The 48th annual Lutheran Women's Missionary Society (LWMS) convention was held June 23–26 in Milwaukee, Wis. Almost 1,300 attendees heard from foreign missionaries and workers as well as from people serving mission and cross-cultural settings in the United States. LWMS organizers presented more than $115,000 to mission administrators for home and world mission projects. This includes contributions from 59 LWMS circuits during the year and offerings at the convention. They also presented more than $80,000 from the kids c.a.r.e. program. Here Sallie Draper, a member of the Minnesota Valley circuit, shares her experiences at the convention.

I was fortunate to attend the 2011 LWMS convention with my husband, who serves as spiritual growth advisor for our local LWMS circuit. I don't know which of us was more excited about attending. From the moment we stepped into the convention hotel we knew we were part of something very special.

The focus on mission work throughout the convention is so inspiring, and the joy of being among so many Christians who love that work is invigorating. The missionaries in attendance were like rock stars, and we were happy to be their "groupies." We rushed to take their pictures and enjoyed their inspiring presentations and displays as we learned about the work in each of their areas. Actually shaking hands with those missionaries in attendance was a real thrill!

Calling the missionaries rock stars isn't such a stretch since many of them brought along songs of praise to share in the language of their mission field. Not known for my language skills, I actually sang along with Spanish, Apache, and Russian hymns. Worship services and devotions also gave us opportunities to hear beautiful music from all types of artists—instrumentalist to praise bands to gospel choirs.

I took lots of photos and videos of my experience in hopes of capturing a bit of the magic. Check out my recaps of each day at bit.ly/lwmsrecap.

Learn about LWMS at www.lwms.org.