Planning for the event began shortly after Christy Nockels and her family served at one of the retreats this past summer. I don't think any of the planners really knew what to expect in terms of how many people would attend, but the day before the concert, the venue was changed from a very large room to a huge sanctuary in order to accomodate the 700 people who reserved tickets. What a blessing!
If you have never heard Christy Nockels sing, you are missing out. Her voice is beautiful. The Christmas music and praise songs reached deep into my soul. Kenn Kington is billed as a comedian and a motivational speaker, but what you don't see on his internet resume, is that he is also the parent of a childhood cancer survivor....whose family, by the way, was served at a Blue Skies retreat. His dialogue was both heart-felt and humorous, giving those of us who haven't lived through pediatric cancer, a glimpse into the life of someone who has. He so beautifully painted the picture of the need these families have for a week of normal, or as he said, super-normal. Interspersed between the singing and the speaking were video slideshows of Blue Skies retreats. I recognized several faces!
I think one of the biggest highlights of the evening was when a precious child, a 10 year old survivor stood up and sang "Welcome to Our World." She truly had the voice of an angel. The concert ended with the children in the audience joining Christy in singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."
Before and after the concert, I saw several fellow retreat volunteers as well as some guest families. Blue Skies truly is a family and this was a great family reunion. Of course, the goal of the evening was to raise awareness of what Blue Skies Ministries is all about and to fund the 2014 retreat season. I don't know how much money was raised but I pray that generous hearts and wallets overflowed!
I'm as fired up as ever for this ministry. If you think you might be interested in serving, please contact me. I would love to talk to you about it. There are plenty of ways to be a part of the fun. Stay tuned for details about a pajama party where we will make 2500 "night-night" notes for next years retreats! Until then...
