Midwest Tour Scrapbook

We began our week by worshipping with the believers at Westwood Community Church and joined them in launching their "40 Days of Purpose" campaign. Both our families, our parents, and siblings are joining together to read this life-changing book by Rick Warren, the pastor of Saddleback Church in southern California. We highly recommend you pick up a copy (even Wal-Mart is selling them!) and re-discover God's purpose for your life!

While the Autrys were away, we Hilliards explored around Minneapolis.... from the old (Laura Ingalls Wilder's birthplace near Pepin, WI - the subject of "Little House in the Big Woods") to the new (the US' largest mall - the Mall of America!). When the Autrys arrived, we all returned to the Mall of America to celebrate Alec's 9th birthday.

This is not just any other big mall.... It has a full-size amusement park inside called "Camp Snoopy", a cool General Mills cereal playland, and NASCAR simulator! So, we had big fun celebrating our big boy's special day!

On Wednesday we set up our booth at the MOPS International Convention in downtown Minneapolis and later picked up AnnNan (Pat's sister) and Dinina Sharber at the airport. They flew in specifically to provide child care while we adults manned the convention booth. WOW! We are so blessed with willing family and friends!

After singing at one more MOPS group on Thursday at Westwood, we borrowed a sound system from the church and headed to the convention center to set up for the night's performance. MOPS invited us to provide music for the kickoff of their MOPShop - their bookstore at the convention.

So, in spite of some temporary trouble with the sound system, Sharon & Laurie sang and our "jungle babies" danced and played for the MOPS crowd! It was such a blessing to renew friendships with many MOPS moms whom we've met while traveling the country!

	our convention booth Big D & Li'l D!
The crowd at our booth.... waiting to buy Sarah Groves' CD next door!		Friends...new & old (...some, very old!) Real Men...hug their kids!

The next two long days were filled with handshakes and hugs as we met new friends and potential contacts for future tours and as we reminisced with "old friends"! Our new "Real Men...Hug Their Kids" t-shirt and the "Hold Their Heart" rings turned out to be the buzz of the convention...at least in our minds! We were also blessed to have a booth by Christian singer/songwriter Sara Groves. After her Friday night concert, we swapped CDs and "road stories" with her and husband Troy of life on the road with kids and buses!

After completing this non-stop convention, we treated the kids, AnnNan & Dinina with a limousine ride to the Olive Garden for dinner- where we met some fun people who waited on us!