Glory to His Name

As soon as we got home from vacation, I hit the ground running. Friday morning I had a two hour meeting to put the finishing touches on our Kid's Camp. (VBS) Saturday I was at the church to decorate and then Sunday back up to decorate, and Sunday night it all began! Everything fell into place, and the first night we had 170+ kids come. And we also fed about 200 people. Rest of the week went well, too. We peaked at 194 kids, and on Weds. night the sewers backed up right before camp started. Yikes! We weren't allowed to flush toilets or use any running water. God took care of it all, and we survived with no on wetting their pants. :) By God's grace it was all fixed 30 minutes before dinner on Thursday night. It was so fun to see everything come together for this week. I had the most wonderful team to work with; I just felt like the general contractor. We had so many volunteers step forward to help. I loved ministering to the volunteers while they ministered to the kids.

The girls had a great time, too. Sadie survived 2 1/2 nights. :) We had almost 30 three year olds in the group (along with 8 helpers) but I think she found it slightly overwhelming. And honestly, I don't blame her. :) She spent rest of the week helping me. Brandon worked late all week and got caught up on some things at work.  So our week looked a little different. Since we ate supper at the church each night, I made lunch time our good meal together. Then Brandon worked until 8:00 while the rest of us were at church. It was long days for Brandon, but it was a good week to do it.

Friday of the week was the grand finale. It was a dream come true for me and a day I wish I could repeat - Go Fish was at our church for a concert! I got up early that morning and went for a walk/run and listened to praise songs on my ipod. God had seen us through the week, and my heart was overflowing with praise. I came home and made up some deluxe brownies. Analise was the only one up, so she helped me. Later that morning we went up to the church to take down some decorations and also to be there for when lunch arrived. I had been in charge of the catering. We got to church, and I Analise came up to me so excited, "Mom! I just saw Jason!" (from the group) As we headed back to the kitchen, he followed us down the hall, so we stopped and visited with him a bit. He's a very nice guy. We then made sure the table was all set and ready for lunch (along with our brownies. :))  We then met Jamie, the lead singer. We really tried not to be a bother for them, but at the same time it was so fun talking with them. Go Fish is a huge hit in our house. :)

Finally at 6:00 the real fun began. I'm not sure who was more excited - the girls or me. This had been a dream of mine for three years!  God had  worked in so many ways, and now they were at our church.  We had purchased a back stage pass, so we went early and got to hear them sing a special song, and then they had a Q and A time. At the end they walked about and gave kids bookmarks. I had Analise go up to Jason and ask how the brownies were. :)

The girls had fun with their cousins at this special event.

With lead singer, Jamie

She couldn't wait for the show to start!  We sold out at almost 1000 seats. PTL!

It was probably the best family night ever. Analise sat kind of awestruck most of the night. Maisie enjoyed quietly for the first half and then joined in the second half. Sadie sat with me, and we sang and danced together. We were three rows back, and I loved not only being close to the stage, but I loved looking back and seeing kids and parents thoroughly enjoying it. Smiles were everywhere!!

At the end of the night, Jamie gave a salvation message, and then they song a song from their cd that I didn't expect them to sing. (It's a slow song, so I love the harmony, but the girls prefer the upbeat songs.:)) They sang "The Old Rugged Cross." There is a tag line in there  -"glory to His Name....glory to His Name..." It's my favorite part, and as they sang it, my heart again was overcome with praise.

Since the concert, it's been such a blessing to hear the positive comments about the evening. It brought families together, and Christ was the focus. His name was proclaimed. The next day Maisie wanted to go back to the concert again, and all I could say was, "Me, too, sweetie; me too. "