Thursday, July 26, 2007

NLM Tour 2007 Begins

Hello All,

Soon, very soon, I will be going on another trip with No Longer Music. Tomorrow! aka Friday July 27th. We have practiced for the past month and a half, and have already played one show at the large Christian music festival, Cornerstone. There are things we could work on more, musically, with props, and with being where you're supposed to be when the curtain raises, which I failed to do during a dress rehearsal (oops). Nevertheless, we have rehearsed it to death and are ready to go out with it. It's not the performance that we're concerned about, mainly.

We are concerned about the people in Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Iceland, and Germany seeing and relating to a depiction of a God that is true, in that the knowledge of his love can change our lives. No religious time of prayer, no law following, no power, no amount of money or drugs, no other spiritual force can truly bring love into our lives in the way that our Creator can. Please be praying for us that we will be mirrors of Him and his love to each other and to everyone we meet.


In Kyrgyzstan we will have 7 shows in 7 days! It's a big blessing to be able to do so many shows in this country. Last year, it happened so often that the shows that we thought were arranged ended up falling through weeks before or even the day of the concert. So please pray that the shows that God wants to happen and those arranged will happen.

I did a bit of internet research on Kyrgyzstan and found that there are a number of youth turning to drugs as a way to escape the reality of poverty there. UNICEF has a program designed for use on the radio focused on making youth aware of health risks such as AIDS, which has begun to spread due to this drug use. The country is 76% Muslim and was under former soviet control, so there are also a percentage of Russian Orthodox Christians. I don't know much more, but I imagine that we will meet some amazing Christians there. Our promoter, Irina, is a widowed mother with three children, so please pray for her strength and for quality time with her family.


In Turkey we have only one show lined up for the 7 days that we will be there. Many of the Christians that David Wilson has asked about setting up shows where they live, have been either ill, out of the country, or are afraid. There were three Christians who worked for a Christian publishing house who were martyred in April. We, of course, have some fear ourselves. But last year, in the one normal show that we played, we saw how interested and even excited people were in hearing about a loving, involved God who you can pray to and with at any time. We also saw how much the Christians needed to be encouraged, and were encouraged by the show. So we are excited to be going back to Turkey and to be working with the TACO team there. Our one and only show at the moment is on the 15th at a Rock Music festival near the Syrian border. Many people come to this area for a vacation, and we are very excited to be a part of this large festival.


In Iceland there is also only one show set up, but it will be at the biggest, most popular club in Reykjavik, Iceland's capital city. All of the large bands who come to Iceland, and, of course, Björk play there. However, this will cost $2000. We are hoping that some churches in Iceland will support us both in this financial way, but also in spiritual ways. All of the people that Radek, our promoter there, has asked to be involved, and some who initially said they would be part, have unfortunately backed out. But we are praying that the Christians in Iceland will be encouraged to be a part of this time of breaking the hard spiritual ground of Iceland.

We've been told that many in Iceland are very acquainted with the reality of spiritual forces, such as spirits and the devil who help them talk to their dead relatives. We are praying that God will go before us and begin to take down walls that have been built in Iceland.

Our last, and only show in Germany will be in its capital city, Berlin, in Mauer park, a popular outdoor spot where folks hang out. We're going to play on the 24th and on the 25th we'll have an after party where we will invite those who are interested in hearing more about God. So please be praying for that time also.

Overall, we're all very excited for what God will do. This can be a momentous time in each of these countries, and the only thing that can hold us back is ourselves. Please pray for humility, unity and love to be always present among us.

Thank you all for your interest and friendships/familyships! I'm very blessed by you all.
Love,
Christa

Kyrgyzstan – August 1-9
Turkey – August 9-15
Iceland – August 15-23
Germany (Berlin) – 23-25