March 20-22, 2009

Farmer City, Illinois; Mishawaka, New Point and Muncie, Indiana

Into Illinois farm country! Farmer City is a small farming town (no kidding?) and we had a good small crowd in a small church Friday night, the 20th. The pastor, Mike Jenkins, looked and ACTED like John Ritter. I've never seen a pastor act like this guy did. I'm wondering if there's a serious bone in his body. I'm sure there is but it was rather refreshing to see and hear this guy get up and introduce us. It was a fun evening at First Baptist Church in Farmer City, needless to say.

Saturday morning brought new mercies of God and a relaxing drive back toward "home" but only as far as Mishawaka, Indiana. As we drove past Chicago, the children were able to catch a short glimpse of the Sears Tower 25 miles away. We sang at a Church of God of Prophecy and yes, it was quite different from the Baptist church the night before. I'm not saying one was better than the other. It wasn't...just completely different. Both groups of people loved the Lord, but Pastor Darren Huff was very serious and so wanted his congregation to have an encounter with God. I admired his deep sincerity. There was a lot of singing from the congregants Saturday night so it made our 3 and a half hour drive to Greensburg quite late. We arrived at our hotel by 1:30 a.m. and were all in bed by 2:00.

I rose at 6:30 and fumbled my way to the shower. We got ready, had our big hotel breakfast and were off to New Point before 9:00. The church, which was only 15 minutes from our hotel was pastored by a friend of Bobby's, Troy Caudill. New Point Baptist Church is another small group of believers but what a responsive party they were! In the middle of the altar service I noticed Faith being a distraction. Now...let me just say that perhaps in most churches like the one we were in yesterday, they thought nothing of this 3 year old twirling and dancing at the front of the church (no, it wasn't praise and worship time...it was decision time) but where I come from, the 3 year old ain't gettin away with that! I finished the song, put the mic down, calmly picked up the 3 year old, tucked her under my arm like a sack of potatoes and headed to the back of the church. I went to the farthest Sunday School room I could find and shut the door. The whole while, Faith is asking, "Whatchu gonna do, Mom?" I thought by the way things sounded that church was being dismissed anyway but as Faith and I came out of the classroom, after having our own "come to Jesus" time, Bobby had come to find me and said Pastor Troy had wanted us to come back in to be prayed for. Well, hallelujah! I, once again, calmly walked back into the sanctuary and took my place front and center while Pastor Troy had the entire congregation form a circle around us and pray for us. For me, it was timely...and precious.




















It was a bit backward but we drove back north for the Sunday evening service at Victory Temple in Muncie pastored by none other than Bobby's first cousin, Rick Bowen. We always have a great time with him and Ruth. Rick is very talkative and, I think, hilarious. We had a great service and afterward spent time with family over pizza and salad.

Another hotel in-experience. I like doing laundry on Sunday evening in our hotel if the facility is provided. However, it causes me to go to bed later than ever. Because of this and the fact that we didn't get much sleep Saturday night, we rose very late this morning. Last night I looked at the Guest Services Directory to see what time they closed the continental breakfast so I could sleep in but not miss my favorite meal of the day. Wow. I thought that 10:30 was a late cut-off but that's what it said, "6:00 until 10:30 daily" in black and white. Bobby went down at 9:45 to get some coffee and eat something ahead of the rest of us since he was ready before anyone else. He called a couple of minutes later saying they were putting the breakfast food away. He got a tray and loaded it up to bring it up for us. I took my hotel directory down to the front desk and showed them what they had printed. They looked at me as if to say, "And?" They simply said, "yeah, that needs to be updated." Now, you know, this is not something worth fighting about but their attitudes got all over me like white on rice. I went to the breakfast room, got another tray and loaded her up, the whole time fuming. When we left at check-out I pitched the page from the directory that I had ripped out, (since it needed to updated anyway) the same page that listed the breakfast times, onto the front desk and said, "update it." I believe I could read the young lady's mind but I can't write what it said. I walked out to the van with my family and then told Bobby I was going back in. Yes, I did feel kinda bad. I approached the front desk again as sweetly as I could. I began to tell her of the misfortunes we've experienced recently with people trying to come into our rooms and the only thing the hotel staff said both times was, "Sorry 'bout that." By this time 2 more hotel employees were gathered near. The first one offered to have her manager call me. I told her that would be fine but it wasn't the manager that I needed. I told her that the day that I grew up in the customer was always right. Instead of the response I got earlier about the wrong information concerning breakfast times, a better response would be, "You're absolutely right. We're sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you. Please let us know how we can help you get the breakfast you need for your family as this was our fault." I think I will contact the manager and just tell him that I harrased two or three of his employees today. I heard a bit from FOX News this evening about it being a sad state of affairs when you have to train employees to be courteous. Courtesy. It's a lost art in this generation.

The week of March 15th, 2009

Bronson, Centreville and Burr Oak, Michigan

We left Nashville right after Friday morning prayer meeting, on the 13th, and drove to my cousin, RoxAnne's house in Michigan. We had planned on staying at my Dad's house just 6 miles south of there but when RoxAnne learned we were coming she insisted we stay at their house as we've done in past visits. Jeff and RoxAnne just had their ninth child, Katrina Grace, in January and have not announced plans to stop with her. Their children are, David, 14, Jeffrey, 13, Autumn, 12, Andrew, 9, Ashley, 8, Isaiah, 6, Esther, 4, RuthAnne, 3 and Katrina, 2 months. Add our 4 children and you have what's called a houseful. The second, Jeffrey, at age 6 months suffered some adverse events following routine vaccinations and today sits in a wheelchair. Because of the wheelchair ramp, the roll-in shower, the large, open house with wide doorways and the many children to play with it makes a very convenient and comfortable spot for us to set up camp when we're in the area.

Saturday evening we sang at Pleasant Hill Missionary Church south of Bronson and had a great visit with the young pastor, Corey, his beautiful wife, Crystal and their sweet kids, Austin, Ella, Anna and Eliza. This is a young family that has a desire to serve God with everything they have.

The Sunday morning service at Firm Foundation Ministries in Centreville was great. Many of my uncles, aunts and cousins attend this church and it's like a mini reunion seeing so many of them together. Pastor Don Smith and his wife, Lisa are precious, Spirit-filled believers ...from the SOUTH! Bobby and Pastor Don have more than their Christian faith in common, they have similar accents. We enjoyed an awesome time in praise and worship and I enjoyed myself immensely...I hope God did too. I told Bobby that last Sunday morning's concert was one of the most memorable concerts for me because we were reunited with family and friends, it was a Spirit-filled church, it was very well-attended, the people were responsive and to top it off, they blessed us above and beyond what we ever expected.

Sunday evening was another time of reuniting with friends and loved ones. New Covenant Christian Fellowship, formerly known as South Colon (I know – that's gross) Mennonite Church, pastored by Clint Zehr is the church I attended from nine months before I was born until age 21 when I moved to Nashville. We always love visiting with Clint and Lori and we had a little time to do that before and after the church service.

Jeff and RoxAnne only have dial-up Internet service and so every morning Bobby would take one of the children with him and go to nearby Sturgis to the Great Lakes Chocolate Company, do his work sipping his coffee and nibbling on chocolate. (just kidding) One of the children would go with him and do their schoolwork and I would stay at the house to do school with the others. RoxAnne homeschools her children and so every morning that's what our focus was. RoxAnne is so blessed to have distant cousin, Louetta Schwartz come to the house every day from 9 until noon to school Jeffrey! What a blessing this woman is! RoxAnne has her hands comletely full and Louetta has volunteered her time and services to give of herself. What a harvest she will reap. Naturally, Grace sat with Jeffrey in his schooling and I think she enjoyed it. She never disrupted or seemed to be bored.

Wednesday we took a break from the books and went on a field trip to the Science Museum in Fort Wayne, Indiana along with RoxAnne's sister, Regina and her five children. We had a great day spending about 3 hours at the science center and then driving to Middlebury, Indiana to Regina and Merlin's house. Merlin and Regina's children raise goats and lab puppies and Mama goat, Samora had her first of triplets just as we pulled in the driveway. Merlin called one of his boys a couple of hours earlier and told him to check on her as soon as he got home because she was acting peculiar that morning. So it was with expectancy that the boys jumped out of the van and immediately checked on Samora's condition. Sure enough she was licking her little wet baby that she had just delivered. Everyone, including Jeffrey and Grace in their wheelchairs all went into the goat pen and gathered 'round to get a glimpse of the new baby goat. Samora couldn't work with an audience of children so most of us walked away. A couple of the children remained behind but kept their distance and were privileged to see the arrival of the second two babies. The rest of us were cuddling 6 beautiful lab puppies on the other side of the yard. The celebration of new life and God's creation was the icing on the cake of our field trip. We enjoyed a delicious homemade meal before we made the 1 hour drive back to RoxAnne's house.

We made sure to take the time to visit my 95 year old Amish grandmother. Reubmommy, as we call her, has not been eating much for the last 2 or 3 years. She just hasn't had a desire to eat. However, her appearance this time, surprised me on this visit as the reality that her life here with us is nearing it's end. This time the meager diet she's been living on greatly showed and I glanced at my Aunt Sue, who's been living with her, to express my concern. I may be concerned but there's really nothing to be concerned about when it comes to life slowing down after 95 years and eventually coming to a complete stop. Of course Reubmommy had quilts in frames and comforters lying nearby that she is currently working on...some of them for my children. We said our goodbyes and as usual, I wondered if it would be the last time I saw her.

Our week also included some visits with two of my uncles, Marvin and Merlin. Neither man is old, both only in their 50's, but both have been beaten with sickness and disease that has left them feeble, blind and slow of speech. Bobby asked me if it was difficult to see my uncles in such poor physical health and yes, it is heartbreaking. Nonetheless, we had good visits and I'm just glad I had the opportunity to see them, hear them and hug their necks.

Dinner on Thursday evening was a special treat as we broke bread with friends, the Mulletts. Mel and June, along with their 3 children, left the Amish church seven years ago and shared with us their testimonies of how they were raised, how they found Jesus, and how thankful they are for the assurance of their salvation. They understand God's grace a little better than most Christians, I believe, and Bobby and I were encouraged when we left their home.

We decided to not have school this morning (Friday) and instead slept in and then had a delicious brunch at RoxAnne's house with RoxAnne's mom and my aunt, Esther. Younger sis, Emily joined us as well. The Stevens are great with greetings and goodbyes. They came out to meet us in the driveway when we arrived a week ago and they came out to the driveway to see us off this morning. We loaded the van and were off again by noon, headed toward Farmer City, Illinois for another great weekend in ministry.

March 7 & 8, 2009

Felt, Balko and Altus, Oklahoma

The Bowen-mobile had a hiccup. I threw out a suggestion to Bobby on Thursday afternoon, not really sure if I even liked the idea myself, that if we left on Thursday evening, we could wash all of Elizabeth's bedding before we left. We had been planning to leave early Friday morning but there was no way we could get the bedding washed, dried and put back on the beds before we left. We were simply going to have to leave the beds as they were. If we left on Thursday evening, not only could we leave everything cleaner, we could get a little further down the road and stop to sleep when we got too tired. Bobby liked the suggestion and at 9:00 we drove over to his parents' home to say goodbye. But we only thought we were leaving. The battery light came on seconds after we left Bob and Tena's house. We turned around to stay in Texarkana one more night and found a mechanic the following morning to get the alternator replaced. Finally, we were on the road by 10:45 and enjoyed a beautiful drive to Clayton, New Mexico.

We were to sing in Felt, Oklahoma on Saturday but the pastor booked us a room in Clayton, New Mexico, which was 20 miles away, because there were no hotels in Felt. The next morning we took our time and waited until checkout to leave. The only plans we had were to sight-see a bit. We made a last-minute decision to drive on up to the Colorado line so the kids could say they've been there too. The wind was terrific and just to get out of the van to take pictures was a workout but we even got Grace out for a quick snapshot. After turning around and heading back south we came to the "fork in the road." Bobby was going to go the way "Laverne" (our GPS) was telling him to go but I argued that to go right would be to repeat what we've already seen and to go left would mean new and unseen country and it would be heading toward the Oklahoma line instead of away from it. He gave in to my suggestion and 10 minutes later we found ourselves on a 17-mile stretch of gravel road. Bobby was not happy with me because he had just washed the van. :)

Felt was not at all what I expected. I expected a town. However, Felt, Oklahoma is nothing more than about 20 houses, 1 school (65 students, K-12), 2 churches and a fire/community hall. There was no store, no post office and no gas station. Pastor Orden Hartley and his wife, Gayla welcomed us into their home to change clothes and then treated us to pancakes at the fireman's annual benefit down at the fire hall. Several of the folks went from the pancake dinner to the concert at First Baptist Church a hundred yards away. It's very seldom you can enjoy dinner and a concert on a Saturday night in Felt, Oklahoma. The people were very generous to us and once again we were amazed at how God blesses us over and above what we expect.

The Sunday morning concert was in Balko which was a good 125 miles from Felt. However, we only drove 80 miles to Gymon to spend the night at a very nice Comfort Inn, because, again, there weren't any hotels closer. I've always thought people tend to exaggerate the effects of that loss of 1 hour of sleep in the Spring. But after this weekend, I wholeheartedly agree that losing 1 hour can create great weariness. Between the sight seeing, fighting the wind, a concert, a 90 minute drive and an already late night, that 1 hour loss hit hard the next day. Another weariness factor was the fact that at 2:17 a.m. our hotel room door opened. YES! AGAIN!!! This happened to us at the Econolodge back on January 4th in Cleveland, Mississippi, and it was such a scare. When I heard our door open again, it was like a recurring nightmare. I flew out of bed and threw myself up against the door just like I did the first time. I waited for a push back or for someone to yell at me but there was silence. I looked through the peep hole but saw nothing. I dared not open the door but just waited a minute, my heart about to pop out of my chest. When I walked back to the bed, Bobby was still in bed but on the phone calling the front desk. He sounded accusatory when he told them someone just tried to come into our room. The clerk said that the guest must have been given a key that was coded to our room. It took us 2 and half hours to go back to sleep when this happened the first time but this time it took us less than 30 minutes. We've already been there, done that!

The following morning when we went down to breakfast, I approached the front desk and asked the lady what her explanation was for the break in. She said she had checked and the man's key was indeed coded for room 300 but he accidentally got off the elevator on the second floor and tried to enter room 200, which was our room. She concluded that our door must not have been shut correctly. I knew that was NOT the case because we had bolted the door and the safety lock was in place. Bobby let her know that from where he was seated across the room, in front of other hotel guests, I might add. We let her know in front of those other guests that the key that was used to open room 300 also opened room 200...our room. Not good! Interesting that this happened at another Choice Hotel. Choice Hotels runs Econolodge as well.

Balko is just like Felt in that there are no stores, no post offices, no gas stations. It's simply a cluster of houses and a church. But what beauty! It's so flat and quiet. There's no sound of a highway, or machinery. You can see for miles all around and hear nothing but maybe a bit of wind. You don't even hear the birds singing because there are no trees. Again, this little congregation called Balko First Baptist blessed us above and beyond our expectations and Bobby and I enjoyed a great Sunday School class. The teacher was actually passionate about teaching and the subject he was teaching on. He talked about the call of God on Nehemiah's life and of course paralleled that with the call of God on our lives.

From Balko we went south into Texas and drove 3 and a half hours to Altus, Oklahoma, a town we had visited back in January, singing at the Church of God with Pastor Estep. However, this time we sang at the First United Methodist Church...another first experience for us. The pastor, David Player, was such a surprise to us for he was filled with the joy of the Lord. We had never heard of a Methodist church having revival meetings but this is indeed what they are doing this week.

Pastor David was from South Africa, his music pastor was from South Korea and there was Bobby...from South Arkansas. What a diverse group. The guest preacher for the revival was Dr. Thomas Schwartz from the Tulsa area. Of course things were different from what we're used to as the preacher wore the long black robe and there were so many things written down including the message. But it was well-delivered and the thought struck me as he talked about the call on Jeremiah's life paralleling it with the call on our lives, that maybe God is trying to tell me something about His calling on my life. It was then I remembered the inspiring message we heard at the Cowboy church 2 weeks prior about the call of God on our lives.

Monday morning after rising, I found Pastor Davis' sermon from this past weekend and listened. I knew he was preaching on grace this month but at the end of the sermon I realized he'd been talking about being confident in the call of God on our lives!

Finally, as I schooled the kids in the back of the van Monday afternoon, I read the final chapter of a little mystery Grace and Landis had been listening to. I read the book when I was a preteen and for the first time noticed the author wrote about The Call that the story's character had answered as he accepted Jesus as his Savior.

I have always believed that I was going to be involved somehow in public speaking and perhaps even write a book or two. But I always believed it would be at a more “convenient” time. Nevertheless, I didn't avoid God's leading when doors opened for us a year ago to travel and minister as a family. I was not looking for such a thing to happen at that time. We all believed that Bobby would be traveling alone to sing on the weekends. In spite of what we thought should be happening, God led us and we followed willingly. I say all of that to explain that I have not resisted the call of God but have given myself to what is more than a notion that God wants to use us as a family to further His kingdom. I can also look back at the last 12 to 18 months and see where Satan tried to intervene with old and even some new temptations. There have even been some things come along that I never thought I could be tempted by. I don't believe he knows my future but I do believe he sees things that I can't see in the spiritual realm and perhaps he's seen things stirring in the heavenlies and has tried his best to halt whatever plans the Father has for me and my family.

So...what does God want to do with/through me? I don't know yet. Yet...there is a knowing that He wants to do so much more than what's been happening and what I can imagine. This is thrilling to me and I can't WAIT to see what He does this year. I think what He wants from me immediately is what the Sunday School teacher said yesterday and what Pastor Sarah teaches our choir week after week, “we must prepare to do what God's called us to do.” Whew! There's a quickening in my spirit now as I write this. I feel like crying and I think my heart just skipped a beat. God is GOOD!

February 28 and March 1, 2009

Warren and Ashdown, Arkansas and Paris, Texas

I spent my birthday traveling through the rain and sleet to Warren, Arkansas. We sang at First Freewill Baptist Church. The crowd was not large but it was bigger than I had expected considering the weather. We had a fun evening and yes, they sang Happy Birthday to me but get this, Landis accompanied on the guitar. Now that was a nice gift. I'm very proud of my children.

We struggled to stay awake as we drove on to Texarkana to sleep at Bobby's parents' home. We arrived there at 11:30 and we were all in bed by midnight. Up again a little after 6:00 to get ready and drive to Paris, Texas...a 2 hour drive. I got Grace dressed before we left the house but I got the other children dressed in the van. They did look funny walking from the house in the pajamas and church shoes. Upon arrival at The Lighthouse Church, we found a nursery with an adjoining bathroom and finished getting ourselves presentable.

Let me just paint a quick picture of our traveling adventures. I wheel Grace into the small bathroom so I can brush her teeth and fix her hair but I have to get out of there quick because the other children are making too much noise in the next room and there's an adult Sunday School class close by. As I try to pass between the wheelchair and the sink, my foot is turned sideways and my boot gets caught between the tire and the base of the sink. I can't move for just a second, at least my foot can't but I already have momentum and the rest of my body is still moving. I almost fall on my face. I take Grace back out to the nursery, get her out of the chair and lay her on the floor. She has a stinky and I change it. Just then a lady sticks her head in the door to say hello. We run her off very quickly with the stench from the diaper. Then I look in the mirror and see that the collar on the silk blouse that I just got back from the dry cleaners is nicely pressed on one side but standing up on the other side. I fold it down and hold it and press it with my hand. No use. So I have an idea. I remove the air freshener from the outlet above the sink in the bathroom so as to plug my curling iron in there. There's no power. I try pushing the reset button. It still doesn't work. The next closest outlet is in the nursery near the bathroom door. I have to remove the child safety cover first and plug my curling iron in. It works! Then I move Grace who is in the wheelchair over to the nursery door and park her directly in front of it so that no one can come in. Next I ask Landis to go play in a little hidden corner of the room where he can't see me. I remove my shirt and get down on the floor with my blouse and attempt to iron that collar with my hot curling iron. SUCCESS!!! When I finish you can't even tell it's not a professional job. Well, maybe it IS a professional job! Good thing I curled my hair before we left Texarkana...I wouldn't have had a mirror where the curling plugged in!

We had 10 minutes to spare before it was time to go in and find our place in the sanctuary so we had a quick devotion and I took the opportunity to share the basic concept of what Jeff Deyo shared with the choir last Wednesday night. I turned to Amos 5 and even asked the kids the same questions that Jeff asked us, “Does God hate music? Does God hate church?” Of course He doesn't but He hates vain repetitions, mindless singing and empty words. Landis led us in prayer, after a little encouragement, and then we went in for a great service. We enjoyed some good hard singing during the praise and worship time with some country pickin'. Bobby led a great service and...please pray for Faith. She's been refusing to sing with the kids. We changed the program just a little and she didn't like it. Now that we've changed it back for her sake, she still refuses to sing. I don't want to make too big of a deal about it but I want her back up there. She, like each of the children, add so much to the concert.

We had some people come forward for the altar service and God moved. The pastor said he could feel the presence of the Lord and I agreed. We had prayer and singing and praising. It was a good time.

After church a woman a bit older than me came to me and said that she could relate so closely to my testimony. She had been through a very similar situation when her daughter was born and her daughter, too, has CP. Today, her daughter is twenty four years old, has a masters degree and is engaged to be married. She lost her husband through it all but found a wonderful man who had also been through a tragedy with his daughter.

We enjoyed lunch and fellowship with Pastor Tom Calk, his wife, Pat and their youngest daughter, Skylar. Also joining us were Ms. Opal (what a sweet old saint) and Brother E.W. and his wife, Sandra. We had just enough time to drive back, skimming the north side of Texarkana but moving on to Ashdown. We arrived at First Assembly a little before 4:30 and was able to get set up and ready for the 5:30 evening service. Bobby's parents came as well as his aunt, Beverly Bowen. Bobby's Uncle Troy (Dink) passed away suddenly last July and it was the first time we got to see Aunt Beverly since then.

Another great time of worship before Bobby went on stage and around the third song, Landis leaned over and said he didn't want to do his part tonight, he was too tired. My heart went out to him and I understood but I told him he was very much needed and that if he'd do his part just one more time, he could have 4 or 5 days of real good rest. I was so thankful he didn't say any more about it and went on stage without any hesitation. Not Faith. :( Have ya started praying for her yet?

We had a quick bite to eat with Bobby's parents before going to our friend, Elizabeth's house just a few blocks from Bob and Tena's. Elizabeth works in Dallas during the week and only comes home on the weekend. She was gracious enough to give us permission to stay here for the week so as to cut down on drive time and mileage. We'll be leaving here early Friday morning to head to the northeast corner of New Mexico. (That's why we didn't drive all the way back to Nashville this week.) We'll sing in Felt, Oklahoma, which is in the tip of the panhandle, on Saturday evening. We'll go on to Balko after we sing, so we can be close for the Sunday morning service there and then a challenging drive down to Altus for the Sunday evening service. Stay tuned to see if next Monday's post confirms that we actually made it on time. :)

February 22, 2009

Celina, Texas and Calera, Oklahoma

We received a good report that Landis was well-behaved at Papaw & Mamaw's house in Texarkana last week. I was so proud of him and so happy for him to get to spend time with his grandparents.

Time with grandparents is something I used to take for granted. We lived only 7 miles from Grandpa Schwartz's farm and we were over there several times a week. And when I'd spend the night at their house, the sound of the milker (milking machine) would awaken me before dawn. I'd get up and after Grandma bundled me up, I'd walk out to the milk house. My Uncle Merlin would set me on a board fixed between 2 studs in the barn wall, which served as my perch and nervously I would sit there eye-level with the cows as they filed in to be milked. I remember being told why Grandpa limped when he walked. It had never dawned on me that something happened to him to cause him to walk the way he did. I just thought that was the way he chose to walk. Someone told me he fell out of the hay mow and broke his leg and, as a result, one leg was shorter than the other.

I have very fond memories of so many things from that farm. I remember my Aunt Ony, who was only 6 years older than me, taking me for rides on the little go cart. I wonder where they got that thing? Little platform close to the ground with four small tires and a small steering wheel. We'd weave in between all the buildings and splash through puddles or leave a cloud of dust in our wake. We used to beg for permission to walk down to the river. You could follow the lane that ran in between fields and led to the Prairie River. There was rope for getting a running jump, swinging out and making a big splash and LOTS of mosquitoes. I remember “helping” my uncles with hay baling on a hot August afternoon. And probably

one of my fondest memories is being sung to and entertained on a regular basis. My mom had four younger brothers and they were all still living at home the first couple years of my life. I was the first grandchild and with all those uncles I didn't lack attention. One of the boys would get their guitar and sing a song they wrote on the spot with my name, Becky Jo, plugged in and enough silly words in it to make me giggle until my belly hurt, while another one of them would walk across the room on his hands. Yes, good memories. And I'm glad Landis could tuck of few memories back into the corners of his mind to pull out later in life to relive.

We picked Landis up at 5:30 Saturday evening and after everyone got a potty break, we were back on the road toward McKinney, Texas where we spent the night. We found Trail To Heaven Cowboy Church near Celina the next morning and met a lot of friendly cow...people. It's definitely a much more relaxed atmosphere at a cowboy church. Pastor Kevin Landis had a GREAT sermon as he preached in his jeans and cowboy hat. He's doing a series on the calling of God on our lives and how God is constantly working in our lives to fulfill His will on this earth through us. Sometimes we don't see the point of something happening and sometimes things happen that we consider unfortunate but God is working through them for our good and His glory. I know somebody that shares this in their personal testimony.

I enjoyed visiting with Pastor Kevin's wife, Sharon after church. And Landis buddied up to their son, Garret, as they exchanged guitar skills.

We took our time driving up to Calera, Oklahoma, stopping for a long lunch at Wendy's and at Wal Mart to get a new pair of tights for Faith. She tripped walking down the wheelchair ramp and skinned both knees, tearing a hole in the ones she had on.

We still arrived at First Baptist Church of Calera about 30 minutes early. We had a quick and quiet service (yes, sometimes that happens) and drove 3 hours back to Texarkana for the night. We will stay in Texarkana on Monday for Bobby's sister Judy's birthday. We'll be back home Tuesday night.

February 13 & 15, 2009

Hendersonville, Tennessee; Bonham and Sulphur Springs, Texas

It sure was fun finally getting to go to Pastor Aaron Allison's church, The Church at Indian Lake, in Hendersonville on Friday, the 13th. Of all the Cornerstone offspring churches, this is the first to have us come in and sing and we were very appreciative. We didn't sing to a large crowd, but to be honest, we're used to that.

Gospel concerts aren't popular like they used to be. Bobby talks about how, back in the 1980's, the MidSouth Boys used to be busy every weekend just in the Texas-Arkansas-Louisiana region alone, and the concerts were very well attended. He said that even the Gaither Homecoming concerts are held in smaller venues than they used to be. Perhaps I'm just trying to make myself feel better about our small crowds but I do think that it's simply not as easy as it used to be to get people interested in coming to church for a concert anymore. One thing that Bobby and I feel strongly about is that we don't want to have a feel-good concert only. There's nothing at all wrong with a feel-good concert but we want to lead a church service that brings people around full circle to a moment with Jesus and the main way we do this is through prayer before a concert. If we just make ourselves available, He can do anything through these earthen vessels.

Our long-time friend, Mrs. Terri Weeks was able to attend the concert Friday night and that alone made the evening very special. Mrs. Terri suffered a stroke about 5 years ago and has not been able to walk or talk since then. However, that doesn't keep her from singing. Sitting next to me, I could hear her singing along with Bobby during “In The Garden” and “I Can Only Imagine,” in a language that only God understood. And I know He took pleasure in listening to her heart.

We got up early Sunday morning and left Bobby's parents' home in Texarkana to drive the 2 hours to Bonham, Texas. We were at Living Word Church of God last June for a Wednesday evening service and Pastor Brian Rayburn was kind enough to have us come back. However, it wasn't the normal 75-minute concert. Bobby sang about four songs before Pastor Rayburn preached about “Crazy Love.” He, his wife, Krista, their 2 teens and another couple, (a doctor who reminded me of Sam English, and his wife of sixteen months...they were so much fun but I can't remember his name...and he bought our lunch!) went to a little Mexican cafe` after church.

From downtown Bonham we drove cross country to Sulphur Springs to Calvary Baptist Church where Bobby's half-cousin, (they all call themselves "half-crazy") Gail attends. Bobby's dad, Bob had a half brother, Dawson Bowen who had four children; 3 girls and a boy just like Bob did. When Bobby's Sunday night booking in Reno, Texas canceled, Gail called Bobby and asked if we wanted to come sing at her church Sunday night, the 15^th. She got permission from her pastor and the door was opened just like that! Jehovah Jireh. God, our Provider, takes care of His children. We should never worry. When we worry it's an insult to God. There's no one that can provide for us better than He can and to worry is suggesting He can't do it.

The really neat thing is 2 more of Dawson's children came some long distances to join us last night. Mike Bowen and his wife, Rose came from the Jacksonville, Texas area and cousin, Pat Walters and her husband Bruce drove over from Grapevine. So after church we enjoyed a small reunion in the fellowship hall as we fellowshipped over food. Gail and David's son, Clint, his wife and their 3 children joined us as well.

In the picture after me, Hope, and Bobby is Rose and Mike Bowen, Gail and David Massey, Bruce and Pat Walters and Clint and his family.

We drove the one hundred miles back to Texarkana Sunday night, got to bed rather late and were up earlier than we wanted to be in order to get on the road toward home. Bob and Tena had a funeral to attend at 10:00 this morning so we wanted to get out of the house before that.

It was with great reservation we left our only begotten son, Landis in Texarkana with his Papaw and Mamaw for the week. There were many speeches and threats made before we left him behind. His schoolwork and practicing his guitar will keep him busy to some degree and Mamaw will encourage him to watch TV to pass the rest of the time. I told Bobby this morning before we left their house that I'm really gonna miss the little squirt. Bobby agreed and mentioned how much he helps us. But I came back with, “yes, he helps a lot but I'm talking about his energetic personality and the excitement he brings to our family...I'm really gonna miss him this week.”

February 8 in Searcy and Rison, Arkansas

The drive to Searcy on Saturday was easy. A 5 or 6 hour drive now is a breeze when we're used to sometimes 10 or 12 hours on the road. Our hotel was only a few minutes from the church on Sunday morning and we found it quickly. The situation there was a bit different than the usual for we didn't meet the pastor until after Sunday School. Pastor Jim Cantrell's father had open heart surgery over a week ago and didn't respond well. Jim and his siblings have shared in spending time with their ailing daddy and he said that his father was coming around over the last day or two.

But the really good news is, at the altar call a man came forward and accepted Christ! Praise God! Several others came up for prayer. Just before he dismissed us, Pastor Jim asked his congregates to pass by the offering plates one more time so as to give one more offering specifically for our children. That was a surprise and we'd never had that happen before. They handed us a wad of bills, the total being $99! We've decided to put it in an envelope and use it toward admission fees to museums, parks, or other attractions coming up this summer.

As of right now we're planning to go to Canada this summer, being gone approximately 6 weeks. The other night while we were listening to Pastor Joe, the children's pastor at Cornerstone, describe the campground where this summer's Kid's Camp was to be held, Landis and I looked across the table at each other when fishing was mentioned. His eyes were as big as quarters. But moments later I remembered: we're not going to be able to participate in Kid's Camp this summer. When I reminded him of it, his eyes showed so much disappointment I was afraid he was going to cry. I quickly pulled him close and whispered to him, "Landis, we're going on such a big and exciting trip. We're going to spend time in 3 of Canada's provinces, not to mention our own Montana, North and South Dakota where we'll see Mt. Rushmore and one of the homes of Laura Ingalls Wilder. We'll see mountains and there will be time to do a little fishing, swimming and grilling. It's gonna be a blast!" His eyes got big again and he was more than satisfied at this announcement.

Back to this Sunday evening in Rison. After some arguing about where, when and what to eat for lunch and a little bit of spilled Wendy's chili on Grace's black (thankfully...black) pants (I ALWAYS pack 2 pair of pants per day for her...but not this weekend) and the van floor, we arrived wearily at the hotel in Pine Bluff with about 40 minutes to unload the van, change clothes and wash faces. We got to Cornerstone Church of God outside of Rison a little before 5:00 thinking that church started at 6:00. But as I was sitting on the front pew talking to Grace I noticed a lot of people getting to church very early. Then I turned to Bobby and said, "Are you sure church doesn't start at 5:30? Sure enough, the pastor confirmed our suspicions and the service began less than 2 minutes later. I told Bobby I sure was thankful I wasn't still scurrying to get hair combed and makeup on, thinking that church didn't start until 6:00. That would have been a little more typical of me.

Pastor Jonathan Hall and his beautiful (and I don't say that lightly) wife visited with us moments before the service started and then, after singing 3 congregational hymns and a Bowen Family concert complete with kid's singing and testimony time, we enjoyed a rich time at the altar. One middle-aged couple approached the altar first and others soon surrounded them in prayer. Then Pastor Hall called me up to meet "Daniella" and told me I might have something encouraging to say to her. After the service Daniella and I visited some more and I learned that her 22 year old daughter had recently lost a baby at 7 months pre-term. As a result her daughter felt a resentment and a growing hatred for God. This hurt Daniella greatly but what also broke her heart was that she didn't know how to help her daughter. She felt that it was her responsibility to "fix" this problem and somehow get her daughter to see a God of love instead of a God who takes. The only thing I could tell her was that sometimes she can't help those closest to her but to turn them over to God and allow Him to do what only He can do. Her responsibility is to continue praying for and encouraging her daughter. I laughed when she came back with, "but I'm supposed to fix it, aren't I?" I'm so thankful that The Shack came to my mind at that moment. Bobby and I read it recently and it was, at times, overwhelming, emotionally speaking. For me personally, it was an eye-opening book of the height, width and depth of God's love for me, how He IS love, and that every single thing He does is because of love. I thought it might be appropriate for Daniella's daughter's situation and I was glad to hear her say her daughter likes to read.

We're about to get off here at our Ridgetop exit. We're home for the week and we're still trying to decide if we should drive back and forth next week or not. We're scheduled to sing in Hendersonville this Friday evening at The Church At Indian Lake and then do a mini-concert Sunday morning at Living Word Church of God in Bonham, Texas...and that's it. We don't have anything again until the following weekend...back in Texas and Oklahoma. Should we drive home for the weekdays in between? Or impose upon others again and stay in Texarkana? Not to mention missing our own Wednesday service at Cornerstone. This happens again the following 2 weekends, which means there's potential to be gone from home 3 weeks. The pros are we'd save gasoline and 2000+ miles on the Bowenmobile.

Speaking of the Bowenmobile and my talk of a motor home in the last post. What we're actually planning to do at the present is purchase a 5x8 trailer (possibly bigger) to put equipment and luggage in to create more space in the van. We could even sleep comfortably in the van if we could get equipment, luggage and wheelchair out of the way. The back couch lays out flat like a bed and the captain chairs in the middle are already gone so that opens up the floor for 3 little girls. When we have those Sunday evenings where the host church wasn't able to provide lodging, instead of trying to choke down an all-night drive, we can park, cover up the front windows and snooze. We figure that a trailer is much more do-able right now and is something we can continue to use behind a motor home or whatever we graduate into.

Praise God from Who ALL blessings flow. We are thankful for His goodness and His leading.

January 31-February 1, 2009.

We had a nice and restful week at Bob & Tena's, a.k.a. Papaw & Mamaw's house in Texarkana. Again, we were grateful not to have to drive the 12 hours home and then another 12 hours back to southern Louisiana four days later. Texarkana was only 5 hours away and much more do-able. Tuesday and Wednesday were rainy days but Thursday was beautiful and to give Papaw and Mamaw a little break from us, we took a family outing. The kids were eager to visit Fouke again because they're so intrigued with the legendary Fouke Monster. Fouke lies 20 miles south of Texarkana on Highway 71 and therein settled among the pines, sweet gum and walnut trees sits the house Bobby grew up in. As we drove by that tiny little house on Virginia Street and stopped to let the kids gaze upon it, the owner drove into the driveway and offered a tour of the inside of the house. Could it be? How often do you get to walk back into the home you grew up in after it's been owned by a stranger for 20 years? So the kids and I got to sneak a peek at the old home place where Bobby used to lay his head to sleep and eat his nightly supper.

The discussions recently have been centered around a larger vehicle to travel in. My Dad mentioned a motor home last spring and I remember just laughing at the suggestion, thinking, “that's really not necessary.” Now I'm laughing at myself and realizing that it has certainly become a necessity. Not only are we cramped but when we have a few days in between dates and need to lodge in one spot for a 2 or 3 days, it would be great to have a place to stay...anywhere we are. This is something we are praying about now, thanking God for that particular vehicle that is being prepared for us even now and the means to obtain it.

So Saturday, the 31st was Faith's 3rd birthday! We arrived at the Fairfield Inn in Lafayette on Friday evening and got settled and then on Saturday morning we began the cycles of “Happy Birthday To You” over and over to help Faith understand that indeed it was HER birthday and she wasn't 2 anymore. Throughout the day we asked her how old she was and she consistently said she was 2 and then we'd remind her she was 3. She's still giggling when she attempts holding up that 3rd finger. Also, Mr. Pat sent an e-card
http://www.bluemountain.com/view.pd?i=205535436&m=5678&rr=y&source=bma999
which made all the kids laugh hysterically, and a very unique video of himself wishing Faith a happy birthday with a small cake adorned with 3 candles.
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1073759852831
He encouraged Faith to get ready to blow out the candles and reminded her that she must give a very strong blow because her breath must get through the computer screen. He gave the countdown and as he said “go” he never stopped talking to her and encouraging her to give it all she had. Magically Faith was able to blow those candles out through the computer screen. That Mr. Pat is SO clever ...and thoughtful!

We celebrated her birthday at Chili's which was walking distance from the hotel and...OH...what a beautiful DAY!!! Sunny skies and 65 degrees. I wish we would have spent more time outside even if it would have been just walking around the perimeter of the parking lot. Instead, we watched others enjoy the weather as we occasionally looked out of our suite windows at the river behind us. A couple in a rowboat, a motorboat and an occasional duck waked the waters every so often. Personally, I enjoyed looking to the other side of the river at the lovely homes with their gazebos, perfectly manicured lawns and beautifully decorated patios. I look at it and wonder how I could copy what they did and not spend any money doing it. And right now I'm wondering how I started this paragraph talking about my daughter's birthday and am ending it with landscaping. I ask myself, “how?” It's 12:05 am Monday morning....that's how.

We're still driving back from Louisiana and as I right this next paragraph we're at Jackson, Tennessee. The Garmin (we call her “Laverne”) says we'll get to our driveway at 2:27. Bobby's doing well behind the wheel in spite of the persistent rain. We're in the company of Dan Seals, Ronnie Milsap, Don Williams, Shenandoah, Ricky Skaggs and Glen Campbell singing all of our old favorites but I expect we'll be switching to Fox News shortly since the kids are asleep (finally).

Back to Saturday. First Baptist Church of Broussard booked us for Saturday night as well as Sunday morning, sharing the pulpit with guest pastor, Wayne Jenkins. This church was so kind and gracious to us in so many ways. But they were so quiet in both services that I only hope they were ministered to. One woman responded to the altar call, given by Pastor Jenkins, on Saturday evening. But no one responded to the call on Sunday morning. Instead, from the stage I heard someone playing a game on their cell phone! Yes!...during the invitation. (I think it was the teenager on the second row, right behind Landis.) The spirit of Maury Davis came upon me and I came close to calling her out right then and there! I had to remind myself that I wasn't in charge and it wasn't my place. But what a distraction! Like Pastor Davis always says, “It never fails. If a baby's gonna cry in church, it will be during that moment when God wants to speak to someone. The devil will try anything he can to take our focus away from the voice of God.” However, no one said anything and that made me even more angry. We can't be taking a back seat to the devil like that, folks.

Home again, home again jiggety jig! But we'll not be purchasing any fat pigs.

January 23-25, 2009. We left home Friday morning, the 23^rd and drove 11 hours to our destination, Dry Prong, Louisiana, which was just north of Alexandria. Very graciously, the pastor of Corinth Baptist Church, Steve Montgomery, opened up his vacant parsonage for us after the pastor of the church that booked us, Anchor Baptist Church, made our accommodation needs known. Instead of cramming into a hotel room, we were able to stretch out in a 2000 square foot home. No one slept on the floor and we were able to do some laundry and enjoy some wide open space for a change. On Saturday we played UNO, washed the bedding, took our baths, ate some soup, all at leisure, and then went to the pastor's home for dinner. Dr. Fred and Carol Kelsey hosted a tasty dinner of spaghetti (Landis' favorite) and garlic bread. Mmmm...Mm! Anchor Baptist Church was right next door so we didn't have far to go to sing for our supper. Bobby was treated by a quick visit from long-time friend, Dale Lingenfelter, an old friend he hadn't seen in 20 years. Dale came by the church when Bobby was setting up to say hi and catch up a bit. He and his wife, Jill, were expecting visitors at their home that evening and couldn't attend the concert. The concert was on the smaller side but it was a small building to begin with and once again we were amazed at the way God blessed us and met our needs.

From Tioga (that's where the church was) we drove 4 hours south into the bayous of Louisiana. We arrived at the Acadiana House, Bed and Breakfast in Larose just before 1:00 am. A bed and breakfast like no other we've ever been in. Bobby was emailed a passcode earlier in the week, punched the number in to the keypad next to the garage door and the door opened for him and from there we had access to the house. Freedom Worship Center, in Galliano, pastored by Robert Niestoeckel, was especially kind to us by renting this bed and breakfast and even placing an overloaded basket with fruit, juice, mixes, chips and other goodies on the kitchen counter. What a greeting! And at 1:00 am it perked us up a little. We got some rest and in the morning had a large assortment of breakfast foods to choose from to toast, fry, bake or boil. It was very nice.

We drove 15 minutes to the Freedom Worship Center and felt welcomed right away. We enjoyed a great time with the saints there, (no – not the New Orleans' saints) although it was difficult to understand a few of them from time to time with those thick Cajun accents. Pastor Robert and his lovely wife were not difficult to understand and she let me know why after the service. Their family moved to Galliano from Ligonier, Indiana 2 years ago. I enjoyed being so far from home yet being able to talk to someone who knew the roads and stores and restaurants that I knew.

Our evening service was 2 hours north near Baton Rouge at the Zachary Community Church. This congregation doesn't normally meet on Sunday evening so this was something different for them and it seemed to work well. The service started at 5:00 pm and there was a good crowd there. As only God can do, He touched people's hearts in that service through a very simple concert by a very simple family. And just like I remind people when I share a testimony: God will use any of us if we are willing. For the past year we've been willing to go anywhere and yes, take everyone. We have actually considered how much easier it would be to travel if we left 1 or 2 children with a friend or relative for this or that weekend trip. However, we have decided against it because each member of our family is an important part of this ministry and we'll leave no one behind because God uses each one of us to minister to different people.

I have to mention that we were tickled that this congregation chose to have a meal after church and of course, we were treated to jambalaya. Oh! It was GOOD!

Back to Texarkana for the week at Bobby's parents' home. It's not nearly as far to drive here as it is to drive back to Nashville. We will leave here Friday morning and head back down to southern Louisiana.

January 14-18, 2009.

On Wednesday morning, the 14th we left Bobby's parents' home in Texarkana and drove to Altus, Oklahoma to sing at Altus Church of God. Pastor Bill, his very precious wife, Katrina, and son, Nathan were waiting for us at the front door of the church. When we arrived in Altus, the temperature was a balmy 60 degrees, but by the time church was over that night, the temperature had dropped to near 20 degrees! That arctic blast that we'd been hearing about had finally hit. What a GREAT service we had. There were only about 30 people there so the members that didn't show up simply missed out. At the end of Bobby's first song, I knew the Holy Spirit was in the room with us. A dear saint, Brother Austin, worshiped passionately in the middle of the room. He and his wife have been married 54 years and have a 25-year-old grandson with Cerebral Palsy. At the end of the service as I was walking back to my seat after giving a testimony, Brother Austin walked to the front of the room. Bobby asked him if he could help him and Brother Austin said he might not have spoken up in times past but felt led to prophecy at that moment. He told us that we should trust God because Grace is IN HIS HANDS. Then he looked at Grace and told her that she was very special and that God was going to do GREAT things through her and for her...IN HIS TIME, and he emphasized that last phrase. This was such a blessing and encouragement to me because it was in April of 2000 that I cried out to God one night in frustration telling God I just didn't understand. He said to me, “Becky, you just have to trust Me. I will do this thing that I promised but I will do it in My time when I can receive the most glory.” I don't have to get worked up and anxious and wonder if I have enough faith. I can rest in Him, KNOWING that it's His will to heal Grace and He'll take care of her and bring her up out of that chair in His time because she is in His hands. All I have to do is believe and trust Him to do what He said He'd do. That's what I'm doing.

The following morning we drove from Altus to Enid, Oklahoma where we sang at our first Cowboy Church which meets in a cattle sale barn every Thursday night. The temperature remained frigid and we wore our coats for the service at Chisholm Trail Cowboy Church. You can view the entire service at:
http://www.winterlive.com/chisholm_cowboy/login.php.
Bobby sings two songs at the start of the service and then he comes back at 45 minutes and does a 45 minute set including the children singing and my testimony. After church we picked up some soup to go and headed back to our hotel room to get warm.

Friday morning we drove back to Texarkana and had just enough time to pop into Bobby's parents' house to change clothes. I had to curl my hair and fix something for Grace to eat and just take it with us. We made a return visit to Partnership Church where Bobby and the kids shared the stage with the Hendrix Trio and Masterpeace Quartet. It was more of a fun evening with a lot of Southern Gospel music. Bobby's parents, Bob and Tena came and we topped the evening off with cake and ice cream as we celebrated Bobby's sister, Kathy's 29th birthday....AHEM, (cough, cough!).

We said goodbye (for a few weeks) to Bob and Tena on Saturday morning and drove across the bottom part of Arkansas back to Cleveland, Mississippi where we had the Econohell experience. We glared at the Econolodge and stuck our tongues out as we drove past it to the Holiday Inn Express. That evening Bobby was reunited with a family he hadn't seen in over 25 years, the Wilkersons. Mr. Wilkerson pastors Church of Faith on the north side of Cleveland. His daughter, Debbie, an old friend of Bobby's booked the date and I was privileged to meet her and her four beautiful children, Scott, Chelsea, Mike and Logan. Debbie and I were able to connect instantly as we shared the joys and woes of raising children with special needs. Her 18-year-old son, Scott has many mental and emotional challenges.

Bobby originally had a booking for Sunday morning in Grenada, Mississippi but it canceled. At first he thought he'd try to fill that spot but I told him I was glad that date had canceled because we were to drive to Benton, Arkansas that night. We enjoyed a very restful morning at the Holiday Inn, getting up when we wanted to and not to an alarm and eating a leisure breakfast in the lobby. We had a short time of devotion in our room and finally got on the road by noon and drove to Benton which is on the west side of Little Rock.

We met many sweet people Sunday night at Benton Four Square Church including a surprise visit from an old friend of both mine and Bobby's, Mark Hall! He and his beautiful bride have 3 cute kids now and are involved in a church in Bryant, which is bit closer to Little Rock. Mark has always been involved in gospel music and used to keep up with Mid South, looking up to Bobby as a kid. I met Mark after Bobby did in 1989 while at Stamps Baxter School of Music with two of my sisters. I went to college with Mark's older sister, Dusty, in the years following that.

As I write this blog we are driving home! When we crossed the river into Tennessee, the kids spotted the sign and cheered. They were glad to be back in Tennessee even though they still had 200 miles to go. Hope is the most excited because all she's been able to think about for the past 5 days or so is her clubhouse. Every day she's been mentioning her latest plans for decorating her clubhouse in the back yard. I don't know what has inspired her but she is certainly focused on it. Bobby and I told her it's way too cold and it will be nearly dark by the time we get home late this afternoon. In her disappointment, she went to the back of the van and went to sleep.

There's always so much to do when we return from a trip but it will be good to be home for a few days.

“Kansas City, Kansas City here I come....there's some crazy little women there and I'm-a gonna get me one.” That's the song that came to my mind this weekend. Fortunately we didn't sing it at any of the churches we went to. I don't think it would have gone over too well.

We were going to leave early Friday morning for Butler, Missouri but on Thursday when we were on our way to my sister, Mary's house, the brake job that we thought we could put off until we got back home from this trip, was literally screaming for attention sooner than later. Mary kept ALL of our children ALL night Thursday while Bobby and I celebrated our 15th anniversary. The plan for the next morning was that Bobby and I would arrive at 7:45 to feed and dress our children while she got Owen ready for school and tended to her other boys as well. But when our mechanic agreed to do our brakes first thing Friday morning, we asked Mary if she could keep the kids until we could get there with our van. Of course I tried to think of another way I could relieve her, like driving the car to her house to pick up the kids. I could pick up the kids but I couldn't get the wheelchair. Everything worked out great. Kris was able to take Owen to school, we were able to get new brakes and get to her house by 11:35 – plenty of time for her to leave to pick up Owen from school.

On to Missouri. We got a later start, thus, a later arrival. We checked into our hotel by 11:30. We got a later checkout the next morning and with a little rendezvous at Wal-Mart, and lunch we were able to kill time until we were supposed to show up at the First Assembly of God.

A very young Pastor Cleghorn and his bride and 3 children greeted us along with 2 of the older ladies from the church who had prepared a delicious home-cooked meal for us. We had a nice crowd for a Saturday night and we were able to encourage some people there. From there we drove to Kansas City where we spent the night in my favorite chain, Hampton Inn. The following morning we sang at yet another new denomination for us, The First Christian Church of Pleasant Hill, Missouri which was on the southeast side of KC. It was much more liturgical than what we're used to but the people were receptive and we were able to minister. They really enjoyed Bobby's music and I think his approach and style was something they'd never had before in that congregation. Another “first” was that we sang for 2 services. We sang in the 8:00 a.m. service, had a great breakfast down in their basement, sang again for their 10:30 service, and then had a big lunch in the basement again! The pastor said he wanted to have us back in the fall for a weekend!

After that service we drove to the opposite side of the city to Bonner Springs, Kansas, where we sang at Basehor (pr. “baser”) Baptist Church on Sunday evening. It was at this special little place that God wanted to do a work. For the first time since I began sharing a testimony, I saw grown men wiping their eyes. We usually see a woman here and there shedding tears nearly everywhere we go but I don't recall seeing any man react that way. Just as I was finishing and was making the segue into our song, I glanced down at the song leader in front of me and saw a big old tear falling down his cheek. That just about did me in. At that point I had to move on to thinking about the unlady-like way Hope was sitting on the front row. Anything to keep from breaking. It's hard to keep my composure when men cry. Before we left the church parking lot, Pastor Martin told us that the words spoken tonight were words their congregation needed for there were families in their church that were really under attack right now. God is good.

Landis had a good day. We didn't have school today (Robertson Co. is out for Fall Break but we're only taking Monday off) He went fishing with his daddy and caught 5 fish! I spruced up his bedroom with a new curtain rod and new drapes, a computer desk (computer to come soon), some new things on the walls and I moved the furniture around. He likes it. Landis requested pizza for dinner (1 with pineapple and ham and the other with sausage and pepperoni) and then I made an "8" cake (you gotta have an 8 cake when you turn 8) - chocolate cake with chocolate icing and sprinkles on top. I asked Bobby to bring home some ice cream on their way home from fishing and to please let Landis pick out the flavor. They brought home vanilla and STRAWBERRY swirl and a bottle of strawberry SYRUP!!! YUK!!! The kids loved it.

BTW, I got 1 rail upholstered for the side of Grace's bed this past Saturday.

I'll post pictures another time. I don't want to wear myself out with too big of a post. :)

We've been in Texarkana for two weeks. And we'll be here 2 more days. It's been fun. I'm always one that likes to plan a trip and travel and do something different than what we've been doing. But I will say that I can tell a difference in the children, especially




Faith. She's been crying a LOT and talking back. But she has been going to the potty and growing up in so many ways. Today she swam the length of the big pool with her little







floaties on her arms. She'll say things like "Guys! Guys!" when Landis and Hope are arguing. Or she'll say, "Mom, let's go potty!" and she'll run as fast as she can to the bathroom and look back to see if I'm following. In a sing-song way she'll say, "GOOD night, Mommy!" She's a very good singer too. She'll often sing when I'm in a store like Wal Mart and she's not quiet about it. She sings loudly until it draws attention. I'll simply say to the observers that I don't know about them but I always have music when I shop. :) Last week she was singing "Jesus, Jesus how I trust Him..." so I decided to sing with her. Well...I didn't sing quite as loudly as she did.




I think the biggest problem with the children is our diets. I'm not cooking as much but we've only eaten fast food 3 times since left the house on the 27th of May. We've eaten "camp food". I call it camp food because it's things like hot dogs, hamburgers (from home) and sandwiches. Our friend Sheila actually brought us an entree one night. Delicious! The problem comes in when churches have finger foods after a church service the kids load up on cookies and cake and cupcakes.

The first 4 days we were here Bobby attended a festival in Jefferson, Texas while the children and I played in the pool and visited the library, Wal Mart and Papaw & Mamaw's house. On Sunday the 1st of June we sang at Sylverino Baptist Church in the evening service. The following 3 nights we were at New Hope Baptist Church for a revival and Friday night we sant at Centre West Baptist Church across town on the Texas side. Then we moved over to the Pentecostals and sang at an outdoor event put on by a couple of Church of God churches in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. The following morning we were at New Faith Tabernacle in Ashdown, Arkansas and finally Hope Family Fellowship Church, a Church of God of Prophecy in Hope, Arkansas. Today....we rested.

Tomorrow Landis and Bobby will go to Weatherford, Texas and sing at a Church of God minister's conference (CONTACTS!!!) and will spend the night at Bobby's sister, Sissy's home in Trophy Club (Dallas). The girls and I (and maybe Dad) will drive to Bonham, Texas the next day and meet Bobby and Landis for a final Wednesday night singing. Thursday morning we'll head home. Dad has been visiting his sister, Sue in Ketchum, Oklahoma since Memorial Day weekend and will be joining us here in Texarkana tomorrow (Tuesday). He'll travel back to Tennessee with us on Thursday.

We will be homeschooling this coming school year. There's really no way to travel like we've been with the children and keep them in the public school. It's not something I ever wanted to do. I've tried to think of a way around it but unfortunately there's none. I realize it will be challenging, to say the least, but I will try to stay relaxed about it and remind myself that it may take the entire school year to figure out what works best for us and how we will make it work. I've asked for a lot of advice and I've received a lot of advice - all very helpful.

I've got so many things to do when I get home like get some paperwork completed for United Cerebral Palsy to get a ramp built and concrete poured in the driveway. And I have to select an umbrella school and sign up for homeschool by the end of this month.

I don't like to ignore my blog for so long but I honestly don't have time to blog like I'd like. And no, I don't have much opportunity to blog when I'm lounging by the pool in Texarkana because my husband is on the computer all day. It's what he does for a living now.

I'll be leaving here soon. I'm a little sad but mostly glad to headed home.