Day 15-16: iCon 2015 (Part 1, Jun 24-25)

All packed up to move from Red Roof Inn to Regent University for the ICC Convention (iCON 2015).

All ready for our first ever iCon-2015!

Wai Bing was helping with Ballot-Admin, and I was helping Au with the Tabulation team.

With Dr John McLean - a wonderful servant of the Lord - serving us with coffee/tea and plenty of snacks throughout the day. He is such a joyful brother in the Lord!

Dr Theresa Moon, Founder/CEO of ICC with the opening remarks and reminding us of the reason for our coming together and the core values of ICC. We had an interesting exposure to all the various tournament events which took place.

The tournament started with the debates - topic - Travel Restriction Has Limited Impact on the Spread of Communicable Diseases - Morgan and Franklin eventually became the tournament debate champion! It is a good experience to watch the top 25% of the ICC speakers in action.

Day 3: Let the Media Begin! (Jun 12)

The entry view of Dr Theresa Moon's home where all of the Convention Prep activities are happening! In fact, the speakers are taking over the entire house - so much so, that Dr Moon and her husband, David is gonna stay in their motor-home!

 This is more than just a house - it is a sanctuary, a leadership training center, a place to hang out, a gathering of all sorts of interest. However, we all share the same mission - Mentoring Christians to lead. Each room/space has a name = Cabifoo (cabinet with food), Listening Room, The Sanctuary, Epcot Center, etc...

 As you can see, most fellowship happens where the food is!

This Wendell Moon - an enthusiastic, authentic type of guy that exudes passion in what he does! This is his favorite part of the house - the Epcot - where the designing, editing and production of media takes place (kind of like the darkroom during the day of film).

This is David Moon - yes, you guessed it - the Father. A humble and down-to-earth gentleman that makes you feel at home almost immediately. 

As you can see - plenty of space to let the energy go! It is almost as if the garden itself was the main feature with the house just being the incidental facility. Creation certainly shouts the praise of the Creator! After a brief farewell (we will not see Eliza for the next 9 days or so), we are headed for dinner with Sandy & Mandy - our church members who are on a sabbatical trip back home. Amazingly, Sandy is from Nashville!

 

We had dinner at Martin's BBQ at Nolensville - fantastic place! They claim to not have a freezer or microwave - so, all the meat is fresh, prepared daily at 5.00am.

 Eunice had the Beef Brisket Burger.

I had the dried version of the Baby Back Ribs! Vely shiok!!

 Finally, to cap it off, Sandy and Mandy presented us with GOO GOO CLUSTER - a Nashville invention of the first ever cluster cookie! Been around since 1912....But it did not stay around long enough before Eunice got her hands (and teeth) into it!

Day 1: Arrival in the Country Music of USA (Jun 10)

 Getting ready for our 11-hour flight from Narita to Dallas!

 Arrival in Dallas - had a comfortable 3 hour wait before our connecting flight to Nashville.

 Pleasantly surprised by the readiness of the Hertz car waiting for us with a personalized parking spot! First time driving a Nissan Altima.

Part my trip goal is to taste as many ice-cream varieties as possible with Eunice. The first flavor came FREE! A two cup offer at McDonald's from the store manager when we did a pit stop to get free Wifi.

Our friendly host - Shari Jones, one of the early leaders for ICC and our first meal is a home, freshly prepared Italian Turkey Sausage Salad! We are grateful for the cosy hospitality and welcome (even from the two cats - Angel and Fingers!)

Day 0: En route the Music City of USA (Jun 9-10)

After months of planning, we finally are on our way for a month-long trek to the USA! This is certainly our most "mixed-up" holiday to date because it has the following elements:

• Media prep training for Eliza for two weeks in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
• Meeting up with Tom and Marilyn Reese.
• Visiting a number of Christian colleges and universities.
• Meeting Steve Ham and the team at Answers in Genesis.
• Attending the ICC National Convention.
• Eliza meeting with her TPS classmates.
• Visiting Dr.Crandall in Moutain Top, PA.
• Visiting Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter.

However, just before we left - Eliza fell ill with fever and stomach discomfort and we pray that the Lord will be gracious and shower His protection and healing upon us as we travel. The flight to Narita was smooth and the girls thoroughly enjoyed watching "Annie" on the way. Strange, no Japanese food served on this Japan Airlines flight :-)