I have always been
told that when God gives you a gift, you should always use it for his greater
glory. However little did I know, if you do this, you get so much back in
return. More than what you ever could have imagined.
Like many others,
Karly and I both wanted to go to the YFL European Congress and the World Youth
Day in August. However, by doing so, we knew that we needed to raise a lot of
money. We had many ideas but I guess the idea that appealed to us the most was
to sing on the streets of Stockholm.
We started off with a
music festival called “Make Music Stockholm” on the 6th of June (the Swedish
National Day). Maybe this is finally that opportunity we were waiting for to
play on the streets? We gave it a shot and applied, and to our surprise, they
gave us more than what we expected. They gave us a 45min concerts lot in the
Museum of Ethnography in Stockholm. It would be a free concert and as for Karly
and I, it would be our very first official gig ever. Since the 6th of June,
KaSam was born.
A month passed, it
felt like it was already starting to become too late to register for the
Congress and the World Youth Day. We still hadn’t earned any money through
singing on the streets. We decided that if we ever were going to do this, then
the right time would be now. It’s not too late yet and it’s summer anyway. We
decided to take the songs we had from our concert a month ago and hit the
streets.
We met at 8am on a
Monday morning, and decided to sing in the Central Station. When we came to our
designated spot, we realised that this was easier said than done. I still
remember how Karly and I looked at each other in embarrassment as this was
definitely outside our comfort zone. After a few minutes of standing there
awkwardly, looking at all the busy people pass by, we gathered courage and
together we said: “Let’s do this.”
I still remember
setting up my small camping chair for the first time and placing it on the
floor of the station. Afterwards, I took out my guitar, gave Karly our small
sign saying: “Help us go to Madrid in August” to hold, and placed our plastic
bag on the floor where people would place their money. Then we started singing
Wonderwall.
After less than an
hour, we earned over 800kr (thanks to one woman’s 50 euro bill) which already
paid nearly one entire congress fee. We sang until 6pm and by the end of the
day, we were asked to sing at a woman’s club, was trend spotted by TopShop for
Stockholm Street Style and we managed to earn enough for the YFL European
Congress and the World Youth Day registration fees. It was definitely more than
what we expected! We went to church during our singing break during that day in
awe. In awe for His amazing love.
Since that day, when
Karly and I have time, we would go to our regular spot and sing. Day by day,
God continues to bless us with such unimaginable things. Day by day, we
encounter so many nice people on the streets. Each day is a gift from God
filled with surprises and adventures. For example, we could have never imagined
that we would be able to get money for singing worship songs on the streets of
a secular country such as Sweden. What can I say, our God is an awesome God!
I remember that during
the congress in Norway last year, it was said that if you show God that you are
thankful for what He has given you, it would only make Him want to give you
more. Karly and I could have never imagined that our gift of singing from God
leads to yet more blessings. So, to all those who think it’s impossible to be
able to go to the Congress or World Youth Day because of the costs, don’t give
up - God will provide! Use what He has given you with your best and God will do
the rest.
I hope to see you all
in Madrid in August!
Sam Valles, YFL Stockholm
