In the wake of a full solar eclipse, that fascinated many people across the continental United States on August 21, 2017, another phenomenon occurred which eclipsed all else. It began at 09:00 UTC on August 23, 2017, and continued for 24 hours. It was the first SA Geek Camp, during which SA members from all over the world connected together via the Internet to carry the SA message.

As I searched for the email with the link in my spam-blocker summaries, and wrestled with my computer settings, I was reminded of the fact that “nothing, absolutely nothing happens in God’s world by mistake.” After several hours, I finally found the link in my suspect email folder. As a result, I fully came to appreciate the benefit of having failed, prayed, persisted, and stumbled upon God doing for me what I could not do for myself.

I felt instant connection with the people on my computer screen as they shared their experience, strength, and hope, as well as their powerlessness. We were home. I learned from each speaker, not just through their words but through their actions, as they helped one another to deal with unfamiliar technologies. Those who came to listen stayed to help, using the chat feature to type comments such as “maybe if you mute your mike…” and “you could turn off your camera to save bandwidth…”

I saw firsthand how “leading with our weakness is paradoxically the way of strength.” This global phenomenon ended on August 24, 2017 at 09:00 UTC, but the message continues, multiplying among us as it goes. Thank God for SA, and thank God for Geek Camp.