Comments (0) |

Ichthus journal: thoughts from Destination 7

By Jenna Youngs jyoungs@herald-leader.com

WILMORE — If you had asked Natasha Ponticelli a few years ago where she would be in 2008, it's likely that she wouldn't have said a large farm in the middle of Central Kentucky, performing Christian rock-pop songs for thousands of people.

Ponticelli freely offers her testimonial, speaking about her life as an atheist, and how sitting in Los Angeles traffic helped her turn her life over to the Lord.

”I was a punk-rock teenager, really rebellious and really against pretty much everything,“ she says.

But on that day, stuck in traffic, she thought about her life and her friends and family. She realized that one day they — and she — would die, and she got scared.

”I felt that God was speaking to my heart, and he said, "I've always been with you, and you've never been alone,' and it was an amazing experience,“ she says.

Now Ponticelli fronts the band Destination 7, and she felt called to worship and perform with the band at this year's Ichthus Festival, which ended Saturday.

The band, which has been together for little more than a year and which Ponticelli found via online advertisements, faced many difficulties throughout the weekend. It fought off cicadas, fled torrential thunderstorms and performed in sweltering heat.

Band members also faced homesickness and festival disappointments.

Throughout the weekend, members of the band documented their experiences in a diary and shared their entries with LexGo.com.

THURSDAY

Before their morning performance in the Ascenxion Scout Competition Battle of the Bands, Ponticelli says that she had a vision from God that told her Destination 7 would win the contest.

Some members, however, are fighting exhaustion after spending time earlier in the week working with the Christian Appalachian Project in Eastern Kentucky, while others feel the effects of jet lag from their flight Wednesday. Bassist Leo Budirahardjo also combats feelings of sadness after learning about an unfaithful partner.

Budirahardjo: ”My feelings were going up and down since I was about to leave L.A. to Kentucky. Honestly, I felt depressed almost the whole trip because of my love life. I know it's so embarrassing but that's really what I felt. Long story short, I got cheated on by a girl that I really care about. I was falling apart right at the moment I was about to go to the airport. However, I prayed a lot through that moment, and with all of the support from my friends, I can get through it fairly easily. Although I still can't forget about it totally, I know that soon I'll be fine.“

The band performs two songs during the battle and receives praise from the early morning audience when the performers walk off the stage and greet fans, including young adults who participated in the Christian Appalachian Project.

The judges don't place Destination 7 in the top three, though.

Ponticelli: ”Today we played at the battle of the bands on the Deep End stage. Although we didn't "win' the competition, we know that we were there for a reason. Someone in that audience needed to hear what we had to say, and that is enough for us. We play to point people to God, and if we did that in any way, then we are satisfied.“

Members of Destination 7 move on from the battle mildly disappointed but ready for the rest of the weekend. Lead guitarist Alan Malunao says he's looking forward to seeing other performances, while staying out of the heat and ”avoiding the cicadas.“

They have a show set for Saturday, and Ponticelli looks forward to spending time in the prayer tent and as an altar server.

Ponticelli: ”At around 6 p.m., I had to take some Benadryl because my bug bites (left over from my Christian Appalachian Project experience) were really itchy. I hadn't eaten anything yet and found myself in a very drowsy state. I took a nap (which I never do) between 7 and 9 p.m.

”Afterwards, Jason (Mericle, rhythm guitar and backup vocals) and I headed over to the festival to see if we could lead some worship in the prayer tent. They had a guitar ready for us there, and we started to play through some songs in case anyone should show up. Our dear friend Kevin Burgess (ministry director of Ichthus) joined us and we started talking. We talked until 3 a.m.!

”Kevin really ministered to me, and I am so blessed to have him as a friend. Ichthus is blessed to have him as their ministry director.“

FRIDAY

Destination 7 has a full schedule planned, including recording an acoustic performance for CrossrockTV and volunteering as altar servers for the evening worship, but torrential downpours from the afternoon's severe thunderstorms force Ichthus to shut down for the night.

By all accounts, no one in Destination 7 had experienced a storm like Friday's.

Jeremy Devore, drummer: ”Wow. Kentucky is a crazy place.

”(Friday) we weren't musicians, we were storm chasers!! Right in the middle of our acoustic set at the CrossrockTV booth, a severe thunderstorm rolled in. People started freaking out and made a mad dash for the exits. Thunder and lightning was all around us, and I seriously thought a tornado was going to touch down and sweep me (us) away.“

Ponticelli was especially scared by the storm.

”This rain really freaked me out,“ she writes. ”I don't know if that's normal here, but we're from California. We're not used to that.“

Ponticelli and bandmates rush through the rain to the safety of their van, then make their way back to their dorm rooms at nearby Asbury College.

”This is my first time in the Midwest,“ Mericle says. ”I'm used to California shows, San Diego on the beach. This rain, those huge fat things falling with scary thunder, the storm was definitely an experience.

”Don't tell her I told you this, but Natasha fell in the mud.“

Ponticelli: ”Friday the 13th. Good thing I'm not superstitious.

”The guys and I went to Kinko's today to print some fliers to promote our set on Saturday. When we got back to Wilmore, we headed to the coffee tent to do an acoustic set with our friends at CrossrockTV. While passionately singing Knees to the Earth with all my heart, a storm came in. The wind blew fiercely and the rain came pouring down, beating against the tent. Suddenly we heard a loud pop.

”Vivianne Liu (CrossrockTV founder) informed us that we need to get out of the tent because it may fall. We made our way to the van alongside hundreds of soaked festivalgoers. In all the chaos, I lost a flip-flop and tripped. Jason helped me up and we continued to make our way to the van. We made it there and met up with the rest of our band. We thanked the Lord that no one was hurt. The rest of the day, we just hung out in the dorms, had quiet time and went to Solomon's Café. I was a little discouraged because of the rain. After all, we did come from California to serve at this festival, and now we weren't able to even get in the gate.

”In the midst of my sulking, an amazing woman of the Lord named Isabelle came and brought me comfort. Although she was a stranger, she knew exactly how to pray for me. It was an incredible night.“

SATURDAY

With the rain gone, Destination 7 heads back to the festival to prepare for its afternoon set. The bandmates can't stop talking about the weather. Friday night's thunderstorm's had them worried; Saturday they emphasize how humid it is.

Devore: ”It's overcast and muggy. I miss SoCal so much and my girlfriend especially!

”We are about to play our set on the Edge stage and it's going to be sooo hot!! I think Ichthus should look into enclosed A/C tents!“

As Destination 7's 2:55 p.m. performance time approaches, the band members learn that they will have only 20 minutes to prepare and play their set. That means they can play only four songs.

”It's kind of a bummer, but (organizers) are trying to fit in as many acts as they can after having to cancel so many yesterday,“ Mericle says before jumping on stage to set up.

After a quick sound check, Ponticelli thanks the crowd for showing up and introduces the first song, which she says was written about a friend whom Ponticelli persuaded to be an atheist.

”When I found Jesus, she didn't want to be my friend anymore,“ Ponticelli says, and asks the audience if they know what the meaning of life is, before launching into a song called The Meaning.

During the second song, Wait for the Sun, the band's road assistant and friend Matthew Christian creeps onto the stage and grabs Mericle's mike. Ponticelli steps back, and Christian delivers a rap interlude that electrifies the crowd.

Christian: ”For me this has been a somewhat difficult trip. Prior to leaving, God put it in my heart to serve the band in whatever way I could. That's a relatively vague calling, but seeing some of the needs and being able to pray for and help with some of the day-to-day has been good.

”I see it like this: The sun gives the planet light, heat, energy, etc. It's our most valued thing as a planet. But what about the moon? It gives less light, little energy (magnetic) and no heat. That's because the purpose of the sun is different than the moon. The moon's whole purpose is to reflect the sun. That's how I see myself in relation to Destination 7. My whole purpose is to bless, and work for them. The more I've done that, the better the True Son is reflected.“

The crowd clearly enjoys Destination 7. The Edge tent fills up throughout the performance, and when the band finishes its set, a group rushes to the band's table to meet them.

”There's this girl who's an atheist, I can't wait to talk to her,“ Ponticelli says as she walks off the stage toward her awaiting fans.

Richmond resident Kara Evans, 15, worked with members of Destination 7 during the Christian Appalachian Project earlier in the week.

”They were amazing,“ she says. ”They're not like other bands who are off-focus. They're very relatable to my life.“

Christian Appalachian Project coordinator Sherry Buresh praises the band's devotion to service.

”You hear the other groups talk about serving and being hands-on but don't see them take the time out and do it,“ she says. ”But (Destination 7) came to Appalachia and served, they shared their hearts and testimonials. Her God-given voice is amazing, and her recognition of where it came from is such an inspirational example.“

Offstage, band members' clothes are soaked through with sweat.

”I don't think I've ever sweated this much on stage before,“ Mericle says as he wipes himself with a towel.

”This was the hottest show ever,“ Devore says. ”But we want to play more!“

Malunao, lead guitarist: ”I'm tired but a "good' kind of tired. I feel great about the set we played at the Edge stage, but now the adrenaline is slowly leaving my body. I have met an incredibly wide variety of people from all over the country and am grateful to have participated in Ichthus '08. We all shared the heat, rain, cicadas and music, but we also were sharing the common ground of focusing our attention on Christ and fellowship with other believers from all different places and backgrounds. Spending a weekend with bandmates, meeting new people, performing and taking in the entire festival experience (while still feeling jet lag) is a drain on my energy, yet I know I'll go home tomorrow morning to L.A. with plenty of memories and more work ahead with the band.“

After the show, the band has plans to record another acoustic set for CrossrockTV, but they are all exhausted and Mericle can't find an acoustic guitar. Additional plans for a question-and-answer session are scrapped because it's scheduled for the same time as a performance by the band Family Force 5, and the organizer quickly realizes that most festival attendees are at that performance.

There is good news, however. While waiting for the Q & A session, Ichthus operations director Doug Baker tells Ponticelli that Destination 7 has been chosen as this year's Director's Choice band. Under normal circumstances, that would mean a short set on the main stage on Saturday night. This year, however, the Battle of the Bands winner, mile7, gets the slot because the set they won in the competition was canceled because of Friday's thunderstorm.

Ponticelli is thankful, anyway. Next year, Baker promises, it will be made up to Destination 7.

”I felt very strongly that God was telling us we'd win“ the Battle of the Bands, Ponticelli says. ”So then I thought it was God telling us we were winning souls, but maybe the message was more than figurative.“

As Ponticelli celebrates the win, Mericle approaches her.

”We've got to become a Main Stage band,“ he says. ”Those bathrooms are way nicer.“

Mericle: ”Well we're coming to the end of the Ichthus Festival, and as I reflect on these past three days, I am overjoyed with what the Lord has done. Through trials, arguments, rain storms and homesickness, he (God) has been so amazingly faithful. He has so blessed our band and ministry with the people he has surrounded us with and brought alongside to support us. I have complete faith that so long as we remain focused on him and humble, he will continue to cause our dreams to come true and allow us to play music professionally for our enjoyment, others' edification and his glory.“

The band is ready for some rest. Members plan to meet with their Christian Appalachian Project friends in the prayer tent after the closing band, Casting Crowns, performs at 10:15 p.m.

”We'll probably be here again until 2 or 3,“ Mericle says, leaning against a pole.

While Mericle finds a place to rest and other bandmates load the van with their equipment, Ponticelli and Christian prepare to help with the evening's altar service. Most of the nearly 20,000 attendees are expected to be at the Main Stage worship.

Ponticelli can't stop saying how blessed she and her bandmates are.

”A year ago, we didn't even have a record,“ she says, with tears in her eyes. ”Now we're here serving the Lord. It's a beautiful thing.“