May 11-14, 2009

Lovingston, Virginia and Moore, South Carolina

So much has happened that I've decided to divide last weeks' events into 2 posts.

In our last episode, we left the Bowen Family in Lovingston, Virginia at a motel where a mechanic, who the Sunday night pastor (Carroll Martin) had contacted, was coming to look at the motor home on Monday morning. Donnie, the mechanic, arrived, along with Jim Hall, and after looking over the engine a bit, said he needed to get some parts. He returned a little later saying he had a garage to take the motor home to where he could work better. So Bobby, Jim & Donnie left for the day and the children and I sat in the motel room...also for the day. I was so concerned about saving the food in the refrigerator that I neglected to remember the school books that were on the motor home before it left. So instead of using our books, we got creative because I couldn't waste a school day sitting in a closed up motel room in front of a TV. Thankfully, Bobby signed us up for www.time4learning.com which we use to supplement the children's learning. They like it because they can get on the computer and it's convenient for traveling. The motel we were in was small, with exterior entrances and hardly anyone else around so after the rain, they were able to play outside a little. Hope practiced counting numbers over 100 as she counted the steps from one end of our building to the other and Landis read brochures about the local attractions. Even though we didn't have our books, we were still able to knock out another school day.

There were some minor repairs done to the motor home like the tightening of gas lines and changing some filters and we were excited Monday evening to think that we were able to get by with such inexpensive repairs. But as we headed down the road to meet Jim and his wife, Shelvia for dinner, the motor home showed signs of sickness once again just before we reached the restaurant. Jim called Donnie again and after we had eaten, Donnie was able to come out to the restaurant and look at the motor home again. After listening to Bobby tell of the symptoms and after another test drive, it was determined that the motor home needed a new transmission. Another day in the motel in Lovingston and another day for the motor home to be in the shop.

On Tuesday morning Jim came back to our motel to take us on a field trip. I had wanted so badly to take the children to at least ONE of the many attractions in the area but because of the problems with the motor home, Bobby said it probably wouldn't work out. (You remember, we WERE going to drive back to Washington D.C.) But because the caterpillar was taking her own field trip to the repair shop, we were able to take advantage of the day and see some history. There were so many places to choose from but I had narrowed it down to 2 or 3. Walton's Mountain Museum would have been very interesting to me as I loved the TV show, but for the sake of the children, I decided to go to either the Luray Caverns or one of the Presidential homes in Charlottesville.

We arrived at Monticello, the home of President Thomas Jefferson, shortly after lunch but the crowd was so large that it would have been a 3 and a half hour wait for a tour of the house. We could have stayed and explored the rest of the plantation but it would have cost the same – and it wasn't cheap. So we opted for Ash Lawn, the home of President James Monroe. Here are a few facts we learned about James Monroe:

He was the 5^th President of the United States

He was the man holding the flag in this picture. He was not in political office at this time, but a soldier.

He was mentored by Thomas Jefferson and was a close neighbor to him. Also, their plantations are backed up to each other.

He held more political offices than any other man in history.

He passed away on the 4^th of July as did John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.

Ash Lawn proved to be an excellent choice as there were fewer visitors there so there was no waiting. It wasn't as big of a house and the plantation was inferior to Monticello, but it was a much more pleasant day as we felt we had learned some history, and not been pushed through a crowd to do so. It was much less expensive too. One of the most interesting things for all of us was the 250-year-old white oak in the front yard. Our tour guide said the circumference was 20 feet.

We returned to the hotel and Donnie gave us the good news. The caterpillar didn't need a transmission. Instead he changed the transmission fluid and filter. He also checked the spark plugs and even though Derick Luthe had changed them a week earlier, they were black and corroded. He said that had helped but there still was something wrong. Donnie was such a blessing to us. In spite of the fact that he couldn't solve the problem, he had time to spend looking for the problem and not charging much for it.

We were to sing on Wednesday night in Moore, South Carolina so that morning we left the motel early, carrying the children out in their pajamas and putting them back to bed...except Grace, of course. To disturb Grace in the morning hours and expect her to go back to sleep is like expecting your ice cream cone not to melt in July. Instead we got her dressed, put her in the wheelchair, fed her breakfast and turned the TV on. The other children slept a couple of more hours while I started blogging.

The motor home continued to run poorly all the way to South Carolina but we made it and we met Pastor Christopher Hale and his beautiful wife, Laura, for dinner that evening before church. They gave us directions to their church, Poplar Springs Baptist, and we enjoyed a quick but fun evening with the saints there.

We spent the night in the Wal Mart parking lot and the following morning after breakfast, I made my first visit to Wal Mart in over a week. Whew! I was starting to suffer symptoms of withdrawal. I think just spending the night in the parking lot relieved me of some of my symptoms. Very early in the afternoon we started the engine and set out for Lincolnton, North Carolina, a 60-minute drive. However, the caterpillar ran so poorly, Bobby found a mechanic instead, knowing we couldn't make it even an hour. When the mechanic took the cover off the engine inside the motor home, the heat was so great that the kids and I took the school books into the back half of the vehicle and shut the door. I didn't know whether to cry or laugh when I struggled with 4 children on 2 bunks in that little room. Grace lay kicking anyone who got near her, including me, and Faith had a hard time keeping herself out of mischief. It was hard for Landis and Hope to pay attention to lessons but at least we were cool. After about 2 hours, Bobby came to the back and announced that an agent from Enterprise was coming to pick him up and take him back to the office and that he would return as quickly as possible with a rental. He told me to grab only what we needed for the rest of the trip as we were downsizing to a mini van. I placed the most perishable food into the freezer, knowing they would remain cold in there even if the generator would be turned off for 24 hours.

It seems I can never get away from packing. Even after I spent hours packing for this trip, I still had to re-pack once we were actually in the midst of travels. I went with 1 color for each person trying to keep it at 1 pair of shoes for each of us but when all the luggage and equipment was placed outside the mini van waiting to be packed, I seriously wondered how in the world it was all going to fit along with Grace in the wheelchair. It was a sto-and-go so the back half of the van was flat and if Grace's chair was tilted all the way back, she just fit without her head touching the ceiling. With her brakes locked and everything else piled high and deep around her, she was pretty secure. Somehow it worked and when we got on the road, Bobby called Pastor Joey at Daystar Christian Center one more time to let him know we were on our way. He'd been keeping him informed of our status all afternoon so as not to spring any surprises on him at the last minute. We left Spartanburg at 5:45 and Laverne (our GPS) said we would arrive in Lincolnton, North Carolina at 6:45. The service started at 7:00. Would we, or would we not make it to the church on time? That is the question that will be answered in the next post. I've gotta get some sleep.

May 6-10, 2009

Horner and Jane Lew, West Virginia and Fredericksburg and Arrington, Virginia

Before writing about our travels I have to take a moment to write about Landis' bike accident last Wednesday afternoon, the 6^th of May. I had just told Landis to sit down to do his school work because Faith and Nikolas (Sterban) had just laid down for naps. Instead of obeying and sitting down to do his work, he sneaked out the back door when I wasn't paying attention. As I was feeding Grace her lunch, I heard some horrible screaming. The kids are always making loud obnoxious noises, so I went to the back door not sure if was going to be telling them to be quiet or actually see that someone was hurt. When I stuck my head outside, I saw Landis limping toward the house screaming with blood running down his left leg. The blood didn't upset me and I figured if I washed the blood away, the cut wouldn't be that bad. I went back inside to get a cup of water and returned to the back door to meet Landis. But when I saw his leg I got a little queasy and immediately was in a tizzy about what to do next. What I saw was a 3-inch-long cut toward the inside of his leg from the shin. He got sick to his stomach and I could tell he was afraid. My first reaction was to get angry. I began giving orders to everyone and told Landis that if he had stayed inside to do his work like he'd been told to do, this would have never happened! My next thought was, “Am I going to have to load Grace, Landis, Hope, Faith and Nikolas in the van, take them to the ER and sit with all of them in the waiting room?” I called Bobby and he didn't answer so I called Chele. She had been singing background vocals on his new project. I was so relieved when she answered her phone and told me she had just left the studio and was on her way back to get Nikolas. I told her I had an emergency and what the situation was. What a blessing that she was able to be there 20 minutes later and stay with all of the children while I took Landis to the ER. Just before we reached the hospital, he said softly, “I wish I would have stayed inside.”

Of course we waited a couple of hours in the ER but the good thing was that Pastor Billy and his wife, Lynn came to see us and I really enjoyed getting to know them just a little better. As soon as the needle was introduced, Pastor Billy made his exit. Yes, ironically, Cornerstone's favorite tattoo artist is afraid of needles. Landis was a tough little booger as he got a tetanus shot in the left arm and then a couple of numbing shots into his wound. Would I have taken his place? Are you kidding me?!?

I didn't sleep Thursday night but for an hour. Bobby wanted to leave but as I couldn't finish with baking and packing, he just went to bed. He got up at 4:00 and the kids and I got on the motor home to go to bed while he drove.

At one point in eastern Kentucky, Bobby filled the gas tank and when he did I noticed a strong scent of gasoline, but didn't think much of it since he fills the tank directly beneath my bed. By the time we arrived at Jackson's Mill in Weston, West Virginia, we knew there had to be something wrong because again, the scent of gasoline was tremendous and starting to make us feel sick. We saw no leaks and proceeded to check into our suite.

The 4-H All Star Suite the church had reserved for us was beautiful and accommodating. There were two bedrooms, a living room, dining/game area, large bathroom and kitchenette. The building itself was modeled after George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate near Alexandria, Virginia. After unloading a few things, we found Georgetown Community Church near Horner. Indeed a very quaint little church in the wildwood, it was nestled in the middle of a clearing in the woods. While we waited on the pastor to arrive, we opened the windows of the motor home, stepped outside for some fresh air and set out trying to find the gasoline leak. I saw something dripping near the opening of the tank, scooped some up with my finger and sniffed. Wow! It was dripping at a fast rate apparently from the main gas tank. Here was a temptation to get discouraged and rightly so. But we had to remember that God said if He gave us the motor home, He gave it to be a blessing and not a burden. Somehow He would work all things for our good and His glory.

Pastor Jay Burkhart, his wife and co-pastor, Beth and their two beautiful daughters sang several songs along with close friend, Terry Patterson before Bobby sang Friday night and we had a great time in music. Only God can bring complete strangers together and in a matter of a couple of hours, two or three families can seem like one. Beth was so easy to talk to and Susan Patterson, Terry's wife was especially interesting to talk with as she was an expert in biblical nutrition and health.

The following morning Bobby and Terry dropped the motor home off at a nearby garage and then went to the local AM radio station to do a swap shop program. I tried tuning in but could only find static on the two clock radios in our suite. I checked on-line but there was no streaming. I hear I really missed a great show as folks called in to try getting rid of their cats, albino ferrets, and white male alpacas. One lady said she was a Randy Travis fan so Bobby told her he was the next best thing and proceeded to sing, “I'm gonna love you forever. Forever and ever Amen...” CLICK! (She hung up on him!)

God blessed us again that evening in Jane Lew at Broad Run Baptist Church where Sister Susie and her precious husband greeted us and made us welcome. At the end of the program after my testimony, Bobby asked me to stay and sing one more song with him. I was honored but just before we sang, Sister Susie reminded us of the love offering and took the opportunity to tell us about a young man that had recently been killed in a hunting accident in the community. The testimony that night hit close to home for them and it stirred some broken hearts in the room. I whispered to Bobby that maybe he should sing “I Can Only Imagine.” I sat down and enjoyed the song with the rest of the congregation.

We had a long drive to Fredericksburg, Virginia, especially since we had to stop every 100 miles to fill the auxiliary tank. The mechanic that looked at it in Weston, Saturday morning simply said, “You have a gas leak.” Evidently he didn't want to work too hard on the weekend so he diagnosed but offered no surgery. The solution, then, was to fill up the auxiliary tank and use that exclusively because it seemed to be working fine. We just needed to stop more often. The kids and I went to bed and when Bobby reached the hotel at 2:00 a.m. he simply locked us in the motor home and checked himself in.

My beautiful rose bouquet given to me for Mother's Day from Bobby and the kids was a great surprise but traveling was not conducive to keeping those roses lovely. I had to dismantle my bouquet Sunday morning. I'm glad I took several pictures of it first.

We sang at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Fredericksburg, a great church pastored by Todd Pyle, who, after hearing Bobby say who he used to sing with, realized he and Bobby go back many years as Mid South was one of Pastor Todd's favorite bands as a youth. Pastor Todd shook Bobby's hand before church and had no idea who he was until the service began and Bobby told everyone who he sang with. So when he stood to preach after Bobby sang, he surprised Bobby with his realization.

After the service I told Pastor Todd and his wife, Denita, that we so appreciated a growing church and a pastor that preached the Gospel message and actually followed it up with an altar call. What a pleasant surprise to see a pastor who had a passion to reach the lost, made a presentation of the Gospel and pleaded with people to make a decision for Jesus Christ.

We enjoyed an absolutely beautiful drive across country to Nelson County, Virginia, where Earl Hamner Jr., the writer for The Walton's is from. Matter of fact just before we reached our hotel in Lovingston, we passed a sign for Walton's Mountain Museum.

Mr. Jim Hall, his son, Ricky and Ricky's wife, Lori met us at the motel and gave us directions to the church in Arrington, which we drove to only 30 minutes later. Kingswood Baptist Church, pastored by Carroll Martin is another little church in the wildwood and is surrounded by some of God's most lovely creation. From the church parking lot you can see mountains and valleys miles away. We ministered to a great group of people Sunday evening where 3 or 4 congregations were represented. Pastor Brian Duncan and his family traveled over 4 hours from Winchester to attend the concert Sunday evening. Reverend Stan Ogden and his wife, Sheila, from Bethel Church of The Brethren in Arrington, attended as well. A great addition to the evening was when Bobby invited Ricky Hall, who sings tenor for the well-known quartet, The Crestmen, to sing a song with him. Ricky led the first verse, and then held a strong tenor in the remainder of “Sin Met Grace.”

After the service, a lady named Lisa approached me who told me she could relate to my testimony so well as she had a 16 year old son born with Cerebral Palsy, who, the therapists said needed no more physical therapy! He was fine. They introduced me to Brandon a few moments later and as I looked into his sweet smiling face I joked with him about taking my daughter, Grace, out on a date some day. He wanted to meet her and give her a hug. When I introduced him to her and told her how he no longer needs a wheelchair or any kind of therapy and how he gets straight A's, she fixed her eyes on him and never took them off. I think she was impressed and encouraged. It was a sweet moment.

Mr. Jim treated us to Italian food at Vito's across the road from our hotel afterward. The fellowship was so great and got so thick the owner had to start vacuuming the floors to get us to leave.

We had requested a tour of the White House for Tuesday, May 12 but were denied. However, we still planned to take the children back to D.C. to the Smithsonian and National Zoo, but because of the problems with the gas tank, Bobby heavily considered taking us back home on Monday to drop the motor home off with our mechanic and continuing the tour in our van. Pastor Martin from Kingswood Baptist Church learned of our troubles and contacted a trusted mechanic friend of his to look at the motor home at our motel on Monday morning instead. I will continue with that story in my next post.

Once again, another full and busy weekend and one tired family by Sunday night. We didn't get to bed until 11:30 and when I opened my eyes on Monday morning, being awakened by Grace's “talking,” I expected to see something like 7:30 on the clock. I couldn't believe my eyes and had to check all 3 time-telling devices in the room to confirm that it was really 10:15! I felt like a bum for sleeping that long but I was so thankful for the good rest. We must have been tired!

As I finish up my writing, I'm holding my breath. We're passing through Tightsqueeze, Virginia. Suck it in!

May 1-3, 2009

Buffalo Valley & Prague, Oklahoma

I got Landis up at 6:30 Thursday morning and he started his school before 7:00 a.m. Half way through, he had his breakfast, resumed his schooling and finished it by 9:00. What a relief to have that off of our shoulders the rest of the day. I was right proud of us until Hope griped at me for not waking her up and helping her get her work done early too. Oh well. Can't please everyone.

Derick Luthe came over Thursday morning to have a look at the motor home because it didn't idle well. I invited Charcy to come along so we could get some hanging out time in. Not necessarily was I suggesting we'd “visit,” as I had home school and packing to do. She accepted the invitation but brought her ironing to counter my chores. She got a little of it done but Kendrick, who is nearly 5 months old, demanded that she spend most of her time feeding him lots of food.

For our lunch I served taco soup, a favorite recipe from my mother-in-law, followed by strawberries, shortcake and fresh whipped cream. My sister, Mary and her three boys came by just in time for dessert and we enjoyed some good hard laughing around the table, hopefully burning a few of the calories we'd just consumed. After everyone left, I spent the remainder of the afternoon and most of the evening packing. Once I get the motor home stocked with a small wardrobe, I'll not have to “pack” every weekend.

Bobby asked if I'd be ready before dark, and I was...barely. We left at 8:00 that evening and drove to West Memphis, Arkansas, where he parked us at a rest area and we all slept. We have some work to do in this vehicle because right now we are lacking beds. The three girls slept on the fold-out couch in the front, Bobby slept on top of the bathtub. Seriously. The jet tub that was put in the motor home for Darrell, has plywood over it covered by a vinyl therapy mat. Landis and I shared a twin air bed and I need not tell you we lacked some good rest the next morning. It was a waste of my time to go to bed before we stopped. Landis and I bounced and rolled in the back of that motor home and if you've ever driven on I-40 in eastern Arkansas you know you shouldn't eat with a fork while doing so. You could kill yourself.

We found our way to Talihina, Oklahoma, which is situated in the high hills of the eastern side of the state. Everyone needed naps so we parked at 1:30 and tried to get everyone a comfortable place to sleep. This time I thought I'd be smart and put Landis and Hope on the air bed. Of course Bobby slept on the tub again and Faith and I were on the couch. Grace refuses to take naps so I put a movie in for her to watch from the wheelchair. I tried to position Faith where she couldn't see what the movie was and turned the volume down low so it was just barely audible for Grace but when curious Faith sneaked a peek and saw a Barbie movie she was wide awake. All I could think of was Swine flu and decided she MUST have a nap because we need rest to keep from getting sick. Silly, I know. I am NOT freaked about H1N1. Maybe I'm just stubborn enough that I wasn't going to let her have her way. We fought for nearly an hour. I would almost fall asleep and she'd cry again or Grace would give one of her happy screams. Finally around 3:00 I was falling asleep and thought I heard a knock on the door. I know I was almost asleep because I dreamed that Faith knocked on the cabinet beside me. Then I opened my eyes and heard more VERY persistent knocking. The way the knock sounded, I thought perhaps we were in trouble for sitting where we were. I opened the door to see an older gentleman who asked if we were evangelists and what time the service was that night. Then he proceeded to tell me that he was a deacon at the “other” Assembly of God church in town, where the church was located where we were singing, and how he and the other seniors in town raised money selling Indian tacos to go on fun trips! Well, that was it! No nap and I was now an unhappy, frustrated mother and wife. To top it all off when I turned around from the door I saw that Faith had been lulled to sleep by the gentleman's talking. Bobby said I should have come to the back room and put all the kids in the front. But I asked him if he would have wanted the kids answering the door instead. Why I didn't just let Faith watch the movie and allowed myself to get some rest, I can't tell ya.

Friday night we sang at Buffalo Valley Assembly of God. The date was booked by Amanda Conley, who told Bobby she remembered him coming to sing at her church 25 years earlier...when she was 5. Don't you know Bobby just loves reminders of how old he is? The evening was fun and lighthearted and I forgot my weariness for a while. But by the time we arrived at the hotel in Shawnee after midnight, it all came back to me. We walked into our first floor room of the HI Express (Grace's favorite) and discovered that we'd been booked in a handicap accessible room so there was no bathtub, just a walk-in shower. The kids know that I can't stand a bathroom sink with no counter top so Hope quickly reported to me the bad news followed by Landis who said the floor was wet all across the room! Of course I contacted the front desk and asked if there was another room and of course, there wasn't. I assumed the floor had just been cleaned but the clerk never offered that information. She did do some extensive checking to find us another room but unfortunately they were full. Hoping the floor would dry completely by morning, I told her that perhaps they could move us to another room with a bathtub tomorrow so that I could bathe Grace but right then we were all exhausted and needed sleep. She apologized over and over and spoke favorably of finding a different room the next day.

We had to be at the 107^th Annual Kolache (pr. Ko-lah-chee) Festival in Prague (pr. Prayg) by 9:00 a.m. on Saturday in order to get near the stage before they blocked all streets for the parade. Bobby was to sing 2 thirty minute sets at noon and 2:30. However, it rained and stormed and there was no singing except a little singing of “It's Raining, It's Pouring” in our motor home. Speaking of the motor home, how thankful we were to have our cozy, warm and dry nook to hang out in during all of this. Around 1:30, Jason Hughey, the coordinator for the gospel music stage at the festival, stepped into our humble abode and said we were going to call it a day and handed Bobby a check. I think that's probably the hardest I've ever seen Bobby work for his pay. We did get to see some of the parade in between showers but even the parade was cut short as the participants would rather run for cover than parade their wet selves down main street.

The children were bathed and fed taco soup, (of COURSE we ate soup) back at the hotel in our new room. Yes, they moved us to a room with a bathtub, a bathroom counter top and dry floors.

On Sunday morning we drove back to Prague to First Baptist Church where Jason Hughey is the Minister of Music. Bobby and I attended a fun Sunday School class and then the Lord blessed us with a service that was sweet with His presence. It was one of the largest congregations we've ministered in with about 400 people attending and then Pastor Tim Emmons assisted us in the altar call where approximately 20 to 25 of the people responded. I was a little concerned at the beginning of the service as the people were very quiet and slow to respond. As Bobby asked a few questions and waited for a response, I remembered the 2 weekends prior to this one and the learning experiences we had. I smiled, tapped my foot, raised my hand, clapped a little and nodded my head from the front row trying to encourage him. I prayed for him asking the Lord to remind him to not be concerned with the lack of response from the people, but to please God rather than men. God did minister to us as well as to the people of First Baptist Church in Prague.

After a quick afternoon of driving back to Shawnee to change and eat lunch, we came back to Prague one more time for the evening service to Calvary Way Church which was only about ½ mile from First Baptist. Once again we counted ourselves blessed and privileged to meet and get acquainted with some great saints in the body of Christ. Pastor Starland Davis and his sweet wife, Nancy, welcomed us as we walked in and after service shared of their own bittersweet experience of raising a son, Jerry, they had adopted at birth who was severely physically and somewhat mentally handicapped. Jerry passed away in 2004 at the age of 19 and seeing Grace Sunday evening made Pastor Starland very emotional. He referred to her when he stood up to receive the offering midway through the service so Bobby called me up to speak right after that instead of waiting until the end of the concert. I'm glad he was sensitive to what was happening because I wouldn't have thought of changing things up like he did and it was effective, I believe.

We all get so tired by Sunday evening after ministering and moving all weekend that sometimes we just can't quite make it to the end without a break. Grace and Hope were sitting across the aisle from Landis, Faith and I on the front row Sunday night so I didn't realize Hope had fallen asleep. Bobby introduced her, even calling her name through the microphone but she didn't move. He moved on to introduce Faith as I crossed the aisle to awaken Hope. You know when you force a child to wake up, even when it's as gentle as possible, you fear they'll be a grump? Well, when Hope sat up in a daze trying to steady herself,

Bobby asked her if she wanted to sing and she quickly nodded. She wasn't sure which direction to take for the stage but she made it without falling and then sang like she'd just had a cup of coffee. What a pro!

I drug myself to bed before 11:00 Sunday night, rising early to do laundry, tread on the treadmill, and eat a big breakfast. We were on the road by 10:00 a.m. and arrived home at 10:01 p.m.

Got just a bit of "band practice" yesterday on tape. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b-qxH-LZbc

April 26, 2009 in Owensboro and Fordsville, Kentucky

Sometime in February I looked at Bobby's schedule (our schedule) to see if there might possibly be a Saturday evening service we could eventually get to at our own church. When I excitedly announced that maybe Saturday, April 25th, we could go to Cornerstone, Bobby shot me down with, "Well, I'm trying to book that date so don't hold your breath." I understand that we need the bookings in order to make a living, of course, but at the same time, I love being able to attend our own church. It's refreshing! We WERE able to attend this past Saturday night and no one in our house was disappointed.

The following morning we rose early and headed up to Owensboro, Kentucky to Wings of Faith Church of God, pastored by Larry Bidwell. We sang here the first weekend of August last year after being home 7 weeks in a row. It felt kind of like starting over that day. Brother Bidwell replied to Bobby's email asking if we could come minister, not having any idea who he was. It used to be that when Bobby would contact a church, he wouldn't bother telling the pastor that his family traveled with him or that we took part in the service. So that morning back in August, Pastor Larry was surprised when the whole family got out of the van and walked into the church. He visited with us that morning before church but I could tell he was really checking us out. He was reserved and observant. By the end of the church service, he had totally opened up to us and we became good friends. As a matter of fact, he called Bobby the following day and invited us to come back in April of 2009. And we did.

Sister Mary Jane Bidwell is a hard worker, playing the piano and leading the singing, preparing the lunch yesterday and just tying all loose ends.

Pastor Larry had not planned to preach yesterday but he had just come back from 2 weeks of police training and it was a very dry and lonely place for him. If you know anything about going through a dry and lonely place, you know that is the place you can best hear God speak to you. Brother Larry had revival in his spirit during the 2 weeks prior to us coming and he was bubbling over with the joy of the Lord yesterday. In about 20 minutes he testified and glorified the Lord before Bobby sang. At the end of the service, he laid hands on us and the church circled around us. We'll take all of that we can get!

They gave us a wonderful lunch afterward as well as 3 boxes of clothes, a case of juice and some small boxes of snack foods. (They have a charity clothing closet as well as a food pantry.) We are so blessed to know these precious people and we hope to come back and visit them soon.

We drove on to Fordsville for the evening service. Since it wasn't but 30 minutes from Owensboro, we had a couple of hours to just sit and rest yesterday afternoon. It wasn't like there was a mall or even a Wal Mart to go and kill time, so we sat.

Sunday evening was challenging and we learned a difficult lesson. When Bobby first contacted River of Life Worship Center Church of God of Prophecy, the pastor's wife, Cathy Green, declined because she didn't want to go through the humiliation of not having very many people attend. However, Bobby assured her it didn't matter how many people were there and so they welcomed us. Well, it WAS a small crowd but that wasn't the difficult part. The difficult part was that every question Bobby asked and every statement he made, he got absolutely no response from the congregation. He couldn't get a smile, a nod, or a raised hand. As a matter of fact they looked at him like a mule looking at a new gate. After the third song he was ready to pack it up and leave but he hung on. Another problem was that a two year old was allowed to roam all over the sanctuary during the service and it was very distracting, of course. By the end of the service, Bobby, who was ready to get out of there, skipped the altar call because he figured if he got no response to any of the simple and fun questions he'd asked them earlier, he surely wouldn't get a response for an altar call.

After the service, we had a quick fellowship with food in the church basement and after everyone else had left, Pastor Neville and Cathy shared with me some interesting things that have been happening in their church. One was that the couple with the two year old that was allowed to roam during church, were recently married after receiving counseling, have been very faithful in attending church and he has been very faithfully working for Pastor Neville. The only catch is, they're not saved. The other interesting thing that happened was that a young man showed up at their Sunday morning services yesterday named Paul who said, "I don't know why I'm here." Paul wasn't saved either but he returned last night for the concert. When I told Bobby about this on the drive home he immediately felt bad about skipping the altar call and said he was going to have to ask God to forgive him. It was a wake up call once again for us that it doesn't matter whether or not we're getting feedback from the people; it doesn't matter how WE feel things are going in a given service. What matters is that we sing and speak the things God has called us to sing and speak and not rely on man's approval. I believe God is really trying to help us fully understand this because we had a similar situation last weekend in Charleston, Mississippi.

Now...how 'bout some good news? We've been given a motor home! Here's the letter I sent to Pastors Davis and Sarah last week, telling the whole story:

"At the end of February our family prayed one evening around the dinner table for that specific vehicle that God would provide for us. We prayed that even at that very moment He would be preparing that vehicle that He knew was exactly what we needed to travel as a family in ministry.

The following weekend we were at Balko Baptist Church in western Oklahoma and a gentleman there visited with us at length, telling us about his older brother, Darrell, who was severely physically injured in Vietnam. His parents cared for him for 36 years and he passed away 3 years ago from congestive heart failure. After seeing me feed Grace, a lot of memories of his parents caring so long for his older brother came back to this gentleman. I don't remember that he told us his name and we left that church with little consideration of ever seeing him again.

Two days later, while at home, Bobby received a call from the pastor of Balko Baptist Church who asked if we remembered the gentleman that visited with us after church. Dale Naylor was the man's name and he had a motor home that he didn't need and wondered if we could use it. Needless to say we were pretty excited and even more so when he told us it had a washer/dryer in it, a full-size whirlpool bathtub and a handicap lift. Mr. Naylor asked 2 things of us. One was they requested a receipt for a tax write-off which we worked out with their church since we're not a non-profit organization. The other was that he wanted me to share my testimony with his mother the next time we were in the area. Not a problem! Does God hear our prayers and answer them? I should say He does!

They sent pictures of the motor home and we offered to come get it but they insisted on driving it to us. We were in Texarkana the week before Easter, so Dale and his wife, Jackie drove the motor home to us there on Good Friday. This vehicle was customized by the manufacturer to accommodate Darrell. They had a hospital bed in the back and they bathed him every day, hence the whirlpool tub in the back across from the bed. There is a lot of work to be done as this is a 1984 model. It's almost retro! When Bobby first started looking at it after Dale left to go back to Oklahoma he was tempted to get discouraged. And, I'll admit we both felt a bit of a pride issue concerning driving around in this old motor home. But Bobby said it runs GREAT, it handles very nicely and the problems are going to be more cosmetic than mechanical. The day we drove it home, Grace and I were in our van alone all day as Bobby and the other 3 children were in the motor home. I fasted and prayed that day and right away I believed the Lord was reminding me of our family prayer for a vehicle and that if He provided that vehicle, He didn't send it to be a burden, but a blessing.

We are enjoying what God has for us to do and we know that it's only for a season. We're not trying to be stars and we don't live glamorous lives (1984 musty motor home, still changing Grace's diapers after 10 years, and homeschooling) but we're called for a purpose: to encourage and exhort the body of Christ. When we look at the President's agenda we know that our time is short and that we need to hurry about the Lord's business while we still can so we are extremely grateful for His provision in our lives to do what He's called us to do.

See? Good things CAN come out of Oklahoma!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TwIJrAAEQ0

With His sufficient grace,

The BowenArrows

Charleston, Mississippi

Once again, Pat and Mary Johnson kept our children all night while Bobby and I went out to eat Mexican food and then on to Cornerstone Church where we enjoyed watching, "The Imposter" a Christian film featuring Kevin Max and Cornerstone's very own, Jeff Deyo. The red carpet was rolled out (literally) and the aroma of popcorn filled the air as we neared the front doors of the church. Tickets were sold for $5 a person and the money was used to support the youth group's mission trips this summer, so we were glad to go and support Jeff and our youth going to minister in Jamaica. The movie lacked in several areas but I'm always happy to support those who make the efforts to contribute some godly influence in the film industry.

The following morning we picked the children up in Bellevue and headed west on I-40. Bobby has been talking every weekend about driving the scenic route and I always resist. Well, this Saturday seemed like the perfect time for this since we were only going about 55 miles south of Memphis and we weren't singing Saturday night. We drove the Natchez Trace down to Highway 64 and headed west. We continued to zigzag cross country until finally arriving in Batesville, Mississippi taking 7 hours when it could have been a 4 hour trip. As Bobby pulled into the Days Inn, I asked him if he got the "desire to drive the scenic route" out of his system. He gave a very quick, "Yep!" and was out of the van to check in. A few moments later he drove us around to the backside of the hotel to our room and as we started to unload the van to enter our room we had flashbacks to January 3 in Cleveland, Mississippi. That was the night that someone tried to enter our hotel room and scared us silly. Just as we entered the hotel room, a car approached right outside of our room with the woofers booming and Bobby said, "Let's go!" He didn't ask the front desk clerk, he told him to credit the church's credit card because we weren't staying. We drove to the Holiday Inn Express but they were booked up with guests from 2 weddings not to mention Ole MISS having their spring football game on Saturday. So we moved on to the Hampton, which is my personal favorite. Good news! There was room at the inn! I put everything in place in our room, even breaking into the coffee when the kids discovered a couple of ants on the wall near the headboard. Bobby and I knew that where there were "a couple" of ants, there were probably more. We found two trails both coming from two different spots in the ceiling where it meets the wall and both trails went toward the beds. Yes, there were actually ants on and in one of the beds. Once again we loaded up and went back to the front desk. Very patiently we told the front desk clerk that we needed a different room...an "ant-less" one. He sent us to the top floor on the opposite side of the building and called us after we had had a few minutes to get situated, checking on us. At last, we were free of booming woofers and ants and ready to get cleaned up and a good night's rest.

After a big breakfast the next morning, we drove about 40 minutes south of Batesville to the small town of Charleston to sing at the United Methodist Church. We were greeted my Mrs. Louanne Cossar, the Director of Music, and her two granddaughters. We enjoyed a good Sunday School class where the discussion was about being witnesses for Christ and the Holy Spirit empowering us to do such. Nothing was mentioned about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit so I took liberty to mention it. That's ALL I did...mention...I promise.

The congregation was much more quiet than what we're used to and it was difficult to get through the service but afterward several came to us with warm, receptive words filled with gratitude. Just like all people are individual and unique, so are congregations different from each other. Some churches are taught to shout "amen" and be audibly responsive, encouraging the preacher/singer but many churches are taught it's not polite to interrupt, or as my mother swayed me, "be careful that you don't draw attention to yourself." Either way, we're not dependent on the encouragement or responsiveness of the congregation but on what the Father tells us to sing and say. If we don't get a response from the people or a warm hug after the service, we move on and know that we're still to do what the Father has called us to do and to do it with purpose.

We're headed home as I write this. Our Sunday evening service was canceled due to some ornery sheep in the fold. The pastor called Bobby two days before and gave him the bad news. And bad it was because this was the second time this particular pastor canceled. But here's what the saint did. First he apologized and then he told Bobby that their church would still take an offering and drive it from Grenada to Charleston after the morning service. And that's exactly what they did. That was an honorable thing to do and we commend them for their integrity. Going into the weekend, Bobby had some financial concerns considering the cancellation, but God, who is ever faithful and always provides for us, blessed us over and above once again.

April 12, 2009

Resurrection Sunday in Conroe, Texas

Another home school mom shared the recipe for Resurrection Rolls. So on Good Friday we went ahead and had school but took extra time on the subject of Good Friday and Easter and what it's all about. Making the resurrection rolls was a great illustration for the kids and we even got to share one (and it's meaning) with a neighborhood boy who stopped by Papaw and Mamaw's house with his parents to purchase a lawn mower. Just as coloring eggs for Easter was a tradition in our home when I was growing up, I think making Resurrection Rolls may be the tradition for my own children.

I was so glad that time allowed us to take the children to the Easter Egg Hunt at Faith Assembly on Saturday morning which is where Bob & Tena attend. It was a much smaller crowd than what they're used to hence the competition wasn't as great. I don't suppose it was sin to watch them hiding the Easter Eggs, since Bob & Tena live behind the church, do you?

We left Texarkana right after the big “hunt” and headed toward Houston again. This time going only as far as The Woodlands to our hotel for both Saturday and Sunday nights. My cousin, Shannon, who lives in Houston, graced us with her presence Saturday evening and the kids fell in love with her. We had soup for dinner in our hotel room and a fun visit. Shannon works for a local news station in Houston as a field reporter. She's traveled all over the world and just has a fun and easy going personality. She's just plain fun to be around.

The following morning was Resurrection Sunday and we made a return visit with our friends at Whispering Pines Baptist Church in Conroe, Texas. We sang here on Labor Day Weekend in 2008 to a very small but enthusiastic crowd and they were gracious enough to invite us back. Not only was it a holiday weekend but a major hurricane was coming and people were getting out of Dodge, so to speak. Not even the pastor and his family attended that evening last year because his entire family was sick. So Felicia, the worship leader and Peggy, the church secretary, two of the few at the concert last year, delighted us when they welcomed us once again and this time for Easter Sunday services.

I enjoyed a great visit with Pastor Dewayne Wolfe's wife, Denise, who home schools her 5 children. She has worked so diligently with them that her two oldest, who are only 16 and 18 are now in college. Her 16 year old actually started last year but had to do her studies on-line because she wasn't old enough to be on campus. Now that her older children are “on their own,” and her middle child is just beginning to work independently, she can now give her youngest two the attention they need. Her youngest who is 7, is a little behind in her reading but Denise is calm and confident that as she spends more of her time with her in the next couple of years she will quickly catch up and excel in her studies.

Bobby sang for about 30 minutes and then Pastor Dewayne had a very simple and direct sermon Sunday morning laying out the plan of salvation for the non-attenders and visitors. Most of them came back that evening and we had a fun concert with refreshments following.

We drove back to Texarkana on Monday morning for reasons that I can't reveal just now. 'Tell ya later!!! We're excited about being home again by Tuesday evening and getting to go to Cornerstone Wednesday night!

April 4 & 5, 2009

Santa Fe, Houston & Port Arthur, Texas

We survived a 16-hour drive to Houston on Friday, April 3 and live today to write about it. It was 10:30 when we got to the Comfort Inn (uh-oh, a Choice Hotel!) and quickly settled in and went to sleep. After our two break-ins this year we now park the wheelchair in front of the door at night. I just hope that, if another break-in should occur, I don't forget the wheelchair is there and run into it as I'm charging toward the door.

The following morning as we finished breakfast in the lobby, Landis discovered the loop going up the stairway, riding the elevator back down and ending up in the lobby again so with permission and me watching them, he and Faith walked up the stairs together. The second floor was open to the lobby below and I could see them the entire time until the elevator doors closed. Safe enough, right? Both children got on the elevator and descended to the lobby. But it couldn't be that easy, could it? As I waited for them at the elevator doors, I realized the doors should have opened much sooner. I could hear their voices inside the elevator and then I heard Landis say, "Mom, the door won't open." So we got the attention of the hotel staff, who spoke very poor English, and I remained at the door of the elevator speaking calmly, even laughing, to keep Landis at ease. A couple of times he asked me, "What happens if we can't get out?" I assured him over and over that he'd be out of there soon. Finally, Bobby came looking for us and walked upstairs to push the buttons at the second level. This caused the elevator to descend the last 3 inches and open it's doors, releasing our imprisoned children. When Bobby walked back downstairs I told him that the young man from the front desk had done the same thing and it didn't work. Of course Bobby's answer was that he had the magic touch but I think the truth is, if it had been the young man's own children, he probably would have succeeded in getting those kids out of there. The next time we walked through the lobby I asked Landis if he wanted to get on the elevator. He looked at me for a second and said, "No!"

We received good news from Pastor Del Toler, of Calvary Crossroad Church in Santa Fe, Texas. As Bobby was setting up his equipment, Pastor Del told him that over 300 people had come through the doors of their church in the last year because they really reached out to the community in 2008. Some stayed, some didn't, but we were encouraged to hear of a pastor and church making an effort to actually reach people. Pastor Del has a long history in Gospel music and at age 59, he's writing more songs than ever. He shared some of his music with us as he served as the "opening act" Saturday evening. I especially liked his song, "1969" which said, "No longer a boy, yet still not quite a man, some went off to college and some to Vietnam..." With it's chord progressions and an occasional minor thrown in, combined with those familiar words, it really took me back. Alright, I was only a year old in 1969 but I'm familiar enough with that era that it stirred some emotions in me.

Our services usually end with Bobby and I singing, "Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus" and trusting in Him is mentioned. Praise God that one woman came forward Saturday night shaking and weeping in repentance that she had failed to trust God in the past but desired to fully trust Him with her future. Another young woman came to me after the service and told me that her two-year-old neice, Zoe, was born with a hole in the back of her head and how her sister, Zoe's mother, questioned whether or not she could have faith enough to stand on the Word if Zoe's healing didn't manifest soon. This young woman was encouraged and couldn't wait to speak with her sister to tell her about another mom that has been standing on the Word for 10 years. To be honest (you're supposed to blog honestly, right) I've wondered about my faith lately. I told my sister today that I've said things recently that make me realize I need to do some soul searching and re-encourage myself in the Word again.

On Sunday morning we were privileged to join our friends, Pastor Larry and Robin Sopchak at The Anchor Fellowship in Houston again. We were there the first time on Labor Day Weekend last year just before Hurricane Ike came through. Thankfully, they only lost a pavilion and not their building. Bobby, the kids and I had about 30 minutes and then Pastor Larry preached a power-packed sermon and Robin complimented him so well at the altar call with her piano playing. Hmm. Sounds familiar. I was so tickled to see the LifeSaver Man, Mr. J.C. Johnson and his precious wife, Nelda, a.k.a., "Nana," come through the doors to see us Sunday morning. Mr. J.C. is known as the LifeSaver Man because he carries a leather case on his shoulder

filled with Lifesavers and he literally passes out Lifesavers by the package. Obviously, my children love him too.

After a big Chinese lunch after the Sunday morning service, we headed east to Port Arthur. We found our hotel first, the Park Central Holiday Inn on Jimmie Johnson Boulevard. My! When we find a hotel with furniture as nice as this one, we'd rather stay than go home. This hotel is updating and they're doing it right. We had about 30 minutes there...that's just enough time to wash faces and change clothes...and then got back in the van for just a couple of miles to find Grace Church of the Nazarene. The pastor, Mark Snodgrass was a very young man, probably in his 20's. I know what you're thinking. They will all look younger and younger to me as the years go by. This is true.

This was the first service in the 15 months we've been traveling that I took Landis, Hope and Faith out of the sanctuary at altar call time with the intentions of spanking each of them. I walked down a long hallway thinking that I possibly found a room far enough away from the sanctuary but then remembered the sanctuary was round and I had just wrapped myself around the backside of the stage and was just as close to the sanctuary as when I started, just on the opposite side. I considered taking them outside but we were in a very residential area and there were many backyards backed up to the church with no privacy. When I turned around and

looked back down the hall I had just walked, there were 3 ladies from the church all peeking with curiosity at us from the opposite end. They had been in the kitchen preparing for a baby shower right after the service. We found a classroom with pews and I demanded they sit in the front row while I paced and preached. I explained to them why our church, Cornerstone, doesn't allow children 2 years and younger in the sanctuary. I explained to them that during the altar time it is of utmost importance to be still because God might have something to say to someone in the room. And I explained to them that if they chose to disobey and not be still during altar time that they were actually allowing the devil to use them to distract people from God's voice. I assured them they didn't want to keep people from hearing God's voice. Landis was crying (I think because he thought he was going to be spanked), Hope was trying to act like an angel (she's prone to performance-based acceptance) and Faith was just trying to be still and not get in more trouble. I finished my preaching and released them but Landis wanted to stay in the room and contemplate. Well, actually I think he was sulking. But that's ok. I allowed him to stay there alone and kissed him goodbye. I was always amazed at how my mother could discipline us or yell at us in her frustration with us as kids, but as soon as the disciplining was over she was just as cheerful and sweet to us as if it had never happened. I knew she wasn't mad at us and I knew she loved us, but she had succeeded in getting her point across. Now I'm the same way with my kids and I know it's not difficult at all to be sweet to them when the disciplining is over.

We're in Texarkana this week at Elizabeth's house, our home-away-from-home. Elizabeth is working in Dallas and thankfully, she allows us to stay here when we're in town. We'll have lunch with Bobby's parents tomorrow and we're going to enjoy some very nice weather here this week...sunshine and 70's.

March 27-29, 2009

Scott City, Cape Girardeau, Jerome and Marble Hill, Missouri

We enjoyed one last early Friday morning corporate prayer meeting at Cornerstone until the fall and started out for Missouri before noon. We sang that evening at Father's Arms Fellowship in Scott City and I can't express just how amazed I am at the sweet people we meet everywhere we go. Pastor Ken Strong and his wife both had the sweetest spirit about them and I, especially, enjoyed visiting with her at the end of the evening. Turns out they pastored a Mennonite church in Hesston, Kansas in the 1990's. Two other pastors attended the concert Friday night and one of them, in particular, Brother Jack Owens, was a blessing to our family. We see pastors every where around this country competing with each other instead of working together to accomplish something great for the Kingdom. We learned Brother Jack called Brother Ken when he was brand new in town and extended the right hand of fellowship and suggested they work together to reach the lost. He left after the service and returned with new testaments and candy for our children.

The children completed their schooling Friday afternoon in the hotel room and I asked them if they wanted to do their schooling on Saturday, since we had time to kill and then skip school on Monday. They did and I complimented them on a wise decision. We were allowed a late check out on Saturday afternoon and then met our friends, Wayne and Glenda Mayberry for dinner. After dinner Wayne and Glenda led us back to Cornerstone Assembly of God where we sang 11 months earlier. When we arrived at the church the weather was cool but comfortable, but when we left the church it felt like it dropped about 20 degrees and the wind really picked up. We knew there was a winter storm moving just north of us and we hoped we wouldn't be affected by it. After the service at Cornerstone, we drove northward and about halfway between Cape Girardeau and St. Louis, I went to sleep. But 30 minutes west of St. Louis on I-44 West, I was awakened by Bobby saying, “I can't SEE!” I don't remember him saying that but when I bolted upright, I saw the largest snowflakes I'd ever seen in my life blowing toward us. We were in that blinding snow that can make your eyes cross. We drove about 30 miles per hour down the Interstate and then slowed to 15 because the road was covered with snow and we could go no further. We pulled off at a truck stop trying to decide if we should just sleep in the van and drive the remaining 40 miles to our hotel in the morning and shower or try to keep going. Finally Bobby suggested that we just get a room where we were and pay for it and drive the remaining 50 miles to the church in the morning. That was the best decision. The infamous, Econohell....I mean... Econolodge came to the rescue as that was just down the street from where we were sitting. We carried each child in from the van plus our luggage through that wet, slushy snow and shivered our way to bed, getting to sleep by 2:00. And no. No one tried to open our door.

We meet the nicest people at our hotel breakfasts and often have something in common. For instance one morning we met a couple from Texarkana. Last weekend in Illinois we met a family with 8 children, although they only showed up to breakfast with 2 little boys and the baby she will be delivering in May. We saw their 15-passenger van the evening before and one of their teenagers. He is a pastor but they were ministering in his brother's church that particular weekend. They home school and they used to live in Tennessee but currently in Kansas. Yesterday morning we met Jim Chilton from Fairbanks, Alaska. Bobby always feeds Grace breakfast when we're on the road and I get the other children what they need before I eat. Mr. Jim decided he would appoint himself the waffle maker yesterday morning. We invited him to sit with us and we visited. He flew down to Sullivan, Missouri (where we were) to attend his daughter's wedding next weekend. He said, “She sleeps in on Sundays so I'm just waiting until she gets up and then I'll go hang out with her today.” Jim's wife, Amy is a Christian singer/songwriter so we exchanged CDs, thanked him for his help with breakfast and wished him well. What did we have in common? We both love Sarah Palin!

Apostolic Faith Church in Jerome, Missouri believes in reaching the children. God opened the door for Pastor Don Arthur to have a bus route in Rolla, the closest big town to Jerome, and it led to busing in children for Sunday services. At least 15 children stood at the front of the sanctuary yesterday morning in this small congregation of about 50 people. Pastor Donnie handed out awards for perfect attendance to three children, and certificates of baptism to two! I was impressed with their reaching and preaching to the kids and the perfect attendance in the middle of flu season. Go Church! So many small churches we minister in the congregates are aging and the next generation is missing.

It was a scenic drive back east through the Mark Twain National Forest to Marble Hill, Missouri to see our friends, Dan and Carmen Montgomery and their daughters Elizabeth and Essie Grace at Marble Hill Assembly of God. Once again the discussion before and after church was about the lack of enthusiasm in the church. One older sister said she was burdened to pray on Saturday night at bedtime and ended up praying all night long. She never slept a wink but felt fine the next morning. The Holy Spirit has been urging me to be a woman of prayer for the past ten years and although I'm a better pray-er than I was 10 years ago, I'm still not even close to what I ought to be. You'd think I'd discipline myself to have a greater prayer life because I really believe that's the way we'll see the manifestation of Grace's healing, specifically praying in the Spirit. I heard someone say recently that you should tell others what your goals are so that you're more likely to achieve them. How 'bout broadcasting your goals and deepest desires on the World Wide Web? Feel free to comment and ask me how my prayer life is. Hold me accountable.

Anyway, Pastor Dan and Carmen had pizza for just our two families down in the basement of the church and we had a fun visit talking about ministry, vacations, kids and home school.

After singing Friday night, Saturday night, driving four hours late Saturday night, rising early to sing Sunday morning, driving another four hours Sunday afternoon, and singing Sunday night, makes us very tired so our habit has been lately to sleep in on Monday morning. This morning was no exception and we didn't start out on the road until after noon. It's a beautiful day to travel and we're thankful that we can get home in time to have some daylight left for the kids to enjoy outside. I'm just glad that we did today's schoolwork on Saturday! :)

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.