July 20
Hello again. We’re 9 weeks into the summer, and are still amazed at what God can do. He has blessed us more than we deserve by keeping us safe and giving us an effective ministry in churches. Since we last posted, we’ve been in Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Tennessee, and are currently in Illinois.
We’ve had some grand adventures. Late one night, after driving all day, we pulled into what the GPS told us was our destination. The lights were on in the church and there were people inside, so we went in. It turns out we had gone to the wrong church, and our actual church was still about 6 miles away. Needless to say, it was somewhat embarrassing. Ha.
In adherence with Will’s wishes, we got some BBQ on our trip down south. We had BBQ in Kansas, Texas, and Memphis, TN. The boys have been golfing now 2 times. The group has gotten into playing Frisbee golf in our spare time.
God has also been blessing us by keeping us healthy (for the most part). Also, God seems to sometimes use the small things in our ministry. Testimonies between songs, for example, have been a large part of the ministry- to us and to the people. It is great to meet people all over the United States who are serving the Lord and have a passion for Him.
We spent a few days at Chip’s church in Abilene, KS. In spite of the blistering heat, we went to the Eisenhower Museum and memorial, played volleyball with the church people, and spent some good time with Chip’s family.
After a few more days in Kansas, we headed through Oklahoma for one service and then down to Texas. We spent a few days then at Andrea’s church in Flower Mound, TX. Mr. Li took us out for some authentic Chinese food, which was great. It was fun to meet Andrea’s immediate family and her Uncle Wing. We had several more services in Texas, including the time around the 4th of July. On July 5th, we got to go down to Galveston, TX and swim in the Gulf of Mexico (don’t worry, the oil is not there yet). On the way back, we stopped to purchase a good-sized bottle of aloe. You guessed it- we pretty much all got sunburns. Nonetheless, it was a great day. We even saw dolphins.
We spent a few days the next week at Southland Christian Camp in Ringgold, LA. The boys did some weed whacking, demolition, and various other projects while the girls waitressed and helped with cleaning. It was a great to do some work for them, and great encouragement as well.
After that, we went to Tennessee for 10 days. We did services in Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, etc. While in Knoxville, we got to go white water rafting. Braving the danger of class 3 and class 4 rapids, along with our fearless guide Brody, we successfully navigated the perilous North Pigeon River. We faced rapids such as Big Ben, Duck and Run, Playground, and Too Late Falls. Will was the only one to fall out of the boat (but I’m convinced the guide did it on purpose).
After a long 9-hour drive, we finally made it to Illinois. Our tour is coming to a close, and we have grown to be like a family. God truly has done great things in and through us. He has really shown me personally my daily need for Him and how to reach out to others. This tour has changed all of us, and God is the reason. He truly is good to us.
June 21
Hello again! It’s been a while since I’ve posted a blog. We spent the day today in Abilene, Kansas with Chip’s family. It was great to be able to take some time to relax and have some fun. We’ll be back in the saddle again tomorrow. God has been very good to us lately- safety on the roads, good services, God working in our hearts, and a very enjoyable time.
June 20
We arrived late last night from Minnesota. We were there for a wedding Chip was in. It was nice to have a couple days off up in Minnesota. This morning, we were in Maysville, MO. Then we played in Chip’s church tonight. The service went well, and God used the preaching of His word and the music to bless the hearts of the people in attendance.
June 17
We’ve been in Iowa for a week. In that time, God has really been working in our hearts, and been blessing us with good services. We’ve met some amazing people, played Frisbee golf several times, and done some other general sightseeing and shopping.
June 10
We’ve spent the last three days at the NTA meetings at Woodcrest Baptist Church in Fridley, MN. This time of encouragement and relaxation was much needed. We played two numbers in each session, learned a lot about Baptist history, went golfing, and went to the Mall of America. On Sunday, 6/6, we played at 4th Baptist Church in Plymouth, MN. (where Central Seminary is located). It has been a great week. God has truly blessed.
June 3
It’s been a lot of fun getting to know all of the people in our group. As you can probably imagine, we have some very interesting conversations in the van, as we have a variety of personalities. God put this team together in His sovereign plan, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. We’re growing closer spiritually, relationally, and musically. God has been using our music in Minnesota and Wisconsin this week.
May 28
We travelled to Woodville, WI today. Once there, we helped Pastor Tapp with a few projects involving their new church building. They look forward to what God will do in the future with their expansion. We put on a “Burger Bash” youth activity tonight. We did the games, skits, a musical package, Chip preached, we had burgers (hence the name “Burger Bash”), and we just had an overall great time. It was a great opportunity to reach out to the teens in the church and really connect with them. The seed of the Gospel was sewn and we are praying God will do a great work in the church.
May 27
We packed everything up at the church, and then tried to find Famous Dave’s BBQ. Hayward, WI is the home of the original restaurant. We found it. However, contrary to popular belief, Dave himself does not work there. We then went Frisbee golfing again. We got back on the road to head to Pastor Mielke’s church in Milltown, WI. Our service went very well. They recorded us on HD video and gave us each a copy of the DVD. It was a great day.
May 24
Today, on our off day, we slept in until about 10, played games with Laramie Schroeder’s family (Laramie attends MBBC), got some group practice time in, played tennis, swam, played Frisbee golf, had a pizza party with the pastor and his wife, and played Pictionary. Wow, what a great day off. Days off are fun, but ministry is our main focus. We travel to Hannibal, WI tomorrow. Be in prayer for us!
May 23
Our Sunday morning service in a church was just outside of Iron Mountain. It was good to see Dr. Dana Everson in this church. The service was a blessing. We got on the road and travelled to Antigo, WI. We played the evening service, and the Lord really gave us strength, as most of us were somewhat tired. God really has been helping and guiding us throughout this tour.
May 22
Today someone pounding on the cabin door awakened us. It turned out to be Keith Kraker, an MBBC student whose family owns the cabin we stayed at. We went up to the house for breakfast, got to ride horses, and then drove to Iron Mountain, MI. We used our fun money to do go-karts and mini-golf. After a WalMart run, we ate dinner at the pastor’s house in Iron Mountain. After dinner, we got the opportunity to climb the world’s largest man-made ski jump, which is near Iron Mountain. The view from the top was breathtaking. We truly got to appreciate the beauty of God’s creation.
May 21
Today we got to go to the DeYoung Family Zoo. This zoo was recently featured on National Geographic. It was sort of a backyard zoo, with lions, tigers, and bears, (“Oh my”) and all sorts of other animals. Will Brown got to feed a 1,000-pound grizzly bear by hand, we got to feed farm animals, and see all sorts of amazing animals. We then travelled to l’Anse, Michigan. However, we did not know that there was a time change on the way to l’Anse. So, instead of arriving at 4:30, we arrived at 5:30 for a 6 p.m.service. Needless to say, we were in a bit of a hurry, but everything worked out and we made it on time. The service was good. We seemed to connect with the people fairly well, and God used our songs for His glory. We then played a game called crazy ball with some members of the church, then went to our host family’s homes. The guys all got to stay in a cabin out in the woods. It was a grand adventure.
May 20
We left Green Bay this morning to travel to Stephenson. We definitely got lost in the U.P. and ended up going down a dirt road that the GPS (which we named Bridgette) told us the church was on. We called the pastor, and he came and found us and took us to the church. The service went well. God seems to really be using the music as well as the testimonies to impact people’s lives. We then played basketball after church and went to our host families' homes.
May 19
Today we helped at the church in Oshkosh. We tore up the nursery, repainted, washed all the toys, ripped up the men’s bathroom, and did various and sundry other jobs. We left in the early afternoon and headed up to Green Bay to Bay City Baptist Church. We practiced, ate dinner, did the service, went down and did a few numbers for the teens in their very cool youth room, and went to our host homes. Tomorrow, we’re leaving Wisconsin to go to Michigan for a few days. It should be fun.
May 18
And so our stay at the Karlovich home comes to a close. Patty made a quiche-like casserole for breakfast, which was spectacular. We then packed up and took a few last pictures together with them. While taking a picture on the dock, part of the dock collapsed and gave us all a scare. It turned out all right. No one was hurt. We left Karlo and Patty with hugs all around, pointing the van southward to our next destination, Oshkosh, Wisconsin. We arrived at the church, set up, practiced, had a light snack, changed, did the service, and then had a wonderful steak dinner with the pastor and his family. Joel, Chris, and I went home with Paul Stevens and his wife. Paul used to do John Davis’ job at MBBC before he retired. It was a good day.
May 17
After sleeping in til 10 this morning, we had a fantastic brunch with Karlo and Patti. We then changed into our swimming attire and took off to the lake (which was just out back). The 50-degree water proved to be a bit chilly, but we swam and water-skied nonetheless. Late in the afternoon, we finally went back inside, sunburned and chilly. We then had an amazing cookout of brats and burgers with the pastor and his family and Karlo and Patti. Then, we spent a relaxing night of roasting marshmallows around the fire and watching a movie. All in all, it was a very good first day off. This summer is going to be a blast.
May 16
We started our first Sunday on tour with waffles at the Skinner’s house. We went to church, and Micah joined us just before Sunday school started. Micah had been at his brother’s wedding in southern Illinois, and he and his father drove all night to join us in Rhinelander.
Our morning service went very well. We then ate lunch at Pastor Ring’s house. After a wonderful meal of teriyaki chicken, we played tennis with their son, Kent. We then said our goodbyes and drove to Lake Tomahawk, Wisconsin. The pastor told us we didn’t have to wear coats or ties, so we rolled up our sleeves and played a 50-plus minute music service.
Afterwards, we ate with the church people downstairs. We (the guys) are staying with a man named Karlo Karlovich, whose house is on the lake. We went out and looked at his homemade teepee, their dock, and Chris tried to catch a fish with his bare hands (unsuccessfully). We’re looking forward to a great day of practice and water sports tomorrow.
May 15
“Well, kids, we love you. Have a great trip, be safe, and serve the Lord.” With these parting words from Dr. Brown, we left MBBC at 12:38, only to stop in 8 miles at Johnson Creek to eat lunch. The spirit of excitement is still present as we travel to Rhinelander, Wisconsin for our first service.