funfest 5

for pictures click this link Dayton Daily News

Without His favor, His blessing and His presence upon us...
all is folly.
steve bowen

Many thanks to the 250+ volunteers, our take a risk staff, Nicole our new (thrown in the deep end) outreach assistant...all went beyond the call of duty to serve our community joyfully...

• the set up team did a fantastic job the night before,
• the kids worship team and great parents who came at 5am for Channel 2 news,
  
• the grill, snowcone, and popcorn team 3k hotdogs, the patient snowcones and popcorn people,
  
• the game people were caring, and creative,
• the inside pingpong fish bowls were a huge hit and the team had a great ab work out,
• the face painters painted,
  
• mom's muffins (500 caringly made homemade muffins for moms),
• the medical team and lost parent team thankfully had a slow night,
• the artist small group carved many a pumpkin,
• the helium balloon people are now nursing bruised fingers,
  
• the candy runners ran often,
  
• the volunteer care team cared well,
• the security guys hospitality people solved problems, like having too many cars, our grass became a car lot, getting people in the parking lot then out safely,
• the clean up crew cleaned up the mess in one hour...the reserve clean team the next day 2 hours.
  

Most people commented on the peace people felt on the campus. Our prayer team prayed, literally, walking the property, worshiping, and believing from Oct 1 ...we had several joint times of prayer during he month.

Believe it or not, I believe that prayer is the engine behind whatever we attempt to do in His Kingdom. Without His favor, His blessing and His presence upon us... all is folly. steve bowen

The wind...we didn't count on wind...

all day the our set up was blown all over the place...
...67 degree weather clear sky and wind...all day.

During the day i pondered how Jesus just spoke to the wind and it immediately died down, I asked. 'how did you do that?' you can't see the wind or the source!'

So, I also spoke to the wind all day, noting the wind seemed to increase as yet another safety barrier was knocked down. O me of little faith.


at 7:00pm I was walking to solve another minor problem when i sensed what friend calls 'flutterby' a small slight impression, possibly missed if you are not aware of a still small voice speaking in your heart...

I sensed, heard, had a slight impression...'Steve, what do you notice?' I paused...slowed down on the inside, stood still and listened...I heard a simple statement 'no wind'. In the moment I noticed it was dead calm... an encouragement for my heart, a sense of God's love and favor that is worth more to me than gold... what I call a God moment.

once again i realized ... 'Me Father is in heaven and He is quite fond of me' old irish priest quote....

the wind did pick up to a gentle breeze a short time later but there were no more knock em down gusts.


In the end...
all the noise of the event, the sense of success, the joy of seeing an autistic kid take 20 minutes to climb a rock wall, then grin from ear to ear on his first ride on a ferris wheel...seeing thousands of people enjoying God's generosity through His people was amazing.

For me personally...Hearing His voice in the midst of all the craziness was the highlight of my long day. That one 'God moment' filled my spiritual, emotional tank.