A Funny Thing Happened on the way to Kenosha

Once General Conference selects a site for future sessions, additional preparation for those sessions occurs almost immediately. As we get within twelve months of gathering at a site, the time spent in preparation increases. The Conference President schedules what should happen during the sessions. The Host Committee organizes where people stay, how much they'll pay, what they'll eat, and where they'll gather. Dozens to hundreds of people are involved preparing for and operating one General Conference session.

The Board of Christian Education prepares for the sessions, too. The Children Committee prepares classes and activities to teach, train, and entertain our children during the week. The Youth Committee does similar things for Junior High and Senior High youth and plans for evening activities. PreCon sites and directors are chosen. All of these things help provide the substance that makes our General Conference sessions good for families to attend. As the BCE Executive Director, I have the opportunity to participate in some of the planning and execution of BCE's portion of the Conference Program.

I never imagined not attending a session of General Conference while serving as the BCE Executive Director — unless something had gone terribly wrong. But, A funny thing happened in the midst of preparing for this year's Conference at Kenosha, WI. Kristin and I discovered that we were expecting a baby, our first, with a due date of August 10—the Sunday at the end of General Conference.

So, I missed the sessions of General Conference this year to be with my wife as we awaited the arrival of our first child. On Thursday (8/7/08) of General Conference week, Elisa Hope Camenga was born. Kristin and I have been delighting in learning how to help her grow and be comfortable.


Unlike my imagination, something had gone wonderfully right & I missed Conference. That fact shows me that my imagination doesn't grasp the fullness of this present reality and reminds me of God's awesome knowledge and power—Our God knows enough to always, without fail, direct our paths for good.

Thank you all for your words of encouragement, cards, and prayers.