I just got home at 5pm on Thursday and in a few hours i'll be headed to the airport to fly down to San Diego and then have a couple hour drive to Ensenada, Mexico for a short term mission trip with my church from Dec. 19-23.
Life is busy but at this point in time, after all that touring, home has just been another hospitality house for the last couple of days. My stay in San Francisco is over and now the next travel destination is Mexico!
Prayers for safety both travelwise and healthwise along with team unity and just an ability to be purely servants would be greatly appreciated.
Ensenada, Mexico, here I come! Feliz Navidad!
Much love to my Daraja family, all the people i've met on my journey thus far and everyone at home!
By tomorrow, things it'll have been the last of by now:
- Last time ironing the kids' costumes
- Last time unloading the bus
- Last time running the BrightPoint table
- Last time having a sack lunch (maybe)
- Last time saying good night and giving multiple hugs and kisses to my family of 35
- Last time in a host home
- Last time telling 3 boys to get to shower and get to bed
- Last time praying with the boys before going to bed
- Last time travelling on the Daraja bus
- Last time counting off in numbers
- Last time being a parent to 23 beautiful Kenyan children
There's more but I just can't think at this rate. Not sure how tomorrow will be but I am definitely excited for the future of Kenya because these children will do big things for God's kingdom, no matter where they are! Pray for traveling mercies for my Kenyan family tomorrow and that any heartache that may come from tomorrow will be covered with the knowledge of the sovereignty of our God!
Can't believe it is here already but it is definitely show time now!
Pray that everything will run smoothly tonight - kids will have energy, Abbu's voice may be rested, technical aspects to be figured out - and above all else that God may be glorified!
Much love ya'll, i'll be home in less than a week!
Two posts in one week? What a rarity! The fun Christmas events that began Saturday morning in Highlands, North Carolina as snow littered the ground are the influence behind this timely holiday post!
Woo hoo!
Reactions to seeing snow and getting to play in it for the first time = Priceless
Yes, Daraja finally saw snow and we saw it altogether which makes it even better!
Christmas times' precious gifts!
How about we throw in a fun Christmas time parade after all that fun?
Santa?
Daraja family fun!
And say, why not sing a song or two after the town's parade!
Our beautiful voices!
Of course the only holiday movie to really get you into the Christmas spirit is Elf! After all, we take it from him, the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!
Tonight we traveled back in time to Bethlehem put on by a local church in Canton, GA and enjoyed the sights, sounds and smells that surrounded the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ!
"Back to Bethlehem"
It is official, white Christmases are definitely the best Christmases.
And don't forget, Jesus is the reason for the season!
Much love and an early merry Christmas wish from me to you!
It has been awhile since i've been able to get out a real post, so sorry!
I can not believe it is December already, feels like it was just the summer. Where has all the time gone?! I'm sad that I won't have as much time to get into the swing of Christmas, so expect a lot of Christmas spirit once I get back home!
Thanksgiving! So as I had mentioned, I got to enjoy my Thanksgiving not once, not even twice but three different times! On Wednesday, the Daraja family got the opportunity to cook a Kenyan meal for ourselves and the host. It was a delicious meal that included chipati(similar to a flour tortilla), cale, beef stew and chai!
Rolling chapati!
Dan cutting Cale!
Grace not only made the beef stew but the rice as well!
My Kenyan family even let me help out with some of the cooking!
I got to spend Thanksgiving day with a host home in Greenwood, SC and then the day after that I was in Thomasville, NC with a host home who was having their Thanksgiving meal that night! 3 incredible families and 3 amazing Thanksgiving dinners made for 1 memorable Thanksgiving. On top of that, I missed the Turkey Bowl with the Sunset Brotherhood back at home but got a couple games of my own in playing with relatives of our host and teaching my Kenyan boys american football!
With it being December, that means I have now less than 2 weeks with the kids as they fly back on Dec. 15. Things are definitely bittersweet at this moment. I was blessed with a day off today, probably my last one of the tour, because I was starting to wear thin on my patience and my body is just tired. Prayers for that and just an ability to pour everything i've got out these last couple weeks would be greatly appreciated.
We've got a live CD recording coming up on Friday, Dec. 11 at NorthPoint church in Atlanta where Andy Stanley is the pastor and guys like Kristian Stanfill and Steve Fee lead worship. I'm so excited for the night because i'm sure it will be a huge rocking crowd! Too bad i'm assuming it'll take awhile for the actual CD to come out.
What a great way to be ending things off! Leaving Charlotte, NC today for the mountains in NC and then back to GA where we'll be wrapping things up. Can't believe this journey is almost over but the memories and relationships i'm sure will carry on for a lifetime.
This is going to be a short post. I'm currently at a public library using their wi-fi. I haven't had internet access in awhile but I wanted to shoot something out before Thanksgiving.
Thanks for your prayers last Friday. God really brought upon me His peace which as beyond my understanding but it allowed my nerves to be calm and for my speech to be clear.
We survived our 7 day 7 concert stretch and my body is absolutely ready for this little Thanksgiving rest time.
Our choir will be cooking a Kenyan feast for tonight in a few hours and then tomorrow i'll be having an American Thanksgiving feast with my host home in Greenwood, SC.
I think i'm going to Mexico with my church once I get back and am totally excited about that but of course am doing my best to stay in the moment and enjoy these last 3 weeks with these kids. I can't believe it all has passed by so quickly!
What a day! This morning we had the opportunity to sing for preschoolers which was then followed up with an afternoon visit to sing at an assisted living home. Not to mention school in between times and now I believe a bunch of us are headed to eat some Hibachi with our host homes!
Our time at the assisted living home has to be one of my favorite moments during the tour so far. Prior to entering we talked to the kids about how there might be sights, smells and situations that would be new to them upon our arrival but they were asked to nonetheless just shower these people living and working there with love. As we waited for all of the elderly to come out of our rooms, the kids were asked if they would go around introducing themselves and talking to the people. And man, they went into it completely dying to self as they courageously engaged in conversation, genuinely pursued knowing about these people through questions and lavished smiles and hugs. After we got to sing a few songs, good byes had to be said and you could tell, not just by the tears in the eyes, but in the way the hugs lingered and the words of gratitude shared that lives had been blessed, on both sides.
I was so proud of them for how they poured themselves out and was excited getting to see them build up relationships, even if it was just in a 30 minute period. It was a reminder and an encouragement for myself to get rid of the self doubt and worrisome thoughts that I so often find myself engulfed in. To remember that I am His child, that He loves me as I am and "I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives in me. And the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by faith, in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." - Galatians 2:20. I no longer need to identify myself with what people think of me but can find peace, joy and love in the knowledge that Christ is now my identity. Though I know I oftentimes I fail at living in a manner that acknowledges this, that does not mean that it isn't true.
I had moved from out in the mountains during my time in Brasstown, NC and Townsend, TN to living like in the forest in Ellijay, GA. Now we're in Birmingham, AL, staying with a church that the kids stayed with over the summer. Come Wednesday we'll hit a 7 day stretch where we have a concert every single night. One could even say it is a 9 day stretch as we sang at a school yesterday morning along with our performances today. Obvious prayers for strength and rest will definitely be appreciated. I'd also appreciate prayer for myself in patience and wisdom as we've come to our final month and i'd love to pour into these kids as God has poured into me.
This morning I got to do a little MCing for the preschoolers as our tour leader, Christi, was unavailable. Since then I was given the opportunity of filling the speaking role during one of our concerts where she'll be away come Friday. Since most of you don't know what that would entail, i'll tell ya. During the worship concert i'd be introducing the choir, explaining what we do and who/what the 410 Bridge is along with letting people know the opportunities they have to give through prayer, time or money. It is something I prayed about all day and though i'm still a bit nervous and anxious, after seeing the kids so confidently move forward in loving others without self doubt today was an encouragement to me to step forward in faith as well and accept this opportunity, unless something changes because originally the executive director from the 410 Bridge was supposed to come up to give the talk. With that being said i'd like to make a special prayer request for peace of heart and nerves, wisdom in what to say, clarity when/if the time comes to speak and confidence from Galatians 2:20, that it is Christ who lives in me.
We made our trip through the mountains to little Townsend, TN! I think i'll be staying in a cabin tonight with my boys.
Some things have happened recently in Daraja that i'd just like to ask for you to continue to pray for wisdom for all of us chaperones and God's guidance in not only our lives but in the lives of the children as well.
(Written Wednesday, November 11; was waiting to be able to upload video)
I know it has been awhile but here I am sitting in Brasstown, NC. It is a place quite different than home, one of those places that is out in the mountains, where no one locks their doors and where it seems like everyone knows each other. I've been blessed with a day off today but my access to internet has been limited to my location. I have certainly enjoyed the change of scenery and the down time though. This is where i'm staying.
While in Wilkesboro, NC we had an amazing night time opportunity. Rather than leading in worship we got the chance to be led in worship by the New Damascus Church Baptist Choir. It was my first gospel choir experience and i'm hoping it won't be my last! To top the night off, the Daraja Children's Choir of Africa joined with the New Damascus Church Baptist Choir to perform a beautiful version of "Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)" together. Though i'm sure it won't be as moving as it was in person, i'd like to share it with you.
On top of that we also got to spend a night full of fun roller skating, which inevitably resulted in numerous falls. Only 2 on my part. It was a laughter filled, bottom rubbing experience!
Here's the latest of my spare time football work.
We'll be heading to Tennessee tomorrow. Short journal entry today but hope the videos make up for it! Much love.
This weekend, I was in Cincinnati, Ohio! We flew there, though we actually landed in Kentucky so cross another state off the list. We had a worship performance the night we arrived at the Youth Specialities Conference. The next day, my brother, David, and his girlfriend, Lindsey, drove down 6 hours from Michigan to hang out with the kids and I and get to see the worship performance. I also asked them to write a little something to share their thoughts on the night as well.
"Its hard to exactly put into words the feelings that I experienced as I interacted with and watched the Daraja kids, but amazing does come to mind. To make this short and to the point, the one thing that really stuck in my mind was something that one of the 410Bridge staffers had repeated from a pastor in Atlanta, and that was that, "the one thing the Daraja kids dont have is self pity". Here are these children who at the age of 9-14, have probably gone through more trials than 90% of Americans will go through in their entire lifetimes, including me, and there is not one tell tale sign of those hardships on their faces. The passion with which these children seem to live their lives is infectious. Lindsey and I couldnt help but discuss the energy that just being in their presence made us feel. It is very humbling. It truly shows the simplicity of the effects of God's love on us. It isnt hard to achieve, but it is the process of letting ourselves feel and experience God's love that seems difficult for people to attain. I will always remember the Daraja kids for this and even though we only had a short short time together, I know that I will reflect on their example frequently. Yes they sang amazing, yes they were fun to watch, and yes they were really cute...but what I will remember the most is just how they did the most mundane and simple things with such joy and passion. They were role models to me and a true example of the saving effects of God's grace and love for us." - David
"Meeting the Daraja Children's Choir of Africa was good for me, to say the very least.They are little miracles. All my life I have been shown nothing but love and security, yet, at times, it is such a challenge to remember God and be as happy and content as He wishes me to be. Considering the hardships and the surroundings these children have to endure in Kenya, it's remarkable to me that each of them is so full of happiness and gratitude. God is just in them. He is literally a choice, a feeling to feel, and a prayer away. The children have made the choice, despite seeing bits and pieces, or loads, of what is evil. They have faith in Him that I admire. Their smiles are genuine, as is the way they worship. From the short time I got to spend with the choir, I learned to just thank God and remember him, to "not worry about anything, but pray about everything." These children bless His love upon everyone. It's so evident in the way they play and dance and welcome conversation. " - Lindsey
Always a great time when family meets family!
Something i've been working on in my down time has been this...
Sometimes having a real brainless thing to do, like choosing clips and moving them around, can be pretty relaxing. Not to mention it has to do with my favorite sport and more importantly some of my favorite people.
Lately we've just been travelling through the North Carolina area. Right now i'm in Burlington, NC as the kids have just woken up from their nap and prepare themselves for sound check before tonights worship concert. We have just reached the half way mark and so we'll be celebrating tomorrow with a Sabbath day! Pretty much just a time of relaxation for all, which I think we're all looking forward to.
God has definitely shown me the importance and power of prayer over my time travelling. There's a real surrendering that takes place in it as we come to a realization of our limitations but more importantly, as we understand completely the sovereignty of God. There is so much I would like to do for people back at home or people i've met in my travels, whether it be in Ensenada or Kenya or throughout the US, but so little that I can do. It is a humbling feeling that leads me to the only place left to turn, prayer. I'm then able to give up these things that are too big for me to a God who is too big to even comprehend. It is a such a freeing feeling. Not to say that I don't do what I can but it is an understanding that I can't do everything on my own. Yet even then, i'm still not completely helpless. I've learned that especially in the most busy of times, it is necessary to pray because there are situations in life that we, on our own, are unable to go on but life says we must. And it is in those moments that we remember this "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary, and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." - Isaiah 40:28-31. From this knowledge we can find peace in a truthful understanding that though we personally are unable to accomplish something, we can pray for and receive strength from a God who is an unending source of strength. And this same God has said to us "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" and even "if we are faithless, He remains faithful". (Hebrews 13:5 and 2 Timothy 2:13)
Prayer is a God given gift that allows us to support fellow believers through uplifting everything back to Him. With that being said, having hit that half way mark, my body seems to have gotten a lot more tired all of a sudden. So prayer for some refueling and reenergizing in order that I may really give this last half of tour everything i've got would be greatly appreciated. I'd also love some prayer and even accountability as I attempt to become more disciplined in my time spent with God, specifically with prayer and scripture memorization.
I can't express how much I appreciate the continual support in hearing things from some of you every now and then, so thanks! Much love!
I'm going to switch it up since I had a ton of pictures last time, i'm going to use more words this time, though not necessarily mine. I think i've mentioned it a few times how I would love for all of you to get a chance to meet the kids and people i'm travelling with and see us perform. And it is so true but I also realize how difficult it is on your part since we don't exactly make it out anywhere close to the west coast, this year at least. I asked my parents to write a short blurb about what they thought of everything when they came out.
"I came as a spectator to see Daraja in concert...but it was more, so much more. Very soon after we arrived, it hit me - we were there to worship our King! Yes, worshipping in different ways-some sang, some clapped with the music, many stood quietly and listened-but we were all there giving honor and praise to God! I found myself thinking how, one day, this is how it would be in Heaven, all nations, all peoples standing before His throne and worshipping Him! I also found myself praying for these precious Daraja kids just like I have always prayed for our sons, that they would love and walk closely with Him all of their days. And oh, yes, of course, it was REALLY neat to see Stephen! God IS good!!!!" - Mom (Diana)
"WOW! It was really great to see & meet the Daraja Choir live at the Grace Community Church in Cranberry Township just northeast of Pittsburgh.
Seeing their worship set was truly inspirational. Listening to the words sung in the worship songs were very encouraging and helped us to focus on worshiping God for His goodness & majestic character. There were some very inspirational moments, one came from a video in the program that provided background on life in Kenya for 2-3 of the kids in the choir and shared about their background family/home situation which made their singing and worship songs even more powerful to see in their joyful spirits knowing that God will be providing for them was really heartfelt. Having the children in the choir come up uninhibited giving us hugs and engaging us in conversations really was a sweet time of fellowship and it affirmed what we were seeing and hearing.
The 410Bridge staff were great too. They were not worn out by all the travel and long days being with & caring for the kids. You could tell that the staff’s love for each other and the kids were overflowing all the time. Their genuine love for each other (staff & kids) give us a glimpse of what it would like in heaven with God. There would be singing, praising, abundant joy, hope and encouragement flow from every corner of heaven. All because He loved us first! Praise the Lord for what He is doing with 410Bridge and in each of the kids lives.
You’ve got to be there ‘LIVE’ to realize the fullness of the sweet fellowship, the overflowing love and joy of knowing God!" - Dad (Bill)
I know the video isn't great, but maybe this'll help a bit too.
Been travelling through North Carolina much of this week. We're taking a plane to Ohio on Saturday and will be there the weekend then flying back to North Carolina come Monday. I'm especially excited because i'll get to see my brother in Cincinnati!
Hearing some of the stories of how God selected these kids (yes, from hearing these stories it is pretty evident to me that God's got His hands on them!) for the choir from Grace, the wife of our choir director Abbu, has been incredible. It really does just add so much to their testimony and ability to lead worship. I hope to someday get a chance to know them all and then share them with you!
Thanks for following my journey so far and the continued support! Much love!
Our concert at the Scranton Cultural Center, which looked more like a castle, was awesome.
"To the Glory of the Grand Architect of the Universe"
But of course, that's just a bonus to how awesome the worship time was.
This week we've gotten the chance to have our longest stay in a place to date. It has been an amazing 4 days in Cranberry Township, PA, which is about 30 minutes away from Pittsburgh. Part of the excitement in being here rests in the beauty of the surrounding nature. Either we don't have these back home or I just haven't really noticed but the trees changing color has been one of the most magnificent things i've seen in awhile! Look how gorgeous it is!
On Wednesday, I was blessed to have my parents fly in from San Francisco and get the chance to worship with the choir! I appreciate their sacrifice as they woke up at 6am PST and made it just in time for the concert at 7pm EST. They loved the kids and I know the kids loved them. If only there was someway that all of you my dear friends could meet these amazing kids and the rest of the choir!
So you're probably wondering what is up with all these cowboy hats and no, we don't normally have to dress like that. I actually forgot to take a picture with my parents after the concert but luckily they were around for another day which just so happened to be our host church's Fall Festival, a Western Round Up!
The kids were able to get in some cowboy/girl get up.
Mechanical bull! Yeeeehaw!
Over the course of this week I have felt absolutely blessed to catch glimpses of God's goodness and mercy in my own life:
I wholeheartedly appreciate the love and support of my parents in sacrificing the time and money to come out to Pennsylvania. I hope that they really enjoyed meeting the kids and getting to be led in worship by them. How incredibly encouraging it was to get to see them!
The devotional time in the morning has been refreshing. Abbu's words of wisdom to everyone on what humility should look like as talked about in Philippians 2:3 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility, consider others better than yourselves." and this understanding that if we're not fulfilling God's purpose for our lives than we're wasting His grace.
I've been blessed to spend a pretty good chunk of time with another wonderful host family who have been a loving, living encouragement to the boys and I. It's awesome when you get to see God's love lived out through His people, who are all over the place, time and time again.
As I continue to get to know the kids more and understand their lives back home in contrast to the way they exude love and worship wholeheartedly, it is as our tour leader says it should be, it is becoming an encouragement for me to worship God with that same kind of freedom through the life I live.
Time for us to ride off into the Sunset as we start moving back south again, next stop Waynesboro, VA... Much love ya'll!
The White House! I had gone when I was little but didn't recall anything so it was pretty exciting of a trip for myself as well. Our big secret service tour guide was pretty funny and had a lot of little random facts and stories about different presidents or rooms that made it overall pretty interesting. For us adults at least, I think it was too far of a connection culturally and probably even language wise for the kids. In seeing their responses we changed our course from touring the Capitol building to just looking at it and taking pictures with it.
During our lunch break, a man who worked with the security at the Capitol building told us some more interesting stories and details surrounding security detail around the area and what not. I definitely enjoyed it.
In the last week we've also been in New Jersey for a performance and now we're in Pennsylvania. It was great because on our drive from NJ to PA, we caught glimpses of snow on the ground and the kids definitely got excited about it, with it being their first time ever seeing it and all. You could just feel the excitement rising on the bus and then we gave a little lesson on the do's, don'ts and what happens with snow.
For those of you Office fans, we'll be performing in Scranton, PA tomorrow night.
So today was my very first day off, along with CJ, the only other guy intern, and Dan, the choir's new Kenyan choreographer. When our tour leader, Christi, first told us about off days I thought to myself "I don't think i'd want to take a day off." But as the day approached for me to have my first one, I gladly took it. Not to say i'm begging to have a day off though. And what a day it was...
Sleeping in till 10am. Magnificent.
Watching the snow fall outside the window. Beautiful.
For lunch, homemade Philly cheesesteaks. x2. Delicious.
Dan, CJ and I cutting each other's hair in the freezing garage. Beautifying.
Watching Florida barely sneak by Arkansas. Exciting.
Eating a steak the size of your head for dinner. Satisfying.
For one night not having to usher kids into their showers and off to bed. Relaxing.
Tomorrow is back to work. Of course it is enjoyable work though! We'll be singing a couple of songs in 2 different church services and then performing at the Scranton Cultural Center, which seats about 1,700. Nothing but another typical day with Daraja!
Worship Him tomorrow! And everyday after! Much love.
(for the record, all the really nice photos are courtesy of the great CJ Palmer, even if I forget to mention it)
Wow. This weekend has been so crazy and incredible. I wish I could describe it all and share every little bit with you but that would take some time. Time which I don't have at the moment and time which I wouldn't want to take from you but let me share with you some of the highlights and moments where God really shone through!
- Friday morning waking up at 4:45am to sound check with Mac Powell, the lead singer of Third Day, at the Catalyst conference in Atlanta, GA. It was definitely some God strength that was imparted to all of us on staff and the kids as they definitely had more than enough energy throughout the entire day.
- Watching the kids perform Mighty to Save with Mac Powell in the late morning session in the Gwinnet Arena which seats about 13,000 people.
- Seeing the kids lead people in worship at the Center for Performing and Visual Arts in Newnan, GA.
- I'll go into more depth about this one. On Saturday, our kids got to perform 2 songs by themselves and then 1 song with Third Day at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre. Third Day was the headliner but there were also other groups there such as Jars of Clay and Glory Revealed. Originally the kids were to perform God of Wonders in the middle of Third Day's set with them but after Mac had sung with them during Catalyst and during their earlier performance, he asked if the kids would sing with Third Day the song Agnus Dei, the second to last song in their set. It was great, except the kids didn't know the song. So, about 2 hours before Third Day was to do the song, the kids got a private practice session with Mac Powell. Check it out.
The performance went well. From my standpoint I thought that it was incredibly powerful. The tough part was that we finished performing around 11pm and were planning on travelling to a hotel in South Carolina, which was a 2 hour drive so we got in around 1am.
- Sunday morning, once again God showed His blessings to us in the form of energy because after finally getting to bed around 1:30am we had to wake up around 6am in order to make it to soundcheck for a church we'd be singing at. This church had 4 different services that the kids would be singing in, throughout the day and each of these services had about 3000 people.
- Today we travelled from Anderson, SC through North Carolina and Virginia to where we currently are now in Gaithersburg, MD. Took us about 8 hours, which is kind of funny when you think of it because I know that it could take a person 8 hours to get from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
- Tomorrow is a bit of a vacation day, though i'm still waking up around 5:45am but that's in order to make sure we have a full day visiting the White House and Capital building! The kids are definitely pumped for that.
As great as all this was throughout this insane weekend, there's one thing that God put in my ear and has been reminder ever since. After the private session with Mac Powell and everyone was totally pumped up and excited, Grace, the wife of our Kenyan choir director and essentially the Daraja mom, said this "When God lifts you up, stay humble." That is so important to remember, even for myself though I have no role in the actual performances, I could still feel a sense of pride building up in me even in just the things that God allowed me to a part of. One of the most beautiful parts of these kids is seeing their humility in their worship leading because it is so true that when pride enters the scene, it really begins to rob God of the glory only He is deserving of. Humility is definitely a characteristic I am striving to truly live out.
Prayer would also be great in the area of making sure to find time for just myself and God. The schedules can be so busy at times that I have oftentimes not made that time though I know that's when it is most important to do so. My desire is for my character to be reflective of who He is and that really is something that will be born through my pursuit of Him. Time for me to really start making that happen.
Thanks for all the prayers, really felt God holding us up this weekend and I know your partnered prayers had a part in that. Much love.
First day of school for the kids was today. It was a full day of school. I'm helping out with the 4th grade class and got tested right off the bat! As we entered into division, myself and the lead teacher soon found out that a couple of the kids had forgotten their multiplication tables that they'd learned over the summer. Division without multiplication can become quite long and tiring so I spent most of the day trying to help a couple of the kids memorize their multiplication tables. It didn't go so well so if anyone has any tips on that, i'd love to hear it, hah.
Intern run concerts 1 and 2 done. There have been some microphone problems but other than that things have been going well. Got the chance to dip my toes into my different concert roles and they went alright even as nervous as I was. But that doesn't really matter because this is what makes these nights of worship special every single time...
Incredibly beautiful isn't it? Some of the best worship leaders i've met...
(Photos courtesy of CJ Palmer)
The busiest weekend is just around the corner! My tour leader, Christi, told us that in this upcoming weekend we'll minister to more people than the rest of our tour combined! Let me describe it to you so that you get an idea of how big it really is. There's a conference in Atlanta, Georgia for pastors and leaders of the church called Catalyst where there will be over 12,000 people. This will be our first performance Friday morning. I believe our soundcheck is at 7am which means we rendezvous at our host church at 6am which means i'll probably need to wake up around 4:30am to shower, wake up the kids, get them ready, make sure we have breakfast and then travel to our meet up point. Then we travel during the day to go to our one non-christian venue the entire tour. Quite the contrast of arenas if you think about it. Then the next day we'll be performing in a family picnic concert featuring Jars of Clay and Third Day. We will actually be performing with Third Day! Then on Sunday we will be travelling to South Carolina that night for possibly our biggest church performance, a church that has about 15,000 members.
Prayer for this huge weekend would be amazing! That energy and rest would be given to all involved with making each thing in order to assure the glorification of our great God is at the center of it all. Specifically for that one non-christian venue, Newnan, that eyes would be opened and hearts would be turned to the knowledge of all that our beautiful Savior has done for us. That everything would work out smoothly from transportation to host homes to sound systems and everything in between.
As nervewrecking as this time could possibly be, we know that the almighty God is on our side, so we say...
