UniShow Universe at the University of LeTourneau

What an honor to present the UniShow at LeTourneau University for the second year in a row! The beautiful, state-of-the-art Belcher Center was packed for this all school chapel.

Students were very responsive and we had a great time. Afterward, the director of Fine Arts was highly complimentary about our presentation and message delivery. Katie and Misun even had students wanting to know how to get their costumes.

Here's our new promo video where most of the footage came from our event at LeTourneau:  https://youtu.be/zYBwl4c4ULg

UniShow Universe Launches in Florida

Down the road at First Baptist Church of Belleview Florida, we presented a community outreach event. There was a great turnout for this UniShow Universe Spectacular and we received much encouraging feedback afterward about the creative delivery of testimonies and the Gospel.

This church has a serious follow-up program and will be contacting each person who indicated a response to the Gospel invitation.

Rewarding Reading Indians

We had the privilege of helping students at Popp's Ferry Elementary in Biloxi Mississippi celebrate their great accomplishments! We presented two UniShow assemblies, one for K-2 and the other for 3-4 graders who had reached their reading goals. Teachers had kept it a surprise and it was fun to hear student's excited comments as they walked into the room.

  

Afterward kids said they loved David's "slick moves" and Misun's "electric guitar"! :)  Also, two girls told Misun they were so inspired by her violin playing that they now want to work hard to excel at piano playing.

Administrators told us our event was a great blend of entertainment and inspiration and will definitely motivate students who were not able to attend, to work harder next time to reach their reading goals. We received an open invitation to return to present at this school in the future.

Way to go Indians! Keep on reading and never give up!

Navajo Nation in New Mexico

New Mexico is so beautiful and varied in scenery. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in this desert state and the Navajo Nation.

We stopped first in Gallup and had the opportunity to share in Rehoboth Christian School's senior Bible class about our experiences among the persecuted church. That evening we had the privilege of being half-time entertainment for Rehoboth's home basketball tournament final.

Dustin wowed the crowd on his 10 ft. unicycle then, before dismounting, shared his story and hope of the Gospel to a captivated crowd.

Something about speaking from 10 feet in the air with only one wheel beneath, gives extra credence to one's words. Many people afterward commented on how powerful the message was. In an area where suicide is 3x the national average, it was very special to have this ministry opportunity.

Next we went to Newcomb High School for a morning UniShow Universe assembly. The administrator loved it so much they wanted us to stay and present to the Middle and Elementary schools too. Due to their testing schedule, we weren't able to fit them in this time but will do our best to return in the future.

Inspire School Programs is a ministry that teaches Biblical principles in public schools through mentoring and classes. They hosted a few events for us in schools where they are working in the Four Corners area.

Koogler Middle School in Aztec was one of the Inspire sponsored connections. We did 2 assemblies in a row since the bleachers were too small to fit all 550 students at once. The students were very encouraging and thankful afterward and we even had a few students offer to join us on tour.

Inspire has only been working in Bloomfield Middle School for a few weeks so it was great to partner with them to bring more awareness to their presence on campus during the assembly we did there.

We also returned to Rocinante High School where we presented 2 years ago. It was great to be able to share in this alternative school and challenging students to persevere through life's challenges. Students again said how inspired they were following our presentation. Faculty who saw us 2 years ago expressed amazement at how much the production value of the UniShow has increased with our expanded team.

After each of these Inspire sponsored assemblies, leaders and mentors told us, some with tears in their eyes, how much students needed to hear the important message we shared in this creative way. They said our message tied perfectly into what they are teaching the students.

Before we headed east after a wonderful week based in Farmington, we played tourist and ate Fry Bread from a Navajo Flee Market in Shiprock. Then we stood at the Four Corners Monument where Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona meet.

Launching in California

After a busy 3 weeks in Kenya, we flew the long 22 hours back to San Jose California. While still recovering from jet lag, we had the privilege of performing our first North American UniShow Universe presentation to 700 junior highers at Valley Christian in their beautiful gymnasium.

  

We heard great feedback from students afterward. A mom even told us gratefully the next day that her son came home raving about the UniShow being the best assembly they'd ever had. She said it must have been good since she usually can hardly get a word out of him about anything that happens at school.

Next we moved over to Valley Christian Elementary for our 3rd year in a row presenting on the last Friday before President's Day. Due to the torrential downpour that day, we squeezed the UniShow into their cozy chapel along with 450 students. They didn't seem to mind and were a very enthusiastic audience. The principal told us later that students enjoyed it as much or more than the previous 2 years. He noted that a group of boys really connected with David's dance which helped keep them engaged throughout the whole show and the music students were really inspired by Misun's violin playing.

Just outside of Death Valley we presented at Saint Ann School for a great group of K-8th graders in Ridgecrest California. An impressed student asked Dustin afterward, "Is there anything you can't do?!" Another student thanked Dustin for presenting the Gospel and said she felt so peaceful when he shared. 

We were thankful for the amazing scenery we were able to experience along our travels in Death Valley, Grand Canyon and beyond.

Wild burros in Death Valley.

#loveherndon

It was a privilege to join Open Door Presbyterian Church for their Love Herndon Fall Festival on October 27, 2018 in Herndon Virginia.   Organizers had seen the UniShow last year at McLean Bible Church's Christmas Village and asked us to present for their Fall outreach this year.

The festival was full of hay rides, food trucks, inflatable games, trunk or treat, hot cider and the UniShow! 

We did 3 presentations, complete with the Gospel message and an invitation to surrender to Jesus.  The auditorium in two of the three shows was packed with standing room only and great responsive crowds.  Volunteers were available after each show to pray with people.  Dustin prayed with one lady afterward who approached him with tears streaming down her face because she had been so impacted by his message. 

This was the first year Open Door has opened their doors to the community, making Fall Festival an outreach.  Many non-church members came, some even from other faiths, so please pray God will use the Truth shared and connections made to draw many to Himself.

Texas Times

Moving on to Texas, we had the privilege of presenting a chapel at LeTourneau University in Longview.  This was an especially meaningful event since Dustin’s dad and brother both attended LeTourneau in the 60’s and 80’s.  They have a state-of-the-art theater with a beautiful stage which was a treat to perform on.  It was fun to see posters in the wings of others who have shared this stage: Stomp, Lord of the Dance, Charlie Daniel’s Band, Jewel, Beach Boys, Drakeford, Rick Springfield, Rend Collective, The Oak Ridge Boys, Casting Crowns, Brian Regan and Lecrae to name a few.

A group of high school juniors were on campus for a preview day and joined the chapel.  Advisers told us afterward that they are always nervous bringing potential students into chapel wondering what impression it will give the students.  They said this was the best chapel they’ve ever had for a preview day and they wished we could present every time since we knocked it out of the park.

It was encouraging to later receive this feedback from the chapel coordinator: "What a great, energetic, nail-biting experience, that also took time to share about the importance of salvation with Jesus on the cross. Such a powerful and relatable message for students and adults alike!"

We loaded the trailer afterward in the biggest thunderstorm and downpour we’ve ever packed up in.   Our equipment was completely soaked, not to mention us and those helping.  That night we filled our hotel room with unicycles, packing blankets, equipment bags and clothes drying around the room. 

Because of friends we met and served with in Egypt over the years who live in Texas, we were invited to present at First Baptist School in Dallas.  We arrived at the school before daylight to set up for a bright and early assembly.  The students were enthusiastic and on their feet at times jumping up and down in excitement.  We love sharing a message of hope with all these students.

Here's a recap video of this USA tour January - March 2018: 

(YouTube link: https://youtu.be/8l-L6RaGNMU)

California and Colorado start with C

From Oregon, we drove south for a return visit to Valley Christian Elementary School in San Jose, California. Last year the rain forced us to present a very abbreviated UniShow assembly on a small shag carpeted stage in a chapel the 450 students barely fit into. This year was dry and sunny so the UniShow was in full force in an outdoor basketball court. The principal has become a big advocate for the UniShow, stating our assembly is the best he has ever experienced and is promoting it around the region for the future.

Our tour then took us to Colorado Spring, Colorado where Dustin’s lungs were put to the test presenting an assembly at an elevation of 7,000 feet for 320 middle schoolers at Eagleview Middle School. We heard afterward from a student that it was the best day of her life. A teacher said that it was the best assembly they've had in his 20 years teaching at the school and he knew students would never forget it. Another student thanked Dustin for what he shared, saying it's people like him that motivate her to not give up in life.