KNOXVILLE, TX (July 20, 2009) \u2013 Covenanters might be surprised at the immediate impact CHIC has on other people who are not directly tied into the event.
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\nAt least several bus drivers have prayed to receive Christ while attending the event or afterwards, says Brian Alnes, executive director of Lake Beauty Bible Camp, who arranges the bus transportation for the Northwest and Central conferences and excursions during the event.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the big picture of what CHIC is about,\u201d Alnes says. \u201cIt\u2019s about much more than the kids for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Drivers frequently attend the last night of CHIC, and many of them are overcome by what they experience, Alnes says. Following a Main Stage event at CHIC2000, Alnes spent more than an hour talking with one driver who had started crying during the service. That driver prayed to receive Christ that night.<\/p>\n
Another told Alnes, \u201cThis is the greatest thing I\u2019ve ever seen. It\u2019s amazing what you do for kids.\u201d<\/p>\n
During the return trips from CHIC, the drivers say they also hear the students on the buses sharing with each other how their lives had been transformed at the event. The students\u2019 actions also serve as testimonies to the drivers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe comments that we get every year are that these kids are so good and they\u2019re so polite,\u201d Alnes says. \u201cThey say there\u2019s something different about these kids.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alnes adds, \u201cTo see these tough guys get loved on by kids who\u2019ve been loved on for a week is just amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Richfield Bus Company has transported students from the Northwest Conference to every CHIC since at least the early 1970s, Alnes says. Some drivers already have put in requests to drive to CHIC in 2012.<\/p>\n
CHIC leaders say that security guards and other workers also have requested prayer for specific issues as well as to give their lives to Christ.<\/p>\n
The message of CHIC increasingly is spreading virally. Friends of volunteers and students also are reading about the event on Facebook and MySpace pages.<\/p>\n