Surf Expo Praise Report

Thank you for all of the hard work and long hours to everyone that volunteered at Surf Expo, and especially to those of you that prayed for the team.

Orlando, FL (January 17, 2012) – Retailers are returning to business and brands are filling orders following Surf Expo’s largest event since 2005. More than 14,000 retailers, exhibitors and media from around the globe traveled to Orlando, FL for Surf Expo, the global boardsports and beach lifestyle trade show. The event took place January 12-14 and offered buyers a chance to preview summer and fall 2012 lines and write orders with more than 2,500 brands. All 240,000 square feet of Surf Expo’s floor space was accounted for during the sold-out show, as brands continued to search for more room right up to the last minute.  – Transworld Business

Sometimes there are occasions when God gives us a good gift, but it seems to be wrapped in not-so-good-looking wrapping paper, and it’s not until after you work your way through what is seen on the surface that you see what He has planned for you inside.  We found out just a few days before heading to Orlando, that since the show had sold out some of the non-profit booths would be moved out into lobby and ours was one of them.  On the first day of the show we set up our booth and began to divide up the coffee and donuts we had prepared early that morning and right before heading downstairs we were informed that we needed to pay $1500 per day to distribute food and drinks, so we decided that we would just have coffee and donuts for lunch and dinner that day instead.

So now it’s day one and our plans are shot.  But wait, our plans to meet a temporary need for breakfast is not the only reason everyone took off work, besides, there are waves back home right now.  Everyone was there because at one time, we were searching just like most of our friends in the surf world, for peace, love, happiness, joy, purpose and hope, things that can only be found in a healthy relationship with God through Jesus.  So after prayer and discussion we walked downstairs with empty hands and open hearts asking God to guide and direct us into situations where we could be used for His glory.

God turned what we originally saw as a dead end, to a road that lead to three days of sharing truth with our friends and each other, loving surfers, and ultimately worshiping Him with our time there. I would love to share every story of how God used each and every person from CS, but one in particular conversation I walked up on was when someone was telling two of our missionaries how awesome they were, and how great they were for going out of their way to help them with something, offered them a hat or some beer, whatever they wanted, but he said “anything good you see in us is because of Jesus, we did this so you could see His love, not for anything in return.”

God used this Expo to teach many great lessons to all of us, and one that sticks out to me is that if God can use five loaves and two fish to feed five thousand people, He can use a handful of empty handed, faithful workers to bring great glory to Himself, even in a worldly, dark, broken place like Surf Expo.  Worship God with your conversations this week in your lineup, your job, your home, ask Him to use you as a vessel to make much of Him in a way that will introduce surfers to Jesus, and ultimately deepen your love for Him.