Pre- trip thoughts... After 4 days on the road with Aaron Shust and Andrew Carlton... I was wondering if we could even attempt a 24hr, straight through drive to Nashville. I was also wondering how well Gail, Jeff, myself and Cheryl were going to do after 4 tour dates, 24hrs in tight quarters, a week in a small hotel room together and business going 24-7. Let's face it, if we were going to survive as business partners.... this was going to be telling! Thinking about GMA week, I had no idea what to expect... tons of people? lot's of "stars"? Annoying managers? More people who want us to fail? No idea!
The Launch- We finished up with the last A.S. concert in Camden at about 10pm on Sunday night. I was exhausted to say the least! Cheryl and I went back to our house to grab our bags, and grab some odds and ends. Gail and Jeff went to Freeport to their home to kiss the kids goodbye.
Cheryl and I arrived a little after 12 am, moved our stuff to the Wall's van and hit the road! Jeff took the first leg. We went for a couple hours when Jeff got droopy and Gail took over. We all took turns driving on the way down with Gail putting in the most drive time. Fun things on the way down... We stopped for breakfast in E. PA at an interesting looking diner. The waitress was real bitter when we got there. Wicked grumpy... wicked... like a cup of strong coffee with curdled milk..lol! We kept on being polite and happy... she came around by the time we left.
The Arrival- We made it to the Hilton at about 5 pm. It was already 2 days into the GMA week. I was excited to go into the lobby, hoping I would see someone famous. We worked our way into the huge lobby and settled in while Jeff got us checked in. No stars, no personalities. Jeff said that we were in "the" hotel in Nashville. I thought that would be kinda fun. We went to the room and only one bed was available. I like Jeff and Gail, but not that much. There was supposed to be a bed made up for Cheryl and I... not! We pulled the cushions of the sofa and found the pull out. Cheryl and I opened it up and took a good snooze.
The day in Nashville- we got up a little late but still about 8 am in Nashville. We went to Panera Bread for breakfast. They have such a short, but awesome breakfast list! There the first morning was ..... no one.. we saw a few locals and some students in the restaurant.
We headed to the convention center to register and attend what we could. We seemed to flounder for what seemed an eternity to me. I really wanted to find something cool for Maine.... an amazing worship, a way to reach the lost.... a way to do some impactful ministry. That was the goal for all of us... I may have been a bit anxious.
So the first cool moment was when we saw Jacob Sooter (Meredith Andrews husband) and he took a moment to say hello. After that we went to a lunch showcase. We got to see some amazing acts in just an hour. Meredith started the luncheon. I really enjoy her passion.. you can see how much she loves God when she sings! We got to see, Barlow Girl, Meredith Andrews, Diamond Rio, Group 1 Crew, Point of Grace, Remedy Drive and Mark Schultz. Food was great in case you were wondering! After that we looked for a class on promoting, and couldn't find it. I got frustrated... wicked! However, not long after that we saw a guy we were hoping to meet.. are you ready?.... Walt Smith. What? You don't know who he is? Well, he is important in many ways. He is the bass player for Jeremy Camp... and the manager for Warren Barfield, Lenae Hale and some other talented folks. We were blessed with an opportunity to tell the story of Maine and how we need great ministry. We literally begged for Jeremy to come to New England soon.
I suppose I could go on about what else we did, but, I think you would prefer to hear about what and who we saw. So here it is...
We saw and spoke to ... Mandisa, Group1Crew, Matt West, Gabe Scott (Bebo Norman), Laura Story, Bart Millard (MercyMe), Meredith Andrews, Matt West, Children 18:3, Press Play, POD, The Wrecking, Kronicles, Lenae Hale, High Valley, Rush of Fools, Micheal W Smith, Tenth avenue North, Michael Sweet, Amy Grant, Brian Litteral, Trey from P.O.D., The Wrecking, Kronicles, Stephen Curtis Chapman, Natalie Grant, 33Miles, Aaron Shust, Philip LaRue, and Russ Lee (New Song). There were so many that I didn't know as well.. who knows how many I walked by totally oblivious..lol!
Cool stuff that Happened.... We spent an hour talking to Matt West about coming to Maine. The result?... to be continued..
2 hrs with Walt Smith... we begged for Jeremy to come north.. real ministry is available.. please!!! the result.. to be continued...
Paul Young, the author of "The Shack". We went to see him speak about his book. Totally used by God for His glory. Funny how when God moves, obstacles get ejected! Great guy and fun testimony!
I spent 3 minutes with Mandisa.. Just small talk, wanted to see what she was like....she is a sweetheart!
Time with Rush Of Fools, They are great guys with a good heart for ministry.
I had a passing moment with Group 1 Crew.... in Panera Bread.. that's where we met lots of people!
We met a lot of business people, mostly managers and booking agents. Had some great meetings and a couple that went, jusk ok. We got to really layout some ground work for the path God is making here. We were also told that there is a buzz going on in the business about TLE and a couple other promoters in the country that are up and coming. A good buzz, not a bad one! I guess the artists are talking it up about their trips here and giving a good report. We have a lot of volunteers to thank for that!
Be did the whole music awards thing which was cool. Cheryl and I had never been to a live tv show before. It was a fun experience! We did it once, that was enough. The most fun came when we left and started driving straight home from Nashville at 11 pm. We stopped at a hotel to change... we didn't have any rooms reserved, we just sent the girls in with their change of clothes and Jeff and I changed in the parking lot....lol! Too funny! All went well on the ever-so -long ride home. Jeff and Gail did most of the driving home.
So we got home in about 24hrs. We slept for a good 10 hrs, then got a call from Jeff to come over for a "de-briefing". We figured that was a good sign that 4 people could spend 7 days together, pretty much 24-7 and still talk to each other after.
This was one of those times in my life where I felt God right there. Lot's of spontanious events took place. The only time it felt different was when I thought things should work according to my time frame abd not God's. It's a problem we all deal with. I was told that the GMA week has been scaled back ..... way back. There was no trade show and no fans really. I think in the long run, it was better that way. it helped me keep the focus on why God sent us on that trip. To bring those whom God gave gifts of music and ministry to Maine. God's time will tell if we accopmlised that which He sent us for.
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