Well Saturday was a long day that started with my 6'ish roll out and ended around 1 in the morning. It was a work day morning with me weed whacking the perimeter of the cabin and the yards and then a hike to the top of the mountain; once again we saw no one out and about so it was a quick event. The weather was once again perfect for hiking. We got ready after a quick lunch to head out to Sparta to pick up the Tracy's and head down off the mountain to Wilkesboro for the FaithFest Event.
Well it's about an hours drive that consists of some very twisty and winding steep curves with recommended speed limits of 25 mph, yikes we even saw the tail lights on some of the curves as they were that twisty. We saw a few deer on the way home last night but most stayed off the road which was a good thing. There were lots of other critters some as road kill and few scurrying along the ditches.
Well FaithFest was an awesome event that started around 2 PM and ended around 10:30 PM. We saw and heard some fantastic music many of the familiar songs we hear on JOY FM or Spirit or K Love which are all Christian stations. Now we can put the faces of the artists to the songs. The place was packed with between 6-7 thousand I would estimate in the grass covered stadium. The acoustics were tremendous and at times you could feel the vibrations in your body. Each set was between 30 and 55 minutes long and was very organized with a message near dark. Several folks decided to make a faith commitment at the invitation call. Each of the sets were very inspirational with all sharing their decision to follow Christ and honor GOD in their daily lives as well as give their personal testimonies.
There were over 300 volunteers to help with this first annual event which will be held the last Saturday in August. We are looking forward to doing this again next year and we did learn coolers with food and drink were allowed in as well as bringing your own fold up chairs(which we did). It did get a little warm before sundown or before the sun moved behind the tall trees that surround the mountains that surround the stadium. We were picked up by a bus that visited the upper parking lots bringing folks into and out of the event. What a blessing that was as the stadium is surrounded with parking lots which required some extra up hill hikes. The stadium is held on the campus of Wilkes Junior College which is beautiful to say the least and also the sight of the annual Merle Fest that honored Doc and Merle Watson. They were big in the "mountain music" era and I believe Doc has passed away.
Well we did receive some sad news that our across the street neighbor in Seminole passed away at the age of 90. Carol and Bill who is also deceased were our neighbors and friends since '79 and I sort of looked out for her doing small things for her when we were in Florida. We won't be able to get back for the funeral as we are still waiting on word from Paw Paw and his prognosis and whether we will have to travel to Maryland while still here in N.C. Well its corporate worship day at Cornerstone after listening live to our Florida pastor at BridgePoint Church. Take a moment or the morning and give thanks, pray for those who are hurting from the hurricane on the Gulf Coast and for our nation as a whole and for the well being of our law enforcement family and our service members. GOD only knows what would happen to our nation without these folks who keep us safe from the terrorists both from abroad and home grown domestic ones, LATE
