Rodeo Wrap-Up

Stories continue to surface about the seeds that were planted surrounding the rodeo and Lord-willing, we'll be hearing those stories for years to come. Ironically, three days after the event the field still isn't completely cleared off yet. The port-a-potties are still standing there in the middle of an empty field. It's a funny picture.


Here are some final numbers:

• 12.5 acre field
• 7,000+ in attendance
• 35 port-a-potties
• 2 electric generators
• 3,100 hot dogs
• 3,000 bags of chips
• 3,000 1-pint drinks
  
• 30 gallons of chili
• 10 tents
• 20 trash cans
• 1 dumpster
• 1 refrigerated tractor-trailer
• 2,500 seat bleachers
• 1 rodeo arena
• 34 received minor medical treatment for brush burns, splinters, blisters and abrasions (no medical emergencies)
• 1 Senior Pastor with very tired feet from standing the entire day at the main entrance greeting everyone as they arrived and thanking them as they went home
• 4 shuttle buses that operated all day ferrying Grace Church attenders to/from the parking area at Warwick High School
• 3 Operation Barnabas teams
• 1 ATV
• 2 Gator-type golf carts
• 320+ volunteers
• 3,000 rodeo programs
• 2,409 food coupons
  

Now we look ahead. I had a conversation with the farmer yesterday so I could learn the different crop schedules. In planning for next year, I wanted to know what crops could be planted on the land depending on the church plans. It turned into a fun conversation not much different than a game of Pit as we talked about rye, oats, wheat, corn, soybeans and flax. I learned that oats is the fastest to grow and be harvested, taking about three months from the time planted to the time of harvest. Oats is what was harvested off of the field just a few weeks ago. Rye is the next fastest crop, followed by wheat and corn. Even though the game was invented in 1904, the grain values in Pit still hold true today. Wheat is the only cash crop for the farmer with whom I was talking. Corn is the next in value, though for silage it's the best but it takes the longest to grow. Of course, the ethanol movement is creating a shift in grain values. I always loved Pit, so this whole phone call was a blast. I shared my fascination with the farmer and his response took the conversation to a whole different universe.

He said, "I am constantly amazed at how I can plant a seed, nurture it to grow into a crop, harvest the crop, feed it to my cows and the cows produce milk. To see one little seed ultimately turn into milk is a process man has tried unsuccessfully to duplicate, it's a process only God can do." I replied with the following which is a good wrap to my rodeo coverage...

The cool thing is that on Sunday we planted a different kind of seed and in the coming days, we'll nurture them and watch them grow to produce fruit. And like the seed-milk process, it's a process only God can do.