Texas Tour, Part 1

March 24-28, 2010

Our next destination was Vidor, Texas near Beaumont. On a lengthy drive like that we'd rather leave in the late evening and put the kids to bed in the van. We left at 11:30. The children and I went to sleep immediately and Bobby drove until 4:00, getting us as far as central Mississippi. From there I drove for the next 4 to 5 hours and I had a great time with my headphones on hooked up to the i-Pod first listening to Rush, the previous days' broadcast minus the commercials, followed by the first 2 sermons by Keith Moore in the series, “Receiving and Ministering Healing.” I got us to the same Waffle House in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana where we had breakfast back in January on our way to Broussard. While the rest of the family went to get a table and place our orders, I put bedding away, made the bed back into a couch and then joined the family.

We arrived in Vidor by early afternoon and settled into the La Quinta. We found Faith Baptist Church and Pastor Joe Reed a few hours later and got ready for a rousing Wednesday night service. Four year old Faith, who isn't shy and makes herself at home where ever we are, saw other children and youth entering another building and figured she belonged there too. Of course, a few minutes later, I'm looking for her and was told that she had been seen in the next building. When I reached her, the adult in the room told me that she had walked in, told them her name and asked where she should go. It tickled me that she was happy to join them so quickly and I hated to pull her away, but I had to break it to her that she had to sing in “big church.” She was fine with that and we found our usual places on the front row. Several people came to meet us at the front of the church before the service started and one of those people was Mrs. Alice. Alice introduced herself and her friend she had brought and simply welcomed us.

After the service, Alice came up to me again and told me we'd be seeing her on Friday night as she enjoyed the concert so much that she wished to join us at New Covenant Full Gospel Church where we were scheduled to sing 48 hours later.

We enjoyed our day off on Thursday by doing a lot of shopping. I had pulled out all of the spring and summer clothes for the kids before we left home and had some really cute Easter outfits for the girls but was missing some pieces, a pair of gold shoes for Faith, a black camisole for Hope and a pair of white pants for Grace among other things. I love days like that when we don't have to be anywhere that evening and can take our time shopping, eating, finding our hotel to settle in for the evening, and of course, going to bed early.

On Friday, Pastor Wendy Underwood met us at the Cracker Barrel near our hotel for lunch and then we met her a few hours later at the church, New Covenant Full Gospel Fellowship. Because this was our second visit with this congregation in 7 months, I wanted to share something different when it came to testimony time. So I told the folks about how I blamed myself for what happened to Grace because I had rebelled against my pastor just before she was born. Even after a couple of preachers spoke into my life about this and referred me to John 9:3, I still held onto my opinion that I was to blame. But God patiently and lovingly, yet very sternly, showed me one afternoon while I was making cornbread for dinner that I was wrong. I repented of holding my opinion above the Word of God (2 Corinthians 10:5) and now He is using this story to touch the hearts of the people that I share it with.

Mrs. Alice came again this evening and brought another friend with her. She couldn't get her camera to work after the service and I assured her that I would send her this picture. But wouldn't you know it? I lost her email address! “Mrs. Alice, if you happen to read my blog, please contact my husband through his website, www.bobbybowen.com and send him your email address for me so I can send you your pictures.” (smile)

On Saturday at check out time we headed northwest toward Conroe, north of Houston, for our third visit with our friends at Whispering Pines Baptist Church. Sister Felicia greeted us in the parking lot and welcomed us in to have some delicious BBQ. We always have a great time with these people. Fred and Felicia are so dear to us and after 3 visits with them we feel like we've known each other for a long time and can't wait to see them the next time. In an email after our visit, Felicia assured us that the feeling was mutual.

Another “third visit” was to The Anchor Fellowship in Houston. Some friends that go way back with Bobby are Pastor Larry and Robin Sopchak, except back 25 years ago it wasn't “Pastor” Larry. It was “Larry-that-played-bass-and-sang-with-his-group,” Larry. It was a 40 mile drive (not the longest Sunday morning drive by any stretch of the imagination) and the children get pretty worn out on the weekends. After the girls had risen, dressed, ate their breakfast and made themselves comfy in the van, they enjoyed an early siesta and I couldn't help but snap a pic.

We had a great Palm Sunday service and we rejoiced that 3 people raised their hands for salvation and several more for a desire to recommit their lives to Christ. Pastor Larry did a wonderful job of allowing the Holy Spirit to work through him to spur the hearts of the people in that altar call. After the service we enjoyed a BBQ lunch with the church.

Last fall, Landis asked Bobby and I if he could fast and we told him no. We didn't ask him why he wanted to fast, we just figured that he didn't understand fasting and was too young to do it. Again, in January, Landis asked us if he could fast. I almost refused him again but stopped myself and asked him why. His reply was that he wanted to pray for people to be saved in our concerts! I was moved and after Bobby and I discussed it, we decided that we would allow him to do a 24-hour fast and we'd fast with him. He did very well and we continued in the days following, to pray for people to get saved in our concerts. Personally, I set a goal that I wanted to see at least 1 person come to Jesus each month. So when we saw a man get saved the last weekend of January and the first weekend of February, we had expectant hearts to see someone get saved in March. God is so good and on that last Sunday of March in Houston, Texas, 3 more lives were changed. Praise God!

That evening we drove back to the east to sing at Grace Church of the Nazarene in Port Arthur. Young Pastor Mark Snodgrass and his beautiful wife, Lauren are doing a great job of leading this church. Their youth group was raising money so they combined a BBQ with a concert by Bobby Bowen and called it something like, “Bobby and BBQ” and we ate BBQ for the 3^rd time that weekend! I'm glad we like it.