Hey there, friend!
Today, I'm super excited to tell you about a project that I've been working on for about two months now. Only a couple of folks know about it already, and that's because I didn't want to say anything in case something derailed our ideas.
You may or may not know about the church I attend back home in New Jersey. Liquid has been around since 2001, and just recently completed the several-year-transition from a ministry operating inside a Baptist church in Basking Ridge to a full-fledged church that sets up each week in the Grand Ballroom of the Hyatt Morristown. They kicked off a summer of service with a series of messages, outreaches, and random acts of grace entitled Outflow. These projects, which ranged from the remodeling of a single mom's kitchen to giving away hundreds of pizzas to partygoers on the nighttime streets of Morristown's bustling club scene, were done to demonstrate God's overflowing love to the least and the lost. For more information on Liquid's Outflow, check out their website or the itunes podcast.
It broke my heart that I couldn't be there this summer, helping plan and execute these projects that I'm sure had an amazing impact on the community of people in and around Morristown. Needless to say, I listened to the podcasts weekly. One week, Tim mentioned a family that was nominated by a Liquid attender and suggested that they could use a break. "Maybe we could send them to Sesame Place for a day, or down the shore for a weekend," I believe was the quote.
Cue Tinker Bell!
I was on the phone in an instant, contacting my friend Mikey at Liquid. The pieces were falling together in my brain faster than I could keep up, and I wanted to get them laid out on the table as soon as possible. After sharing my pie-in-the-sky idea of sending this family to Disney World, I offered to run some numbers up and figure out just how much it would cost.
A couple weeks and lots of magic later, it was confirmed that Liquid would be sending Eleanor Trasak and her three kids on an all-expense-paid trip to Disney World, and that I would be their exclusive tour guide, providing all the insider perks that a Cast Member is able. With my discount on the hotel room and main-gate park passes that I am provided with during my time as a Cast Member, plus the flights that were donated by Liquid members with extra frequent flyer mileage, their trip became a reality and it began TODAY!
I met up with the Trasaks at the Pop Century Resort, at which point we were immediately off to the Disney-MGM Studios (soon to be re-branded The Disney Hollywood Studios, by the way). I knew they were tired from traveling all day, so we kept things light, with just a few attractions for the afternoon. Our first stop was the Lights, Motors, Action stunt show, which wows everyone in the audience with breathtaking car & motorcycle stunts. From there, we split up and I took the boys to Aerosmith's Rock N' Roller Coaster, while Eleanor walked around a bit with her daughter. Finally, we met up together for Star Tours (a personal favorite) and afterwards – while I was still raring to go and suggesting that we head over to the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, they were ready for some R&R by the pool back at the hotel. They're in charge, so off we went, back to the Pop Century! We're done for the day now, but tomorrow begins bright and early at Disney's Animal Kingdom for some Safari action, VIP seating at the Festival of the Lion King, Finding Nemo: The Musical, and Kali River Rapids!
I'm looking forward to sharing photos and video of this adventure soon, and I'll keep you posted throughout the week. It looks like I'm going to have to continually remind myself that I'm with a family of four including three young kids, and not college program kids with boundless energy.
I was able to secure this week off for this excursion, and I've called it "Disney magic," but really the magic here comes from God, who is making this trip possible from the efforts of all involved. Remember, kids, all you have is God's: He's just letting you borrow it because He wants you to use it for His glory.
Outflow: It's Not About You.
Remaining yours, I am still...
~Bobby Perrotti
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Bobby Perrotti
(908) 797 6133
8136 Chatham Manor Boulevard
Apt. 24202
Orlando, FL 32821
