Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Five down, five to go!
I am sitting in my hotel room in Elko, Nevada, as I write this. Mangofish has played its first five concerts, and they have all been great successes! Just thought I would take this opportunity to update you all on what's happened so far...
Thursday 7/17 - Dickinson, ND
More than 50 people from this small town in western North Dakota came out to see our first concert, and two people indicated that they began a relationship with God that night! (During each of our concerts, our lead singer Brandon shares about how his relationship with God has been, and invites the audience to consider starting a relationship themselves.) We were so excited and encouraged that God used us in this way at just our first concert.
Friday 7/18 - Medora, ND
Medora is a small old-west "tourist trap" type of town. We partnered with the Campus Crusade Summer Project going on there, and had a great turnout for our night concert there. One girl named Rachel, indicated that she began a relationship with God that night, which was especially exciting for those of the Campus Crusade students there who knew her.
Also, a man named Rod was there from the time we set up to the time we tore down. He shared with us the story of how he had grown up in the church, but wandered away after a terrible injury. And that night, after more personal and recent tragedies, he was driving through North Dakota on the night of our concert and felt God "calling" him to go to Medora. He stopped and came to our show, where, as we were tearing down, he approached us. Sarah, one of our vocalists, got to pray for him, and he said he felt greatly encouraged and revived.
Sunday-Monday 7/20-21 - Malmstrom Air Force Base, Great Falls, MT
Playing concerts on an air force base was a great honor and privilege. Mangofish played for the attendees of the base's contemporary worship service on Sunday and for airmen at an on-base hangout called "The Detour" on Monday. We also had the chance to talk and connect with many of the airmen after our shows, which, according to Chaplain Jeromy Wells, our contact there, was the most meaningful thing we did. He was extremely grateful for our being there, and told us that we were helping him "break new ground" in his ministry. Chaplain Wells is being deployed to minister to soldiers in Kuwait in three weeks.
Tuesday 7/22 - Yellowstone National Park
You may be wondering how we got to play at a place like this! Well, there is another Campus Crusade Summer Project here too! The students involved in this project have been living and working at Yellowstone all summer, ministering to the other employees there. They invited us in to play at the Employee's Pub, and we were a big hit! Not only was everyone there into the music, dancing and singing along, but the message we shared was well recieved and the students there were eager to follow up with their co-workers who were there to hear it.
Next...
As I mentioned, we are now in Nevada, and we are on our way to California! We have five more concerts to go: 3 in California and two more on our way home. I'll update you again, hopefully with pictures, in another week or two! Thanks for all your support of our ministry!
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