North & South Carolina and Virginia
August 9-16, 2010
We were only home one night and left again the following day, headed for Lexington, South Carolina. On Tuesday morning we ministered at a senior's Bible study group called Young At Heart at First Baptist Church. I sat at the CD table which was in the hall near the door before Bobby sang and was amazed at how many folks were coming in. When I finally joined my family in the dining room, I saw over 250 seniors packing the room. This is a healthy group for a weekly Bible study! And were they precious! Older folks usually aren't afraid to touch you. They grab you and hug you and hold your hand. I just love hanging out with them. They loved the children, of course, and you could hear their comments and whispers as the kids did their thing.
A big lunch followed that and we packed up and went back to our hotel room where we started our school year. It's not easy schooling in a hotel room...or in a van, for that matter, but you can figure out ways to git'r done.
On Wednesday morning we headed south to Charleston...what a beautiful city. It was incredibly hot so I let the kids swim before it was time to get ready for the service that night.
We sang in a smaller town north of Charleston on Wednesday evening called Monck's Corner. A VERY young Pastor Jason Leviner met us and helped load in. Actually, he was not as young as he looked but still...I guess they're just gonna keep looking younger to me as the years go by, aren't they? Pastor Jason's beautiful wife, Angela, and their 3, even more beautiful children came to us in the front pew and introduced themselves before church. Following a great service we enjoyed a quick meal with them, completing the night.
The following morning we made sure to get going early enough to see some sights and learn some things about Charleston, since it's so full of history. We spent quite a bit of time at the Visitor's Center where we saw educational videos about Charleston's involvement in the Civil War (which is what my children are focusing on this year) and spent nearly an hour watching a basket weaver. The gentleman used sweet grass to make baskets, crosses, flowers and jewelry. My kids, especially Landis, who likes to work with his hands, were so intrigued by him and weren't shy about asking him how he did what he did. The gentleman was very patient with them and willingly showed them his moves.
We walked only a half block to the Children's Museum where the kids could go crazy for an hour, painting, playing with water, doing some time behind bars in a pirate ship, dressing in medieval costumes and running around a castle where we lost sight of them for several minutes at a time. What a great place for kids!
Most of all I enjoyed driving through the old city and looking at the gorgeous homes. If only I could see inside just a few of them! I've always LOVED looking at architecture and floor plans.
We allowed just enough time to get to Loris, which is up near North Myrtle Beach for the evening service where we found the doors unlocked but no one home at Loris Church of God. The pastor and his wife finally showed up about 30 minutes before the service started, but not before my children found some costumes in one of the side rooms where I had my flat iron plugged in.
Another great evening and who do you think we met? Landis took a pic with the gentleman who taught Stonewall Jackson to play the guitar. (The one that became an Opry star - not the Civil War hero.) When Landis played his guitar during the service, this gentleman rolled his chair up the middle aisle to get a closer look at him. He couldn't speak but others told us he gets such a joy at watching the little ones develop their giftings in music.
We slept in Florence and the next morning it was time to do laundry. Ah yes, laundromat school! It was NOT easy (I looked at Bobby said under my breath, "I hate homeschool," in a moment of frustration.) but we forged ahead and got some schooling done in the laundromat. When the last shirt was folded, we headed to North Carolina and spent the night just north of Charlotte.
Bobby had scheduled a concert in Parkersburg, West Virginia. However, the pastor there had surgery in July and had lost all memory from July on. We didn't go to West Virginia. Instead, we drove to Troutville, Virginia where we checked into the Holiday Inn Express (2 ROOMS!) and then drove back to Elliston Church of God where Pastor Wayne Powell greeted us. We had one of the best turnouts for a Saturday night.
A late night getting to bed and a very early morning rising because Fincastle Baptist Church has 2 morning services and we had to be there by 7:15! It was a little rough trying to get kids up, dressed and ready to sing but by the grace of God we did it. I let Hope and Faith sleep while the rest of us dressed and had a quick breakfast. I grabbed some muffins for the younger girls and they climbed into the van in their pjs.
Fincastle is a large and growing congregation with a very considerate pastor, Kevin Cummings, who used to travel himself and understands the needs of those who travel in ministry...hence, the 2 rooms.
We got to listen to the sermon, "One More Night With The Frogs" twice and laughed as Pastor Kevin threw plastic frogs all over the stage in an almost illustrated sermon. He brought out the point that after God brought the plague of the frogs on Egypt, Moses asked Pharoah if he wanted God to get rid of the frogs. Pharoah's reply was "yes...tomorrow." Pastor Kevin's point was that we allow sin to remain in our lives just a little longer instead of telling the Devil to get lost. I suggested to Pastor Kevin before the second service that he ought to throw the frogs out on the congregation and he implied that he might. However, he must have decided to be nice to his congregates because he threw the frogs around on the stage again.
Pastor Kevin and his wife, Terri treated us to lunch after church and we enjoyed fellowship with our new acquaintances as if they were old friends.
Our evening service was in Madison Heights which is just a suburb of Lynchburg at Lighthouse Baptist Church. The church was very small but they streamed their services so Bobby enjoyed letting his friends know on Facebook that they could join us from Nashville, Michigan or wherever they were.
After a delicious meal with Pastor Cary Forbus, his wife Jackie and their children, Megan and Matthew, we had a restful night at the Kirkley Hotel.
In the morning it took some begging but I finally convinced Bobby to take the kids about 25 miles back to the east to Appomattox where the final moments of the Civil War took place. We're focusing on the Civil War this year in our homeschooling and I thought it would be a shame to pass up the opportunity to spend at least a couple of hours at this major historical spot when we were so close. (You can click on the pictures below to enlarge them and read the plaques. Very interesting.)
The Richmond-Lynchburg Stage Road that Lee had hoped to escape by but was blocked by the Union Army. This is looking eastward.
In the McLean House where Lee surrendured to Grant.
The same room today
It was an interesting field trip for the whole family and as we were leaving the famous McLean House, Bobby was pushing Grace to the van, the rest of us following. He engaged Grace's brakes and stepped toward the van. I walked up behind Grace and thinking Bobby would lower the ramp, I disengaged the brakes, ready to push Grace up the ramp. After standing behind Grace for half a minute and realizing the ramp had not come down, I looked to see what Bobby was doing. He was tidying up the van. Imagine that! At that point I decided Grace would probably like a drink of cold water. We were all very hot. I took my hands off of the wheelchair to see if she'd roll and she didn't so I stepped into the van. I was in the van only 6 or 7 seconds and glanced out to look at Grace...who was not there! I jumped out of the van and started running after the wheelchair which had turned around and rolled past the front of the van. I was screaming after her as she gathered speed and approached a curb. It all happened in probably 15 seconds. Grace hit the curb straight on, was airborne and landed on her head and then rolled over on her side. Somehow I managed to roll her back over and get her upright again and then began examining her head as I wept. Very quickly several people had gathered around us to offer whatever help they could but none was needed as we had our own first aid kit, ice and phones. We thanked everyone for their kindness and concern and got Grace loaded in the van where Landis was the first to offer to hold some ice on Grace's goose egg that had risen out of the left side of her forehead.
Would you believe Bobby took a picture of the curb (right side closest to me) where Grace crashed? And I have the guts to post the pic.
Even though I sat in my seat in silence, tears in my eyes, feeling like a terrible mother, I was listening to Landis talk to Grace and admiring how he was talking to her as his equal. Actually, I was just happy that he was TALKING to her. I heard him telling her about the time that he fell and hit his head on a stone and had his own goose egg. "And when you saw it do you know what you did?" he asked Grace, "You LAUGHED at me!" I was smiling in the front seat.
A couple of hours later, we stopped to eat and I purchased a sample pack of ibuprofen, assuming Grace needed it. She took one with her lunch and that evening I asked her if she wanted the other pill. She gave me a big smile and a squeal. Her response cracked me up as I thought of my daughter taking a liking to drugs.
Our time of arrival back in Greenbrier was very late, like 11:30. We would have arrived home much earlier if we hadn't driven to Appomattox. But we all learned so much today. We learned a lot about the Civil War and how it ended, and we learned that in a hilly place like Virginia you should always, always, ALWAYS, make use of the brakes on Grace's wheelchair.
Another thing I was reminded of today: way back in 1967 when I was being formed in my mother's womb, (I wasn't born until '68) God called me to be Grace's mama. I may make mistakes, but He doesn't. His calling on my life remains the same and it's His empowering grace that enables me to ...git'r done.
