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You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

Matthew 5:3 (The Message)

Traveling to Fergus, Ontario

July 21

Day 1

It’s been two months since we traveled in the International Chapel, so I was looking forward to this road trip.

We were ready for the road by 9:15 a.m.

My portable office is ready: electric hookup for my computer (via converter and truck power outlet), cell phone, and coffee.

While crossing the Clarks Ferry Bridge near Harrisburg, we saw this white crane searching for its breakfast.

A field of sunflowers

The Turkey Ranch – our favorite lunch stop when on Route 15 N

I would not like this person’s job. This was a very steep hill, which the photo does not properly show.

It was a beautiful day for traveling.

Our destination for the day was the chapel at Pembroke, New York. Cerwin’s first job was to help Chaplain David Smith clean the air conditioner.

I asked David to pose like he was going to spray water on Cerwin.

Earlier in the day we called retired chaplain Earl Carlson to tell him that we would be at the chapel by late afternoon. We were pleased that he came to see us and watch the air conditioner cleaning process.

Before long we noticed an approaching storm.

Cerwin parked the chapel behind the permanent chapel. It was fun watching drivers do a double-take when seeing two chapels. As we were approaching the truck stop, a driver even called Chaplain David to ask if he was getting a new chapel.

Shortly after the air conditioner was installed the sky opened with pouring rain.

By bedtime the rain had stopped and we slept comfortably in the chapel living quarters (the one in which we were traveling).

Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.

Romans 12:16 (The Message)

Cemetery Vandalism

At Kreider Church of the Brethren

Wednesday, July 28

I was going to post the first twenty pictures from our trip to Fergus Truck Show, Fergus, Ontario, last week, but since this is a current event, and was on the local news tonight, I decided to post this ahead of our trip.

Over the weekend vandals overturned about ninety tombstones in the historic Kreider Church of The Brethren Cemetery, Manheim, PA, a church owned by our congregation. Today about twenty men from our church and a monument company uprighted the heavy stones.

The men were careful to treat each stone with respect and care. In this case they spent a lot of time leveling the ground for this set of stones.

They kept working until it was perfect.

Glenn and Gerald uprighting the stone with two head markers.

Josh Diffenderfer reading a very old stone.

Putting a stone in place by using at truck hoist.

Notice the monument employee on the right operating the remote as John and Marlin put the stone on its base.

I understand that they finished about 2:00 p.m.

As I was leaving, I noticed Eileen Heller weeding around the men’s outhouse. She brought her two youngest sons to help with the tombstones, and decided to do something worthwhile while she waited for the men to finish their job.

Somebody keeps this outhouse looking good.

This church is only used a few times each summer for a community hymn sing.

~~~ 

I found an interesting website concerning the vandalism. If you are interested, go to http://lancastergraveyardrabbit.wordpress.com/

~~~

 I write this to you whose experience with God is as life-changing as ours, all due to our God’s straight dealing and the intervention of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Grace and peace to you many times over as you deepen in your experience with God and Jesus, our Master.

2 Peter 1:1& 2 (The Message)

Flowers ~ Sunday School Picnic

Sunday Evening, July 18

Mailing the Highway News

Visiting Great-Grandma

Monday, July 19

While getting a few groceries on Saturday morning, I purchased these flowers for the pavilion on Sunday.

While looking through the rows of flowers on the Peters’ Farm, I saw these and inquired about them. They are Lisianthus.

They decorated the tables for the Hershey Reunion (previous post) and our Sunday School picnic in the evening.

Following the Hershey Reunion on Sunday afternoon, we changed the tablecloths, refreshed the juice and water containers, and put new candles in the small lanterns on the table in preparation for our Sunday School Class Picnic Supper.

We had a great evening of visiting. I especially enjoyed Rachel Fahnestock’s suggestion that the ladies sit in a tight circle, and share – one-by-one – what is going on in their life at the moment. It turned out to be a very special evening. I think the men did their normal visiting – talking about hunting, jobs, farming, and whatever was happening in their lives.

On Monday morning we cleaned up the pavilion things, then prepared for the arrival of granddaughters Diana and Gloria, and Alta and Don Hollinger who helped label the individual Highway News in preparation for mailing.

The process takes six of us almost two hours.

This was the first time the girls helped, and I think they enjoyed it.

The girls stayed at our house until evening when we visited my stepmother (their great-grandma Velma) who was at Pleasant View Retirement Community. She had surgery two weeks earlier, and came here for ten days of rehab – mostly to regain her strength.

My Aunt Lois was visiting when we arrived. You met her at the Hershey Reunion in the previous post.

Velma was going home the next day, and is doing quite well.

~~~

After this we took the girls home, and spent the next day preparing for a six-day trip to Fergus, Ontario, Canada.

It was during this trip that I did not have access to the Internet – the reason I was offline for several days. I will begin our trip photos tomorrow night.

~~~

Hershey Reunion

Sunday, July 18

This is why we needed to clean up the fallen trees and branches on Saturday.

We had a great turnout. I counted eighty, and a few more people came after that.

These relatives like to come here, because this is the farm where my dad and his siblings grew up.

Some of my aunts and uncles grandchildren – and one of our grandsons

My cousin Joyce, her son Kevin (with hat – facing her), and his sons.

Heidi – my sister’s granddaughter

Our grandson Jared wanted me to take a picture of this centipede-like critter. He asked me to count its legs, but that was impossible, as it was always moving.

Molly pushing her cousin Caleb on the swing.

Now it’s Caleb’s turn to push Molly.

Playing in the sand

Regan and Jaime (brother and sister) in the playhouse above the swings. 

Diana swinging

Gloria gathering something

David – nephew of Jim and Joyce who are siblings

Three of my aunts in the foreground – Romaine, Lois, and Erma

Cousins – Marian and Lucille

Visiting during the afternoon

Baby Benjamin fell asleep in his grandma Brenda’s arms.

~~~

It was a great afternoon.

~~~

Be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.

1 Peter 5:6-7 (The Message)

Saying Farewell to Trish & Bible School

Tuesday, July 13

Our breakfast was bittersweet, because I knew this was probably the last time I would visit with Trish http://i-was-there-and-back-again.xanga.com/ face-to-face for a long time, as their family is moving to the west coast.

We had a great morning, and I pray that she and her family will receive God’s richest blessings.

That evening we attended our Bible School.

Our superintendents and teachers do a fabulous job of preparing a great Bible school.

A view before I went up the steps to the balcony.

I am amazed at the talent of those who do the sanctuary decorating.

The subject was on Egypt, and the need to show our children that God’s Word connects to every area of our lives and is as relevant today as it was thousands of years ago .

There was a large pyramid – which I failed to photograph – that went from the floor to the top of a six-foot ladder on the balcony.

Welcome by the superintendent

Devotions

Childrens’ Story – which is one of the reasons we chose to attend on Tuesday evening – our niece Chelsey (seated on stage) was involved in the short play.

These three “Love Ladies”(right) were trying to convince Chelsey to join their group (a cult), but because she knew enough about the Bible and had a friend (seated) who backed her up, she did not fall for their convincing lines.

I had a busy week, so this was the only evening I attended. Cerwin was able to attend one other night.

We’re Back! Now to Catch Up On The Past Two Weeks

A Storm in Our Area

July 12 to 17

While were were away – about an hour – during the late afternoon of July 12, a wind/rain storm came through and downed two trees and a large branch in our woodlot.

We could hardly believe what we saw, because we had only gone a few miles – to pick up the TFC truck at a garage. We drove through a bit of rain, but no wind.

The pavilion area was littered with leaves and branches.

They were laying in domino effect, but the tree in our yard barely touched the tree in my brothers yard. It was the second tree that took down a large branch of another tree.

A bit later I received a phone call from my brother-in-law, Marlin, saying that his wife (my sister, Nancy) had been taken to the ER at Ephrata, because a large barn door knocked her over as she and some family members were walking away from the barn. They own a quilt auction, and had been sorting quilts in a refurbished section of the barn.

She came home from the hospital that night – with several stitches in her head and heel, and lots of bruises and scratches. We praise the Lord that her injuries were not more serious.

Tuesday afternoon our grandson Jordan (above) and Cerwin cleaned up some of the smaller branches and leaves.

Saturday morning our grandson Nathan (above), our son Jeff, and my brother Dale cleaned up the larger branches. 

It looks like worms or bugs had weakened this tree.

Dale, Nathan, and Jeff removing a low-hanging branch.

In the process they discovered another tree that looked like it could fall down with the next storm. Knowing that there was going to be a large group of people at the pavilion the next day, they decided to pull it over with a large farm tractor.

Jeff, Nate, and Cerwin preparing to tie the rope to the tractor.

It didn’t move as quickly as they hoped, so Jeff cut a notch in the trunk.

They didn’t plan that it would land right on top of our lilac bush. However, after the branch was removed, the bush looked just fine.

Dale, Nate, Jeff, and Cerwin spent the next few hours cleaning up, and by evening the area was ready for a family reunion the next day.

While taking the tree pictures, I decided to show you that we are surrounded by beautiful, tall corn this year.

This field is on the southeast side of our house, and across the road are my brothers’ and our neighbor Eli’s fields. To our east (my back in this photo) is Rich’s field.