ReFuel '08 ... wow. Entry no. 1.

We had a phenomenal time on Friday, working at ReFuel '08. Some background; Delhi, Ontario, has a population of 4,000, about the same size as our nearest town of Picton. Delhi has two elementary schools and a high school, some businesses, and it's plunked in the heart of a truly rural area of south-western Ontario; an area that in the past became wealthy growing tobacco, but is exploring new crops such as ginseng.

A youth pastor in Delhi contacted the agent for "Casting Crowns", outlining his plans for a concert for the unchurched kids in this community. This was a BHAG (a big hairy audacious goal) for Chris, and he was completely blown away when the agent said "Yes, Casting Crowns will come to Delhi! And, so will Britt Nicole." Chris had to scramble to get this event set up, and he did an amazing job. Basically, the population of Delhi doubled last Friday the 13th.

The first thing we saw on our arrival:


Wow. This certainly brought home the magnitude of what Chris and his ministry were able to accomplish!

Here are Alison and Claire standing in front of the stage during set-up and sound check:

We were able to set up a couple of chairs right behind the red line (VIP section) - awesome seats, although we didn't spend too much time in them.

And on a smaller scale ;-) ... setting up the UCB display ...


We were only able to anchor two of the panels ... the winds were high and the panels were responding like sails. This necessitated a quick trip to two stores looking for patio stones, another table and rope to help brace everything! The lovely folks at the Gideon booth next to us lent us some good rope and tent pegs, which helped considerably. Here's Claire:


and the UCB display in-progress (we added a second table for copies of "The Word for You Today"):


I'm not even sure where to start ... the day was fantastic. So many neat moments. I'll try condense it to a few highlight here.

*Kev was able to get in a few interviews. He had his trusty MP3 player with him, and spent some time with Mark Hall (lead singer of "Casting Crowns"), and Joel from NewWorldSon. He also interviewed Zac and Andrew from the up-and-coming band "To Tell". This was their first gig, and they were beyond thrilled to be asked for an interview. I LOVED their sound. They are recording their first demo in the next couple of weeks and will be sending it off to UCB when it's complete.

*Had an amazing conversation with a Jamaican migrant worker who spends 8 months a year up here. Have you ever met someone, and there is this instant connection? It was an honour to have him share his story. I am also feeling a little "pricked", because off and on I have thought that a ministry to migrant workers in the County would be a good thing. (Lona, subject for another time; how could we serve these people who work so hard up here, in a way that would also bless their families back home? So often mom and kids end up losing their husbands and providers in this situation ... hmmm).

*The girls were pumped to hear Britt Nicole. Britt was actually quite sick, and almost cancelled her appearance. Her choice to continue to perform spoke almost as loudly as her words and her music, and really impacted the listeners. "Set the World on Fire" ... just, wow.

Much more to write, but I must prepare for substitute teaching tomorrow and must go ... look for another post at some point.