Life on the Road

(The non comic book version)

I’ve been officially “on the road” for 27 days now, and the rest of the team has been going even longer. We live out of suitcases and the trunk of whichever car we ride in most. Our meals are hastily thrown-together salads or sandwiches usually paired with raisons or Sun Chips. Andrea and I carry around enormous containers of cranberry juice because Bob Jones once told her that “the anointing is in the kidneys”!  We don’t have personal space and if your bed-buddy kicks you are out of luck.

On the bright side, there’s always a baby to hold (even when they’re snotty or squirmy it’s better than nothing). Our towels get picked up and replaced every day. A woman I don’t know makes my bed. Some of my best buddies are only doors away down the hall. I have free access to a variety of breakfast-like foods every day and the internet is reliable.

So on any given morning here in Warsaw, NC if you were to wander into the breakfast room at the Holiday Inn Express you can find our team in various states of awake-ness. Glory has a table for her, Amber and the baby. Jadon has three plates of food and a mound of cream cheese on his bagel that would daunt most men. Justin’s got his headphones on and either his drumsticks or a bible. Or both. Micheal is neck-deep in his computer listening to recordings of sets or figuring out logistics or whatever it is that he actually does. He also has his bible. Occasionally Timothy wanders through or Neil does. General good mornings are given and recieved. You won’t see Ned in the canteen until our meeting is about to start- she overslept and had to take a shower. The twins and the Leonhards are wild cards- one can never be sure where they are or if they are coming.

What about me, you say? I’m the one in the corner clutching my Kashi Cinnamon Harvest cereal and trying to see through the fog of sleepy over my eyes. Talk about stretching- I am PLEASANT when I wake up now. I mean, not the second that I wake up but very soon after.

After breakfast is the team meeting. We share, pray and then at the very end discuss logistics. Today we don’t have to be at the tent until 4 so the day should be slightly relaxing. Not that tent-days aren’t, but it’s a fight to get all those babies out the door.

(Have I mentioned that we’re expecting one more in our room… Carina and Nico come tomorrow and Glory wants to put them in our room. The Three Muskateers plus a few.)

The tent is about 25 or 30 minutes away from our hotel on a piece of property owned by Potter’s Wheel Ministries. It’s actually pretty sweet because we have all four center poles set up. Translation: the tent is full-sized. We’ve left all the sides open and only put walls behind the sound booth and the stage. Except for the wafting odor of cattle (which are raised by PWM for beef) and the even worse odor of the pig farm down the road, it’s a pretty nice place. The grass is short so we don’t worry too much about ticks and its a very beautiful piece of land. What REALLY makes it livable, though, is the family tent that Kevin and the Strong Men set up for the family’s use. We keep food, blankets and babies in there which makes the 6,8 or 10 hour days a little more comfy.

My days are pretty simple as far as responsibilities go. I play with babies, hold babies, make sure Amber isn’t climbing the stage rigging, eat lunch, paint during the St Lorel sets (or during the day which is what I did yesterday) and worship. I also habitually freeze. The video I took last night is full of fog-breathe because it was so cold. Oh yeah, Michael handed me the tour’s camera as he was running to play drums and goes “Here, take some video. You open this and push this button. Kreadygo!” I did my best and I haven’t heard anything negative about my work yet so we should be ok.

When it hits about eight o’clock and the temperature dives I borrow a coat from Sue and try to keep warm while holding babies or just wandering and worshiping. Around 10 we pack it up and head home (home is where the soymilk is) where I have just enough energy for a shower and a quick call home (to the home where all my stuff is and where my parents reside).

The Lord is moving so its all worth it. I was hit once again by the revelation that it has NOTHING to do with us. We could play horribly, I could paint something ugly, only one person could show up and if He wanted to, God would move in power.

It’s a peaceful thing to remember.