“It’s too big.”
“There are too many workshops to choose from and by the end of the first day, with all of the people and all the talking, I may get overwhelmed.” Yes, we understand the overwhelm. Something to keep in mind? You don’t have to go to a workshop every session. It’s OK to sit one out here. Take time to collect your thoughts and digest what you’ve learned. Or not. It’s OK to just sit one out.
And you might be surprised at the divine appointments the Lord has for you when you slow down. Look around. Don’t be surprised if He brings along another person with an encouraging word. Hey, you might be that encourager to someone else. Just make yourself available.
The point is, though we try to offer a wide variety of workshops each session, even we don’t recommend you try to get to every one. (You can always pick up workshop recordings on your way out.) You’ll have a much richer and more fruitful experience if you slow down.
And if you do find yourself succumbing to the overwhelm, head to the Home Education Consultant booth. There are veteran home educators, seasoned leaders, and special needs consultants there to offer guidance should you need it. And the prayer team. Let’s not forget the prayer team. They’ll be there in a quiet corner just waiting for you to visit so they can lift your needs to the Lord.
Too many people? Going with a friend can make a big convention seem small. And there is something powerful about being in one place with hundreds of other like-minded people. It’s affirming. It reminds you that you are not alone in your convictions. And with so many conventions behind us, we’ve gotten pretty good at managing the people flow. You probably won’t get stuck in long lines, even if you didn’t pre-register.
The one place where there may be a bit of a crunch will be the general sessions on Friday and Saturday morning. Get there early to get seating in the main ballroom. But if you don’t, never fear. There is ample overflow seating in all of the other ballrooms with either video and sound, or just sound, piped in so you won’t miss a thing.