Category: Updates

We’re on day four of the trip. So, it’s been a busy two days since my last post. We spent yesterday just prepping for our time here, which means getting all our tech ready and instruments in order and making sure really that our power voltages run DC to AC and AC to BC. We’re matching and converting, right? And then today, we had the gracious opportunity to go and play at New Valley Primary School, which is in Purley, right around the corner from the church that we’re mainly based at, at Old Lodge Lane.

Primary School in London… So the way the school system works is primary school is from what they call reception, which is kindergarten, all the way up to the sixth grade. They call it year six. And then secondary school is from seventh grade up until I believe 12th grade, or year 12. But for them, they end at the age of 16, and then they go into what they call college, which is really kind of a fine-tuning of whatever kind of profession they want to go into. So if they want to go into being a mechanic, then they’ll go to school for mechanics. So it’s kind of like a trade school, in a sense. And then after that, there’s university level.

So anyway, we were in primary school today and working with a lot of the younger students. When we first got in there, they were just so happy to see us. It was almost like the highlight of their day, it seemed like. And their classrooms are immaculate, with so many hanging decorations of all their work they’ve done in school and they’re just awesome. They’re these small people talking in these awesome London accents, and they’re just such smart kids. This school has had a big accomplishment recently because they were considered a failing school by the government and they were in the process of receiving high remarks for bouncing back basically into a well performing school. Which is great for them. So they’re really happy and celebrating that.

And so, they had a sports day where basically the kids … It’s like their own kind of version of the Olympics, and everybody comes out from kindergarten/reception all the way up to year six. And so students came out, and we were just mainly with the kindergarten kids. That’s just kinda the way it happened. They’re just so adorable, doing the different sports, long jump to the 40 yard sprint, the 50 yard sprint, the 100 yard sprint, 200 yard sprint. Anyway, they’re all racing each other and we got to do a concert for them. So we’re setting up and sound checking, and the kids were just gathering around like we’re about to have this big concert. I was like, “No, hold off guys, it’s just a sound check, we’re just getting levels right.” And so then they got kind of really excited, and then they went off to their games and played.

When it came around 1:00, it was time for the concert. So we go ahead and Steve, who’s our host missionary, introduces us to the school, and they’re all just sitting down chillin’, just in high anticipation of the the show ’cause they heard us during sound check. Like “oh, this is cool.” So we kick it off and I remember we were saying, I mentioned the last time how we covered that song by Coldplay and we got into it, and those kids jumped to their feet and were having so much fun. And it got to a point where doing like a four song 20 minute set. It’s interesting because … It got to a point where the power … It got so crazy, the kids were jumping and screaming and it almost made you feel like you were in the arena somewhere with crazy fans. It was kind of like a really surreal kind of experience, and these were just little kids. But it was so cool to see them so excited. You could see we were the highlight of their day.

So basically, all they know is we’re this American band from the States, and they don’t know if we’re famous. They just know we’re a band that sounds good, and maybe we’re doing something big. But for them, they were just so happy for us to be there, and so excited. I got off the keyboards and I actually started jumping around with the kids and singing with them, and it was just so much fun. And then from there, it got so big that we were drawing power from the school to power our sound system and instruments on the blacktop. And so we were running the power lines from that, and the sound system started blacking out. It started turning off because I guess the power draws were maxing out. Anyway, so regardless of the sound going out, regardless of the instruments going out, those kids kept jumping and singing with us, and just so excited.

Luckily for us, Steve recorded the show on Facebook Live, so you can check it out on our Facebook page. But anyways, it was just such an amazing opportunity to work with those kids. Just the highlight of our day. And mind you, as sort of a preface to all this, today is our first day of doing some real ground zero ministry, so it was just a great kickoff to everything that we’re doing.

Afterwards, we had a lot of downtime. I think really it was more so that the host missionary and the host pastor could kind of get some time to do things at their house and personal. I think they just needed a break. So we were at the church just working and playing with our boy Kenny. He’s from the neighborhood. The church has been trying to pull him in. He was one of those kids that terrorized the neighborhood, just comes from a very rough background. The church has been doing a really great job with cycling him and working with him and spending a lot of time with him. And so he just loves hanging around with us and he was playing ping pong, foosball and playing on the drums and the piano with us. He just likes to be around.

I had a delicious cook out dinner over at Ken and Richard’s house. We had some great burgers, hot dogs and sausages and coleslaw and it was just really good food. Really kind of pampered us in that way. Basically, we just had a great time hanging with them and getting to know them. They brought members from the church, older folks. And they were looking food for their age. We’re talking about in their 80s and 90s, and still walking and talking and kind of making sense of everything that’s going on around them. So it was beautiful to see them, being a part of the evening and interacting with us in that way.

We then were able to debrief at the very end of the day, which was cool because we hadn’t debriefed since we got to London. So it was good to just kind of do a very quick debrief with the whole group before we split off to our hosts’ homes. It was really cool to see everyone’s kind of reaction. Everyone has had … We’ve had the highs and lows and everyone’s highs and lows have been pretty remarkable. Mostly highs, very little lows. But any lows that were there were more logistic stuff more than it was anything bad that happened. Which with mission trips, there’s always logistics to be worked on. As you may well know.

And now, we just kind of been kicking it back at the house that we’re staying at and kind of just having a good time and hanging out. I’m excited for tomorrow. We’re planning the benefit concert, so I’ll let you know how that goes. Thanks for reading. See ya.

– David

Hey everyone! It’s David, band leader of withLove. We got to London safely today, and it was quite an adventure to get here. First of all, the flight over was smooth, but we almost got detained at the border! Thankfully, we had our endorsement letters and they were able to verify them, and we were able to get in. For a moment we were nervous!

Then, on our way to the house from the airport, our driver ran out of gas since we were taking so long at the border. A police car came out and helped us, took our driver to get some gas while we were waiting on the side of the road until they got back. Finally, we reached the beautiful host’s house. Everything here is beautiful: it doesn’t get dark until 10:30pm at night, and the sunlight comes at 3:45am, which is crazy. The weather is pretty nice, about 80 degrees. For one of the band-mates, Nathan, our airlines left his bag at the last terminal in Montreal. We’re keeping our fingers crossed they are going to have his bag delivered to us tomorrow.

We had a quite a few hiccups getting here, but we’re here, and I don’t take that for coincidence that we had so much opposition trying to get here. I really believe that God has something here for us to really make huge impact and to stir up revival, and to be able to really connect with people on a different level than ever before here in London.

We had a chance to walk around Old Lane Lodge Baptist Church with Pastor McGrives who was telling us his story about the work that he’s doing in the community, and it’s pretty awesome working with basically the equivalent of a section eight housing in court council estates (in that kind of a neighborhood). They are working with everything: from trying to be the centre of a neighborhood in the sense of working with the schools, working with the kids, working with families, having various tea time to bible studies, to prayer at night orduring the week. It’s just a very active church and really doing a lot of efforts to reach people in the community in ground zero rather than just on Sunday mornings or formal outreach events.

It’s really cool in that way; they actually have a great relationship with the community, and the church. It’s a small town neighborhood church, but the hearts are brilliant, and they shine bright in that neighborhood for Christ.

In the neighborhood we got fish and chips at Danny’s, which apparently is the best fish and chips in town. It was pretty good (even then it needed some salt!)

The band fitted the PA systems today and Logan is really excited about working with that. We got to meet some of the kids in the neighborhood; they seem really awesome as well. I love the accent here, that’s one thing I really enjoy. What’s weird is that because we’re in their homeland, we are the ones with the accents, not them. It’s interesting to shift our mindset from being home, and being in their home where their culture is theirs, and we are just visitors.

Our hope and our goal is not to say, “Hey, here’s how we do ministry, and this is the way it should be done.” But more so partnering with the local ministry there, and empowering them to do the work that they are already doing, and to do it in a bigger way. To help them cultivate a culture of God loving people and doing everything with love. There is a huge need for community, and so we are excited to be able to start revival in that way and stir up hearts, stir up minds, and depend on God and his Holy Spirit to do the transformation with the transforming of hearts.

That is basically it, I’m really excited for what tomorrow brings… One goal today was to stay up till 8:00pm London time. It was a struggle! The moment that we were sitting still, people were passing out, left and right, but for the most part, people stayed up till 8pm. Right now it’s 9:15pm, and it’s weird to still see sunlight. Tomorrow is another relaxing day (we get to actually commune with the church in the community tomorrow) and rehearse for our coming show on Thursday.

I’m really excited. The high of today was just really being able to hear the story of what Nick and his church is doing in the community. I especially loved seeing the prayer wall – they have all these notes on the prayer wall of all these different prayers. There is this really cool tree they have in the sanctuary where they took an old dead root of the tree and planted it in a pot and brought in it the church. Basically, they started a community tree where every person that they meet, they write their name on it and put it on the branch of the tree. Subsequently, at the same time, the tree started to come alive. It’s really interesting, the more people they meet at the same time this tree is growing, and it’s starting to grow leaves, and it’s beautiful. They take it as affirmation that God is in this community, and that relationships are important. That was really cool to see this kind of the work that’s happening there, the excitement that’s there.

The only low today was just trying to get over this jet lag. It’s hard to think, and it’s hard to do anything when everyone is tired. People are on edge a little bit, and you try not to piss anybody off, LOL!

Anyway, we were pretty well received, and we ask that you keep your prayers up for us as we meet the community. Whatever kind of spiritual happenings takes place next is yet to come. Keep us in your prayers, and we’re definitely excited to perform our music and to do ministry. That is day one in the books!

P.S. Oh, weird fact is that nobody believes in air conditioning over here in London. Everyone says, “Open your window for some cool breeze, and if not, you’re just going to be hot.” The weather is not too extreme where you’re going to be burning up all the time, and it gets hot it will just be warm for an hour or two a day.

withLove has been nominated for two categories at 2017’s Gospel Blue M.I.C. Achievement Awards: Group/Duo Artist of the Year and Video of the Year! The winners will be announced during the ceremony on August 12, 2017 at Limitless Church in Dallas, TX, with Myron Butler, Grammy & Stellar Award Winning Gospel Artist and Gerald Jones, Founder of dagospeltruth.com, as honorees.

Organized by Brothaonline.com, The Gospel Blue M.I.C. Achievement Awards are based on merit and works, not popularity. Nominations were based on activity on the Gospel Blue Mic Radio Association chart (A partnership with Nebo Media Group and Stewart Communications) as well as applicants completed nomination forms showcasing their achievements and activities during the past year. All information has been independently verified and voted on by the Blue Ribbon Panel.

Started in 2013, withLove is a dynamic ensemble of millennials on fire for the Lord, blessed with exceptional musical gifts. Their music, rooted in the Gospel and Contemporary Christian genres, is fresh and creative, flaunting the same racial and musical diversity that make up the ensemble. Their new sound, which includes splashes of alternative rock, along with a fresh approach to the Gospel message can be found on the ensemble’s self-titled CD withLove. When the group isn’t jamming, worshiping, or praying together, they are hitting the streets, ministering to the needs of people.

The 7th Annual Gospel BLUE M.I.C. will be held on August 12, 2017, Doors 6:30pm, Event 7:00pm at Limitless Church, 838 TX-408 Spur, Dallas, TX 75236.

To help you celebrate and reflect on God’s love for us this Resurrection weekend, please check out our latest lyric video “Set Us Free” from our debut album withLove!

“Set Us Free” is a song that reminds us of a Father’s love for His sons and daughters and how His sacrifice has set us free from our own imperfections to live a life full of faith, hope, and love.