Creation Fest 1 Living In A Caravan

We arrive to inspect our home for the next week. How does it work, honey?

Our friends the Kottmans stayed in a tent. We were glad we had steel walls for this dark and stormy night. Katie, left, dances with Karissa and Bethany.

Inside it was a tight fit, but we could make good use of the space for hanging out at lunchtime.

When the weather was good, it was VERY good. And when it was bad...
My Holly poses naturally for an art shot.

Last year at this seven-day Christian music and teaching event we stayed at a bed & breakfast. The good points were breakfast and a place to sleep. However, it was a ways off site, the room was small, and the price was going up next year. “We can do better than this,” we thought.

So we heard about friends renting a caravan for the Fest, and we decided to do it as well. The owners towed it to the camping site at the Fest and all we had to do is show up, which we did last Friday. Now we were on site, we could go there for lunch or when we needed a break. It was better than a tent when the wind was blowing and the rain pelting hard.

We spent the rest of the time learning how to sleep in the thing, and how to cook in it, how to put all our things away somewhere organized. By the time we had learned some of these things we were done for the year.

So we actually signed up to do it again next year! Yow! Roughing it (not)!

Creation Fest 2 Working For Free

I sold books, but by far the biggest sellers were the glow sticks for the kids.

The reason we went to Creation Fest was to volunteer to help. A group from our church was going to work as the Welcome Team, right at the entrance to the Fest. Another group headed by Joanie was going to man the Information Table at the entrance to the Shed, the large main building where the groups would play. 

I ended up at the Calvary Chapel Radio table at the back of the Shed. My job was to give out brochures on the radio station showing the teachers, when they taught, where the Calvary Chapel churches are, and so forth.

We got to meet a lot of people and give them info and news. Many people wanted to know more about Calvary Chapel, hardly a household name in England. 

I also taught the book of Revelation in one session. That’s a part of the Bible not often taught or even read in the UK. It demanded a lot of preparation to boil it down into the space of a single session. I kind of ran out of time the first time I taught it. I took even more time to know what I wanted to focus on for the second slot for the session, and it seemed to flow more smoothly. People told me it was the first time Revelation ever made sense to them. With other people it led to discussions about the Bible that I thought were very productive.

We came home dog tired every night. It’s crazy to do this, but at the same time, so fruitful. 

Creation Fest 3 Gungor

I snuck backstage to get closer to Gungor.

One group stuck out to me at the Creation Fest this year. With a name like “Gungor”, you don’t know what to expect, maybe a bunch of barbarians? I was intrigued when I learned people had come to the Fest because they heard Gungor would be there.

During the sound check I was at the Information Table around the corner from the main stage. I heard a Fender Stratocaster electric guitar sound very “stratty” and I had to see who was playing that.  

The guitarist laid down his Strat, picked up a banjo and played complex musical phrases on it. Not “Hee Haw” stuff - this was like jazz phrasing. Then he picked up his acoustic guitar and it sounded like it was in a cathedral.

As you can see in the photo, there is also a cellist, keyboardist, bassist, drummer. All very musical and proficient. I thought anything these guys do is going to be cool. The group impressed me with their calm professionalism, just making the monitor mix, being patient and not frantic or showing off.

The concert that night was moving. Many people surged to the Information Table asking for CDs of the group. It was really something to hear different music besides the “three chords and the truth” thing that bands tend to do.

We are going to buy their latest CD and get to know them. Just wanted to let you know about Gungor.

There's No Place Like Home

Katie and Holly try to acclimate our bird Sparky to the great out-of doors.
At least we didn't lose him.

Like every family, we have our good sides and our bad sides. We like us a lot. That’s good. We don’t know what to do for a day off. That’s bad.

I think it’s genetic. I know I’m fun-impaired. But even Joanie and I can get out of the house and DO something. Many times our girls don’t want to go anywhere for a day off. So it’s been a prayer request: What in the world can we do that’s fun for a day off as a family?

One more Monday came and Joanie and I tried to make suggestions. No go. Too tired. Okay, why don’t we just do it in the backyard? We pulled out a camp blanket, put it out in the shade, made some sandwiches, got our bedtime story book, and went into the backyard. We even put Sparky’s cage out there, and risked him in the great out-of-doors.

We figured it out finally: we really like it at home. Thanks for answered prayer, Lord.