April 4 & 5, 2009

Santa Fe, Houston & Port Arthur, Texas

We survived a 16-hour drive to Houston on Friday, April 3 and live today to write about it. It was 10:30 when we got to the Comfort Inn (uh-oh, a Choice Hotel!) and quickly settled in and went to sleep. After our two break-ins this year we now park the wheelchair in front of the door at night. I just hope that, if another break-in should occur, I don't forget the wheelchair is there and run into it as I'm charging toward the door.

The following morning as we finished breakfast in the lobby, Landis discovered the loop going up the stairway, riding the elevator back down and ending up in the lobby again so with permission and me watching them, he and Faith walked up the stairs together. The second floor was open to the lobby below and I could see them the entire time until the elevator doors closed. Safe enough, right? Both children got on the elevator and descended to the lobby. But it couldn't be that easy, could it? As I waited for them at the elevator doors, I realized the doors should have opened much sooner. I could hear their voices inside the elevator and then I heard Landis say, "Mom, the door won't open." So we got the attention of the hotel staff, who spoke very poor English, and I remained at the door of the elevator speaking calmly, even laughing, to keep Landis at ease. A couple of times he asked me, "What happens if we can't get out?" I assured him over and over that he'd be out of there soon. Finally, Bobby came looking for us and walked upstairs to push the buttons at the second level. This caused the elevator to descend the last 3 inches and open it's doors, releasing our imprisoned children. When Bobby walked back downstairs I told him that the young man from the front desk had done the same thing and it didn't work. Of course Bobby's answer was that he had the magic touch but I think the truth is, if it had been the young man's own children, he probably would have succeeded in getting those kids out of there. The next time we walked through the lobby I asked Landis if he wanted to get on the elevator. He looked at me for a second and said, "No!"

We received good news from Pastor Del Toler, of Calvary Crossroad Church in Santa Fe, Texas. As Bobby was setting up his equipment, Pastor Del told him that over 300 people had come through the doors of their church in the last year because they really reached out to the community in 2008. Some stayed, some didn't, but we were encouraged to hear of a pastor and church making an effort to actually reach people. Pastor Del has a long history in Gospel music and at age 59, he's writing more songs than ever. He shared some of his music with us as he served as the "opening act" Saturday evening. I especially liked his song, "1969" which said, "No longer a boy, yet still not quite a man, some went off to college and some to Vietnam..." With it's chord progressions and an occasional minor thrown in, combined with those familiar words, it really took me back. Alright, I was only a year old in 1969 but I'm familiar enough with that era that it stirred some emotions in me.

Our services usually end with Bobby and I singing, "Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus" and trusting in Him is mentioned. Praise God that one woman came forward Saturday night shaking and weeping in repentance that she had failed to trust God in the past but desired to fully trust Him with her future. Another young woman came to me after the service and told me that her two-year-old neice, Zoe, was born with a hole in the back of her head and how her sister, Zoe's mother, questioned whether or not she could have faith enough to stand on the Word if Zoe's healing didn't manifest soon. This young woman was encouraged and couldn't wait to speak with her sister to tell her about another mom that has been standing on the Word for 10 years. To be honest (you're supposed to blog honestly, right) I've wondered about my faith lately. I told my sister today that I've said things recently that make me realize I need to do some soul searching and re-encourage myself in the Word again.

On Sunday morning we were privileged to join our friends, Pastor Larry and Robin Sopchak at The Anchor Fellowship in Houston again. We were there the first time on Labor Day Weekend last year just before Hurricane Ike came through. Thankfully, they only lost a pavilion and not their building. Bobby, the kids and I had about 30 minutes and then Pastor Larry preached a power-packed sermon and Robin complimented him so well at the altar call with her piano playing. Hmm. Sounds familiar. I was so tickled to see the LifeSaver Man, Mr. J.C. Johnson and his precious wife, Nelda, a.k.a., "Nana," come through the doors to see us Sunday morning. Mr. J.C. is known as the LifeSaver Man because he carries a leather case on his shoulder

filled with Lifesavers and he literally passes out Lifesavers by the package. Obviously, my children love him too.

After a big Chinese lunch after the Sunday morning service, we headed east to Port Arthur. We found our hotel first, the Park Central Holiday Inn on Jimmie Johnson Boulevard. My! When we find a hotel with furniture as nice as this one, we'd rather stay than go home. This hotel is updating and they're doing it right. We had about 30 minutes there...that's just enough time to wash faces and change clothes...and then got back in the van for just a couple of miles to find Grace Church of the Nazarene. The pastor, Mark Snodgrass was a very young man, probably in his 20's. I know what you're thinking. They will all look younger and younger to me as the years go by. This is true.

This was the first service in the 15 months we've been traveling that I took Landis, Hope and Faith out of the sanctuary at altar call time with the intentions of spanking each of them. I walked down a long hallway thinking that I possibly found a room far enough away from the sanctuary but then remembered the sanctuary was round and I had just wrapped myself around the backside of the stage and was just as close to the sanctuary as when I started, just on the opposite side. I considered taking them outside but we were in a very residential area and there were many backyards backed up to the church with no privacy. When I turned around and

looked back down the hall I had just walked, there were 3 ladies from the church all peeking with curiosity at us from the opposite end. They had been in the kitchen preparing for a baby shower right after the service. We found a classroom with pews and I demanded they sit in the front row while I paced and preached. I explained to them why our church, Cornerstone, doesn't allow children 2 years and younger in the sanctuary. I explained to them that during the altar time it is of utmost importance to be still because God might have something to say to someone in the room. And I explained to them that if they chose to disobey and not be still during altar time that they were actually allowing the devil to use them to distract people from God's voice. I assured them they didn't want to keep people from hearing God's voice. Landis was crying (I think because he thought he was going to be spanked), Hope was trying to act like an angel (she's prone to performance-based acceptance) and Faith was just trying to be still and not get in more trouble. I finished my preaching and released them but Landis wanted to stay in the room and contemplate. Well, actually I think he was sulking. But that's ok. I allowed him to stay there alone and kissed him goodbye. I was always amazed at how my mother could discipline us or yell at us in her frustration with us as kids, but as soon as the disciplining was over she was just as cheerful and sweet to us as if it had never happened. I knew she wasn't mad at us and I knew she loved us, but she had succeeded in getting her point across. Now I'm the same way with my kids and I know it's not difficult at all to be sweet to them when the disciplining is over.

We're in Texarkana this week at Elizabeth's house, our home-away-from-home. Elizabeth is working in Dallas and thankfully, she allows us to stay here when we're in town. We'll have lunch with Bobby's parents tomorrow and we're going to enjoy some very nice weather here this week...sunshine and 70's.