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.

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