Please allow me to open with this disclaimer: this post may seem unrelated to this website and the mission field. However, it’s important to remember that mission work is carried out by people and families who have many of the same needs as any other, ie: spending quality time together. One of the primary purposes of this blog is to paint an accurate picture of our lives as a missions family. That said, I hope you enjoy this post.
I will admit that when Sal first recommended we attend a Renaissance festival, I was a bit skeptical. I remembered this kid from high school who would go to Renaissance festivals and reenact in them. I thought that made him very weird.
Apparently I married a weirdo. But, in the end I agreed. Oh my goodness, what fun! It was really neat to see how my girls chose personas that reflected their own personalities. Mila, compassionate and brave, was my bold and noble dame/knight, Talai, humble and devoted, was my just Ranger often hidden in the shadows and Hadassah, passionate and daring, was my Nordic Viking (perhaps more after the style of Leif Eriksson).
And yes, Sal went as a monk and evangelized several times that day. He is such a great example of how being a Christian is who we are and not something we simply believe in or do. In perfect medieval monk persona, he shared the Gospel with fellow monks, knights, elves and tavern maids. It was pretty wild to witness! I was convicted to remember that in truly any situation, the Gospel applies and can be preached.
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What festival would be complete without a Pyro show? At one point the bola at the end of his wire flew off into some bushes next to the stage. We were really happy that his alternative pair didn’t malfunction while they were flaming and swinging toward the crowd!
At this point, the people already inside the gates could probably hear our girls’ excitement
Milagros, my valiant dame knight.
Talai my Ranger
Sal indeed went as an armed monk. Apparently you can get Jesus into the soldier, but you can’t take the soldier out of the man.
Hadassah really embraced the Scandinavian Viking persona. The challenge was to keep her from stabbing unsuspecting victims as we walked by.
The rides were all manpowered. I’ve never seen anything like it. A+ for creativity.
Mila joined an archery contest. My little knight is actually quite an archer.
The festival has constructed an impressive and permanent village inside the city of Holly, MI.
Isn’t our dame stunning?
We met up with Heather’s family who put out “warrants” for our entire family to be “arrested.” Our bail? Singing and dancing to songs about teapots and unicorns
This is where security realized that Sal’s four-foot Claymore sword was real. It fell out of the sheath when Sal accidentally dropped it. Authentic weapons are allowed, but unsheathing is a big no-no.
I have no idea what the wolf-creature was about, but Talai loved it
We enjoyed watching a hot air balloon fly over the horizon on the Renaissance village as the afternoon drew to a close.
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