At Passion, I walked among you, eavesdropped on your conversations, observed your socializing. For all your distinctive voices and individual styles, you all are much more similar than you may think. I listened to SERIOUSLY beautiful girls cry about feeling ugly and rejected. I spoke with star athletes about their fear of not measuring up. I spent about an hour talking to an extraordinarily smart guy who was overwhelmed by worry that he wouldn't amount to anything in his life. I remember being in college and thinking that I was the only one who was afraid, that I had a harder time than the people around me. I want you to know — fear, insecurity, disappointment — it's EVERYWHERE, in EVERYONE! You ARE NOT alone. You are compassionate. And you can affect the world. Check out www.268generation.com to read about the Hundreds of Thousands of dollars you and your peers gave this year toward world missions, outreach, and education. Read about the ways that you are making a difference. Entire people groups are going to have Bibles in their native tongue because of the gifts made by your generation at this year's conference. Students who you will most likely never meet have an opportunity to get a college education, just like you, because of donations to their specific cause. Young women, held captive in an environment where human trafficking is the norm, are being given hope because of your commitment. The WORLD is watching you ... and you are showing them that you are a committed, compassionate, and courageous generation. Frequently, when we observe or experience an extreme situation, we find ourselves hard pressed to explain it to others. I suppose Passion '07 is a bit like that for me. I have a jumble of thoughts, memories that I would like to share, observances that were life changing to me, people I met who I would like to recognize here. In the end, though, I think this is the best I can offer. Passion, after all, had nothing to do with me ... it is about and for YOU. Be sure of this: You are phenomenal. You have untapped potential. You are more capable than you know and more cared for than you feel. You are being prayed for THIS MINUTE by people all over this nation who believe in you and are SO PROUD of you. You are LOVED ... be sure.