As a last minute “invitation” to our blog readers, we’re doing a service tonight here in Woodland, Washington, outside of Vancouver. We’d love to have you! It begins at 6:30 p.m.
Woodland Christian Church
430 Buckeye St.
Woodland, WA 98674
Sarah
“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. 2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing” (Psalms 100:1-2).
Thursday when Dad and Mom were out for a walk, they noticed a retirement home. They went in to see if maybe we could play some music that evening for them.
It turned out that the administrator and another man that worked there attended the church where we sang the night before. After all the details were set up, we left, ran a few errands, and came back to set up.
It was a men’s only home, and they greatly enjoyed our music. Many of them were veterans, and Christopher used some stories from Grandad’s Army life to illustrate salvation to them. During America the Beautiful, it was so sweet to see many of the veterans singing along. America truly is the country that they poured their lives out for!
Our hearts were full, and we were very blessed that we were able to minister to those in that home.
This gentleman could have joined right in with us during music, because he was matching as well!
These two men are shaking hands to show that they are going to keep each other accountable to reading the Bible every day!
“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” (James 1:27)
Anna
We’re a little behind in debriefing on our week. The invitation to do a Wednesday evening service in White City had only come the week before, and we were happy to accept. We love to share at any opportunity given.
People were so friendly and kind; it was a blessing to share with the church. The pastor’s family provided white-chicken lasagna before the service. We love fellowshipping with other believers, and Oregon was no exception!
Sarah
The pastor's twins! Aren't they cute?
“The hope of the righteous shall be gladness…” (Proverbs 10:28).
After another incredible weekend, our hearts are full of what the Lord did. We will be catching up on some blog posts hopefully tomorrow, in between church services, rest, and family time.
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand” (1 Corinthians 15:1).
The conference is underway, and tonight was such a blessing. The Lord brought a wonderful group of families out for it: one family even came from Spokane, and I know other families drove a distance too.
Please be in prayer with us for the sessions Saturday. We’re excited to be able to share!
Sarah for the rest
“But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation” (1 Peter 1:15).
“I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Psalms 34:1).
Back at Christmas time we mentioned how Aunt Tami and Uncle Rob gave us money for a treat on the road! We spent part of it yesterday when we enjoyed Dairy Queen, after a concert at a retirement home in White City. It was a nice time of refreshing afterwards, and we were able to share all of the stories of the conversations we had with the elderly.
Thank you, Uncle Rob and Aunt Tami!
“How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalms 119:103)
Anna
Mom, visiting with a friend that was able to come to the conference. We enjoyed seeing you.
The Redding conference was a blessing. The conference coordinator treated our family to burgers and fries from the famous In and Out Burger chain. That was the first time that we had In and Out Burgers, and they were great.
It was a highlight to be able to meet the homeschool father who has helped us so much by advising us of the California road conditions. We were also able to see some friends, whom we have known for a while, which was a special blessing.
The location for the conference was a tad unusual. It was held in a Christian college facility. Loading the books in took a little longer then usual simply because we were on the second floor, and we had to hand carry all of our materials. And because of the distance to tote our items, we didn’t do any music that night.
It was fascinating to see a scale model of the Tabernacle, which was on display in one of the rooms where the conference was held. We have just been reading about the Tabernacle in our family Bible time. We have discussed the different aspects of it, and amazingly the Lord provided a model for us to look at.
We had the privilege of parking in front of a family’s house, for the night. It was a perfect location to park and quiet. We were able to fill up with water, and we also had an electrical hookup too. The next morning we enjoyed playing with their little ones. The little two year old especially reminded me of Abigail.
John
“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Psalms 16:11).
The replica of the temple.
Dad and the dad who helped figuring out when the best time was to drive over the passes.
Enjoying the beautiful day.
Stopping for a quick picture.
Yesterday was a beautiful drive through mountains as we traveled from Redding, California, to White City, Oregon. The Wednesday evening church service went well and I believe a report will be forthcoming. Today has been a quiet day: rest, exercise, email, work, school, catching up on blogging, etc.
The road behind.
View out the front as we descend from the pass.
The road ahead.
“His foundation is in the holy mountains.”
(Psalms 87:1)
Thank you Jesse for washing the bus! It’s not an easy process (Uriah stands just short of 13 feet tall!), but it sure is nice to have done.
“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”
(Psalms 51:7)
Music was a little interesting, first because the bass wasn’t ready so that was hurriedly prepared, and then Christopher’s mandolin and harmonicas were accidentally left in the bus which meant some last minute changes.
Each one of the boys do such a wonderful job of helping with the conference. Here Joseph is packing up things for Dad and Mom.
Jesse and a young man looking at a tract together.
“My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness.” (Psalms 119:172)
Anna
We will be doing a church service tonight in White City, and in the event some of our blog readers would enjoy attending, we wanted to post! White City is outside of Medford.
We’ll be sharing through music, testimony, and preaching.
The service begins at 7 p.m.
Liberty Baptist Church
3100 Antelope Rd.
White City, OR 97503
Hope to see some of you!
Sarah for the rest
“O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens” (Psalms 8:1).
We safely made it over the pass. Just after the boys put the chains on and we started up the road, the chain restrictions were repealed! It was a good exercise to get the chains on, but Dad was a little disappointed that we had to take the time to do that. The roads were just fine, and we thank the Lord for guiding us safely over.
Chains were required - at first!
John and Joseph did a great job putting on the chains.
Christopher used the umbrella to shield the camera from snow.
Anna
“I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust” (Psalms 91:2).
The guys did a great job (pictures on that later), but we’re definitely in the snow area. The Lord provided a perfect place to chain up. It’s snowing, but not white-out conditions. Please keep praying!
Update: Right after we chained up, they ended the chain up restrictions. So, we only drove about 10 minutes or less with chains, and we found a place to take them off. Roads are not snow-packed, just slushy and wet at the moment.
Sarah
“He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler” (Psalms 91:4).
After a great conference last night (report on that later), we’re on our way up to I-80 and the pass! We know there has been fresh snow up there, but hopefully the roads are cleared. Chains are required, so we’ll have our first “chain up” which will make for some interesting blog pictures. Please pray as we go up over the pass, for the Lord’s protection on roads that are obviously not clear or good. Please pray for wisdom for Dad as he drives, for protection from other drivers, and overall protection on the roads.
We have a conference in Redding tonight!
Sarah for the rest
Heading up!
“But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head” (Psalms 3:2-3).
We are at the church, parked in the parking lot, and are all set up for this evening’s conference. Churches have been kind to us in allowing to park and refill with water and recently we have encountered two where they been so extra kind and gracious. what a blessing.
With the winter driving that we’ve recently done and all of the snow that is here in Carson City, Nevada — Uriah has gotten quite dirty. But we anticipate having more winter driving tomorrow as we head back over the mountains to Redding, California, so I doubt the bus will get clean anytime soon! That’s one of the reasons why we named the bus Uriah: he was a mighty warrior. And warriors don’t always have time to stay nice and clean. In fact, when David called Uriah back from the war and encouraged him to go home to his house and wash his feet (1 Samuel 11:8), he choose not to, and instead slept at the gate to the king’s palace.
What a blessing the bus has been to us, and at some point in the next week or two I’m sure we’ll be able to get Uriah all cleaned up!
“Wash me throughly from mine iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.”
(Psalms 51:2)
We are grateful to the Lord for safety He gave as we drove over the Donner Pass yesterday. We saw lots of snow, but the roads were fine. Due to the heavy clouds/fog we weren’t able to see very far, but it was still beautiful.
“By the breath of God frost is given”… (Job 37:10)
Another weekend has come and gone: we just completed our half way mark on weekend conferences. We felt a warm welcome as we arrived at the church Friday afternoon. The set up went smoothly, although the sound was a little harder to work with.
It’s been wonderful to be able to park Uriah at each church; we definitely feel more rested come Saturday morning since we’re not having to take the time to drive to a hotel, then load out in the morning, and drive back to the church! Around 8:30 Saturday morning, families started arriving.
Dad sharing...
Dad had a wonderful group of men–men who were purposing to make godly choices right away, instead of waiting and thinking about them (which often turns into no decision). They were comitted to doing the right thing!
Mom speaking to the ladies.
By the number of ladies who came to talk to Mom after each session, you could tell the Lord was working in hearts!
Sarah and twins who've enjoyed the Moody books.
There were quite a few children who loved the Moody books, and it’s a joy to my heart. The greatest delight I received was from a family who shared that the Moody books were instrumental in bringing their son to the Lord! Praise Jesus.
The book tables kept us very busy!
We always enjoy talking in between sessions as we have time and opportunity.
John and Jackie! Jackie made us miss Honey.
We had a meal and some fellowship with two families after the conference at our coordinator’s home. Anna remarked how much their home felt like home (thanks W. family!). They also let us do laundry–fresh, clean clothes are great!
Anna and her new friend.
Family Bible time!
Our sweet coordinators were a big blessing! They spent many hours preparing meals for our family, publicizing, and all the details entailed with the conference.
Sarah for the rest
“Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness” (Psalms 150:2).
We have been so grateful for a homeschool father who works for the California Highway Patrol. The Lord brought him along our path, and he has been an invaluable resource in helping us get to Sacramento and now to Carson City. He was the one who suggested we go ahead and do the pass on Thursday evening; later, we heard that the pass closed after that!
Then, Dad consulted with him last night about us getting to Carson City. The pass is expecting a lot of snow this afternoon and evening, and maybe some on Monday. He suggested we leave this morning to make it across. The scenery was almost breathtaking: tall pine trees bowed down with heavy snow, a wall on either side of the road of thick-packed snow, mist-shrouded meadows (or valleys?), and of course mountains.
So, we’re happy to be over the pass and ready for tomorrow night’s conference in Carson City. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for again bringing us safely here. We went from short-sleeve weather last weekend in Tucson, to winter weather in Nevada!
Sarah for the rest
We saw sledders! There was definitely a lot of snow to sled on.
See how tall the snow is compared to the car?!
“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:17-18).
We arrived at our conference location mid-afternoon, and the rain had just lifted, so it was perfect timing to unload quickly! Jesse does all the hand-trucking of the books, and he never complains, but has a great attitude about it, even in not-so-wonderful weather conditions.
Mary with some girls Thursday evening.
Sisters looking at Moody books.
Daughters of our coordinator.
The Lord brought many families to the Burbank conference, and it was a blessing to see several back from Wednesday night’s service. Hearts were again receptive to the message!
Sarah for the rest
“He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved” (Psalms 62:2).
Our conference in the Sacramento was another incredible weekend! I know we’re behind on our reports (still need one for Thursday), but here is a picture from today. More posts tomorrow, Lord willing!
Thank you for praying; truly, we are so grateful.
Sarah for the rest
Dad and Mom giving Hearts.
”Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it…” (Psalms 127:1).
We are here at the church, and we’re excited about this weekend’s conference in Folsom (outside of Sacramento)! We arrived around 1 p.m., and after family Bible time, set up was begun, and things are set now.
Thank you for praying. The Lord brought us safely here, and we’re anxious to see what He’ll do through this weekend.
Sarah
I took this last night as we began heading up the pass.
Setting up.
Praying before practicing!
“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Ephesians 3:20).
With school going on in the front of the bus, and Dad working on a message in the back, it can sometimes be hard to find a place to practice music on the bus!
(A picture from earlier this week…)
“I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.” (Psalms 7:17)
We made it over the pass just great. It was not snowing when we went through (and there was no snow on the road); it was pretty much smooth sailing. Thank You, Jesus, for allowing us to make it safely across!
Now, we’re ready for a good night’s sleep so we can drive the rest of the way to Sacramento and be there by early to mid-afternoon to begin set up!
Sarah for all the rest
“This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalms 118:24)
We’re headed for the grapevine pass on I-5 as it’s open now! For those of you who are still up (or in other countries), we would appreciate your prayer. I’ll update again later! The Burbank conference was wonderful–pictures later on that.
Sarah
“He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler” (Psalms 91:4).