So much has gone on since I have last posted. You can say it’s been a roller coaster ride this past week. At times things seem to be going so well then we run into some struggles. There have also been times where I can honestly say I have witnessed miracles. After our Jacksonville show we met up with old friends of Aaron at an Ihop where we just chilled and showed some old friends the new record till about midnight. Then it was time to hit the road again, we were heading to Keystone Heights to lead a camp in worship for a whole week. What was supposed to be a 2 hour drive became a 4 hour drive because all of us in the van fell asleep and forgot to tell Jesse where to turn. So we ended up going over an hour past our destination. We finally ended up at the Rund’s house at 4am. The Runds are an amazing family of God who love the guys in My Epic and everything they stand for. It was just an honor and a huge blessing meeting them. It only got better for us after arriving in Keystone Heights, we were staying on this beautiful lake where we could go swimming and tubing everyday and it just seemed secluded from the rest of the world, I finally understood why Aaron called this place “paradise.” We had a few days to relax and chill in “paradise” before the camp started that Monday. We made the best of it eating home cooked meals, going tubing, swimming, just singing along with Aaron playing acoustic My Epic songs also “En Machaerus” on the piano, We even sung along with Julie Rund who played one of our favorites “Jesus Christ” by Brand New on the piano.
Monday came and we found out that we would be staying with the kids in the cabins for the whole week. I am not going to lie, I wasn’t too thrilled about that. See I got burnt really bad tubing and I was covered in sunburn and blisters so I hadn’t been sleeping much and knew loud kids wouldn’t be helping that situation at all. After meeting these boys in my cabin I quickly realized how selfish I had been. These guys were a huge blessing and it was a very humbling experience for all of us. The whole week was just a blast and being able to see God’s presence through worship and seeing middle school lives just being turned around and broken for God. The last day of camp was the most trying time for us, but God really revealed himself to us and provided hope. Aaron and I went back to the Rund’s house that evening to use the internet, when we were trying to leave the van wouldn’t start. After getting a ride back to the camp everyone found out about our van and how we might not be able to finish the tour and make it to Cornerstone. One of the fellow leaders who we had only known for like three days gave us the keys to his truck for us to drive across the country to finish our tour because he saw a need and believed it was God telling him to meet it. That was a huge blessing for me just to see God provide in our time of need when I felt all was lost for this tour. That is one major thing I have learned on this tour is that this is not just a tour or some band trying to play shows, this is a ministry to help reach the lost and unloved, and he felt the same way. As amazing as that story is it only gets better, the night before we left kids prayed over the band for guidance and perseverance in our journey, and after we were done praying another leader from this church handed Aaron a envelope saying he never carries cash on Him but today he did and God told him to give it to the band. Aaron opened the envelope and it was $1000 cash. Aaron and I sat outside on a bench right after it happened and he was in tears and all he could really say was “God is good.” I mean it must be so hard to accept that gift from someone, but how can you tell them no when God wills it to them. Aaron likes to call these moments “Embarrassing Generosity” its where the generosity is so excess that its embarrassing to be on the receiving end of it. Even after all of that God wasn’t done giving us some embarrassing generosity, when we left Florida we made up our way up to Tennessee where Aaron and Jesse met up with some old friends who wanted to have us over for lunch. We ate lunch there and the guys got to catch up and just talked about how God has been so good and working in our lives. When it was time to leave the family handed us an envelope and told us that their kids had saved up some money and wanted to give it to us. We were very appreciative and gave the kids some t-shirts and cds and said our goodbyes and were on the road again. While we were in the car Aaron opened the envelope and just gasped. He had pulled out over $100 these kids had saved for us and then hidden in the envelope was a check for another $1000. I can’t explain to the emotions that were running through that truck. I can just tell you that a few days before we were wondering how we were going to get home much less worry about finishing the tour, but God came through as he has in so many similar circumstances, yet I still find ways to doubt, but I am learning. God is good.
