ARCHIVE GALLERY
August 2008
August 5, 2008
We spent all of last week at Bay Shore Camp in Sebewaing, Michigan. We were responsible for all of the worship music, special music and choir. Unfortunately, we somehow missed the information about the choir and had to come up with 5 choir specials during the week. The choir consisted of great singers and readers, who were just thrilled to be there. Many of these people have been coming for years and years, so their friendships run deep and it was so wonderful to be a part of this family. Hundreds of people came all week long to the services and there were tons of kids! Our kids were blessed to participate in the youth programs and made some really good friends.
Pastor Tom Harmon was the evangelist…oh my! He was wonderful and we came away with a renewed passion and commitment for prayer. He focused on a healthy prayer life and we drank it in!
My favorite part of the camp was meeting Russ and Dee Dee Tibbits. They were two of the founding members of Living Truth. An extremely talented family that we have heard about for years! They mostly ministered in Michigan and although we never had the opportunity to experience them in concert, we have been told about them from everyone! They no longer travel with the group, but they did for 17 years. Russ and Dee Dee became instant friends of ours and we picked their brains about everything from booking to raising kids on the road. These two precious people invested in us all week long ending with a lunch on our way out of town. It is so rare that fellow musicians actually invest in one another, but this couple is so down to earth in spite of incredible talent. The Lord has blessed us all along with friendships that mean a great deal, but Russ and Dee Dee did exactly what we are doing, in many of the same churches. Wow! What a blessing they are to us and we look forward to being with them again soon. Thank you, Russ and Dee Dee for your time, encouragement and support. We love you!
The camp ended on Saturday morning and we packed up to head off to Colling Church of the Nazarene. There, we met Pastor Tim and Kate along with their two adorable children. After a quick set up, Kate served us great home-made pizza and the best ever homemade blueberry pie. Sunday morning went very well and we were thankful to see this church with Pastor Tim, a new pastor, who are all adjusting to change in a great way. Last year, when we ministered there, we prayed with the congregation, who was without a pastor. Now, a year later, they are worshipping together, and we got to be a part of that!
God is good! Have a God-focused week!
August 11, 2008
We drove into Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and parked in a campground on Indian Lake, not far from Lake Michigan. It was beautiful and our site was right on the water, which is a favorite view of mine! The kids had a great time riding bikes, feeding the ducks and playing at the playground, while Randy and I tried to get some much needed office work done. It can be quite challenging to travel and still maintain a sense of structure. Randy is booking constantly, so between phone calls and emails, our RV gets transformed into a mini-office. There is not much room for anything else, so it was fantastic to let the kids play outside all day long. So many times people will ask us if our time in their area will be a “vacation” and we just giggle to ourselves. If we “vacated” every time we visited an area, we would get nothing done! We did use the opportunity to visit the Kitch-iti-Kippi, which is the largest natural spring in Michigan. It was well-worth seeing.
On Wednesday night we sang in Manistique’s outdoor amphitheater. They have a summer concert series and we were their first “gospel” group ever! That was very exciting and there was a great turn-out. We sang for about two hours as people sat in their lawn chairs and blankets and watched the most beautiful sunset. At first, it seemed that a storm was headed our way, so we began to pray! The huge black cloud broke into two sections, and went around us. Then the colors of the sky were unbelievable and worshipping the Lord was very easy!
We met some wonderful people and ended up talking late into the night in our RV. I love being able to tell the kids to get ready for bed while still in a parking lot! I have found that flexibility is the key! I was so proud of our kids that night. We hired Kadison to sit at the CD table for two hours and sell our product. He is a better salesman than Randy and I put together and anyone will tell you that! He also had a pile of candy wrappers and coke cans that surrounded him…and I was singing, so I saw his energy level rising as the candy was being eaten! Kennedie was very tired and really wanted some time to herself, so we did something for the first time ever. Essentially, she asked to stay at home and not come to the concert. After a long week at camp, a very busy weekend with concerts, the child just needed a break! So, she was able to stay in the RV (which we were able to see as we sang) and relax by herself for the entire evening. I will tell you what, the next day, I saw a different Kennedie. Sometimes you just need to be alone! It is a rare treat for any one of us to have alone time, so I fully understand. She did great and even made sure the RV was in decent order when we came in with guests! Both of the kids pleased us greatly that night with their behavior.
After one more night at the campground (which was also a huge treat for us!) we drove to Rudyard, Michigan and sang at the community center. A lovely facility, the event was open to the entire area and even though they had hoped for more, we thought it was a good turn-out for a Friday night on one of the last good weekends of summer! We love concerts that are held on another day of the week other than Sunday because often times people view it in a different way. They seem to let their guard down a bit and they seem more relaxed. What wonderful people we met in Rudyard! My mom drove up from Southeastern Michigan and brought along Amber, our 18 year old niece who was visiting from Southern California. We were thrilled to see them and they spent the whole weekend with us.
Leaving Rudyard after the concert, we traveled about an hour to St. Ignace, just north of the Mackinac Bridge. We made room for mom and Amber and slept quickly so that we could get up early and catch the 9:00 AM ferry to Mackinac Island. I did not sleep well with an extra kid in our bed (KC) and I had a bad dream. I dreamed that Patsy Clairmont (the nationally known author and speaker for Women of Faith - who is a good friend of my mom’s from years ago,) was quite mean to me and I was irritated! Now, if you know Patsy, she is anything but mean…so it was kind of funny, but it did interrupt my rest! We decided to spend the day on the Island and our friend, Blythe Bieber came to spend a couple of days with us as well. When Blythe called us to say that she had arrived on the Island (she took a later ferry) Randy went to the docks to meet Blythe, while the rest of us were checking out the horses. I called Randy to make sure that he had found her and I heard a woman’s voice say, “Hello, this is Patsy,” and I immediately recognized her voice. I yelled, “As in Clairmont?!” She said, “Yes, that is my last name.” You can imagine, I was completely confused and only Randy and Blythe’s laughter through the phone clued me into the fact that they had run into Patsy, Les and their son and his family (who are friends of ours as well!) Unbelievable! We high tailed it down to the docks and just met Patsy as they were waiting for the ferry to leave. I explained my dream and the reason for my astonishment! God definitely has a sense of humor! You never know who you are going to see…when!
We were scheduled to sing at Mackinac Island Bible Church with Pastor Ken and Lori Straight. They are some of the neatest people and we have grown to love them dearly. They live on the Island year-round and their church is more like a mission to the nations than a regular church! They have numerous visitors all summer long and every week is a different congregation. If you are ever on the Island on a Sunday morning, you must attend their service held in the theater at Mission Point Resort at the East end of the Island. It is the same theater that was used in the filming of Somewhere in Time with Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeves. The service went great and there was a very nice crowd, with many visitors to the Island. The worship was so God-focused and we sensed the Lord’s presence in an awesome way. After the service, we grabbed a quick lunch and some last minute treats (the Island has the best ice cream and fudge) before catching the ferry back to St. Ignace.
My mom took KC and drove back down to South Lyon, while Randy, Amber, Kennedie and I made the hour long trip to Cedarville’s Union Church. We were actually early, so we had plenty of set up time and prayer time, which we just love! The girls got ready and were quite a help, as the sanctuary had stairs on both ends and the equipment had to be carried up and down! I loved having plenty of time to meet many of the people who came to the concert before it actually started, so that when we begin the concert, we have already met! It was a great hour and a half and they were a very easy group to worship with. Many ladies came from the surrounding areas who had seen us last spring while at the Women Today retreat in Sault Saint Marie, Michigan. We remembered many of them and it was wonderful to catch up. After loading up, we drove a few hours to Gaylord, and spent the night in a Wal-Mart parking lot. This is what I love about having our nieces with us (one of them comes every summer to spend a few weeks with us,) they get all kinds of experiences that are unique!
What an awesome week of ministry and meeting new people and encouraging them in the Lord. We were very tired but so satisfied that the energy we spent is going to be used to challenge Christians to remain faithful and walk a holy life! You can do that, too, right where you are at! You don’t have to travel anywhere, you just have to look at other people and notice the need to be encouraged with the truth of Christ!
August 18, 2008
We are house sitting for Pastor Stephen and Daneen Cottle of Faith Journey Church in Howell, Michigan. They offered for us to stay in their house while they were on vacation and take care of their one year old puppy! If you know us at all, you know we love dogs…especially puppies! We are not able to have our dog with us most of the time, so we were thrilled for this week of loving on Cappuccino or “Chino” for short. With a pool and trampoline, the three kids (our niece, Amber, from San Diego was still with us) had a blast all week long! Randy set up a mini-studio in their dining room and continued work on our new Christmas CD that we hope to complete by the end of October. I continued to prepare for the start of our home school year and actually got a bit excited. One evening, we were able to spend with Bill and Chris Schuster and their kids, good friends from years ago. What a riot now that all of our kids are older and we have doubled the size of our group! They are the kind of friends that we will always have, and could call at any moment and they will be there for us.
On Sunday, Faith Journey Church held their service at the Howell Melon-fest in downtown Howell. Howell, Michigan is known for their home grown melons and they host a yearly festival to celebrate their harvest! In the middle of the town is an outdoor theater and that is where the church service was held. Outdoor events are a bit of a challenge due to sound issues, but there was a great sound company who had already set up a system that we just plugged into. That made our set up and take down very quick! During the concert, I kept praying for people I saw walking around and wondering what in the world we were singing and talking about. We heard great testimonies from different people about conversations they had with town’s people during and after the concert. It was awesome to be there, although I was a little surprised that I was a little nervous to share about the hope of Jesus in the middle of town rather than in a church. Then, Randy started leading the chorus, “Be Bold, Be Strong” and I knew that was for me. I claimed that verse and apologized to the Lord for even considering softening the message! I began to think about a friend of ours who was just imprisoned in China for sharing about Jesus. We can be so fickle!
We left Howell (after face paintings and Italian sausages) and went to Milford, Michigan to sing at Praise-in-the-Park, a yearly event hosted by Freedom Life Church of God. Several worship teams were scheduled in half hour slots with a couple of minutes of set up/tear down time in-between. There was a good turn-out and at the last minute, my folks pulled up with our Dog, Sammy! I was so excited to see him, I couldn’t concentrate! We also were blessed (even more so, I should say) by a group of people from our home church, in Waterford. It was like a cup of cold water to see Pastor Dave and Connie. It was a great hour and we really enjoyed getting to know so many people from the area. Another friend from an hour and a half showed up…and we were able to spend some time with her and her daughter. People everywhere! It was great and reminded me of what heaven holds for us!
Have a great week.
August 29, 2008
We prepared for the Cottles homecoming and moved everything out of their house back into our RV, and got Amber on her way. Saying goodbye is never fun! I love house sitting for people, but it is not without work! We had to “hang out” somewhere for a couple of days, so we went to Fowlerville, Michigan, to my high school friend’s house, Missy and Gary Keller. The kids all had fun playing together and they have plenty of room to park our RV. So, we slept in their driveway and enjoyed the moments of catching up. Randy spent more time booking and answering emails. We also spent some time preparing for our September 6th Supporter’s Dinner that we are hosting to thank some very special people who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to support our ministry. Friday morning we left the Keller’s and drove to Brighton, Michigan to house sit for Ted and Bethly Crossman. They have a beautiful home and Mr. Crossman was my fourth grade teacher! He has repeatedly told me to call him “Ted,” but I just can’t do it! We have enjoyed, once again, spreading out and enjoying what God has provided for us! When God’s people share their resources, all of our lives are easier! We prepared dinner for our Pastor and his wife who live about an hour away. It was awesome to spend Friday night with them and their encouragement is still resonating in our ears! They have been so instrumental in our ministry and our walk with God and there never seems to be enough time to spend with them. Their accountability and frankness with us is priceless.
Sunday, we sang at Holly Church of the Nazarene. We have been with them on two other occasions at different locations, but now they have their own building that is just amazing. They are fixing it up and when it is completed they are going to have quite the facility. During the concert, I just felt the leading of the Holy Spirit in such a powerful way. We even changed the order mid-stream so as to follow what He was doing in all of us. What an awesome service and we are so thankful to Pastor Marv and Sue for their graciousness in hosting us. After the service, we ended up at Pizza Hut with another family from the church. They have five boys! KC was thrilled and they all became best friends very quickly. Kennedie was not as thrilled with the number of boys, but she handled it just fine. After a couple hours of talking and laughing, we went back to the Crossman’s house to rest.
Monday was our annual tradition of attending the Michigan State Fair. For years, with Mom and Dad and Blythe (our family friend,) along with the four of us go to the State Fair and enjoy the day looking at the exhibits, animals and riding the rides. This year was extra special because one of the kid’s favorite singers was there. Corbin Bleu from High School Musical and Radio Disney. We even purchased the Gold Circle tickets for them and they were in the 12th row! Their first major concert and they were elated. He really is quite talented with singing and dancing and we were excited ourselves. It started out great, and then we were uncomfortable as some of the dancing was a bit inappropriate! Shocked, we saw other families leaving and knew that if it continued, we would have to make a decision. We gathered the kids and told them if there was one more inappropriate thing, we had to leave. Randy and I stood at the back of the Gold Circle and watched the show, and about ten minutes later, sure enough, here come the kids, with looks of disappointment and frustration. Tears. We explained why we were leaving and that we are responsible to God for what we allow into our family. More tears. We told them they could choose any Christian artist and we would get them tickets to a concert very soon! I have to say, I questioned if we were being too picky, then snapped into reality and agreed with Randy that we were doing the right….hard….thing. Now, being away from the situation, I am so glad we left. It was a great opportunity to talk about the choices that people make (and we would to) when Jesus is not the center of a heart. We were so pleased with our kids as they were upset, but obedient and even in agreement. As we continued to talk about the decision as a family, it was very rewarding to know that our kids frustration and tears were not because they were mad at us for making them leave the concert, they were mad at Corbin Blue for dancing inappropriately and thinking it was okay for little kids to watch. We must stick together as Christian parents and take a stand for purity, modesty and God- honoring values. Our kids will have their own choices to make and they could make a choice to walk away and not follow Christ. But, while they are in our home, we will attempt to train them in the Lord so they can at least make a decision based on truth. Training is vital and we are so grateful for those of you who have made tough decisions with your kids and shared with us the value in saying “no.” Thank you.
Home school started on Wednesday and we began with prayer and writing down goals for the coming school year. I was surprised at how many of the goals were the same for the kids and I. A lot of prayer preparation went into that first day, and boy, did it make a difference! It was fantastic and the kids are adjusting beautifully to their new curriculums. This year we are using A Bekka DVD series. Every class is taught by a real teacher on a DVD they watch and follow along with a text book. It is a very classical approach which is new for us. They love the structure and my involvement in the actual teaching is much less. Thank the Lord, because Kennedie’s 7th grade math is quickly becoming a challenge! KC is in 4th and his reading is coming along nicely. I just know it is going to be a great year! We are so grateful that God allowed us to be house sitting when school began. It is much easier to have personal space and room for everything. Thank you, Lord!
God is faithful and loving, so enjoy His presence this week!