A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

Radio promotion for this particular  show started  four months ago and I hoped to obtain tickets for our combat injured warriors and their families by contacting radio station ShineFM in Baltimore. Three weeks prior to the show at the 1st Marina Arena I got the call that the tickets were available and went into action putting it all together.  The logistics of coordinating  people and transportation to and from such an event is always a challenge that I enjoy tackling.   I want to share with you what transpired last evening while it is fresh in my mind.   It was very evident throughout the day and evening that God was walking with us.

The event was a Chris Tomlin concert and for those of you who are not familiar with him,  he is one of the most popular recording artists in the genre of contemporary Christian worship music.  The concert was taking place in Baltimore, about 45 minutes from Walter Reed on a good day with good weather.  (You may have heard on the national news that the MD/DC/VA area has been selected as having the worst traffic in the entire country).  The weather forecast was for snow and freezing rain but we started praying for good driving conditions as soon as the tickets were ours.

First came the phone calls to invite those who were interested in attending the concert.  With thirty seats to fill, I reached out to lots of wounded warriors and their families.   The problem is that often schedules change at the last minute due to hospital appointments and procedures so some who want to come find out last minute that they cannot attend while others wait until the last minute to say yes for the same reasons.   Once there was a head count the transportation was organized.  Thanks be to God, my beautiful friends the Mallarys run a non-profit 'Truckin4Troops' that specialize in transporting our wounded warriors with vehicles that are adapted for wheelchairs.  (They have several vehicles for transportation but one in particular that they planned to use for this evening).   God was truly working in this situation because the vehicle scheduled to be used died in their driveway.....when those problems might have occurred at the end of the evening in a distant garage!   Two other vehicles replaced that one and they arrived at their destination without further issues !!!!  During the afternoon we had icy rain and flurries but the Lord heard our prayers and there was only rain to and from the arena.

The 1st Mariner Arena needed a head and wheelchair count in order for us to  be seated  together and to accommodate the wheelchairs. Meanwhile, the  headcount kept changing.  Even as late as the afternoon of the show the head count changed.   Truckin4Troops is over an hour away from  Walter Reed and needed to be at the hospital early to arrive in Baltimore by 7pm, showtime!!!    Some  guests were driving separately.   I needed to be in the foyer of the arena early  to distribute the tickets.   With guests arriving from various locations in bumper to bumper traffic it would have been a miracle for everyone to reach there on time.......but they did and the show started just as we were seated.

We are all Chris Tomlin fans so we were looking forward to a spectacular evening and that is exactly what we were treated to. There were over 9000 children of God in that arena swaying to the music, lifting their arms reaching up to the Lord.......all of us feeling the Holy Spirit deep in our hearts and souls as we sang along with Chris, listened to the words and let the inspiration flow over us.   Have you ever been in a place where there are 9000 lovers of Jesus Christ all singing and shouting to the Lord and praising God?  I can tell you there is no other experience like it...... tears flow and hearts soar........two solid hours of praising the Lord and singing as one.   I am always moved through song in church on Sunday mornings with 150 in our sanctuary, so a crowd of this size makes an impact and we know the Lord is smiling down on us!!! It was glorious, truly glorious.

One of our guests Tweeted Chris Tomlin and asked if he would acknowledge our wounded warriors by name and before the show was over he did just that and thanked them for their service.  The applause was deafening........and tearful.   I felt such  pride for them and their families as the applause went on and on.   Sadly it was time for this worship filled evening to come to an end but the audience was not ready to go home.  A standing ovation that lasted minutes brought Chris back on stage for another three songs and the audience roared with delight.

 Truckin4Troops carried their precious cargo back to Walter Reed and the rest of us went home.........with our hearts filled and our spirits high and fresh memories that are etched in our minds forever.