March 8th me and Ambassador Brother David Ekfors from Nedervetil, Finland flew over here to Florida where we now have been for a litle bit over a week. We were exhausted upon arrival as we had been up and traveling for 26 hours but we managed to get some sleep the first night after we checked in at our motel in Deltona, Florida.
DAYTONA BIKE WEEK 2014
The next day, Sunday March the 9th was our first day at Daytona Bike Week 2014 and we drove to Ormond Beach where God had placed us to serve together with Don Overbey and Overbey ministries at the Music For The Soul stage, located at the Hog Pen on US-1 across the street from the legendary Iron Horse Saloon. We had a wonderful day, I did a couple of sets of music and testimony and we listened to Larry Howard and the Mark Mason band. It was wonderful to meet Larry again, he is one of the absolute blues legends within Christian blues. Mark Mason is from Virginia and is another awesome Brother and during the days I also did an interview with him for the TV shows we produce. This day we also met a team of people who came over for Bike Week from Finland, together with Brother Vesa Takala, who has done trips here now for the last 29 We made an early night to get in shape for the rest of the week and took off to the motel in the late afternoon after having a BBQ dinner, the american way.
Monday was a little bit quite, still thousands and thousands of bikes and bikers around the greater Daytona area. This day I had the privilege to have Brother Skip Frye with me on stage and we did a set together and Skip did one of his solo sets. Skip is an absolutely fantastic guitar player and Brother and I hope to bring him to Europe one day. This day we also met Tony Loeffler again who just had returned from a missionary trip to Cuba. We made a new connection today, Harley Lamoreux aka Coconut Harley from Jacksonville, Florida. We did an interview with him and he had such a fantastic testimony to tell. He grew up with the original members from Lynyrd Skynyrd and hung out with them in the early days. He also played harmonica for the Charlie Daniels band for years. Always good to meet new Brothers and Sisters, the family is getting bigger. We felt the time change and jet lag creeping up on us so we were on our way back to the hotel when we heard that the Tony Loeffler Band did not have a drummer. Their drummer was sick. I decided to help and it was something I did in faith so I got up on stage and played the drums the entire concert. If someone had told me that I was going to play drums with The Tony Loeffler Band at Daytona Bike Week 2014 in my past I would have thought they were crazy. The funny thing is that Brother David asked me the same morning if I can play drums and I said that I might do as I tried playing drums when I was a kid. God has such a wonderful sense of humor and He just wants to confirm that He is with us all the time.
Tuesday morning we were hit by the bad news that the owner of the property Hog Pen did not want any more Christian music on his property. Basically we were told to leave, in other words kicked out. This was a day of trials and tribulations. Meanwhile me and Brother David picked up Brother Cele Monreal from the airport in Orlando. Cele flew in from Houston, Texas and on our way back we also got to meet and spend some time with Pastor Tommy Lilja who had been at a Pastors conference in Orlando and took some day's there to work on a new book. We tried to contact the locals we knew in the Daytona area to find another stage but even if they wanted to help it was impossible. The only place where we could be were next door at the same location as last year but it would cost us 800 US dollars. There were no money left over as Brother Don who run the stage had spent his money on getting down here. We decided to help out and I borrowed the money for the stage and today we know we did the right thing. We raised the money back so I could pay what I borrowed and the following day the Music for The Soul could continue.
Wednesday we hung out at the stage together with some wonderful Brothers and Sisters before it was time to leave for my afternoon gig at Calvary Christian Center who put on a Bike Show during Bike Week. It was nice to serve together with Brother Rock Hartley, a really stable brother who knows what he is doing. I played a set outdoors in a heavy wind while the people came to eat hot dogs and sausages. To me they looked the same, I mean the hot dogs and the sausages. Don't really know the difference. Now I can also say that I have played with Moses as I got company on stage this night by a bearded Brother named Moses who came up and played the harmonica on some of the songs (most of them). From there we went back to the Music For The Soul stage and listened to The Tony Loeffler Band who now had their drummer Scott behind the kit and Mark Mason was on stage as well. Another wonderful day was over.
Thursday was different as the night before Brother Mike Eicher, our Branch Leader for the Ambassadors in Michigan had arrived. He brought new energy to our group of people. We had breakfast together and then back to the Music For The Soul stage where we did two interviews with two Brothers from the Son's of God MM. I did a set myself at the stage and after that I played with Mark Mason and part of the Stephen King Band that had arrived all the way from Mississippi. It was a great time of rock and roll with the word of God being proclaimed. From there we drove to the International Speedway Track where we met some of our Brothers from the Heaven's Saint's Motorcycle Ministry. Afterwards we drove to New Smyrna Beach were Molly Hatchet were playing. We did not go to see the show, have seen that before. Just went to meet my old buddy Dave Hlubek and got to spend some time with him and we are going to stay closer in touch in the future. A very happening day!
Friday was our last day at Bike Week and we drove to the Music For The Soul stage were I did a set with the Full Throttle Band feat. Pastor Z, founder and leader of Bikers For Christ, Eric Turner with his wife Debra and Stix on drums. We had a great time on stage and it was rock and roll from the beginning to the end. We left the stage and said see you again to all our Brothers and Sisters. At this point I would like to thank Don and Rhea Overbey for doing the work they do. Such wonderful people and faithful servants. I would also like to thank their team and all the bands who participated and of course all of you who donated towards the new stage. Thank you and God Bless you all.
FOUNTAIN OF LIFE CHURCH, OKEECHOBEE, FL
Saturday me and David checked out of the hotel and drove to Okeechobee, Florida where we first checked in at another motel. The same night we had dinner with Pastor David Evans. The following day, yesterday was Sunday and two morning services at Fountain of Life Church. During the first service I became a member of the Fountain of Life church and it was a very touching moment. It is now official that I am under their covering and authority as a ministry in USA and Pastor Dave Robertson is my Pastor here in the USA. This is a step that I have been waiting for in the US ministry and God takes us step by step. The two services were awesome and during both services people gave their lives to Christ for the first time and some re-dedicated themselves to Him. We ended the day with a lunch together with the Pastors and took off to our motel were we managed to get some rest.
Now we have one more week here in the USA and tonight we are going to visit an orphanage. We are going to do some prison work this week as well as be back at Fountain of Life Church Wednesday night. We leave Okeechobee on Saturday and Sunday morning we are going to be at Family Life Fellowship in Cape Coral. So far this trip has been wonderful. We have seen people get saved (thats what it is all about). We have heard praise reports about people being touched. God has connected us with new connections and we have really had a good time serving the Lord. It has not been easy and it is never easy. This trip is a total step out in faith financially and so far God has taken care of us. Now we pray for this week to work out in a good way and may God use us for His glory and His Kingdom, in Jesus name.
God Bless ya'll!
Pontus
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