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June 30-July 2, 2009

Tuesday morning, June 30^th, we set out for a new province. There are no interstate highways in Canada but the main 4-lane highway going across the middle of the country is Highway 1 which doesn't always bypass the city your driving through. We left Portage la Prairie and drove back to Brandon and beyond on Highway 1 but then it was 2-lane highways the remainder of the day. All day we saw nothing but rolling fields and an occasional small 1-horse town. We stopped in one of those towns to buy a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter and a quart of milk. With a plastic spoon I spread peanut butter on bread on my makeshift lap table, wrapped sandwiches into paper towels and handed them back to the kids. A cup of milk in a paper coffee cup complete with protective lid followed that.

We arrived in Estevan, Saskatchewan late in the afternoon. Wayne and Cathy Daae (pr. Doe) hosted us via the Perfect Inn in Estevan and lavished us with a suite that contained a queen and pull-out couch in the main room with a king-sized bed in an adjacent bedroom. It's always nice when no one has to sleep on the floor. I set into the laundry upon arrival and finished up just before leaving to go eat. We found an A&W and experienced Canada's extra sweet ketchup and slightly sweet brown gravy with french fries. Very rich food. I'm surprised. I thought Americans ate the richest, highest glycemic index foods.

July 1^st is Canada Day and it gives people reason to take a day off from work and have parades. It is very similar to our Independence Day celebration. However, I didn't see the passion in Canadians for Canada Day that I see in Americans for the 4^th of July. Maybe it's because I'm not Canadian. Or maybe it's because we remember the hundreds of thousands of men who gave their lives to fight for our freedom to become an independent nation. Declaring ourselves free from a king and his tyrannical leading. Unfortunately, there are many Americans who are not passionate enough about our Independence Day, what it's about and why we celebrate it. Those who are passionate about it, are so because they understand that freedom is never free and someone before them paid a very great price.

The Daae's have organized and hosted the Gospel Music Jamboree at Oungre (pr. Unger) Regional Memorial Park since 1993 and it has grown a little every year. However, after listening to several talk about it, it sounds like 2009's jamboree was nearly twice as big as the previous year. It was a bit humorous to me to drive mile after mile and see nothing but fields and farmland, turn off the main road and there see a park complete with campground, hockey rink, cafe, ball diamonds, fishing, indoor pool, billiards, miniature golf and playground. This park is the hub of Oungre's activities and social events all the year long, and understandably so...there's no where else to go.

We arrived around 10:30 for a soundcheck and the concert began at 1:00 p.m. It was rather comforting to see Aaron Wilburn, a fellow Cornerstonian and Nashvillian, and Bobby had waited a long time to introduce the Hunter Family to me. A few years back while on a Canada tour with Heritage Road, he called and told me about the Hunter Family and how unique and interesting they were. I first met J.J., the oldest of the five boys, then Dusty and his wife Suzanne, and parents, Lorne and Norma. There are 3 more boys, Luke, Brock, and Tye and the seven of them sing and “move” on stage performing and ministering through Southern Gospel Music. They, like most Canadians in the area, are mega farmers from Shaunavan, Saskatchewan. This is how they make their living but how they have their fun and where they believe God has called them as a family unit is in music. J.J. was recently called by the NHL to train but believes his purpose in life is to minister through song with his brothers and not to play professional hockey.

In visiting with Norma I learned that her oldest son was twenty-eight and each son after was two years younger than his older brother. That was the pattern for the first four sons anyway. Six years after Brock, the fourth son, Tye came along who enjoys referring to himself as “The Tye-breaker,” taking the number of family members from six to seven. All the boys assist their dad with the farming throughout the week and on the weekend their dad (and mom) assists them with singing Gospel music.

The Hunter Family has an unusual way of including choreography into their songs which is entertaining and refreshing. They've grown up doing this and after I asked how this came about I was told that they, like many people felt a little awkward just standing there when the tracks they sang to, played in between the chorus and second verse. Somebody started moving and it just evolved very quickly and naturally. In recent years we've seen groups like Signature Sound go with this choreography trend but this is something the Hunters have been doing for at least a decade. A perfect example of “being all things to all men that some might be saved.” (1 Cor. 9:22) What was so funny to me is the realization that the churches they sing in welcome this – even the Mennonite churches. I've never been a dancer myself but I thoroughly enjoyed listening to and watching the Hunter Family.

Bobby sang at 2:15 and 6:55...yes, a very long concert, indeed. He had the children come up on stage for both sets so 30 minutes before it was time for him to sing, I was gathering them in from their playing, dusting off their feet, combing their hair, washing their faces and struggling to get clothes changed in a hot van. Before the second set, I took Hope and Faith into the shower room adjacent to the pool so we had running water and more room than in the van. Norma offered their bus but with 2 large families, I felt like an intruder. We did just fine, except for the fact that I forgot to bring socks for Hope to wear under her pink and white cowgirl boots. We powdered her feet down real good and then pushed and pulled and cried and tugged and yanked and shoved and took breaks, panting until we finally got those boots on and then off again...and we had to go through that twice for the two singing sets.

I watched Landis as he giggled listening to Aaron Wilburn and then I smiled when I saw how the kids were all impressed with the Hunter boys. Landis, Hope and Faith really enjoyed the whole day, from playing hours of miniature golf to riding their bikes and trikes to singing on stage. Grace had a great day too. She sat listening from 10:30 until about 3:00 when I finally got her to the van to lay her down where she could change positions and get a necessary change. She had eaten half of her lunch but she was not happy about breaking from the concert. She made it clear that she wanted business taken care of quickly and wanted to get back in to hear some more music. I gave her another break at 7:00 and finally after the finale at 9:00 and some packing up, we were rolling out of there by 10:00. What a long day!

Estevan is only 10 miles from the U.S. Border so after sleeping in on Thursday, eating our usual big breakfast and packing up, we approached the border patrol around noon. The officer was very nice but very thorough. He opened every door and looked in every corner of the van and trailer. When he first approached the passenger side of the van, I rolled my window down and we greeted each other. He was looking down at our passports and birth certificates when he heard Grace give one of her happy screams. He slowly looked up at Bobby with a suspicious look on his face as if he suspected we were carrying an exotic animal, which was the last question he'd just asked us to which our reply was, of course, no. When he gave us the funny look, we just smiled at him and told him that was called “a happy scream from Grace.”

When he finally finished searching us we told him he had really been a pain in our butts but we were very glad of it. We told him that we felt a little better about our national security knowing that people like him were doing such a good job at our borders. “Just doing my job,” he said.

Bobby said it and I had been feeling it. In spite of the fact that we had a great time over the past week in Canada, making new friends and reuniting with old ones, there's just something about coming back into the United States that sends a feeling of relief over you. I don't think I felt safer when I came back onto U.S. Soil, but just a sense of feeling like, “Whew! I made it!” Silly, I know. The only other time I left the country for an extended period of time was in 1993 when I went to Australia for three weeks for ministry. But that was totally different because I was engaged to Bobby and was lovesick, so that messed with me anyway.

We sang Thursday night in Minot, North Dakota at Minot Baptist Church. Pastor David Miller and his very sweet wife were very kind to have us come even though they knew nothing about us. We ministered to a smaller crowd but we did minister in Jesus' Name. Pastor David's wife was of particular interest to me and I sensed in her a woman who has a sincere and yearning heart for more of God.

It was our assumption that as soon as we crossed the border on Thursday that we'd pick up our voice mail messages, return phone calls and send greetings to family and friends. We were disappointed, however, when we realized that trying to get an AT&T signal in sparsely populated North Dakota is like trying to pick up a grape with a tooth pick on a paper plate. I've learned to just make phone calls and send emails when I get an opportunity. Opportunities are not plentiful but I appreciate them when I get them. Thank goodness for Skype!

June 25-29, 2009

We decided to get a good night's rest Wednesday night, the 24th after church and finish our packing in the morning instead of trying to pack into the wee hours of the morning and start out a long drive in exhaustion. Which meant we didn't leave for the country's northern border until noon on Thursday. I tried to prepare the children by telling them we'd drive all day and not get there and that there would be 2 more days just like it. However, it didn't take that long and it was a fairly easy drive. Perhaps in my efforts to mentally prepare the children, I actually psyched myself.

Bobby drove from our driveway to just north of Kansas City on Interstate 29 and joined the rest of us who were already sleeping in the van. (Going through Chicago is a more direct route, however, the tolls are bothersome and time consuming and Bobby opted to bypass Chicago altogether.) We purchased a 5x8 enclosed trailer which gave us more space in the van and we were able to lay the back seat down into a bed. We pulled into a rest area between 1:00 and 1:30 in between trucks, covered all of the front windows and attempted to sleep. Landis was sleeping in the reclined front passenger seat, Hope, Faith and I were sleeping on the bed and Grace had a foam pad and comforter on the floor. When Bobby and I opened and closed doors a couple of times in order to pinch towels into the front windows, Grace's eyes popped open and she decided she'd had enough sleep. I had placed Faith on the floor with Grace and Bobby laid down between Hope and I. I laid on the edge of the bed nearest Grace and because she started to get very vocal, I proceeded to rub her feet, legs, and arms in order to soothe her and keep her quiet. She came close to going back to sleep after over an hour of massage but fought the sleep and after 2 hours of struggling with her, I gave up. At that point I wasn't sure if I was a heroin for sacrificing my sleep and taking Grace's kicks and scratches or if I was a failure for not seeing to it that Bobby was able to sleep until daylight. But when Grace started losing patience with me at 3:30 and I gave up and allowed her to scream out again, Bobby decided it would be better to make progress moving down the road than to lay there and only TRY to sleep. He did feel better after having his 2 hour nap in the middle of the night.

Onward to just south of Sioux Falls, Iowa where Bobby handed the reigns over to me. He pulled into a McDonald's where we enjoyed an absolutely beautiful sunrise and I got some coffee and a small breakfast. I put Landis in the bed with Hope and Bobby, and I got behind the wheel. Grace stirred again when we stopped but was lulled back to sleep again with the moving of the van. I took this picture while driving 73 miles per hour using my rear view mirror...carefully.

We received text messages on our phones on Thursday afternoon, late, from Pat Johnson who said that his daddy, who has been ill for a year, was very close to going home to be with Jesus. He asked us to please keep the prayers coming. And on Friday morning around 8:30, our friend, Mr. Pat called again to give us the word that his daddy, Mr. Forest Johnson, did indeed leave this world at approximately 3:00 a.m. Friday and entered eternity to meet His creator face to face.

The kids woke up one by one and I pulled into another Mickie D's for a second breakfast at 9:30 at Watertown, South Dakota. We took our time with breakfast, washing faces, putting bedding away reorganizing luggage and then onward to Grand Forks, North Dakota where we spent the rest of the second day and night.

Some major storms moved into the area and when the fire whistle blew, the girls and I ended up sitting in the corridor with pillows in hand, (I laid Grace on our foam pad and was ready to roll her up in it like a hotdog.) while Bobby and Landis stayed in the lobby and even stood (tried standing) outside in the parking lot trying to get footage of funnel clouds. The radar on the TV showed that tornadic (I like that word) activity was moving directly over US 2, the street we were on. We made it through the experience without any touchdowns and listened to the rain beat our window the rest of the evening.

The storms cooled everything off considerably and the following morning when we hit the road and headed north, our jackets were needed. Grand Forks is only about an hour from the Canadian line and when we rolled into the border patrol, Bobby told us to just act natural as he chewed his nails. It wasn't the smoothest crossing he's ever experienced but they didn't keep any of our children and we were able to move on fairly quickly. (I'm just kidding about keeping the kids.)

We arrived at the Super 8 in Brandon, Manitoba, where the church had a suite reserved for us. This Super 8 was nothing like the Super 8's we've seen in the States. The following morning I took advantage of the fitness room and we ate breakfast in a very large dining room.

We had a good church service at Calvary Temple in Brandon but it was immediately after the service that I received the biggest blessing. I thought it was interesting that when Pastor Gary Jennings prayed that morning, he asked God to give us back more than we gave that morning. After the service, several people came to greet us but there was one couple that sat with me at length and was such an encouragement to me as they were students of the Word, believing in it and practicing it. Terry challenged me in my journey with Grace and the scripture she referred me to was Matthew 11:12. "...the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force." If she had not gotten violent with the forces of evil and took her place as one with the authority of a blood-bought child of God, she would have lost 2 of her 5 children to death through sickness and catastrophe. Actually, her daughter did die but came back to life because of Terry's effective fervent and righteous praying. Terry and Emile Houd reminded me that it's when we get aggressive with sickness and sin that we see our circumstances changed.

After church we enjoyed a delicious BBQ lunch behind the building. The weather was, and still is, absolutely gorgeous, and aside from nearly blowing everything away Sunday, was a beautiful day for a picnic. A special thank you goes out to Associate Pastor, Vern Kratz for scheduling us to come and for helping me with getting Grace downstairs and back up again.

We drove back toward Winnipeg Sunday afternoon but only as far as Portage la Prairie. Actually, that's where we stayed ...at another Super 8...but this one had a waterslide! Of course we had a lot of fun on that on Monday but first back to Sunday evening. We sang at Community Bible Church which is a member of the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches and is pastored by Ramsy Unruh. His wife, Shannon and I had a good time visiting over dinner. About four of the ladies from the church made us homemade pizza, tossed salad, a veggie tray all followed by ice cream and homemade cookies. Wow.

Again, I met someone that encouraged, challenged and impressed me with her experience, wisdom and her very sweet spirit. Mrs. Cathy Allard introduced herself just before the service started and then we spoke a while after church. I learned she has homeschooled all of her seven children, the oldest being twenty-two years old and out of the house on his own now, and the youngest being five, a cute little blonde. It was her sincere desire to motivate me to persist, grow in, and enjoy my homeschooling experience and it wasn't until just before she walked away that she only mentioned that her husband passed away four years prior from a massive heart attack.

Bobby received some creative offertory gifts at Community Bible Church. Someone gave him a fifty dollar gas card and Ms. Heather Plett gave him a card which allowed him to come into the Little Caeser's in Portage la Prairie and have a free meal. She could do that because she owned the store. So on Monday after a big breakfast, Bible reading, a run to Wally World, and a couple of hours in the pool, we set out to find the Little Caeser's where we loaded up for dinner. What a thoughtful and generous thing for her to do.

My blogging is a little behind because of constantly moving. My normal time to write about the weekend is on Monday either on the way home or after we've arrived home. But home is still very far away and I've not had good opportunities to document our travels. I'll try to just keep writing as most days hold adventures worthy of recording.

I'm thankful for the precious people God arranges to cross paths with us and as much as they encourage me, I hope that I can do the same for them. I'm also thankful for the Internet, social networks, telephones and other ways to keep up with our loved ones and finally, I'm thankful for home. I pray for God's richest blessings to be upon you, the reader.

June 25, 2009

No bookings for Father's Day weekend. Not necessarily good for the bank account but good for our souls as we got to go to Cornerstone again. This was the fourth weekend to attend our own church this year. The children woke their daddy up with pictures, books, and notes they had created and a dog food bowl filled with Puppy Chow. That was an idea I got from another home school mom. Make the delicious snack of chocolate and peanut butter-covered Rice Chex and peanuts and throw some powdered sugar on it. If you put it in a dog dish it really does look a lot like dog food. We enjoyed a day like we used to have where after church and lunch, "quiet time" began. Quiet time is from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. and the children know it's OK to be seen but not OK to be heard. They know they can read a book, watch a movie, play a game on the computer, anything but make noise. That way Mom and Dad can take naps if we want to. I've been wanting to get a little sun and decided that Sunday afternoon might be a good time to do so if I could be sneaky about it. If the kids knew I was out in the pool, they'd surely want to come out there too. If the 3 younger were allowed to get in the pool, how could we tell Grace she couldn't? Of course the only reason she couldn't would be because I wouldn't want to do the work of changing her clothes, getting her swimming gear on and carrying her to the pool. And then the hard part is actually getting her out of the pool. No, I did all that 3 or 4 times the week prior, and in order to get a day of rest I decided to keep my solo swim a secret.

We left the motor home in Spartanburg, South Carolina on May 14 and on Monday, June 22, we were finally going back to get it. We didn't want to take the time to get it but there were so many of our belongings still on the motor home that we needed to get back. I was hoping it would work for our friend, Derick to go with Bobby. He actually offered to do so but since then has received some big remodeling jobs that are keeping him busy. Bobby suggested I just go with him but I tried to think of some other options first, not because I didn't want to go with him but because there was plenty for me to do at home. But he insisted and so I put some feelers out there for babysitters. Of course we could have taken the children with us but we thought it would be nice to take a little time alone. You'd think that since Bobby is home every day and doesn't go off to a job somewhere and because we travel together in ministry that we get plenty of quality time together as a couple. Not so. Bobby goes to work every day in his office and stays there until late at night many times. He recently finished his CD project which kept him in the studio every day and many evenings. And the "traveling together in ministry" part? Well, when you have 4 children there's a whole lot of focus on them rather than on each other, especially during the school year as their studies often took me to the back of the van. So Hope and Faith went to Portland to play with Mali and Nikolas Sterban, respectively. Landis stayed with his cousins Owen, Ivan and Aron Kelso in Mt. Juliet. And finally, Grace went to Bellevue to spend precious time with her best friends, Pat & Mary Johnson.

On the drive to South Carolina, Bobby mentioned again that he really dreaded driving that motor home back to Tennessee. Although the major engine work that had been done on it had it running much better, it still had a gas leak in the main tank, which this mechanic was not equipped to fix, and which meant that not only was there a hefty repair expense already, there was a need to spend much more on the vehicle before it was ready for travel. Then there was the expense of changing some things on the interior like replacing the washer and dryer with a booth, getting rid of the jet tub and getting 3 mattresses for the back room. The cost for this was going to be minimal as I have a cousin that works in the RV business and could get us some items at cost. There were several other things we talked about changing, like carpet and chairs, but the booth and mattresses were of utmost importance for our needs. The fact that it had a gasoline engine was a concern as well. With the amount of miles we travel every weekend, the motor home just wouldn't last that long and, as Bobby said, "as old as it is would nickel and dime" us the whole time. If it had a diesel engine, it could run indefinitely. Throw on top of all of this the cost to fill the gas tank would be significantly more than the cost to fill the van. So when Bobby expressed his concerns and his dreads, and that he considered offering it to the mechanic if he'd keep the bill, I quickly agreed. I questioned myself rather than him that I would so readily agree after believing that God gave us the motor home and that it was an answer to prayer. I have no explanation for my change of heart and for our decision to give away what was given to us except that sometimes God gives us what we ask for even when we don't really need it. Through this experience we saw that a van and trailer is really all we need for now. Maybe some day we'll be ready for a motor home ...with a diesel engine.

That evening Bobby posted on the various social networks that we had a motor home available for the cost of the repairs and got one nibble but no takers with such short notice. But the next morning the mechanic was wiling to keep his bill and the motor home and Bobby handed him the title. If there had been one more pillow or one more bowl, it wouldn't have fit into our little car. We loaded her up and drove back home without the Caterpillar. When we arrived at my sister's house in Mt. Juliet to pick up Landis, we dug a place out of the back seat for him and put the TV on the front floor board. I could put one leg on the floor but my other leg had to be removed and tied down to the top of the car. OK, not really. I switched back and forth between folding it and putting it up on the dash. From there we went to Bellevue where Grace and our van was waiting for us.

I write this blog on Thursday afternoon after leaving our home for about 40 days to tour in Canada, North and South Dakota and Montana. We'll spend the last week in Michigan and Indiana before coming home on the 3rd of August. Of course we have caring, watchful neighbors who are good about keeping an eye on things for us. Also, our friend, Pat Johnson will be looking after things while we're gone like cutting the grass and maintaining the pool and Derick Luthe will be pouring concrete in our driveway. We will miss attending Cornerstone on Wednesday nights for the next several weeks but we'll be watching and listening on the Internet as well as praying for the success of our church family, that we as well as them will see a harvest of souls in the coming days.

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June 12-14, 2009

"Back to Mayberry"

I read a 17-chapter book, “Ten P's in a Pod” by Arnold Pent, III from cover to cover, out loud on Thursdays' 8 hour trip to Michigan. My throat was sore at the end of the day but what a great read! My cousin, RoxAnne loaned me the book in March and I decided I ought to get it back to her on this trip but get it read first. Although she hadn't read the book herself yet, she loaned it to me knowing the story was about an unusual, large family of 10, who traveled together in ministry. But that wasn't the unusual part. This family's main focus was Bible reading. Starting at birth, Arnold Pent, II taught his children to listen to and then read the Word of God. As soon as they were able to read, the little ones were required to get alone and read for 15 minutes at 6:00 every morning, whether they'd had enough sleep the night before, or not. At age 9, the reading time was increased to 30 minutes and finally from age 13 to adulthood, they were required to spend 1 hour alone reading the Word. That was followed by family breakfast, followed by a 30-minute family devotion. Not to mention the 30-minute devotions after lunch and dinner as well. Father Pent believed that we should feed our spiritual man just as much and more as our physical man. And family devotion didn't mean a book of commentary or nice stories. It meant more Bible reading. And dare the one who thought they could do two things at once like wash the breakfast dishes while they listened to the Bible reading. No. Daddy Pent wanted everyone's rapt attention and perfect stillness. Because of this constant push to stay in the Word of God, the children memorized chapters upon chapters and even books of the bible. The oldest child, David, memorized the entire New Testament and parts of the Old, with no time spent on memorizing, but simply reading the Bible over and over. And because this family spent so much time abiding in Him through the reading of the Word, the Lord gave them a great harvest of souls every where they went. What a wonder. I definitely recommend reading this book.

We've been traveling as a family in ministry for a year and a half so we're starting to make return visits to some of the churches we met last year. We were scheduled to sing at Prairieville Bible Church in Delton, Michigan again so on Thursday we drove to my Dad's house in Burr Oak and spent the night. It used to be that Mom would always have something waiting for us to eat when we arrived at their house and I made a teasing comment to Dad about that once since Moms' departure to heaven in 2001. I got a phone call from Dad on Wednesday morning asking me how to prepare pinto beans to eat with cornbread. And on Thursday evening upon arriving, Dad had some delicious beans and cornbread waiting for us! For someone who never stepped foot in the kitchen except for eating what had been prepared him, he has done well in developing his culinary skills.

Becky Irving was our contact for the church in Delton last year and just like last year, she invited us to her home before the concert where she prepared a crazy delicious meal before the concert and had another meal AFTER the concert. Bobby introduced a few songs from his just-released CD, “Tracks Left Behind” and we had a great time of fellowship before, during and after the concert Friday night. I have to say the best part of the evening for Bobby and I was the fact that Bobby messed up some words in a song he's been singing often the past year. “What's so special about that?” you might ask. You see Bobby messed up the words but it was ever so subtle. I remember thinking, “did he just mix up some words?” Something didn't sound quite right but it was subtle enough that I wasn't sure. After the service Bobby asked me if I had noticed and when I told him I wasn't sure I had, he informed me that Grace caught his mistake. She sat directly in front of Bobby, and upon hearing his goof, flinched and then grinned when she realized Daddy messed up. (The flinching is a sign that she was surprised and caught unaware.) The other children never noticed, but Grace did.

Laverne, our GPS, was on strike this weekend and refused to give us any of the information we asked for. She even tried to trick us and give us false information. Fortunately, the co-pilot (yours truly) was a native of Michigan and was familiar enough with the surroundings that she wasn't deceived by Laverne's lies.

Landis loves to fish so much that we had arranged with my cousin's husband to take Landis and their son, Andrew, fishing on Saturday. Andrew and Landis have been writing letters (nearly 1 a week) to each other since we stayed with them in March. It became part of their schooling and we're trying to keep it up throughout the summer. Landis caught several smaller fish and 2 larger. We thanked Mr. Jeff for taking the boys, scooped Landis up out of the yard and headed to Owosso to sing. But not before we took 15 minutes to sit down in Dad's living room with the children and read the Bible. Maybe we're wimps but we figured we might ought to break them (and us) in easily and just ask them for total stillness and attention for 15 minutes to start out with and work our way up. Remember, it's not a children's story book we're reading, but, like the Pent Family, simply the Word. We're committed and believe that as the habit develops, the interest will grow and we'll reap far more than we could imagine.

In 2003, we got some new neighbors and after Bobby threatened to shoot their dog if it ever came in our yard again, we invited them to Cornerstone Church. Andy and Pam Mishler joined our Sunday School class and their 3 boys, Cameron, Drew and Dustin got involved in the youth ministry. We had a good few years together as neighbors and Andy and Bobby even worked together for Three Rivers Contracting, owned by Kerry Hodges. The Mishlers moved back to Owosso in 2005 and when they learned we were going to be in the area, they immediately made plans with their church to have us there.

We missed seeing elder son, Cameron, as he was working, but it was great seeing everyone else again. After grilling hamburgers at their home and reminiscing about the good old days, Andy led us to the church and we enjoyed a good evening of God's blessings at the Church of Christ in Owosso.

The night was spent at the Comstock Inn in Owosso and I have never had such a difficult time getting a bottle of water. When I checked the vending machine on my floor, the second, I discovered it did not have water in it. So I went to the third floor where Dasani was offered. I put my dollar in and pushed the button but nothing happened. I pushed the coin return button and then noticed that they wanted $1.25 for their water. So I tried inserting another dollar but the machine wouldn't receive another dollar. I tried a different dollar and I tried turning the dollar several different ways but nothing worked. I walked to the bar on the first floor just as the bar tender was closing the door for last call. I told her all I needed were a couple of bottled waters but wouldn't you know, they didn't have bottled water! I went to the front desk to ask for change but wouldn't you know they only had 1 quarter in their till? The clerk offered to check her own purse and came up with 4 quarters. After scrounging in a couple of other places I finally came up with enough quarters to get my 2 bottles of water. One for night and one for morning. That's what I like and I wasn't going to settle for anything less. Especially when it was something so obtainable like water.

The following morning we didn't have far to go as we drove the 4 blocks to First Baptist Church of Owosso. And yes, we had family Bible reading for 15 minutes before church. Again, the service was a little more liturgical, yet informal. I think that's because we were in the North and I purposely found some time alone to pray in the Spirit before the service. I don't consider myself a sensitive and discerning person, at least not like I'd like to be, but I sensed oppression and heaviness not necessarily in the congregation but in the town. Again, the congregation was quiet and not as responsive as Bobby likes but again, we had to consider where we were and the reserved nature of the people in the region.

At the close of the service, Pastor Ray Strawser introduced his parents, who were visiting, and asked his father to close the service with prayer. Immediately after the service his father was by my side with words of encouragement. He told me that his mother was a Mennonite and he was raised in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, but today he is a bible-believing Catholic priest! I love to know that my prayers have not only been heard but answered when I get encouraging words such as the words Brother Strawser spoke when he said as he walked away, “The Holy Spirit leaks from your family.”

After the Sunday morning service, we found the Polar Express. Andy Mishler told Bobby that the train from the movie was modeled after a retired locomotive and its' cars which are now on display at a rail yard in Owosso. We drove by and saw the cars at a distance. However, since the engine was located in a separate building and we would have had to transport Grace's chair through dense gravel to see it, and then we couldn't have gotten her chair into it, we decided not to pay for the tour.

On to Mayberry! Pastor Larry Mayberry's church in Wyoming (Grand Rapids), Michigan! We were so blessed last year when we met Pastor Larry and his precious congregation, Pennellwood Church of God. This brother has been a MidSouth fan since the late 1980's and after finding Bobby on-line last year and getting acquainted, invited us to come in May. Bobby surprised him last year when he invited him to come up on stage and sing a MidSouth song with him. That was a big joy for Pastor Larry, and his congregation was delighted to see their pastor put on the spot like that. Again, last night, Bobby invited Pastor Larry to come to the stage and sing a couple of songs with him and both men, as well as the congregation, enjoyed having a good time in the Lord.

We received a phone call from Dad on the way to Grand Rapids Sunday afternoon saying he decided to make the 2 hour drive up to join us. That was nice surprise and we invited him to spend the night with us since the Pennellwood church purchased 2 rooms for us. We enjoyed breakfast this morning with Dad and I even rode with him until we had to part ways at Kalamazoo. We'll stop and see him again on our way home from Canada as we are scheduled to minister in South Bend, Indiana on August 2^nd. As I write this blog, we are less than an hour from home and yes, we had our 15 minutes of family Bible reading today on the road!

There are so many things to do in the next week and a half, including going to pick up the Caterpillar. I nearly forgot we have a motor home. It's going to be a full week but we can't forget to take the time to read His Word as a family. If we do it, the reward will surely be great.

June 7, 2009

Santa Claus, Indiana

We were scheduled to sing in a church in central Indiana on Saturday evening and Sunday morning. After the Sunday morning service, there would be a lunch followed by baptisms in a lake on the church property, followed by games, fun, and fellowship. Hope received Jesus as her Savior in late 2007 and recently has been asking when she could be baptized. I looked at the calendar and there was no opportunity for us to attend Cornerstone on the first weekend of the month any time the rest of this year. (We do baptisms on the first Saturday night or Sunday morning service of the month.) It really doesn't matter where Hope is baptized. She would be just as baptized if it were done in bath tub as she would be if it were done in a baptistery. So we had resolved to get Hope baptized at the church in Indiana this past Sunday. However...don't ya love those "howevers?" Yeah, however, the church canceled the date. When Bobby contacted them on Friday to finalize some details, he was told there must have been a communication glitch because they had decided not to have us come. The "glitch" was simply that they forgot to let us know they weren't going to have us. Plain and simple. I'm glad Bobby decided not to leave it at that but to call back and pursue the situation a bit. Fortunately, they showed some integrity and responded by saying they would send an offering, "as best they could." Financially speaking, times have been difficult for a lot of people but the truth has been withheld in so many pulpits about what giving really is and what it can do for the giver. We were not asking for a certain amount of money from this church, but simply a love offering. When Bobby told me about the

cancellation, I replied with, "Why don't they just let us come and allow themselves to receive ministry from song and testimony and financial blessing from giving whatever they give?" The Bible clearly says, "Give, and it will be given back to you..." It says MORE will be given back to you than what you gave. If the Church believed this, we would all be living above an economic recession, and would not be victims of it with the rest of the country. I realize I sound harsh and very opinionated (I am) but the truth is we either take Him at His Word, or we don't.

Well, one of the consequences to the cancellation was that we were able to attend Cornerstone...the third weekend of the year, the second weekend in a row, and the first Sunday service of 2009. Hope was able to get baptized at Cornerstone! I emailed Pastor Joe to let him know and he replied that he had arranged to be the one to baptize Hope. How sweet was that? We were really thankful to be able to attend and hear the first sermon in the series, "Our Civic Duty." We'll be sure to listen to the remaining sermons the rest of this month.

After a quick bite to eat at home, we got back in the van and headed to Santa Claus, Indiana. The original plan included meeting up with Pat and Mary Johnson, spending the night in Owensboro, and then going to Holiday World on Monday. However, (there's that word again) when we learned, on Friday, that the other church canceled, we thought it would be wise to fore go Holiday World this time. The hotel in Owensboro had already been booked and was non-refundable so we stayed the night in Owensboro even though we were only 3 hours from home.

Our evening with the folks at Heritage Hills Baptist Church was great. We showed up just in time to eat as they had tables filled with home-cooked dishes made by the women of the church. Then we moved on to singing followed by more fellowship afterward. After the service Pastor Jerry told us he had an idea during the concert and shared it with his wife, Jane. He had thought of people that had connections to Holiday World and had come up with four season tickets to the water park by the close of the evening! He told us that when it worked with our schedule he'd have the remainder of the tickets needed plus a chalet to stay the night in, FREE of charge! He said that this was his way of ministering to us. What a blessing!!!

Also, Hope wants me to mention that she lost her second tooth during the service Sunday night. She placed it in a paper cup but after church someone threw it away. Hope began frantically looking for her tooth and I told her it had probably been thrown in the trash. That was all it took for 4 adults to head over to the trash can and start digging! We had just about given up when a young dad held a cup in front of Hope's face and asked if she wanted to take that cup home with her. He was the HERO of the evening! She hugged me but I told her he was the one that deserved the hug. She gave him a big hug and I think they made each others' day.

We arrived at the Fairfield Inn in Owensboro and hung out with Pat and Mary until we got sleepy and then enjoyed breakfast together the next morning. We made one quick stop in Owensboro before leaving to drive home, to see the oldest known Sassafras tree in the world. It's 250 to 300 years old, over 100 feet tall, and 16 feet in circumference. It's pretty amazing to think about all the things that have happened around, under and even in this tree in the past 300 years.

We were planning to leave on Thursday, the 11th and not return home again until the first week of August, but we didn't get any bookings for Father's Day Weekend. So unless someone calls, we will drive home after this coming weekend and then not leave again until Wednesday, the 24th. We'll head to Canada and stay there for the month of July, singing in Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba. We'll also dip down into North Dakota and Montana while we're up that way. We've been looking forward to the Canada trip for a long time and it's almost upon us. I have a feeling the summer is going to fly by.

May 22-24 and 31, 2009

Social Circle & Cairo, Georgia, and Evansville & Lebanon, Indiana

I'm a week behind in my posting but if I can promise you to keep this short, I can double up on this weekend and last and consider myself caught up.

Our motor home, aka, "the Caterpillar" was left with a mechanic in Spartanburg, South Carolina on May 14th and we rented a mini van to finish the trip we were on. The rental was for a week so we had planned to drive it back to Spartanburg on Thursday, the 21st. However, the Caterpillar was not ready so we had to drive our van as well as the rental back to Spartanburg to return the rental. But on Wednesday night just before turning the lights out we changed our plans to wait until Friday morning to leave instead. We had to pay an extra day for the rental van but avoided paying for hotel lodging Thursday night. My dad arrived Wednesday afternoon from Michigan and was staying at our house that night, planning to leave and go stay with my sister, Mary and her family when we left. Since we decided to stay home on Thursday, he decided to hang out at our house and I was glad we got to spend a little more time with him. Dad rose with us Friday morning and waved goodbye from the middle of our driveway when we made our 6:00 a.m. departure.

What a beautiful drive on an even more beautiful day. Bobby and Landis were in the rental and they could make those Blue Ridge hills a whole lot quicker than we women could in our "full-figured" vehicle. That's a nice way of saying our van is fat. So even though we sinc'd our cruise controls, we girls lagged behind a little but enjoyed the scenery and of course the tunnels. As we went through the dark highway halls we rolled the windows down and screamed as girls will do.

We made it to Spartanburg in 7 hours, returned the rental van, picked a few things off the Caterpillar and emptied our bladders before continuing on to Social Circle, Georgia where we sang at Oasis Faith Baptist Church, pastored by Nelson Goddard. We were a little pushed for time and after getting everyone else ready, I was left with 6 minutes to get myself ready in the van. I made it but right after I sat down on the front row with my family, Pastor Nelson approached me saying that he hated to be the bearer of bad news but Faith had somehow sneaked away and found a mud puddle outside. Jumping up I met her just coming in holding up two little black hands. I rushed her to the ladies room holding her hands out in front of her with orders not to touch anything. Unfortunately, the ladies room was in front of the sanctuary so our muddy parading to the front was met with many chuckles and smiles. After all the nonsense we still had a wonderful concert...until... I went up to share a testimony leaving Faith on the pew as I always do. She had not had a nap and was very contrary but I'd never imagined seeing what I saw next. I heard some commotion and looked down at the front pew to see that Faith had found the large tube of scented body lotion in the bottom of my purse. Finding the lotion wasn't the problem. The problem was that she had proceeded to apply the lotion all over herself. I was so thankful that Pastor Nelson's wife, Laura, intervened by crossing the aisle and saving the day. I quickly let the rest of the congregation know what had happened since they could tell something was up but couldn't see Faith and her project. I told them that very soon they would begin to notice a sweet aroma in the room but unfortunately it would only be Clinique's “Happy” and not the presence of the Lord.

After some fellowship with the Goddard Family at Zaxby's, we found a room at the Baymont and enjoyed a good nights' rest. After breakfast and checkout we mosied over to our favorite hangout, Wal Mart to kill some time while we waited for the arrival of the Nolan Family who was making a 2-hour drive all the way from Jasper to have lunch with us. We had just visited with them the weekend prior and it was good bonding for us to get to visit with them again the very next weekend. Between their daughter, Katie's physical trials and our Grace's physical limitations, politics and the goodness of God, we have a whole lot to talk about. We spent about 3 hours together and then said goodbye, this time not knowing when we'd meet again.

The drive to Cairo in southern Georgia went smoothly and when we arrived and checked into the Best Western, we found that we were booked in a room with two double beds. I asked Bobby if he'd please check with the front desk to see if there might be a suite or two adjoining rooms and we could just pay the difference. There weren't. And then I asked if there were any rollaways or cribs for Landis or Faith. Shortly after the second request, the front desk called and informed us that she had called the church that paid for the room and asked them if they'd be willing to pay for a second room for us. I was shocked that she did this and I asked her to repeat what she just told me. We stopped by the front desk on our way to the restaurant to eat dinner and Bobby scolded her a bit for taking the liberty to do that. Needless to say, the next morning when we greeted the Music Pastor, Greg Welch, at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, we felt a bit sheepish and tried to explain to him what had happened assuring him that we didn't ask the hotel to call him. He was very gracious and understanding and said he just assumed we only had 2 kids since BOBBY HAD TOLD HIM WE ONLY NEEDED A ROOM WITH 2 DOUBLES. (Bobby told me he didn't care if I wrote that.) Greg told the hotel clerk the night before to absolutely get us a second room and if we needed 3 or 4 rooms to get those as well. We liked Greg. We liked lead pastor, Mike as well. He showed up in his Hawaiian shirt and on crutches because he had a little accident on his Harley recently. We had a great Sunday morning service with one of the larger congregations we've been with and when it was time to invite people to the altar, about 12 men and young boys responded. I don't know why the men responded. Usually women are more apt to respond to the invitation first and most of the time it's a mixed group of people at the altar but this time it was just men. There were about 3 women who came up to pray for their men and it was very moving.

Many times Bobby jokes with the people he ministers to, telling them to slip his kids a dollar after the service to let 'em know they were appreciated. Many people have taken him literally and sweetly given our children money after a concert. Of course the kids LOVE this and get so excited. Back in February when a church in Searcy, Arkansas took a specific offering just for our children, we started an Admission Fee Fund, which is an envelope holding money to be used for admission into theme parks, museums, zoos, etc., while we're traveling. Well, last Sunday morning after church, the children's Sunday School teacher from Pleasant Grove approached me, spoke some kind words, and shook my hand. But when he shook my hand, he pushed some folded money into my hand. At least I assumed it was money and I assumed it was at least $10 since he mentioned he'd rather give it to me than trust the children with it. I pushed the money down into my purse without looking at it while I continued visiting with people. Later, when getting something out of my purse, I saw the money and unfolded it to see what it was. That Sunday School teacher had given my children a $100 dollar bill! What a blessing as that will help out a lot as we tour Canada this summer!

We originally had 4 bookings for this weekend but 1 canceled and another postponed until December. Of course these events are beyond our control and there's nothing we can do to change it when it's only a week or two advanced notice. But don't you know God's not surprised when there's a cancellation? And don't you know He knows exactly what we need financially? And don't you know He has a way of providing that is higher than our ways? We had a great weekend in many ways, including financially. There's no need to worry when you put all your trust in Him.

Once again we were able to attend our own Cornerstone Church on Saturday evening, May 30th. This was only our second weekend service of 2009 and although it was wonderful for us to be there, there was just the slightest feeling of distance or a feeling that comes from not being involved as I'd like to be. Maybe it was seeing so many new folks on the worship team or maybe it was not actually having a Saturday School class that we belong to, I don't know but I didn't like the feeling. I just have to remember that it's not MY church and it's not about me and my inclusion there but it's about worshiping corporately with the Body of Christ and forgetting myself to serve Him and others. None-the-less, it was great to be there and I wish I could be there more.

On Sunday morning, the 31st, we rose early to sing in Evansville, Indiana at Assembly of Faith church, which was a church we visited in November of last year. The two and a half hour drive was a little rough for me as I was very tired which causes me to be more emotional than necessary. We had a photo shoot on Saturday which meant that I stayed up late after the rollerskating on Friday night to find clothing for everyone that coordinated with each other and then on Saturday morning there was a little bit of shopping to be done as we needed 1 white t-shirt, a necklace and a pair of earrings to complete the look. Thinking that the photo shoot would take all afternoon, I bathed all the children and got them ready for church before leaving the house at 12:30. My brother-in-law, Kris Kelso, served as our photographer and met us at an abandoned building in Millersville, which served as the setting for the photo shoot for Bobby's new CD project. We also took some long overdue family pictures, something we hadn't done since early in 2005...well, besides the Christmas photo from 2006 that Bobby's been using on his website. The picture-taking only took an hour and a half so afterward we enjoyed a nice meal at Pancho Villa but Hope who was suffering from Swimmer's Ear was dealing some intense pain. Finally, I was able to reach Dr. Doug Sterban who was kind enough to meet us at the office and treat Hope. She didn't feel any relief immediately. Matter of fact, she didn't like him very much when he gave her sore ear a quick tug. I could hear the pop when he did it. The pop was a good thing but it sure made her cry.

We went on to church from the chiropractor's office and then home, and as usual, I stayed up packing “a few things.” Once again my mind told me that if we were only out 1 day singing, we weren't taking much. And once again, the reality hit me at midnight that I always have to take more than I think I do.

At Assembly of Faith in Evansville last fall, we met a congregation that was on fire. They didn't have a band, or Power Point, or even good lighting, but they had a deep hunger for more of God. We had a great service last fall and we had an even greater service yesterday morning. Last fall, Pastor Brenda shared with me how many, if not most of the congregates were former prisoners, prostitutes and drug addicts. But it's true what Jesus said, “But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” (Luke 7:47b) It seems like the darker the past, the hotter the present. These people were pressing in with corporate prayer and bible studies and street witnessing. And yesterday, the worship was even more intense. We “had church”, as they say, for about 45 minutes to an hour. After that Bobby only sang about 5 songs with very little talking. I testified and that was the extent of what we did. The rest of the time was just worship and it was good! Revival is coming to this land and I wouldn't be surprised if we hear about the miraculous happening very soon in the Evansville area for those people at Assembly of Faith on Pollack Street are, as they said yesterday, getting “desperate” for a move of the Holy Spirit in their community.

You know, going into the service, I felt a little wimpy, Spiritually speaking. Grace and I were alone in the van for a while and I prayed and worshiped. But because of the weariness in my body and the up and down emotions, I felt insincere in my attempt to minister. (Pastor Davis warns us about the lack of rest leading to lack of anointing.) But after the service, saintly Ms. Winnie Hope, who I remembered from the last time we were there, sat down beside me on the front pew, hugged me tightly and whispered in my ear that it was so obvious to her that we were sincere, that the Holy Spirit was working through our family and that we brought Him with us. There went the tears again. But it wasn't until the long drive north on Sunday afternoon that the truth of what she said was revealed to me. Here I was, again, putting it all on myself. I needed to be ready, I should be more than what I am, I should be more prepared, I should be more intense in my faith. I was beating myself up and looking at myself with judgment, thinking that's how God looks at me. When the whole time He was just looking at me with nothing but LOVE. (Photo above, back row, l to r: Ms. Winnie and Ms. Lenora)

Sunday evening was another second time visit, this time to Hope Community Church in Lebanon, Indiana. A sweet and handsome young couple, Heather and Randy Jones and their children, Parker and Olivia are the friends that have booked us there both times. This group of Believers at Hope Community is so unique in their gifts and talents. They have a great band, led by Heather's mom, Melody. This woman was, I think she told me 35, when she told the Lord she wanted to play the piano like Robby McGee. And she does. She went from not being able to play at all to watching and studying Robby, to leading the band and worshiping God with her music. Son-in-law, Randy is the tenor in the church's Southern Gospel trio and they're really good!

Something I haven't mentioned in my posts is that in nearly every concert lately, I have to take Faith outside for a spanking. Sunday morning I had to take her out, and Sunday night I took her out twice! I ended up walking her to the back of the room a third time in order to make a visit to the restroom. We always take care of that before church but Heather actually gave a couple of my kids food and drink before church without me knowing so the bathroom trip was absolutely necessary. When I stood to give a testimony, I wanted to make an opening comment so I told everyone that I'd never experienced a night like this one. Two trips out for spankings in one evening was a first in the history books. I reminded them that sometimes you can speak to the Devil and tell him to leave but sometimes you gotta beat him out! They enjoyed that. I must add that Faith was a VERY good girl, sitting still and staying quiet when I gave a testimony last night. I guess the spankings helped.

We had some relaxing fellowship after the service with some GREAT food! Heather fed Grace like she did the first time we visited and Grace and I decided to hire her as Grace's assistant. The rest of the kids enjoyed playing together and then the Jones family led us to our hotel where we talked a little more before saying our good nights.

On the drive home today, we talked about all the things that have to happen before we leave for Michigan, and then Canada a week from Thursday. Bobby had Landis and Hope working around the kitchen table tonight folding letters and putting labels on envelopes as he's trying to get his single out to radio this week. And tomorrow he's back in the studio mixing. He hopes to be finished by the end of the week. By God's grace, he will.

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May 14-17, 2009

Lincolnton, North Carolina, Jasper, Covington and Suches, Georgia and Cookeville, Tennessee

We DID make it to the church, Daystar Christian Center in Lincolnton, North Carolina just in time. With the motor home not running like it should Bobby and I were both feeling a lot of stress, and wondering if we were going to have to cancel a date made us both feel even more stressed. Bobby was losing patience with the kids and I was losing patience with him. At one point when he was out of the motor home, I asked the kids to pray with me as I rebuked the enemy and reminded him that if God called us to travel and minister, then we were going to travel and minister as long as GOD said we should. Not until Satan wanted us to stop but until GOD said we should stop. I know the adversary doesn't like what we're doing and he'll do anything he can to discourage us and ultimately stop us from going any further. But God's Word is the FINAL Word and so much can be accomplished through praying in His Holy Spirit and agreeing with His Word.

When we pulled up to the church at 6:45, there were people literally standing in the parking lot waiting for us, ready to help carry equipment in. A couple of men lifted Grace out of the van and I fixed the girls' hair right there in the parking lot while Bobby set up in 10 minutes. We were ready to start at 7:00! We were a little frazzled, a little tired and a little disappointed in having to park the motor home but we were already thankful for this group of Believers that, in just a few minutes, had welcomed us with helping hands and open arms.

Thursday night was the regular night for the midweek service at Daystar and the room was almost full. The youth had joined us and I don't think we've ever been in a more lively, responsive, excited congregation. I knew by the middle of the first song Bobby sang that the Holy Spirit was there in the room. I also knew that Bobby and I were going to leave that service feeling like we got a whole lot more out of it than anyone else.

I shared my testimony and after we sang “'Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus,” Bobby asked Pastor Joey to come up and lead the altar call. Pastor Joey was emotional as he shared that he as a pastor and all of them as a church body were at a place where they had to completely trust Jesus as the lease for their building was up and the money that was needed to renew the lease was not there...yet. He asked the church to come up, circle around and enjoy a time of prayer for each other. I was privileged to have a sweet young lady come to me, specifically, and in tears tell me she didn't know why but she just knew God wanted her to pray for me. She said she's not normally emotional and seemed a little embarrassed but I know that when God puts someone and something on your heart to pray for it can cause you to show a lot of emotion.

Just when I thought I'd been blessed enough, God sent 3 home school moms (one of whom was Tracy, Pastor Joey's wife) to corner me in the back of the church. We laughed a lot and encouraged each other with keeping the faith in home schooling our children. The worship leader said she believed home schooling truly was a calling. I stared at her speechless for just a second and then said, “I'll think about that.” They laughed at me.

I knew Bobby was out in the parking lot waiting for me to bring Grace out because he couldn't load anything else until we got Grace in the van. So just as I was starting to move Grace, Paula, the third woman that had been standing there sharing with us, stopped me and with a deep breath said that God wanted her to share something with me but she didn't want to do it. She argued with God during the service and then when I gave my testimony I said, “So whatever it is that God wants you to do, do it and do it quickly,” something I've never said before. At that point she surrendered and told God she would approach me after church. When she saw that I was back in the corner of the room she figured that was the opportunity God was giving her to move. She had written a song 25 years earlier and the Lord told her to sing that song to me. The words were exactly what I needed to be reminded of that night. I thanked her from the bottom of my heart for being obedient and using the courage God gave her to do what He asked her to do. Again, I started to move Grace toward the door but she stopped me one more time and again, with great trembling she said that she was not accustomed to giving anyone a “Word from the Lord,” but God wanted her to tell me something. Based on the Word of the Lord to Moses regarding the children of Israel, she said that God was saying that He sees my tears and he's not forgotten me. He's a God that delivers and He will put together the broken pieces. This time there were tears in my eyes as I began to thank Him for not forgetting me and my daughter who I have shed many tears over the past ten years. It was a timely word as I had just finished an exhausting day and was in the process of finishing up our first home school year in which I have been troubled about how to give Grace what she needs.

I just KNEW we'd walk away with a whole lot more than what we came with that night. Hallelujah!

On Friday morning after laundry and breakfast, we headed back to Spartanburg to get the food out of the freezer in the Caterpiller and take it with us. And then it was on to Jasper, Georgia to see our friends, Wes & Marie Nolan and their 3 children, Katie, Kasey and Kristopher. We met Wes and Marie when, as members of the Jasper Merchants Association, they invited Bobby to sing at the 2^nd annual Night of Lights, Jasper's Christmas celebration back in December of last year. Wes arranged for us to sing at Holy Spirit Ranch, a home for underprivileged children and those with special needs. The home is owned and operated by Joe & Virginia Betts who have given their lives to reaching and ministering to kids who, by the world's standards, don't have much going for them. We had a great time in the horse barn in spite of the heat and the buzzing flies. Guests that came out to the ranch that night brought food to share and we were fed very well in the air conditioned house and around a campfire. Later we moved up the hill to the bunk house where we felt like campers as Bobby, the kids and I all slept on bunk beds for the night. The kids loved that, don't ya know?

Mrs. Virginia cooked a wonderful breakfast of scrambled eggs and cheese and French toast and had one of her boys, Jose, bring it up on the golf cart on Saturday morning. We had school after breakfast and then met the Nolans for lunch before heading down to Covington to sing at another Cowboy Church.

It's not very often that people will ask to pray for Grace but Pastor Tim of Trail To Christ Cowboy Church asked Bobby if they could anoint Grace with oil and pray for her. When he finished praying, Grace said something to him. I couldn't understand her but she spoke. I waited for her to say more but she was finished.

From Covington we drove north 2 and a half hours to "Gold City" Dahlonega, Georgia where we easily found the Holiday Inn Express and upon check in learned that there were 2 adjoining rooms for us. It's such a treat for us to get to stay in 2 rooms where everyone has a place to sleep. The 3 girls don't have to sleep sideways on one bed and Landis doesn't have to sleep on the floor. We were so appreciative of the pastor we would meet the following morning for being so generous toward us.

I opened the drapes to awaken the kids on Sunday morning and was delighted at the view of the

mountains from the third floor. And as we drove up through those hills to find Harmony Church of God in Suches, we marveled at the fact that God knew ahead of time that we could never have driven the Caterpillar up those hairpin curves and steep hills. And of course we saved a lot of gas money!

Pastor Mike Usry and his sweet wife, Angela, greeted us in the parking lot when we pulled up. God blessed us with another great service and the Nolan Family graced us with their presence once again as they made a 90 minute drive from Jasper to join us. The altar time was precious as 3 individuals came up for prayer and Pastor Mike spent time praying with each one.

We enjoyed a great lunch thanks to the church cooks, hugged Wes, Marie and the kids goodbye and said we hoped to see them the following weekend. Then it was back to the curves and hills all the way to Knoxville! Sometimes I think Laverne (our GPS) has a loose screw. I thought it would have made much more sense to drive from Suches, Georgia over toward Chattanooga, staying on the northeast side of Chattanooga and then drive straight north to Cookeville, our destination. But no. Instead, Laverne told us to drive through the hills of East Tennessee where a couple of the kids thought about getting sick. I told them not to think about that. After 3 hours of hilly curves and curvy hills, I was never more ready to get on the boring Interstate.

The concert Sunday evening in Cookeville was special just because we were so close to home. We were blessed to meet Pastor Ken Stephens and his wife, Rita. We had a good-sized group of people at Praise Cathedral but unfortunately no one responded to the altar call.

All day Sunday the kids were trying to wrap their brains around the fact that they'd be sleeping in their own beds that night. If they were singing in a Sunday evening service then surely they'd also be staying in a hotel. They were pretty happy to get home and get out of that mini van. They only lacked 2 more days of school so with a week full of beautiful weather, they had a lot to look forward to as they drifted off to sleep ...in their own beds.