Yancey and Sandy Brown and family

New York, New York

October 21-25, 2010

Since I'm behind it's taken me a while this morning to remember back a month ago as to exactly when we left for Walton, New York, but it was during the day time. I'm thinking early afternoon is when we left the house and made it as far as the bypass on the southeast side of Cleveland where we stopped to sleep at a La Quinta.

The following morning we continued on our journey and made it to Mr. Yancey Brown's home by mid afternoon. Yancey led us to a cabin about 30 minutes from his house near Downsville that belonged to one of his landscaping/yard mowing clients. We stayed in a rustic but remodeled cabin that belonged to a man that lives in NYC, currently works in Albany and formerly worked in the City for Rudy Guliani. Yancey said the man had more than one or two other homes where he was able to hang his hat. I was curious as to the last time he and his wife were there as the cabin was decorated with Halloween items and autumn décor. The wood-burning stove in the middle of the cabin kept us busy the first several hours to get the chill out and also got us in the rustling leaves and hot chocolate kind of mood. There wasn't time to sit and drink hot chocolate, however, as we had to unload and get dressed to go sing in Walton, crossing the Mighty Delaware on our way into town.

We enjoyed a very nice evening of music at Riverside Alliance Church as not only Bobby and the kids sang, but Yancey sang about 3 songs before Bobby came up, but Yancey also asked his 2 daughters, Bethany and Emily, to sing a song together and they did a great job. The interesting thing about Bethany and Emily is that both girls have Cystic Fibrosis. Both girls know the rigors of dealing with disease and disability but neither one allows what Satan has come against them with to slow them down or hinder their testimony in song.

The following day was spent sleeping in (a little bit), a leisure breakfast at the cabin, showers and school. We opted out of school on Wednesday at home because I was so busy and decided to, instead, do school while we were sitting in a cabin on Saturday with nothing else to do. The beauty of home school is you schedule school when it suits you best. I do like that aspect.

When it was time we got ready and drove toward Roscoe to Horton Brook Free Methodist Church but it wasn't easy. If I didn't know where we were I would have guessed we were in West Virginia. It was a mountainous, curvy drive but when we landed in a beautiful hollow at the church I got out of the van and could hear the roar of a happy creek at the edge of the gravel parking lot just yards away. I've always thought I'd love to build a home near a creek just like that. In the spring I'd open my bedroom window and let the sound of that rushing water lull me to sleep.

We had a really good time that evening as Yancey and Sandy and the kids came out, although they didn't sing. The people were responsive, too, and that always makes things more interesting. Coffee, cake and cookies were served after the service and then we started back to the cabin. However, we got a little turned around somehow and thought we might have been lost. Finally, we figured out how to make use of the GPS and realized we were very close to Downsville.

That was a rough night with little sleep as Grace decided she didn't want to settle down. We were in bed by 11:00 but because Grace was upset, Hope (bless her, Lord) began singing to her. The girl sang for 45 minutes and Grace still wasn't happy. So just a little before midnight Hope came in our room and complained that Grace was still upset and when she's upset she kicks Hope. I felt bad for Hope but I was so sleepy I didn't do anything. Don't know what I could have done anyway.

To make a long and not so memorable story short, Bobby and I drifted off to sleep about 5 times in two hours and had to rise at 5:00 in order to load up and leave the cabin by 6:00. What I've noticed is that there are so many Saturday nights that Grace doesn't want to settle down which keeps many or most of us up much longer than we should be on a Saturday night which hinders the anointing. It means I have to pray extra hard the next morning. (wink) I started to make light of the situation for just a second but there is something to that. Satan is happy to distract us, tire us, frustrate us, and cause us to grow weary in well doing, seeking to cause us to be ineffective in what we do. It's not a coincidence that it's Saturday nights when this happens.

It wasn't fun but we got everyone and everything loaded in the dark and cold rain and headed toward Liberty, New York. It turned out to be a nice day in spite of the dreary beginning. We ministered at Liberty Free Methodist Church where Yancey and Sandy and the kids showed up one more time. Liberty had two morning services and Grace and I skipped the first one in order for me to feed her and change her out in the van.

I enjoyed the second service where Bobby and the kids sang and then Pastor Dick Devendorf gave a great message called "How To Be More Than Happy."

After service we soaked up some good conversation with a couple of different people and then the Brown's and us had lunch together where, by this time, it was easy for us to converse and have a good time together as we'd spent most of the weekend together. Faith felt so comfortable with Yancey and Sandy's youngest, Riley, that she forgot her manners and poured out her sincerest feelings for the poor boy. She is NOT my daughter.

The couple taking the picture with Bobby and I attend Liberty Free Methodist and Hope, recognizing them from church, hugged them immediately. You just never know what a hug will do for someone. They approached us at our table just before they left and let us know our meal was paid for! We couldn't believe it that just a hug inspired someone to show such a nice gesture. The couple wasn't going to tell us what they were doing but they didn't trust the Pizza Hut staff to let us know.

From Liberty we drove south about 2 hours to Boonton, New Jersey where my long-time friend (and distant relative) Michele (Bontrager) Marshall lives with her husband, Garrett and their two children, Dylan and Mikayla.

We sat down to a delicious dinner with the Marshall's and they opened up their home for us to spend the night. The kids had a blast playing down in the finished basement while Mickie and I figured out where everyone would sleep. It was great to catch up with her after years of not seeing each other. So many things have happened since we used to see each other on a regular basis. The common thread I suppose, for both of us, was the passing of our mothers, which is how we're distantly related.

The following morning we tried to stay out of their way as the kids got ready for school and Mickie got them out the door and down the street, and then she and I visited just a little more while Garrett took Bobby to Wal Mart to get a new battery for the van.

Yes, a battery for the van because the night before after arriving at the Marshall's it died. I had the lights on for about 3 or 4 minutes without turning on the engine so I could see what clothes I was selecting in the trailer, when Bobby came out and scolded me for it. He said the engine had been sluggish, which is something I didn't know, and sure enough when he tried to start it, it didn't turn over.

Bobby had the new battery installed in no time and finally, after lots of tips and advice from Mickie and Garrett, we were off toward the City. We prayed as we drove and asked the Lord to give us favor and protection that day, specifically asking Him to lead us to a good parking spot. Mickie and Garrett advised us to leave our trailer parked at a hotel just before crossing the bridge into the city.

We had just prayed when about 5 minutes later we were in the Meadowlands and Bobby looked at the dash and then looked at me and said he just didn't have a good feeling about driving in. He said the van was sort of missing or hesitating just a little bit and he felt it was a warning. Our 3-day stranding in Decatur, Alabama was still fresh in our memories and we knew that being stranded in New York City would be much more costly.

Many folks that we've spoken to have suggested to us that we should have parked our van AND trailer and taken the train in to the city. However, we didn't think we could do that so easily with Grace's wheelchair.

So with great disappointment, yet with surprising trust I told Bobby that if he thought we should turn around and go home to please do it. Sometimes you just know you shouldn't argue with your husband but trust that he's doing the right thing even when your plans are destroyed or your expectations aren't fulfilled. I wish I could tell you why that happened; tell you that we were spared from a terrorist attack or from even some minor disaster. Just like not knowing why it didn't work for Bobby and I to leave the kids with the Johnsons in September and take a little honeymoon in Florida, I can't tell you why I didn't get to make my first visit to NYC – something I had been longing to do since we were first married.

We had a pleasant drive all the way to Chambersburg, Pennsylvania where we had the salad bar at Ruby Tuesday. Bobby mentioned that it was a shame that we couldn't find something to do in the area for the following week since we'd be coming right back to the same area the next weekend.

We stopped to sleep in Grantsville, Maryland and the following day endured a rough ride home through the hills and curves of West Virginia and eastern Kentucky.

Christmas CD

October 12, 2010

The recording of our Christmas project totally slipped my mind and I should have written about it a couple of “posts” ago.

After the first weekend in Conneaut (the first weekend in October), Bobby got the notion to make a Christmas CD featuring the entire family. When Bobby gets in his mind to do something like this, he doesn't hee haw around. He called our friend, Rick Sandidge at Mark Five in Hendersonville and scheduled our studio time for Tuesday, the 12^th of October. With little time to prepare, we spent the weekend to and from Ohio (October 9 and 10) going over and over our Christmas songs, practicing with the kids to learn songs that they perhaps had heard before but didn't know the words to.

Faith sat on my lap for the Kids' project last spring so we figured we'd just keep with tradition.

Landis LOVES the studio environment

I can never tell if Rick is working hard or hardly working.

Relaxing after a job well done!

Once again, the kids impressed Bobby and I as they stepped up to the mic and crooned away. And of course, I had cookies waiting as rewards after each song...and available just in case we needed to bribe anyone. Bribing wasn't necessary and the kids and I completed our parts in less than 3 hours! Bobby stayed to sing his solos and went back the following day to mix.

Third Time's a Charm!

October 16 & 17, 2010



Third trip to Ohio!!! This time we had a friend of Landis' with us as it was his parent's anniversary weekend and they needed a little time alone. We arrived rather late to our hotel in Conneaut (yes, the same hotel we stayed in 2 weeks earlier) and decided to go ahead and buy a second room because of the extra person.

The next day we drove back west a bit to the next town, Ashtabula and sang at the county nursing home. We don't do a lot of nursing homes but I sort of enjoy them.

They served us a lovely lunch there before we sang and when we were finished we drove back to Conneaut and made a visit to the park that sits right at the edge of Lake Erie.

Faith got out to the sand before I got out of the van. I called to her about getting her tights off...

...but it felt so good to walk on that sand in her tights...

...that she slipped away when I got distracted.

"Where did that Faith go?!"

Can you tell Bobby had the camera this time? There's actually pictures of Mom!

With only a little bit of time there we snapped a few pictures and then drove back to Ashtabula for a Saturday evening service at Church of the Living God. We met some precious folks there and one of them even asked if she could feed Grace. That's only happened one other time but of course I'm delighted as it's a nice break for me.

Back in Conneaut, we got sufficient sleep and rose the following morning to make a second visit to the Family Fellowship Foursquare church with Pastor Robert Tarasiak. They serve a simple but tasty breakfast there on Sunday mornings and we took part in that, of course. We enjoyed a wonderful morning service and then found Connie Smith's house a few blocks from the church where we enjoyed some homemade pizza and ice cream cake for Landis' 10^th birthday!

After lunch we headed to Akron where we found Springfield Baptist Church and unloaded equipment and set up the CD table for the 4^th time in 48 hours. Whew!

The next day was a typical day of driving for hours on end in a crowded van and struggling to get school done, BUT we made it. Another day of school and once again...home.

A Baby? A Baby!

October 5, 9 and 10, 2010

I took Landis with me to the ultra sound on Tuesday afternoon, October 5, because he had a Tae Kwon Do lesson following my appointment. Shortly after we left the house he asked me where it was we were going and why. I reminded him of the time he went with me to Faith's ultra sound. I quickly assured him I wasn't pregnant but I just wanted to go and make sure everything was OK inside of me. That answer worked for him and we arrived a few minutes early for the appointment. When I stepped in to see the doctor, I asked Landis to wait outside because I wanted to be able to speak freely with the doctor and keep Landis from hearing things that might cause him to worry about his mom.

The doctor asked me about my concerns and I shared with him briefly what I had been thinking. I told him that I had been, what I would call, “bloated,” but it was much more than that. He told me to just get on the table so that we could take a look. As soon as he put the scanner on my stomach I thought, “I'm going to look at the monitor because I need to see whatever is in there for myself. I'm not afraid. I can handle it.” As soon as I looked at the monitor I saw a perfect circle with a spine coming out of it and I recognized the picture. At the same time the doctor said, “Well, you're 'bloated' because there's a baby in there!” I felt incredibly dizzy and overwhelmed. The only thing that came out of my mouth was, “Oh my goodness!” over and over again. When the doctor asked me if I wanted to know the sex of the baby and that it was a boy, I so wanted Landis to witness this event but I hesitated in calling him in because I didn't know if I should tell Bobby first. But the doctor told me I was 17 ½ weeks along and he encouraged me to go ahead and let Landis in on the joyful news since I wouldn't be hiding my little secret much longer anyway. When Landis came in the doctor asked him what he saw on the monitor. Landis told me later that he recognized a baby but was doubtful because I had specifically told him an hour earlier that I wasn't pregnant. So I said to Landis, “Go ahead and tell me what you think that looks like.”

“A baby?” he asked.

When I told Landis he was finally having a little brother he clenched his fists and pumped his elbows back at his sides with an excited,”YESSSSS!!!”

As we drove away Landis told me that he'd stopped praying for a baby brother a long time ago but that night he was going to pray again. I asked him what he'd be praying about that night.

“To say thanks!” he said simply.

Both mine and Landis' thoughts were on the new baby and how we'd tell Bobby that night after getting our shopping done. We did a little bit of clothes shopping for Landis and then got groceries. I found the perfect card of congratulations for Bobby and then Landis and I schemed on how to deliver the news.

I knew that Bobby would not ask me about my doctor appointment until the kids were in bed so after everyone was tucked in, Landis, who had taken a picture of the baby in the ultra sound with my phone, would send the picture to Bobby's phone as soon as he heard Bobby ask me how my appointment went. So I'm standing just inside the door of his office and he asks me how it went. I spoke slowly in order to give the picture time to be sent and I started with, “Well, do you want to the good news or the bad news?” With a serious look on his face he replied that he didn't really care he supposed which came first. Then I really hesitated because the picture seemed to be slow in sending. When I only paced and stalled in telling him anything, he began to get a little nervous and thought, “is the bad news so bad that you don't know how to tell me?” It seemed like an eternity for the picture to send so I asked him where his phone was. Just as I asked the question, his phone chimed, telling him he had a message. As he reached for his phone, I reached for the card I had bought for him. He looked at the message on his phone, saw that it was from me, saw the picture of the ultra sound and I handed him the card at the same time. He recognized the picture of a baby and said, “A baby?” and smiled. Then he opened the card and saw that it was light blue in color. He opened it and read, “Congratulations the new 'little man' in your house!”

I thought it was the perfect card because in every concert Bobby sings a song called, “Little Man,” that talks about our sons (children) watching what we do and how we live our lives. It's a reminder to fathers, in particular, that they need to be careful because the little eyes of a little man are watching.

After he sat there for a minute taking everything in, Bobby stated, “I'm happy!”

Our second trip to Ohio was a quick one. We sang at New Haven Baptist Church on Sunday morning where Bobby only had about 10 minutes before the sermon. Of course I didn't speak. Many of the people were out sick, including the pastor, and a guest speaker filled the pulpit.

We wouldn't have been surprised if my dad had walked through the doors that morning because my brother had mentioned the possibility of Dad coming to Ohio that weekend and surprising us. He didn't show up that morning but later that afternoon on the way to Vanlue, I thought about it again and not long after I had thought about it, Dad called. He didn't say anything about seeing us, we just made a little small talk so finally I asked him if he was on his way to see us that evening in Ohio. He wanted to deny it at first because he wanted to make it a surprise, but he finally confessed to his whereabouts and told us he'd see us in an hour or so.

He did meet us about an hour later at Harvest Time Chapel, where we sang that night, but he wasn't alone. He brought a friend with him, Joann Riley from Three Rivers, Michigan. They'd been seeing each other for about a month and we'd heard some wonderful things about her from her long-time friends, Pastor Randy and Karen Helms when we sang at their church a couple of weeks earlier in Tampa, Florida.

We had a nice visit before church and then a service that started out very laid back but ended up being a meaningful time after all with God having a word for us. Then we went to eat with Dad and Joann back in Upper Sandusky where we visited for quite a while before saying goodbye to them. We went across the street to our hotel and they drove back to Michigan.

On our way home the next day we took the time to stop and visit some friends in Fairborn, Chris and Christine Rupp, and their two children, Conlan and Claire. Christine, who we still refer to as “Miss Bates” from time to time, was Grace's teacher at the Christian school she attended in Smyrna back in 2003 and 2004. We have kept in touch over the last few years and when she saw that we'd be in central Ohio she contacted me and invited to stop by for a visit. I'm so glad we had the time to do it. It was great to see them again and see where they live. She even made homemade bread to go with soup and salad, a delicious and healthier lunch than fast food. Thank you, Christine!

We got home a little later because of the stop in Fairborn but it was worth it. A few days at home before heading back to Ohio once more.

Conneaut and Jefferson, OH and East Springfield, PA

October 1-4, 2010

Packing for this trip was a bit burdensome as we were just finishing up the summer season and the previous weekend we were in Florida but we were headed to the cold north. I had worked hard the few days we were home that week to dig out the winter clothes for the kids and try to figure out who had enough clothes to sing in 3 times and were we all color coordinated each time? When we have a change of season like this it takes me 7 hours to pack for me and the kids. Once we're into the season a few weeks I've got the wardrobe down pretty good. I also had the problem of not only finding myself some winter clothes to wear but finding something that FIT! My clothes weren't fitting me right. They were too tight around the middle yet I hadn't changed any eating habits and actually tried to be careful about what I ate. Packing was a stressful job for this trip.

We drove on Friday all day to get to Conneaut, Ohio, (pr. “connie-ott”) which is in the very north east corner of the state. It's an old town, situated beautifully on Lake Erie and my kids know the town for Ms. Connie Smith, the promoter that lives there and TRAINS.

The railroad is big business there and until the town built an overpass at one end of town and an underpass at the other end, the town was used to waiting on trains. We weren't used to it and Saturday evening we sat and sat and sat as we waited to meet our friends for dinner at the Sugar Shack.

Let me back up just a bit.

As we got ready Saturday morning in our hotel room, I tried on a new blouse I bought at Cato. It was made in such a way that I thought it might disguise my large belly. All my of my britches were getting too tight around the waist and I was beginning to look “fat” and I was disgusted with myself! When I tried the blouse on and layered a sweater over it, I asked Bobby, “Do I look pregnant in this? I DO! I look pregnant in this! I'm not gonna wear this!”

Let me back up just a bit more.

In August I took a pregnancy test and it was negative so pregnancy was immediately ruled out. Our schedule allowed us to attend our own church a couple of weekends in September and when Pastor Davis gave the altar call, it seemed to be the perfect opportunity to go and ask for healing...or whatever it was I needed. On Saturday, the 18^th of September I rose in the wee hours of the morning to use the bathroom as I'd been doing the past several weeks and it dawned on me that I only wake in the night like that when I'm pregnant but since I wasn't pregnant, according to the pregnancy test I decided it had to be something else in there pressing on my bladder making me have to go. Suddenly I knew...there was a foreign object growing in me. I was rather sober through most of the day, glad to go to Cornerstone that night and especially thankful that we were having communion on a night that I could be there. Pastor Davis preached about dreams and made the statement, “You can't deliver the dream until you're able to carry the baby.” Of course he was speaking metaphorically but that statement totally stood out to me. I went to the altar that night, praying alone and not telling anyone my thoughts.

The following morning was when we got stranded in Decatur. Late in the morning, Bobby was downstairs in the business center on the computer. The kids started watching a movie so I took the opportunity to leave the room and go talk to Bobby. He removed his hands from the keyboard and turned his chair toward me because he could tell that I had something important to tell him. I told him that I didn't want to worry him but that I KNEW there was something inside of me that shouldn't be there. I had complained earlier of feeling bloated but now I told him that it was far more than bloating. There was definitely something in there. I told him I wasn't scared or worried. Cancer is curable physically speaking, and I was already healed by the stripes of Jesus...IF that's what it even was. Let me just tell you if I ever did find out that I had cancer I wouldn't tell anyone. I would NEVER go through the sickening and toxic rigors of chemo and radiation. These are routine treatments that statistics have shown do NOT work. They MIGHT delay things a bit but it's not a pleasant way to handle things. In spite of the fact that my mother passed away with cancer, I never give to the American Cancer Society or St. Jude's because I've seen cancer cured over and over by natural means, but not by traditional, costly pharmaceuticals. Cancer is a huge money maker so why would they want to eradicate it? No, I would quietly seek the help of a holistic doctor on the proper nutrition and supplements to take. As a matter of fact, I did visit a local health food store and went through a sort of physical screening. One of the things we checked for was the pregnancy hormone and again, it was negative.

From that weekend on I began to speak God's healing Word over my body and take communion early in the morning in my quiet time. Finally, Bobby told me that I needed to get an ultra sound so that we could find out, if I wasn't pregnant, just exactly what WAS inside of me. I scheduled the ultra sound for Tuesday, October 5^th at 4:00 PM. I'll share the results of that ultra sound in the following post.

Back to Conneaut. I wanted to change blouses but didn't have time and as we passed by the front desk and chatted with a lady from the hotel staff a minute, she made the comment, “Oh I see you're expecting. Congratulations!” Immediately I felt bad for her and I quickly said, “I know I look pregnant, but I'm not. I'm gonna have an ultra sound this week and find out what's going on in there.”

“That's a good idea,” she said.

Bobby was singing in an all-afternoon concert with other soloists and one local group. As a matter of fact, Mitchel Jon, better known to us and our Cornerstone family as Mitch Kenitzer, former choir member, praise team singer, and former member of the group, Three Bridges. We joked with Mitch about the fact that we have to drive all the way to Lake Erie to see our church friend from Nashville.

We had a fun and even relaxing day in spite of the smaller turnout than was expected and the dreary, rainy weather. I did run back to the hotel room shortly after we arrived in order to grab my laptop and change tops. Yes, I thought I had found something to hide my large belly.

One of the soloists, Jerry Garcia, introduced himself to me, asked about Grace and began to tell me about his family. He and his wife have adopted 4 special needs children and they usually travel with him but it just so happened that they were sick that weekend so we didn't get to meet them. He told me about each one of the kids, their uniqueness, and the gifts that they were. When he told me about his second oldest, Katie, who has Cerebral Palsy and Autism, he told me about a song that he sings to her that talks about limping to heavens' gates but running on the other side. Jerry seemed regretful that he couldn't share that special song with us that day but I told him I wished he'd sing it to Grace. He was delighted to do that and Grace was delighted to be sung to.

After the concert that evening and after waiting for the train for 15 minutes, we enjoyed a nice dinner with Connie, Mitch, Jerry, and the quartet, Circle of Friends.

It was nice to get back to our little hotel room early enough to get a decent rest before heading out to Jefferson the next morning.

We sang at First Baptist Church in Jefferson on Sunday morning and Bobby and Landis had to unload the equipment in the rain. I sat in the van with the girls with my Bible and couldn't understand why I had the uncontrollable urge to cry. I'm not talking about a few tears, I'm talking about pouring tears that I couldn't stop for a few minutes and the feeling that I did NOT want to be there. I wanted to be home! I hid it from the girls behind me and finally gathered myself together enough that I got my daughters inside and parked the van.

I knew that getting with other folks and forgetting about myself, I'd be fine and I was. Also, I met the sweetest old lady! I can say “old”...she was in her mid eighties. That's old. She had a wonderful testimony of God's faithfulness in her life and she was so encouraging with her promise to pray for our family. She even gave me her contact information and said I can call her any time of the day or night if I ever needed prayer.

The church served a wonderful fellowship meal after the service and it was there that a gentleman told Bobby and I that in all the years he's been attending First Baptist, (I think he said 35 or 40 years) he's never seen the pastor have a musical guest on a Sunday morning. Now that's the hand of God working on our behalf. Thank you Lord for favor!

There were a couple of hours to rest in the hotel room and then we drove just over the Pennsylvania line to East Springfield where we sang at the Federated Church. We had no idea what Federated Church was but the pastor, Dr. Edward Huntley explained to us that years and years ago, there was a Presbyterian Church and a Christian Church in town. The two congregations decided to come together to make one larger church. When trying to come up with a new name for the church one of the members suggested that because federated means a union of more than one entity, that they ought to call themselves the Federated Church. Obviously, the name was liked and it stuck. Not only did the name stick but the spirit of unity in this body of believers has remained for so long because of those seeds planted so long ago by those who've since passed on.

After service the youth group provided some pizza and Dip-n-Dots for themselves and our family in the Family Life Center (gym) where our kids played hard for nearly an hour and I enjoyed fellowship with folks with similar life experiences to mine.

We drove home the following day which completed the first of 3 consecutive trips to Ohio.