December 2010

We were able to attend Cornerstone on Saturday night, the fourth of December and then drive to Lyles, Tennessee to sing on Sunday morning. We always have baptisms on the first weekend of each month but I hadn't put everything together in my mind that Faith was a candidate for baptism now and she'd be there to get baptized. So when Pastor invited people up who were ready to be baptized I looked at Bobby and asked him what he thought about going to get Faith. Pastor always reminds us that the Bible tells us that the eunuch, after he'd heard the Gospel and understood the command to be baptized, obeyed that command as soon as the opportunity presented itself. He didn't wait for his family to get there to see him get baptized. Nor did he wait until an artist was available to capture the moment in a painting. The Bible just tells us to be baptized. Since we're rarely there for any weekend service let alone a baptism weekend, we decided to get Faith. I talked to the children's pastor first and he was all for it. Faith was all for it but kept asking questions. I tried to explain to her what we were doing and I believe she got it. For those of you reading this and feeling concern for the lack of discipleship, don't worry, the children's pastor gave us a packet that night of devotionals for Faith and I to work on together over several week's time to help her better understand what baptism was and what it meant. Fortunately, a there was another mom with her camera and she took a couple of pictures of Faith for me. I wish a picture could have been taken of Faith's feet as they were straight up in the air when her head was dunked under. So cute.





Mr. Pat Johnson joined us in Lyles at Wrigley Church of God of Prophecy the next morning and we had a great service there and we were able to spend our Sunday evening at home. Well, kinda of. We did go to Bethel to see the Christmas Program put on by Faith and her fellow Parents' Day Out classmates at Bethel Baptist Church that evening. She was one of the millions of angels...and a very adorable angel she was.



The following weekend we drove to Michigan. Dad's friend, Joann, invited us (Dad too) to stay at her home on Cory Lake west of Three Rivers. Joann has a beautiful home with a finished basement. We were able to have our own apartment, and a large one at that. We had a stocked kitchen, living room, pool table, 2 bedrooms and a large bath! Not to mention a beautiful view of the lake.



Joann's house before ...



...and after.




We arrived on Friday evening and again, enjoyed playing Farkle with Dad and Joann. And then on Saturday we joined my mother's family for a Christmas gathering in the fellowship hall of a local church. It's hard to believe there's 100 of us now!

On Sunday morning a winter storm was starting to blow in although the brunt of it had not arrived yet. A snowstorm is usually worse as you drive west toward Lake Michigan because of the lake effect but it turned out that they hadn't received much snow in Coloma where we sang Sunday morning at Lake Michigan Beach Community Church. It was a tiny little church and the room was full. After church my kids made a bee line for the snow as to get as much play in as they could. The snow we get in Tennessee is usually very dry and powdery; Michigan snow is much more conducive for building snowmen!





On our way back to Joann's house, it began snowing heavily and blowing. Bobby and I mentioned to each other that it would be nice to go back to Joann's and just stay there the rest of the day where it was warm and dry instead of getting out again in a couple of hours to go sing again. Well, that's what we did as my Uncle Moe Troyer spoke with Bobby on the phone as soon as we got back to the house and they agreed that the evening service should be canceled. So it was an evening of Farkle, movies and chili as the wind blew the snow around outside.



Bobby would have been fine with sitting still on Monday and letting the snow melt just a little but I was pushing to get home. Oh, it was pleasant where we were but I like being home these days and since the sun was shining outside, I didn't see any need to sit around and do nothing. It was soooo cold but my dad got the driveway cleared for us and we finally got ourselves packed and on the road home.



And finally, our last ministry weekend of 2010 was in Arkansas. We drove to Texarkana on Friday or Saturday, the 17th or 18th, and on Sunday morning the 19th, we got in the van and set out for White Hall which was about a 2-hour drive from Bob and Tena's home. However, we had just started out on I-30 when we thought the van was making a strange noise so we turned around and went back to Bob and Tena's. Grace and I stayed there while Bobby and the other 3 children borrowed Bob and Tena's car and left again. The van only had to go 1 block to take Grace and I and Papaw and Mamaw to church. It was a quiet and long afternoon as we waited for Bobby and the kids to return but once they did we only had a short while until we had to be at Rhema Baptist Church for our Christmas concert. Brother Jesse and the folks at Rhema feel like family to us and of course, there was family present. Bob and Tena, Bobby's sister, Judy, her son, Aaron and his son, Layne. I love it when they come and join us and, of course when you're with friends and family, you have to eat! So we enjoyed a lot of good food in the fellowship hall after the service.

It was back to Nashville on Monday where we began getting ready for Christmas!!!

It's Been A While

As you well know I'm way behind in my postings and the post written just prior to this one was written on December 18th, the events written about occurring in early November. December 20th was my last travel day as we were taking off for Christmas as a family and then I was planning to stay at home for several weeks, taking maternity leave and keeping Grace with me. My plans were to sew in January and the first half of February, have a baby at the end of February, and then do some catching up on my blog while re-cooperating after the baby. Although I did pretty good (good compared to how I behaved after previous births) about sitting still and resting, I found I was very busy whether it was because of visitors, feeding/changing baby Justis, or just being "mom" from my recliner. Obviously I did no blogging until now...the first week of May. I never would have imagined I'd wait this long. So, rather than try to remember details of trips, people and experiences from 5 months ago, I will summarize and consider myself caught up!

Our November tour to North and South Carolina was a busy one...and a tough one. We left on Saturday, November 6, and sang Sunday morning in Easley, South Carolina and Lincolnton, North Carolina, both return visits. This was our third visit to Lincolnton and this time, Pastor Joey Williams greeted us from the doors of his new facility...a former sock factory. By the way, no one got my joke using the word, "darn." Guess I'm getting old. Talk about space. This new building is and will be GREAT for this growing and excited church, Daystar Family Worship Center.

I mentioned the tour was a tough one. It was tough concerning our marriage. I'm sure we grew through the tough time, or rather, because of it, but it was probably the worst time on the road that we've had yet, at least it was for me. It was also the first tour we'd done with me being pregnant. What does that tell ya? It got stressful enough that when we landed in Clinton, North Carolina on Wednesday afternoon, our friend, Pastor Rodney Hall sensed the tension immediately when he met us in our hotel lobby. I thought I was hiding everything pretty good but he told Bobby later that evening, after asking him if he could get personal with him, that he said he could have cut the tension with a knife. Yikes!

We ministered (I hope) at a cowboy church in Greensboro, North Carolina the next night, Dunn, on Saturday night (return visit to Pastor Doug Howard's church), and Sumter on Sunday morning. We finished up this Carolina tour at Christian Fellowship Assembly of God in Hartsville, South Carolina where we met some of the most precious saints yet. Sister Gloria Joye Bowman and her husband pastor this congregation and we had a great time at their homecoming, Sunday afternoon, November 14. They were finishing up their fellowship meal when we arrived and when I got ready to feed Grace, Sister Joye insisted that I let her do the feeding. She spoke a little Spanish to Grace and immediately became her friend. Sister Joye and Grace took to each other pretty quickly and that's always comforting to me.

Because it was an afternoon service we were able to drive a while, stopping in Asheville for the night and then coming home mid-afternoon on Monday. My dad and his friend, Joann Riley were waiting for us when we walked into the house. They'd been staying at Kris and Mary's since Saturday and were going to be visiting for a week. They came to see us Monday evening because that was the only time we were going to get to spend with them as we were leaving for Oklahoma the next morning. We did a lot of laughing after a good dinner together, playing several rounds of Farkle.

Only that one night at home and we were leaving again the next morning. This time westward to Moore, Oklahoma where we sang for the Wednesday night service at Highland Baptist Church. Dave Evans is the pastor of this young and energetic body. We had a great night celebrating Jesus.

The following night we made our fourth visit to Chisholm Trail Cowboy Church in Enid, Oklahoma. We love Pastor Dan O'Daniel and appreciate his graciousness to us and his devotion to Jesus Christ.


We made our way down to Forth Worth. Colleyville, to be exact, to stay with Bobby's younger sister, Anita. This time we were privileged to meet her friend, David, who joined us for dinner at Texan Station at the Gaylord Texan and then he treated us to ICE! featuring Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang. It was "cool!"






Our service on Sunday morning was at probably one of the most raw and rustic places we've ever been. We left Fort Worth early and drove 72 miles north to Prairie Point, Texas where our GPS took us to a grassy/muddy lot out in the boonies. We pulled our van and trailer in to the middle of the field and parked next to the 40x30 metal building and waited for someone to show up. Now, I don't want to be misunderstood. We LOVED the folks! And we appreciate rustic and raw. But when you write a blog and you want to be honest so I was a little miserable with my open-toed shoes on that dirt floor. That was my fault. I should have worn appropriate clothing to cowboy church...like cowboy boots. Hope got poison ivy and the floor in the van was covered with little sticker balls from the sweet gum trees so we kept getting poked the rest of the afternoon until we had them all picked out of the carpet.














They had a turkey shoot after church, as well as horse riding and other fun. Even Grace got to shoot the gun, a first for her. The kids had a blast and weren't ready to leave but we had to move north to Calera, Oklahoma for the evening service.

We arrived early and had time to just sit so Bobby and I took advantage of the quiet time and were able to talk and work through some of the issues that had been a problem a couple of weeks earlier on the Carolina trip.

For the past several years we've been spending the week of Thanksgiving in Texarkana at Bobby's parent's house. We did that again this year and celebrated Thanksgiving with family that we rarely get to see. Brother and sister, Josh and Merranda, our nephew and niece, and Josh's son, Isaac were able to join us.









We sang in Greenville, Texas the Sunday morning after Thanksgiving and then headed home. We hadn't reached Texarkana yet when Hope announced to the rest of us that she had just led Faith in a prayer asking Jesus to come into her heart! There in the back of the van, the two had been sitting quietly talking for several minutes while the rest of us were talking in the front! As the kids were going to sleep later that night somewhere between Memphis and home, I sat in my seat thanking God that all of the children have given their heart to Him.

A Motor Home

November 5, 2010

Because our trusty Ford with its 233,000 miles was beginning to suggest that it wanted to retire from the road, we were forced to look into our options of transportation. We knew we needed a motor home and maybe now was the right time to look for one. Bobby began shopping on-line and found a Winnebago diesel with less than 100,000 miles in Wabash, Indiana. He made an offer which was counter-offered and after Bobby spoke with the seller he told me he and a friend would drive up to Wabash on Friday to look at it before handing them a check. I was kind of excited about sending Landis and Hope with their daddy and having a quiet house with Grace and Faith and getting a lot done that day. However, the friend couldn't go after all and Bobby insisted that I go instead, saying that it was better that I go and look at it with him anyway. Oh, how I didn't want to go. Oh, how I had so much to do and if I were to drive all day to north central Indiana and back that it would put me so absolutely far behind on my painting and packing and preparing to be gone for most of the month. But I knew he was right and that I really needed to go.

We got going fairly early that morning and found the place with ease. The motor home was in rather rough shape on the inside and by taking a good look I decided the previous owners were parents of small children who were not made to mind. There was everything from crumbs to quarters to matchbox cars in corners and behind things, not to mention lots of stains. The carpet in the kitchen area had been cut out and replaced with linoleum so evidently the carpet had been pretty messed up in that area. Blinds were missing, the visors were missing, the queen bed in the back had stains all over the mattress, the door fronts in the kitchen were dirty and grimy and the kitchen drawers were off their tracks. I stood there in the middle of the thing looking around and imagining myself moving in and it disgusted me. Finally, after a meal down the street and thinking things through, it came down to decision-making time. When Bobby asked me what I thought I told him that I thought the deal was a good one considering the mechanics, the price, the diesel and the low mileage. But considering the interior I could not picture myself moving into someone else's dirt and grime. I knew that if we bought it that day Bobby would want to drive it home and load it up for the following day as we set out to North and South Carolina for a week. So I told Bobby that I would compromise with him. I liked the idea of buying it but waiting to use it until it was cleaned up and remodeled. He was a little disappointed about not getting to play with his new toy right away but he understood and agreed.

I will say there's one feature that I love about the motor home and that is the large bathroom. It's not an enclosed bathroom with a hallway passing outside of it. Instead, you have to pass through the bathroom in order to get to the back room. Maybe that's not the most convenient situation 100 percent of the time but when it comes to getting ready for church in a small bathroom, being able to shut off the entire back half of the motor home and have all that room is definitely a plus in my book.

Grace, Faith and I drove the van home and the motor home carried Bobby, Landis and Hope. Bobby and I started talking on the phone that evening of the ideas we had and he suggested that we just gut the back bedroom, taking the bed out and put 2 bunks on either side. The more I thought about that I realized what a great solution that would be for Grace when it came to getting out of her chair and stretching out in a place that was safe as long as we had a rail or gate across the opening of her bunk. It may also solve the problem we have with Grace in hotel rooms. She falls off the bed easily unless she's watched closely, she kicks the wall, and sometimes she screams out of dissatisfaction, unhappiness or anger. If we could put her in HER very own bunk, equipped with speakers to pipe in some soothing music and maybe some colorful tracking lights for her enjoyment, the whole world would be a better place each and every night we're on the road.

The girls and I made it home a little after 11:00 with the motor home easing its way into the driveway a few minutes later while I was getting the girls ready for bed. A long day, a late night, painting and packing not finished, and a very tired woman trying not to get discouraged. I went to sleep quickly counting my blessings.

Shippensburg and Jane Lew

October 31, 2010

Because of the little hesitation Bobby noticed in the van as it approached New York City the week before, he decided to rent a mini van again and have us all pile in. Even though the van ran great all the way back home from New York, he decided he didn't want to make it work so hard pulling the trailer through those West Virginia hills. I figured it was probably a good idea except that we disliked the lack of space.

We arrived at our hotel Saturday night in Shippensburg and found out we were booked in a room upstairs and the hotel had no elevator. This has happened probably a half dozen other times. Bobby checked to see if we could move to a first floor room but the hotel was booked full so we opted to get Grace out of her chair and Bobby carried her upstairs while I took the wheelchair to the front desk and asked if they could guard it for the night. They agreed and I ran off to bed.

Pastor Dan Cluck met us at the front doors of the church and while he helped us unload the mini van, Bobby quickly explained that we don't normally travel in such a small vehicle and that our big van was taking a break this weekend.

We enjoyed a great service and at the close, Pastor Dan asked us our family to move to the center of the sanctuary while his congregation surrounded us to pray for us. Pastor Dan and this group of believers were a huge blessing to us not only because of their prayers for us but when we drove away Bobby told me that Pastor Dan had written a second check from the church in addition to the original love offering and for nearly the same amount as the original!! And I shouldn't neglect to tell of the lady who blessed me with the “pentecostal handshake.” She reached out to shake my hand after church and put a $50 bill in my hand and simply said, “lunch!”

A quick lunch was what we had to do as we were due to arrive in Jane Lew, West Virginia a few hours later. We arrived at Broad Run Baptist Church in Jane Lew in plenty of time and our friends, Brother and Sister Godfrey helped us get in and even supplied that children with some yummy snacks from the kitchen. Bobby and the children practiced some of their Christmas songs since we had a little extra time.

It was an enjoyable concert, as the room was nearly full and we sang and spoke of Jesus on Halloween as well as sang about 4 Christmas songs.

Afterward, we enjoyed some soup at a family restaurant before retiring in our hotel next door for the night.

Yancey and Sandy Brown and family

New York, New York

October 21-25, 2010

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Christmas CD

October 12, 2010

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

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

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

Landis LOVES the studio environment

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

Relaxing after a job well done!

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

Third Time's a Charm!

October 16 & 17, 2010



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

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

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

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

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

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

"Where did that Faith go?!"

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

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

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

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

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