Thank You.

Thank You

Here are a couple of summary thoughts of the entire experience:

Coming together to celebrate

Gathering to sing and worship is healing. The sense of unity, of reorienting ourselves around Jesus was so evident in these times together. There is lament, there are heavy burdens we all carry, but we as believers have a powerful tool to walk through dark times.

Received more than we gave

Connecting with those who have been impacted by our songs was such an incredible blessing and encouragement. At each event countless people shared how these songs got them through times when words were not enough. Times when they had no strength even to read or study, no opportunity to gather with others — they would play our songs and let the message of the Gospel speak to them. Many shared of how they came to faith through our songs. Hearing these testimonies was an encouragement for us to continue what we are doing.

Encouragement for our songwriters

I was in tears hearing the feedback from our RFM artists. None of them had any expectation of being compensated for these two weeks away from their families and taking off work. In fact, we didn't know if we'd even come close to breaking even with ticket sales. But I was so excited to be able to give each of them an honorarium from the money we made on tour. The sum was symbolic — around $200 for 8 shows. But they all responded with such gratitude. Even this is confirmation for each of them to keep at it.

Faith tested

I believe in Room For More becoming a self-sustaining platform for artists. We are not quite there. But I really wanted this tour to be able to pay for itself. This, of course, involves taking a step of faith. As me and Steffie fronted the money for venues, merch, sound, lighting etc., I have to admit I was worried that we were doing something unwise. We were close to clearing our account. With each show, ticket sales were around 20% 24 hours before each show. We sold out all but two shows and came out making money. That's kind of how it is in Ukraine — no one plans too far in advance as things could change at any moment. It was a huge boost of faith to see so many eager to come for these events.

Change in worship culture

It is especially encouraging to see people purchasing tickets as it is not part of the evangelical culture to pay for worship events. We really believe that it's a good thing as it shows people are willing to invest into what they value. This is something we really want to be a part of developing in Ukraine both with live events and studio recordings.

Outreach opportunities

Specifically for those serving in the military, affected by the war. We set aside tickets for these families in each city. Many non-believers came — most of them with believing friends — and were moved by the experience.

Raising up musicians

We had three teenagers as part of our band: my two eldest — Katie and George — and Mark, who is also a worship leader in our church. So proud of how they handled the grind of each day, all of the expected-unexpected technical issues, how they ministered to others. And also so glad we're able to bless them financially and to show that what they do in singing and playing is valuable.

Much to learn

As any experience like this, we have much we can improve on next time. Things like starting sooner with reserving venues (the location and type of venue also matters tremendously!), traveling with our own soundman, and factoring in the physical strain of four consecutive shows in different cities! And many more details like this. Excited to continue on this path.

By the way, you can pray for us as we plan our Christmas tour with the orchestra. We are working on locking down dates and cities. This tour will be much more outreach-focused and I'm already so excited to get going.

Once again, thank you for your prayers and support. You guys have partnered with us in a more profound way than you can imagine!