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Amarillo By Mornin'

May 14-17, 2010

We left for Amarillo on Friday morning, the 14^th and arrived at the Drury Inn late that night, exhausted and FREEZING! That didn't matter, however, when we saw how nice our hotel was. Having a nice place to stay eases the pain of having to be away from home so much. Not that our home is that “nice” but I'm sure you've heard there's no place like your own.

On Saturday we enjoyed steak at The Big Texan: Home of the FREE 72 oz. Steak before finding Triumphant Truth Church where Pastor Alberta Helton leads a loving congregation. It was a smaller group that we ministered to but, wow, what receptive and loving people they were.

We met some precious folks, Johnny and Shirley Sluden who loved on our kids. They said Bobby reminded them so much of their own son who was near the same age.

Pastor Alberta and her husband, Pat have a ranch outside of Amarillo and have served the Lord for a very long time.

After the service we drove to Elk City, Oklahoma to stay at The Clarion and rise the following morning to drive up to Leedey to serve at Harvest Fellowship Church with Pastor Mark Haney and his gracious wife, Jada. This was a date that almost wasn't as there was a mix-up in the scheduling and Pastor Mark didn't have us down on his calendar. At first he thought he'd have to cancel us but he changed his mind and we were so relieved. What a blessing these people were. They are a young church and are seeking to be relevant but peculiar to their community.

Pastor Mark and Jada are no strangers to pain as they lost their 1 year old son eight years ago in a dry drowning. This tragedy has not left Pastor Mark and Jada empty-handed but, instead, has allowed them to minister with more compassion and with more skillful understanding into the hearts of the people they lead. Once again, God encouraged us as we set out to encourage others.

Pastor Mark and Jada treated us to lunch but unfortunately, it was hurried. We had to get to Purcell for the evening service.

We made it to Union Hill Baptist Church near Purcell in plenty of time and after loading in we had time to sit and visit with Pastor Barry McConathy for a while and just get to know him a little bit. He used to pastor Whispering Pines Baptist Church in Conroe, Texas, where our friends Fred and Felecia Rivas attend. Barry and his wife, Char, were very close friends with Fred and Felecia and Char and Felecia used to sing in a trio together. Felecia has told me since there's not a day goes by that she doesn't think of her friends, she misses them so much.

After the concert Pastor Barry, Char and another couple that I really enjoyed getting to know but can't remember their names (I know, that's AWFUL!!!) went out for pizza and had a fun time.

We drove out as far as Shawnee to the HI Express we've stayed in before and found rest there for the night. A long drive home on Monday but glad to be home for the week.

Recording Vocals

May 12, 2010

Since the music tracks were completed on April 22^nd, the kids had done some practicing on their vocals with the tracks in order to be ready to record their vocals on Wednesday, May 12^th. I say “some practicing” because no one practiced as much as I thought they should have. And actually, we didn't get the tracks for Faith's solo until the 5^th or so, leaving only about a week for her to memorize all 4 verses.

As Bobby was leaving with Landis and Hope to hit the studio hard on that Wednesday morning, I pulled him aside and reminded him that they're children and that he might not want to have his expectations too high. I told him I'd be at home praying for them to do well and for him to have patience with them. As he drove away he was braced for a tough job ahead of him, figuring he'd be pulling his hair out in frustration later on that day.

The plan was to work hard all day until 4:30 and then go to church. Whatever didn't get done would be finished the following day. Neither Bobby nor I figured the whole thing could be completed in 1 short day, but our kids surprised us.

Grace and Faith and I headed out, ready for church that afternoon, but drove to Rick Sandidge's house/studio, the Mark Five Company. Faith did something that I was really afraid we'd suffer for later...she fell asleep on the ride over.

We arrived just a few minutes before the others were finished with their last song. The only thing left to do was record Faith...sleeping Faith. A situation as delicate as this must be handled with extreme caution. Fortunately, I thought of bringing cookies to be used for ...shall we say, “motivation?”

Faith started out sitting on my lap in front of the microphone, cuddling, with her thumb in her mouth. I knew better than to say things like, “Ok, it's time to sing now.” No, I just talked about the microphone in front of me and wondering what song I should sing into it. I talked to Faith about lots of things, but not about her singing. And of course I mentioned that I had some cookies. Finally, when she asked about having a cookie, I assured her she could have one after she sang the second verse of “Jesus Loves Me,” into that microphone. She was reluctant but she opened her mouth as she heard the music. Do you know what that little squirt did? She spoke the words of that second verse – no melody – just spoke, with barely heard monotone words. So you know what I did? I praised her and celebrated what she did and then reminded her that the cookie came after “singing.” Not long after that she sang that verse through beautifully and really got happy when she finished her first cookie. Yes, I said “first.”

Confidence abounded, cookies crumbs were scattered throughout the room and Faith gave a dozen high fives after each song or verse was successfully recorded, most of which were sung while sitting on Mom's lap. Her solo, “My Day,” was literally recorded one section at a time as I mouthed the words and she read my lips. Some of the song was even recorded line by line because of her lack of familiarity with the piece.

Now Landis and Hope: that's another story. When Rick asked what song they were starting out with that morning, Landis volunteered to sing one of his songs first. He told me later he was so nervous, he was shivering. But after he got that first song done, his confidence increased and he was ready to do more. They had four songs done by lunch. Bobby was amazed when he told me on the phone, “they're nailin' it!” When Bobby came out to get Grace out of the van when we arrived later that afternoon, Landis went ahead and sang some overdubs without his daddy there to coach him. When Bobby returned to the room a little while later, he told Landis he needed to come and sing his harmony part on the last song. Was he surprised when Landis told him he had already done it. Landis loved the studio and thrived in that environment.

Grace had her part in this project too. After her dinner and a bath is when Grace is happiest and she usually giggles very easily at that time.

(Don't let the above photo confuse you. This pic was taken one year ago when Bobby recorded his last project.)

So as she lay on our bed in her pj's with her hair still wet, she giggled at Bobby and I as he held his iPhone over her head, and the two of us made faces and danced. At one point I thought of bumping butts but when I did so and Bobby caught on and returned the move, he threw me into the nearby wall! So when you hear Grace giggling on the CD, you can now picture Bobby and I acting stupid, him bumping me into the wall and me having to stifle my cries of "ouch!" so as not to mess up the recording.

The kids' CD is completed and is available at www.bobbybowen.com for $10 plus $3 shipping.

Indiana

May 7-9, 2010

After my breakfast with 3 aunts and 2 uncles, I drove back to Dad's to load the van and trailer, say goodbye to Dad and head to Anderson, Indiana.

It was a warm, windy afternoon with storm warnings and it turned cold after the sun set. When we pulled into the parking lot of Anderson Church of God of Prophecy, I noticed the pastor's name on the marquis was Barker and mentioned it to Bobby because that's the name of our friend, Pastor Rich Barker of Christ Tabernacle Church of God of Prophecy in Sheridan, Indiana, not very far from Anderson. We've sung at Pastor Rich's church twice before and were to sing there again the approaching Sunday morning.

“Yeah,” Bobby said, “this is Pastor Rich's dad.”

Later in the sanctuary I made a comment about Brother Charles being Pastor Rich's dad and he corrected me saying they were brothers. (oops) I was sure to tell him that I hadn't assumed anything – no – I was just going by what Bobby had told me. (cheesy grin)

We had a great service with 6 or 7 pastors from the surrounding area attending. One of those pastors was Bobby's cousin, Rick Bowen from Muncie. I always look forward to seeing Rick. He's an encouragement to everyone he meets, not to mention I appreciate his great sense of humor. Rick even brought some folks from his church with him.

We enjoyed some snacks in the fellowship hall after the service and then we were on our way down to Indy to check into the Microtel that Bobby had reserved for us that night and the next.

The weeds growing up around the building was our first clue that this Microtel stay was not going to be as pleasant as all of our previous visits at the other links in this chain. We got everything into the room before I realized there was no refrigerator. I called the front desk and asked them if they had a room with a frig.

“Um, no” was the reply on the other end.

“Ok...you don't have refrigerators at all?” I asked.

“No.” was all he said.

Before we turned the lights out to go to sleep I had called the front desk 3 more times asking for an iron, a hair dryer, and a luggage rack, all of which the answers were ...no.

After the third “no,” I wasn't saying anything. I was just slamming the phone down. Would I recommend this hotel to a friend? Only friends that I don't like. Don't stay at the Microtel on I-465 on the west side of Indy unless you want to rough it.

The following day, even though it was Saturday we had school because there was nothing else to do and after lunch across the road at Ruby Tuesday's, got ready to go sing at the First Baptist Church in Greentown north of Indy. This was a return visit and when I walked into the sanctuary, I couldn't resist greeting the pastor by calling him Brother Leroy. He laughed and I quickly explained that because he couldn't remember Landis' name the last time we were there, he simply called him Leroy. Well, that just stuck in my head and now I want to call Pastor Ken by the name, Leroy. He admitted that he probably deserved that because Landis isn't the only person he calls Leroy. Leroy is anyone whose name he can't recall.

Pastor Ken's wife, Aloha warmly greeted us and we had a very laid back and fun service with a lot of sweet folks hugging our necks afterward. And then it was back to our great hotel.

We checked out Sunday morning and headed north again to Sheridan to minister at Christ Tabernacle Church of God of Prophecy. We looked forward to seeing Pastor Rich and Kathy and the kids again. We admire this family who used to travel and sing in family ministry. After the 5^th child Kathy finally told Rich she just couldn't continue so they settled down to pastor a congregation instead. Today they have 8 children with 2 sets of twins and are now doting over their first grandchild.

Oh yeah, it was Mother's Day. That's how it goes at our house – or hotel room – it's something that comes to everyone's mind later in the morning...but I'm not bitter or anything. (hee hee)

After the morning service we headed back to Nashville and I was told I could choose where we were going to eat lunch since it was Mother's Day. You'll never guess where I chose to eat...actually, I can't believe it either. As we were approaching Seymour, which is 50 miles north of Louisville, I saw a billboard ad for Russell Stover's. I've never been to a Russell Stover's and have always wanted to try it so what better day to try it than Mother's Day when I was given the opportunity to choose where we ate? Shockingly, there was no argument from any of the kids about eating there.

This was the weekend after the Great Nashville Flood and so I asked Bobby if he'd pass the Ridgetop exit that would take us home and drive down to Nashville to see if we could see any evidence of the damaging water. If I hadn't known there was a flood the weekend before I probably wouldn't have noticed anything. However, since I knew, I was looking for signs and the most obvious sign was all of the clean-up trucks in the downtown area. We drove out to Opry Mills and that was far more telling as the exit to the mall was closed and the mud was still in the vast parking lot. And where there should have been hundreds of cars parked as their owners would have been shopping inside, there were, instead more clean-up trucks.

I'd like to link you to a post my sister wrote on her blog about the flood that I felt should have been sent to the newspaper. It wasn't but I'll take the opportunity to share it with my readers. I don't think you have to be from Nashville to appreciate the way this writing causes your heart to swell with pride for our great city, more generally, our country.

...something you don't see very often

Back "home" to Michigan

April 30 – May 6, 2010

We'd been looking forward to our Michigan trip for quite a while. We arrived at Dad's house on Friday night, the 30^th after an uneventful trip. Dad had parked his Winnebego alongside the patio so that, after the awning was pulled out it nearly reached the eaves of the house. He had planned for Landis, Hope and Faith to sleep out there and at first the three thought that sounded like a fun time. However, after lying out there in the dark alone for a while, they weren't so sure. I must have spent an hour out there with them, talking to them and cutting up with them to get them to relax. I finally just had to tell them goodnight but told them they could talk, figuring they'd wear out soon and fall asleep. But at midnight I could still hear them so I threatened them to be quiet or else... They went to sleep but in the morning I found Landis sleeping in the living room with Grace. He claimed that the night air bothered his breathing.

Bobby had worked it out to sing at the Nottawa Party Store where we love to eat ice cream, hoping the weather

Mom's brother, Merlin and sister, Ony

would cooperate and he'd set up outside on the deck overlooking the lake. The weather did not cooperate and he sang inside instead. We had a small crowd of mainly faithful family members and Bobby began to wonder why he even bothered with setting up his equipment and singing when we could have just had a family reunion. But two couples sat in the back of the room eating ice cream cones. One of the ladies approached me and asked if Bobby had a business card. She told me that they belonged to a motor home group that meets once a month and this first weekend in May they were just down the road from the ice cream store at the St. Joe County fairgrounds. She expressed interest in Bobby singing for one of their weekend gatherings, particularly she was interested in their largest gathering which is Memorial Day weekend. I didn't tell her we were to be in Arkansas that weekend, I just figured she'd call Bobby, he'd tell her but he'd offer to sing the following year and everything would work out. But after she left I felt so foolish

My cousin, Jesse with wife, Laura, and children Taylor and Aaron

because I didn't get her information. That could have been a really big contact and I let it slip between my fingers. But God is good. Those couples left halfway through Bobby's little concert, went back and told their friends and the friends came to the party store to hear the music for themselves. They arrived as Bobby was singing his last song and liked what they heard. Later I found Bobby in a booth talking to this couple and they introduced themselves as Dave and Penny Hough. They are responsible for the entertainment for this motor home group and informed us that their gathering on Memorial Day weekend sees 1000 motor homes with 25 states represented. It's huge and to think of all the church members that will suggest Bobby's name to their music ministers...hopefully.

Since they'd only heard half of one song, Dave and Penny said they'd plan on attending the concert in Three Rivers the following evening.

On Sunday morning we ministered at my dad's church, Morningstar Christian Fellowship near Topeka, Indiana, an appointment we'd been looking forward to for several months. Dad asked me to share about our experience with fasting instead of the usual testimony that I share. I figured God would probably speak to me through my husband so after asking God what He would have me do, I asked Bobby if he thought I should do as Dad had requested. The answer was affirmative and so I was taken out of my comfort zone and had a little homework to do to prepare for the Sunday morning service.

God was faithful and He ministered like only He can to the hearts of some hurting people in the room.

Pastor Jerry Stutzman and his wife, Laurie treated my dad, Bobby, the kids and I to lunch after the service in the quaint Amish and Mennonite town of Shipshewana. Since most of the merchants are Mennonite, the sidewalks are rolled up on Saturday evening and everyone goes to church on Sunday...not to work. However, a Chicago pizza buffet was open which made our lunch choice obvious. If you've never been, and you have a fascination of the Amish, you need to visit Shipshe, as my relatives call it.

That evening we made a return visit to Light and Life Wesleyan Church in Three Rivers,

All three girls side by side on the couch...rare!

Michigan. Pastor Sam Maddox was waiting for us and we got set up, cleaned up and ready to sing. This is a much more laid back congregation and the emphasis is more on good music and having a good time. My dad came and I got to see a couple of cousins, brothers, David and John Hostetler and their wives, Christine and Michelle. I got to visit with the Hostetlers after church like I never had before. We were able to spend more time talking and I really enjoyed their company. One other dear friend that showed up Sunday night driving over 50 miles and toting a homemade blueberry pie, was Becky Irving from Delton, Michigan. Mmmm. Thanks Becky!

It was such a laid back evening that at one point, Pastor Sam asked Bobby and I to take some questions about what our life is like on the road. What a surprise. That was definitely a first and kinda fun.

Mr. and Mrs. David Hough from the motor home group showed up and after the service told us they liked what they heard and definitely wanted us to come to Berrien Springs, Michigan to their large gathering on Memorial Day weekend next year. Pastor Sam heard about that and suggested that we make plans to come back to Light and Life the weekend before that. So it looks like we'll be in Michigan again next year at this time.

So many times when I stay at my dad's house in Michigan, I spend too much time sitting at the house instead of taking opportunities to visit with cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. So before we drove up there I had made plans with my cousins, sisters, Regina and RoxAnne.

On Monday I picked up RoxAnne and we had lunch together. We chose an outdoor spot to eat our soup and as

My brother, Joel's pride 'n joy.

we sat down I looked across the table at her and said, “This is WEIRD!” We both just laughed so hard because it had been many years since we had been alone and were able to talk without interruption. She has 9 children and it's virtually impossible to visit at her home. The kids play well but there is just too much going on all the time for me to stay focused. RoxAnne is definitely the queen of multi-tasking. She can begin a conversation with me, get dinner, change a diaper, chase down a couple of kids that wandered off, punch her rising bread dough down, help a little one get a splinter out of her finger, give orders to her daughters about how to help with dinner and never lose her place in the conversation. She makes my head spin. We had a great visit over soup and under sun.

I rushed back to Dad's after lunch with RoxAnne, to wait for the arrival of two of my dad's sisters, Sue and Ann. I was so grateful for Becky Irving's blueberry pie. Bobby made coffee and I cut the pie and we had a great visit with my aunts. Bobby was nearby with his laptop and he saw that my youngest sister, Kristy was on Skype so he called her up, got a video of her and she sat at the table talking with us all the way from Hong Kong! That was cool.

Later that evening I took Landis and Hope over to RoxAnne's so they could play with Andrew and Ashley (RoxAnne and Jeff's 4th and 5th children) and spend the night with them. Andrew and Landis are both eat up with fishing and hunting and they crack me up with the things they find to do when they're together. Shooting frogs? Yes, that was one of the entertaining sports they enjoyed together.

On Tuesday morning I took Grace to get her hair cut. I love the way my friend, Amy cuts Grace's hair with a razor. The lady that cuts her hair at home might use a razor if I ask her to but she cuts it with scissors and then finishes with the razor. But there's a big difference. Amy gives Grace some cute cuts and so we held out for a trim until we got to Michigan. After Grace's cut, I took her back to Dad's house and then I returned to Sturgis to meet RoxAnne's older sister, Regina. I'm the oldest grandchild of 22 and Regina is only 2 months younger than me. We grew up together very closely, spending the night with each very often and meeting at the lake to swim on hot summer days.

But what we did on Tuesday, May the 4^th was something we'd never done together before and she had never done ever! She had a baby boy in October of last year and so instead of buying something for him, I bought something for her, a pedicure! She was delighted because it was one of those things that seemed unnecessary to spend money on, yet she would have loved to try it. She held onto that gift certificate and when we met in Sturgis that day, we bought some iced coffees first and then headed over to Hollywood Nails where she pulled out her gift certificate and I bought a pedi for me. We spoiled ourselves just a little sipping our iced coffees and getting pampered. It was a delightful afternoon and time well spent.

When it came time to go to church on Wednesday night, we decided that Firm Foundation was the right place to go since Dad's church didn't have service (although Bobby and Landis went with Dad to the men's Bible study on Tuesday evening). Pastor Don Smith leads this congregation and several of my family members attend here. If I lived in the area, it's probably where I would attend too. Bobby and I couldn't help but notice that the two churches we passed on the way to Firm Foundation each only had 3 or 4 cars in their parking lot. However, the country club we passed was packed out! It's not about legalism, it's about priorities and where your passions are. Not to mention the world is watching us.

We attended the National Day of Prayer service – something I've never participated in before – at Firm Foundation on Thursday at noon followed by one more stop at the ice cream store in Nottawa to meet our friends, Clint and Lori Zehr for some good fellowship. And finally on Friday morning I had the privilege of meeting some aunts and uncles at a cafe` for breakfast...a special treat. After breakfast it was back to Dad's to load the trailer and van and head for central Indiana for the weekend.

Clinton, Dunn & Goldsboro, NC

April 24-26, 2010

Another all-night drive which meant a quiet drive to Clinton, North Carolina. Because of I-40 being shut down east of Knoxville the previous 6 months because of a rock slide, we opted to go through Atlanta, Augusta, and Columbia instead. I got behind the wheel before we crossed into South Carolina and I pulled us into a Waffle House in Florence for a big breakfast and a bedding transition.

Our lodging was at the Jameson Inn and after unloading and fixing ourselves up we found Destiny Outreach with Senior Pastor, Rodney Hall, who is the son of our dear friend, Jim Hall of Arrington, Virginia. Destiny Outreach is a store-front church that houses a loving congregation with a desire to expand the Kingdom of God. They know how to treat a guest, too! They showed us to the “green room” where they had a fruit tray and bottled water waiting for us. Wow. We've never been treated like celebrities before. (smile)

Pastor Rodney, his beautiful wife, Teri and their 2 well-mannered daughters treated us to dinner after the service and although we appreciated the generosity immensely, and enjoyed some great fellowship, we decided the next day that we should decline invitations to dine out on Saturday nights. It's just too hard on the children, and it's hard on Bobby and I too. It's rather miserable trying to get my babies up and ready for church the following morning. Denying ourselves the pleasure of good company and food, especially when you're treated, is a difficult commitment to keep on a Saturday night, however, I think I can stay committed when I remember the regretful feeling I'll have the next morning if I give in to the temptation. Our Pastor has taught such anyway. On Saturday night you need to get to bed and get a good nights' rest so you're ready to give it all you got on Sunday morning. Sometimes that's easier said than done when you're a traveling musician, but where there's a will there's a way...usually.

It was not a happy time in our hotel room that Sunday morning. Landis is the most difficult to awaken. He's very stubborn about getting his eyes open and getting to his feet. I went from speaking gently and cheerfully to yelling at him and threatening to use the spoon on his hind end. Oh, yeah...I keep the road spoon with me at all times. At home it's a wooden slat from an old closet door. The children sang but barely opened their mouths and were reluctant to smile. Hope even yawned on stage. I felt guilty for keeping them out late and then expecting them to act like adults and pretend they felt great. Oh well, we learn as we go. I went somewhere and I learned something.

The saints at Taylor's Chapel Church of God in Dunn, North Carolina loved the children in spite of their honesty, and we enjoyed good fellowship after the service. Pastor Doug Howard and his wife, Connie treated us to lunch and I felt so privileged to get to know yet another precious pastor and his wife. God's been so good to us to allow us to fellowship with and encourage the men of God and their wives.

Three years ago I did a prolonged fast and one of the things that I prayed for was that Bobby would find favor with men. He was working a tree-cutting job and I knew Bobby well enough that I knew he wouldn't change jobs. He's very loyal and will stay where he is. I didn't even have the faith to pray about him changing jobs. So as this company fell into difficult times financially, we watched Bobby's pay check get smaller and smaller I prayed that somehow God would give him favor where he was and that God would miraculously double his income. After a couple of years of booking his own dates, other artists approached Bobby and asked him how in the world he was getting so many bookings. I didn't even realize it until a couple of months ago but I believe it's the favor that I prayed for 3 years ago. But God did even better than I asked, didn't He? He moved Bobby on to his own business and yes, our income had doubled. And why not say “our” income when the entire family contributes?

That afternoon we made our way to Goldsboro where had a little trouble finding Oak Ridge Church of God of Prophecy but at the last minute Bobby finally called Pastor Tommy Moore and found out we were on the wrong side of town. The GPS is a great thing to have...98% of the time.

We had some help with the load in and I got the girls ready to sing. Just a few minutes before it was time to start, I began visiting with Pastor Tommy's wife, Hope. Our conversation had just started getting really interesting when we had to quit talking, so, like good girls, we zipped our lips and looked forward to more visiting after the service. Sister Hope and Pastor Tommy have 4 beautiful children, 3 girls and 1 boy like us but Sister Hope wasn't sure they wouldn't have 2 more by the next time we saw them. I tried to encourage her that if the desire to have more children was deep within her and she had her husband's agreement, then more than likely God had some family expanding plans for them.

After everyone else had gone we had an impromptu meal together in their fellowship hall, enjoying sandwiches, fruit and chips and of course much more conversation.

There were severe thunderstorms and tornado warnings in the county just north of the church which was where we were sleeping that night so we took our time visiting a little more out in the parking lot. At one point Brother Tommy got off of his cell phone and announced the tornado warning had expired for Wilson so we hugged our new friends and said goodbye.

On Monday we were prepared to take the detour around the rockslide but Bobby decided since nothing was stopping him from continuing on I-40, he'd go ahead an chance passing by the optional detour. As we moved westward, we began to wonder if I-40 was open for travel again and then we saw brake lights ahead and wondered if we'd made a mistake. However, we weren't delayed for long at all and continued on I-40 the remainder of our trip home. I Googled I-40 and learned that the Interstate was scheduled to open that very weekend and had in fact, re-opened two days early. Again, it's the little things that can make such a big difference in our travels.