Contact Information: SteveAndPeggyB@gmail.com

Monday, May 3, 2010

KidFest 2010


I think I should design a tee shirt that says, "I Survived KidFest 2010". I could have made millions! Seriously, all who attended this last weekend had an amazing time. KidFest 2010 had 800 people attend and I suspect nobody was disappointed. God moved and people of all ages were blessed. KidFest was for children from the ages of 6 to 12 and the blessings did not age discriminate.

The first day there, (Friday) we got to Kings Island Resort and Conference center in Kings Mills, Ohio. We were 15 minutes early but permitted to register anyway. We unloaded the luggage for 40 people, found our rooms, rested a bit and then got ready for the first church service.

The first church service was exciting. They started out with several games that got the kids engaged. Then Johnny Magic wowed everyone with some illusions with ropes, flowers and more. Next, Burning Bush came on stage and possessed an anointing that took me past the rap music and I was blessed by the message. After that evening service, we got ready and headed for the pool.

The pool appeared to be heated, but I suspect it was the enormous number of people swimming that refused to take a potty break. As the Children's Pastor, I was what you call a TARGET! I must say, I have not had that much fun with the kids in a pool in a long time... wait; I have never been in the pool with them before then. Anyway, I am not sure how many times I was viciously, yet lovingly attacked. However, to their surprise, I was triumphant in each battle... except for one or two.

After we swam for a while, we ordered pizzas and fed the flock. The pizza was quite good but we just ordered so much. We took the pizzas just outside the enclosed pool area to eat and after swimming in that “warm” water the wind outside was very cold. Once we left the pool and got back to our room, got dressed, went to bed, and fell asleep, it was well after midnight.

The next morning, we got up early to torrential rain and had McDonalds breakfasts that we ordered the night before. We distributed the food to the various rooms then had to deal with all of the mistakes. We actually got to the point of going back to McDonalds and buying other stuff. What an ordeal!

After breakfast, we got ready for the second church service. All of the kids were anticipating the events of the day. After the morning service, we would go over to the park (Kings Island) for the day. However, the forecast for that day was rather bleak. They were predicting severe weather with 2-3 inches of rain. Now I believe in Devine intervention but was not prepared for what was to come.

We head over to the service that morning and have a magnificent time. We are blessed by Jonny Magic again that performed more amazing illusions and Burning Bush that ministered in music. Both men were truly amazing and anointed. The kids were all very engaged in what they had to say.

Then we were blessed by The World Children’s Choir with the theme: Great Commission (GC) Kids. They were from several countries and spoke about the water in these third world countries that are making people sick resulting in deaths from disease-ridden water. Then Pastor Kevin spoke with the kids and they were just as engaged as the prior ministers of God. I understand there were jumping jacks and a bunch of other stuff but I was involved in a meeting of the Church leaders and missed his message.

After the service, we went back to the room to change and headed to Kings Island. With the horrible forecast, things could have been rather bleak but we got ready, had a sandwich and went over to the park. We get off the bus to find the rain had stopped. We divided up into a few groups so the kids cold ride whatever they wanted. The last ride we allowed the kids to ride was the White Water Canyon log ride. We knew they would get wet and would be rather cold so, we allowed them to ride that ride last. They ended up riding that ride five or six times before I announce, “Time to go”.

We stayed at the park until after 6:00pm and had NO rain. Not a drop of the 2-3 inches predicted that very morning. As we walked back to the bus that will take us back to the resort, we had a few sprinkles of rain but not even enough to get you wet.

We got back to our rooms and those that were wet, changed cloths and we pack into the vans and headed to Golden Corral. We eat and eat and eat. We had good fellowship. Eat more then got desert. I must say, with 40 people (28 Kids between 6-12 years old) thing went amazingly well. No big spills (from the kids) and very well behaved. This blew my mind! Do not get me wrong, I have some of the most amazing kids around and they are very well behaved but when you get that many kids in one place, things happen.

We finish up with dinner and head back to the vans and get all the kids back in and buckled up. We let everyone know that we will head back and get ready to go to the pool again. Needless to say, they were all thrilled. We told them they would be allowed to swim for one hour so we could all get some rest that night. As a result, it was close to midnight before we were all asleep.

Sunday morning was another blessed morning with rain and excited kids. We eat breakfast from McDonalds again and everyone (I believe) was okay with what they got. That time, the nice people at McDonald were gracious enough to put the orders in individual bags with room numbers. It made it a bit easier and besides, the kids could only order from four or five items. Much better plan and execution.

After we eat, we made sure everything was packed up and we loaded everything in the van. The plan was that we would be leaving directly after that morning’s service.

That last service was not disappointment again and the kids were truly blessed. They had the same ministers and a powerful message. Pastor Kevin spoke of being the link in a chain. A million messages could come out of that one theme. I am once again very blessed by the behavior of the kids. I believe it is the fact that God was moving and blessing.

Finally, we are all tired and heading north. We stop at Wendy’s for lunch. I love seeing the faces of people at any eating establishment sees 40 people coming through the door at one time. Anyway, we were standing in line when we were informed that the credit card computer was down and they cannot accept credit. Picture this, 28 kids were told to get a Wendy’s gift card with enough money to eat on. We were then told they could not use their gift cards. Well, fortunately, half or more of the kids got through before this happened. I didn’t even have two dollars to get the Diet Coke I wanted so I stepped out of line. Shortly afterwards, I was asked to come up to the line. I was informed that two lovely ladies that was standing just behind me wanted to give me some cash! I did not want to take their money but was quickly rebuked by other in my group to not squelch their blessing! Therefore, I graciously accepted the money and took it up to the front of the line and asked that all the kid get something to eat. Once all the kids were fed, two dollars was left. My original desire that small Diet Coke was enjoyed to the very last drop.

God is in the small thing. Whether it is rain or food, He is there to take care of us. He blesses us in all things when we have that loving relationship we call born again. I truly appreciate my Lord in all things but I appreciate those willing to be instruments of God. I could name several angles on this adventure. Whether they were from Kings Mills, Canal Winchester, or Columbus. This was for the kids and be very careful about thinking these angles haven’t made a difference in these kids lives. I don’t know how much money was handed to me at Wendy’s and it does not matter. God can use anything from fish and bread to cash from a stranger and bless it.

Also, be careful about thinking the kids did not get anything but queasy stomachs from roller coasters. I was in the presents of Gods working power. I saw the work of the Holy Ghost moving amongst the kids. I saw the looks on their faces as they were praising God. I could discern to awesome power of the Spirit making a difference in the lives of these kids. I saw their demeanor change and how they wanted to provide the “Random Acts of Kindness” spoke of during this adventure. I was there first hand and I was a witness to the mighty works. A special thanks and God Bless to the angles inside and outside the church that made a difference in the lives of these children.

The next time God speaks in a small voice, “Help the Children’s Ministry”, you can rest assure that He has something planned for the up building of His kingdom. If you were asked to help and chose to believe that the kids are for the church of tomorrow, realize the error of that statement. It is quite clear in God word that, we are not promised tomorrow. Where does that leave our kids?

It is my personal first hand witness that the kids were touched by God last weekend and without the four angles in our church, some of those kids would have been left out.