I feel like I try so hard and I'm not sure what I'm actually doing. That is one reason why I wanted to go to Pentecost 2008: Training for Change. I want to be part of something bigger and know that we as a larger group have the passion to really do something. I've been sick of the way things are going and how, it seems, the church is growing cold in many ways. It makes my stomach sick to think that I would leave my children this world the way it is. How can I make a difference?

I've grown this conscience that is unrelenting. I can't just throw that piece of paper away, I have to wonder what would happen if everyone threw away that piece of paper. I can't just fill my styrofoam cup with coffee, I have to wonder how many times I can use it before throwing it away. I can't stand that a television is plugged in all day, but that I didn't use it once. I've got to unplug it. I can't just walk by a homeless person and not give them something. I can't hear a baby cry without feeling an aching, wondering if they are being loved. I can't just assume people will do what the Bible says. I feel pressure to yell at people who don't care, and I feel like I don't know where to start doing something that will turn things around. I want to scream: "Move, people, move! Do something! Quit being so comfortable."

I heard a Christian say to me a few years ago, "Who cares? This is why God gave us the planet -- [God] is going to come back soon anyway." I can't stand that kind of thinking anymore, and I've got to be a part of the change I want to see. I'm starting with this conference.

Jessica Culp is a wife and mother, as well as a fundraiser for Cunningham Children's Home in Urbana, Illinois.