Elevation Worship B.C.D.O. Tauren Wells Rend Collective Hilsong Y & F Pat Barrett LZ7 Tye Tribbett I Am They Sinach Josh gauton We Are Messengers Part one.

I was never interested in going to the B.C.D.O Music Festival, until I realized on Facebook who the headlining band would be, then everything changed!

Two months ago, I updated my Will and in it I wanted Elevation Worship my favourite band of all time to sing at my funeral, but if they wouldn’t come all the way from America, then I’d chosen my favourite songs of theirs to be played from YouTube onto large screens. I had also looked on the internet to see if there was the slim chance of them playing in concert, near me, but sadly they have never played in Great Britain. I’ve never been to America, and don’t ever plan to go, so it seemed that my dream of ever seeing them live would not happen, with three weeks to go.

I then asked the girls in my WhatsApp group, “Would anyone like to with me?” But none of them replied. I asked another friend who isn’t in my WhatsApp group but she said, “I will probably be doing something that weekend with another group of friends.” So, I decided to look at the real option of going on my own. The event called The Big Church Day Out or B.C.D.O. is on a weekend, it is an all-day event on both days, by coach it would take five hours, and the same number of hours by train, changing many times. So despondent I decided to give up! Which is not like me, I’d wanted to treat myself for my birthday, this would have been my gift to me. I don’t usually buy expensive things for myself; I like items from my favourite shop T.K.Maxx the occasional linen frock, leather handbag and shoes but this birthday was Special, as I’d made it to another year, that in itself is a Gift. So, I knew going there would cost more than fifty quid. But I thought, I’m worth it and it was worth it to see Elevation Worship live, it would be a once in a life time event.

I saw the B.C.D.O. had mentioned on Facebook that they were counting down to the event and wanted people to say how many was in their group and how they would be getting there. I’d mentioned on their Facebook page that I wanted to go but had no one to go with, but there was no reply. Then a few days later on a friends Facebook page, a friend who I’d been friends with for over four years but had never met her in real life, but she had good credentials for she was friends with most of my friends, so I knew. she was kosher.

The friend Melanie Plant or MP, said to me, “I’m going, you can come with me, I’ll message you tomorrow with more into.” I replied, “OK”.

The following evening MP messaged me and asked me, “Can you come over to my home for a meeting, so we can discuss the event?” I replied, “Yes.” We arranged a day that would be good for both of us to meet up, and she said to me, “I will send you a link, you can buy your ticket yourself on line and you will also need to buy a ticket for camping.” I thought to myself, she clearly doesn’t know me very well, for I wouldn’t know the first thing about buying tickets for a festival on line.

My Daughter Meghan is away at university so she wasn’t able to help me, so I sat myself down and looked on the site, after a few attempts, I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was and soon I was a proud owner of a square barcode that I would need to show from my mobile on the day to get in, so that I’d be able to exchange it for wrist bands. I wasn’t sure how much it would all cost, for the band Elevation Worship when they do concerts in America, I wouldn’t have known how much the tickets would have been but as this was a gift to me, I suppose in my head I was giving myself a mental budget for the weekend including travel and food £500? Would they be worth that? Heck yes!

MP had set up a B.C.D.O. WhatsApp page and another name was in the group too, so Lydia was added, neither MP or Lydia I’d met before, who is crazy enough to go away on holiday for the weekend with people they have never met? Me? Or them?

So, a few days later I drove the ten miles to MP’s house and there I met them both for the first time. A hot drink was offered to us both but I declined, as I was nervous and didn’t want them to see my hands shaking, as I lifted the cup to my mouth nor did I want to spill it onto my top. MP gave me and Lydia paper and a pen, I remember looking at MP, who I’ve admired from her few posts on Facebook, where I learnt from her posts that she is compassionate and caring. The meeting started.

Lydia and MP both have six-man tents and would be bringing them, so that was written on their lists. Camp bed, blow up beds, camp chairs were put on their list. I said, “I have tables that I use for car boots, three of different sizes I can bring them and what’s not needed can be left here at your home,” MP agreed that was a good idea and said, “Or you can take pictures of them and I’d pick one.” At first, I didn’t have much on my paper, but as the meeting went on, I had a long list too of what I was to bring and I started to feel comfortable and relax. After the meeting I told them both a bit about me, and they told me a bit about them. Soon after a quick hug Lydia and I left and went to our homes.

I decided as it was a festival and a lot of people would be there, I decided for the three days and nights that we’d be there, I’d wear my tie and dyed clothes, to advertise me and what I do. It was expected to be sunny and warm, so if I layered up and wore thin long-sleeved tops underneath then I’d be OK even if it wasn’t hot. I washed my fabulous unlined linen coat and jacket along with the tie and dye tops I wanted to wear, I dried and ironed them and the excitement mounted.

The only thing I wanted to buy there was a t-shirt with Elevation Worship on and their tour dates, but with such a big fantastic band, how much would that cost? I decided to bring £150 for the T-shirt or anything else I might see to do with them. With the food lists of all three of us combined, I didn’t need to pay for anything else, “It’s expensive to eat there, with the food that we bring we won’t need to spend anything on food.” Lydia said, “I’ll cook a large chilli con carne and will cook large jacket potatoes, one for each of us, this we can have Saturday night,” MP and Lydia who had been before, know all about it. I said, “I’ll buy a whole large cooked chicken,” And Lydia said, “We can eat that with large wraps, they will keep well and will be a hearty meal too.” I did ask MP how much money for petrol she want from me, as it was 200 miles away! She said, “Don’t worry about it, we can talk about that later.” But I wanted to be organized, and not want to get there with not enough money, for I had not planned on bringing my bank card.

The time went quickly and we all knew what was happening the next day,  the day that we would travel to the B.C.D.O. Friday, (Saturday, Sunday)  was the event and Monday to travel back I was originally working Sunday and Monday I had managed to swop those two days with another Staff to get the four days off. I went to my local superstore and armed with my list of things I should buy, I spent £60, I’d bought a cooler bag a few days before and had frozen bottles of water so the food would keep cool. MP’s son Elijah and Lydia’s children Gideon and Ruth were all at school and we would all meet up at MP’s house at 4pm, this was the Friday before the Monday Bank Holiday, so it would be extra busy on the roads. We knew it would be approximately four hours in the cars and two hundred miles, which would still give us plenty of time to get there before the gates closed at 10pm. I was a tad nervous about the journey as I am not good as a passenger, trusting another and someone I had only met once what would her driving be like? Would it be fast, would she be sleepy for unlike me they had both been to work that day. But it was dry and sunny, so there was no possibility of skidding or short visibility, so I pushed aside the nerves, this was a happy time that I didn’t think a few weeks before I’d be going to this event.

I went back home with my goodies that I’d just bought and carefully packed them into the main ice bag and with the thinner cooler bags I put one inside the other to insulate it more and placed the iced bottles into both one at the bottom and one at the top, I did this in both bags. I got my suitcase and said to Paul, “I’m going now, I’ve written out my Will but it’s not written on the proper forms yet but both are in my work bag…”  Paul stop me dead and said, “Don’t say that, nothing’s going to happen!” I kissed him and I drove to MP’s house, giving myself plenty of time, I made sure by now that there was just enough petrol in my car so that there would be just enough to get me to hers and back again Bank Holiday Monday, in case someone stole my car from her home while we were away.

When I arrived at MP’s she told me, “There has been a change of plans, Lydia would not now come here but, we would go the five miles to her and meet her there.” I replied, “OK.” I unpacked the gazebo from my car, that I was asked to bring and the tables, and my case and cooler bags, my sleeping bag and pillow, and other bags of food and things that I’d just bought that didn’t need to be kept cool. It was very clear, looking at MP’s already packed car, that the gazebo would not fit in and Lydia’s large estate car wasn’t here for us to put it in, so that went straight into MP’s house along with the two smaller tables. A few things were juggled about so my items could be squeezed in, my nerves went up a bit as the car was far too full. It was then I was introduced to Blue, this was MP’s niece, she had the most beautiful blue eyes, she too was coming with us in the car. I was gonna make sure I was sitting at the front next to MP, not in the back with Blue and Elijah.

Time was speeding by and now it was not 4pm when we had planned to drive off. We eventually set off and joined the heavy Friday traffic to the other destination to meet Lydia and her children, it took a long time, we arrived at a small Town and in the car park surrounded by about seven shops I didn’t know the area. Some of the luggage was transferred to Lydia’s large new estate car. It was a pity; she wasn’t at MP’s house so my gazebo could fit easily into her car with loads of room still to spare. It was decided we all would have what we wanted from the chippy that was one of the shops around the car park and if we ate now, we wouldn’t have to eat again until tomorrow, we would just stop once for a loo break at the service station. Seemed like a good plan to me and the others too, I was, asked “What would you like?” I replied, “Mini fish and chips with gravy,” I went back and sat in MP’s car and it was brought to me, life is good I thought as I tucked into my yummy meal, I was at peace and happy it was a perfect day now I had my perfect meal, and I was on my way to see my perfect band, it couldn’t get any better.

After we’d all finished our individual meals, the rubbish was binned in the bins at the car park and we got into the two cars MP had in her car me, Blue and the two boys, Lydia had Ruth her Daughter. Lydia would follow MP all the way there. MP drove out the car park and turned left, then there was a very large roundabout, we could see a leaner driver was on the roundabout, so MP stopped and waited until he came and went, when suddenly, BANG I was SHOT IN THE BACK OF MY HEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!