21 March 2011
On their last leg of the global tour, Watoto’s Restore Tour: Child Soldier No More encounters pleasant surprises marked by a fitting farewell and welcome for the team in Western Australia and New Zealand.
Sunset Coast, West Australia
Watoto's Restore Tour: Child Soldier No More arrived in Perth to a red carpet welcome last week and a juicy chocolate cake, after a three-hour flight from Adelaide. It was three concerts to the end of the live productions in Australia, and what a plush welcome it was from Joondalup's Sunset Coast Christian Life Centre.
Little did the team know that having travelled such a long way to Western Australia, this was going to be a major highlight to their Australian tour. The evening show on Friday 11th March was such a high spirited one from the team. And to match the team's energy and vigour, the 1,400 jam-packed audience echoed their cheers and were vigorously involved in the production from beginning to end. “At that point, we could easily have thought that it was an awesome show until our host, Pastor Gerald Keehan came up to conclude the evening by calling on the team to present a bonus item. The audience showed their joy in a thunderous roar of agreement,” comments Roy Barigayomwe, one of the team members.
The highlight of the night was the altar call that saw over forty people respond to the salvation message, among the hundreds that responded to the message of forgiveness. For everyone -the team and audience alike - this was a well spent evening, a kiss from heaven that earth could not help but celebrate!
Waiheke Island, New Zealand
The Islanders flocked in their hundreds to the Cable Bay Vineyards to witness the first ever visit of not only Watoto to the Island but also the first live production of Watoto's Restore Tour: Child Soldier No More in the Kiwi land of New Zealand.
The beautiful restaurant lawn area with it's dome shaped stage encompassed by terrace upon terrace and beautiful undulating hillsides of vine yards and a natural pacific ocean canvas as it's backdrop was such a scenic breathtaking venue for the concert.
It indeed set the pace for the God of wonders, the God of this magnificent creation to touch and transform the hearts of this mostly non-Christian audience with the message of His unfathomable grace and forgiveness that night as the production pounded away through the evening's cool breeze. The beautiful starry sky was so fortunate to experience many people respond to the call to mend their relationships with another and above all with the King of creation.
Special thanks to Emily MacDonalds of the Village Project and Tear Fund Australia for organising this very successful event, and many thanks to the countless sponsors that made it a smash bang success. Waiheke Island will never be the same again.
