WOW! Moving! Amazing! Building Relationships! Those are all words to describe this year's cruise with KLOVE. This was our 4th cruise and I will say the BEST to date. Yes, the lineup of artists was amazing (For King and Country, TobyMac, Building 429, MercyMe, Big Daddy Weave, Rhett Walker Band, Tenth Avenue North, David Crowder, Jamie Grace, Sidewalk Prophets, Audio Adrenaline, Jared Emerson and more), but it was the people that made this one so special. We saw friends from the last four years all over the cruise throughout the week. It is amazing to see people from all over the US converge on Miami each year to worship and praise Jesus for a week! We sit-down and enjoy a concert and catch up on their lives...yes we talk over Facebook etc., but just sitting and talking about what God has done in their lives over the year is special...no phones to distract us. Relationships is what it is all about!
This year was made special as we met a couple who was sponsored by the Make-a-Wish foundation. It is awesome to see an organization sponsor a family on a Christian Cruise. To watch that couple love their daughter the way they did...just moved me to see how much care was taken with her. They will be a Brother and Sister in Christ for a lifetime! The daughter loves Jamie Grace and she got to meet her personally, which was amazing! Jamie Grace was so nice and spent extra time with her. The other two couples we spent the majority of our time with we had meet on the 2013 cruise and it was so awesome to reconnect.
We did cause trouble :). Let me give you just one example (If I tried to give you all of them I would be writing a book!). Each evening we stand outside the dining rooms waiting for dinner. During those wait times, we stood next to one of the elevators on the boat and for some reason when the elevator opened one of us said "HEY" (Raising our hands and yelling) to the Make-a-Wish couple. Well that became the big saying and before we knew it everyone was saying it...and yes we were still freaking people out :). It is amazing how relationships can start just by simply yelling "HEY" and throwing your hands in the air.
We meet a Clown...yes I said Clown. He was not dressed up but he does it for events etc. Funny fact, his grandfather is at 95 years old, the oldest performing clown in the world and is in the guiness book of world records as such. He was part of the "HEY" group :). The man was hilarious.
I am a people watcher and I had plenty to observe. It is funny to watch people dance to music. Some better than others, but a few stood out and they made us crack up each and every time we saw them...dancing like you are in the 70's is a bit weird, just sayin! I will say one stood out and she was always in the front of the concerts and well you can imagine, dancing like she was in the 70s, going up to complete strangers etc. During the Tenth Avenue North concert she was right next to me on the front row. It was entertaining!!
I feel I need to talk of the food. During the week we were well feed and at times to much...LOL. Self imposed really or was it peer pressure? The staff was amazing and we really enjoyed their enthusiasm and care for us. At the end of the cruise we gave each of them a signed bible and CD to show our appreciation. The biggest hit was the Hot Chocolate Melting Cake with the soft ice cream coming in a close second. We must have eaten a million calories, but hey we walked miles each day up and down stairs and all the jumping, singing, screaming, clapping burned it off...well most of it. It always amazes me how clothes become two sizes to small after the cruise :).
With all the bands on the cruise, people ask me who my favorite was. It is hard to decide most of the time as each year a group will affect me in different ways, more than others. This year it was easy...For King and Country blew everyone away! I love what they stand for. Joel the lead singer gave a powerful message on the respect and dignity of women! He was genuine and I like to see a man stand up in front of thousands of people and preach it. This world has forgotten that, not just the Men but the Women as well. We have become such a society of what is on the outside that we forget that what is on the inside is what truly matters, not the amount of skin that can be shown.
I could go on and on about this year's KLOVE cruise. As I said earlier it was our BEST one yet. Next year should not disappoint. I am already looking forward to catching up with the many friends we have made...it is all about relationships and doing life together! We are only here for a short time with much work to be done!
I could go on and on about this year's KLOVE cruise. As I said earlier it was our BEST one yet. Next year should not disappoint. I am already looking forward to catching up with the many friends we have made...it is all about relationships and doing life together! We are only here for a short time with much work to be done!
