Live From 2008 Family Days – Saturday Night

Things have been going great here at the 2008 FCF Family Days.  We have had a great time all day.  We have had over 300 people registered for this years Family Days.  In the parade field we have 44 shelters set up, quite a few of which have very elaborate setups.  In last nights dessert auction, we raised almost $2,000.

At this mornings devotion, we had a time of music followed by the cannon crew shooting off not only the district cannon but also two volleys of gun fire.  After all this excitement, Belinda Kersey gave her devotion basing it on Psalms 3:1-3.  “O LORD, how many are my foes!  How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, ‘God will not deliver him.’  But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.”  She talked about how most times when you think of a shield you think of shields like a Roman soldier would have carried.  However, when you read the third verse, it says that God is a shield around me.  A normal shield only covers a portion of you and still leaves a lot of you unprotected.  Yet the Lord is a shield around us, His shield completely surrounds us and protects us.

The kids and the families have had great fun participating in activities such as archery, black powder, and participating in such activities as a trail walk and the skillet toss.   There has been a lot of trading taking place throughout the day.  The ladies had a great time today at the ladies tea.

Throughout the day, I was able to catch up with several FCF members or their spouses that have participated in Family Days.  I asked them the question, “What is your favorite memory of Family Days?”

Michael “Bald Eagle” Clay’s favorite Family Days memory was having his entire family at the 2007 FCF Family Days at Ft. Parker.

Elrena Ortner remembered the Family Days where she shot a potatoe with a black powder rifle, her first time shooting a gun.  It was part of the trace being held at the Family Days, and she also stuck the hawk, started her fire, and helped her family to win the trace.

Carol Woods fondly remembers the game that has been played at Family Days on two different occasions entitled “A Day in the Life of a Pioneer Woman.”  She recalled the hilariousness of watching Gary “Wild Wind” Bierschwale having to change a diaper as part of the game.

I got a chance to catch up with Gary “Wild Wind” Bierschwale and his wife Sheri and got to listen to them reminisce about past Family Days.  They have such wonderful memories and have had such a great time with Family Days, that it was hard for them to pick a single favorite memory.  However, they both settled with the memory of the Family Days that took place one week after the Wilderness Vigil at which Lee “Prospector” Fogleman completed his Wilderness.  After completing his vigil, he became the guest speaker at that Family Days.  They both distinctly remembered how the Spirt of God moved at each service as Lee “Prospector” Fogleman spoke.  Sheri Bierschwale remembers how it was then that she realized just how important FCf is.

When I got a chance to talk with Wayne “Lone Eagle” Word, he also remembered the 2007 Family Days.  He came by himself and he took the opportunity to roam from one camp to another and talk with the different FCF members, their families, and other members of Royal Rangers.  He recalls receiving great enjoyment from just being able to go around and chat.

Judy Harris humorously recalled the time when there was an ice storm and her sons’ Eli and Aaron Harris’ tent fell down.  They decided to leave the tent that way because it was warmer.

I finally got a chance to sit with JC “Lightfoot” and Faye Spence and get to chat with them.  They, too, had difficulty coming up with a single favorite memory.  The remembered both good and bad memories from Family Days.  During the course of the conversation, they talked about how years ago there would be family activities in the middle of camp and how all the families would participate and those that chose not to, would be sitting there watching those that were.  Faye also recalled the time where, during one of the competitions, they were suppose to catch a fish.  Her son, who was about 10 at the time, took one of the poles from their teepee and had attached a rope to one end.  He actually ended up catching a fish at the time, however, due to the weight of the pole and the fish, he was unable to lift the pole and the fish out of the water.  Instead, he started walking backwards away from the lake bringing the pole and the fish with him.

It was an enjoyable time getting to chat with each of these individuals that have come to many of the FCF Family Days in years past and get to hear them tell stories about those family days.  I encourage you, if you ever have a chance to sit and chat with any of these fine people, to do so and ask them to tell you about some of the stories they remember about past FCF Family Days.

For the first time ever, FCF Family Days played host to an FCF-themed wedding.  Jeff “Bullmoose” Ortner officiated the wedding.  The wedding was complete with several historical pioneer wedding components as well as several Jewish wedding traditions.  Dale “Tentmaker” Haywood and Laura Hindman tied the knot.

Following the wedding, the Saturday evening potluck served as the wedding reception where a wedding cake was served.  As usual, there were many wonderful dishes at the potluck and there was a great time of food and fellowship.

The evening continued with our evening service, during which God moved mightily during the music.  Old hymns such as “Power in the Blood,” “I’ll Fly Away,” “Victory in Jesus,” “Come, Now is the Time to Worsip,” and more.  God’s power continued on into the message and special singing by Belinda Kersey.  She sang about how God is there through the waiting.  She talked about Isaiah 40:31, which goes “But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”  Belinda talked about how just three months after being diagnosed with MS, she was in the hospital and how her youngest children learned about the waiting room.  One son says “It Stinks” about having to wait in a waiting room.  Waiting rooms are known for the anxiety they bring, the worriness of not knowing what is going on and what the outcome will be.   The are known for the times of happiness when those waiting get good news but also a time of sadness when the delivered news is not good.  She tied this in to the times where we are waiting spiritually.  We may be asking ourselves, “Why?” or “Why me?”  God is with us through these times of waiting and He will bring us through them.  She also talked about the fires of life that we go through and how, while they may not be fun times, that God is with us through those times and that He will bring us through them.  After Belinda concluded her message, there was a time for prayer where God ministered to people.

There was a Buckskin ceremony this evening where Ron Goodnow and his son Matthew Goodnow advanced to Buckskin.  As a result of successfully completing the Buckskin testing, they both advanced and received their FCF names.  Ron Goodnow’s FCF name is “Pure Heart” while Matthew Goodnow’s FCF name is “Red Wood.”  The next time you see either of these FCF members, congratulate them.