LifeLight 2011

At LifeLight with our newest AGCI adoption friends - Jason and Angie Bishop, and James and Toni Swanson

We went to Sioux Falls again this year for the world's largest outdoor Christian music festival - LifeLight!  It was amazing!  In addition to our normal clan that included the O's, Davidsons, and Henns, there were also about 100,000 other people there!

On Friday, we heard Reliant K, Hawk Nelson, Fireflight, and Manic Drive.  OK, so the last two I had never heard of....but that's because I'm old.  And I felt even older when the concert didn't get over till midnight and it was close to 2:00 am before we got home.  Yes.....2:00 am....that's in the morning!

On Saturday, we heard Building 429, Britt Nicole (Sunshine's Favorite!), Sanctus Real (Rye Bread and T-Bird have met them before!), Francis Chan (he wrote "Crazy Love" and is an amazing speaker), and my fav of the weekend - Tenth Avenue North.

We've listened to a lot of Tenth Ave North this summer through our many trials, and God spoke to us throughout the summer through their music, and definitely spoke to us during the concert.  It was a very worshipful time.  What a great reminder that He is always there regardless of what we have done or where we have been or what we're going through.

One of the highlights of the weekend was running into two other AGCI (All God's Children International) families at the concert.  Imagine sitting in a field with thousands and thousands of other families listening to the music.  Heather and I got up to get the little ones some MORE FOOD (as if we didn't bring enough!).  As we're just leaving our lawn chairs, someone asks, "Nordstroms?"  It turns out it is none other than Toni Swanson.  Toni and her husband are from Sioux Falls and are in the process of adopting from Ethiopia through AGCI.  We have had a few email exchanges and follow each other's blogs but had never met.  There's always kind of a semi-strange strangeness to meeting someone that you've only known through blogworld!

As we're chatting, Toni motions over behind us and mentions that there is another AGCI family sitting in the same area that is also adopting from Ethiopia!  (How can there be three AGCI families with 30 feet of each other at a huge outdoor concert???  Crazy!)  Jason and Angie Bishop have been on the waiting list for 14 months.  They are now number 4 and are expecting a call very soon.  Angie is bursting with questions and excitement and nervousness.  It was very fun to meet these other families.  And even though we had never met before, it seemed like we were old friends since we all share so many common adoption experiences.  While holding our own African Queen, it was good to reassure them that the wait is worth it.  I'd do it all again for our little Peaches.  A year ago she was in an orphanage, now she's eating mini-donuts in a field at an outdoor music festival in South Dakota with her FAMILY.  God, You are good!

So thanks to the Bishops and the Swansons for an encouraging night.  Getting to meet you both was a lot of fun.

And the worship of Tenth Avenue North is one of those experiences that I will remember for a long time.  There's something about the freshness of God's voice as relayed through song in a field on a cool night in South Dakota.  God, you allowed us to relive our summer and remember that you are always faithful.  You allowed us to see our summer from the other side of the Red Sea and remember that you are in control every step of the way.  Thank you.