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Keep the Faith

But Not to Yourselves.

A picture taken as we traveled home from Ohio on Sunday.

It Is Good To Be Back!

Friday

We had a good nights sleep in our own bed and were on the road again by 10:00 AM.  Our first stop was to pick up my repaired laptop, then to Marietta to take the chapel to Newtown Square, PA.  We stopped for fuel and took time for a hot dog before the final leg of our trip to the Philadelphia area.   

Cerwin and Chaplain David Hoy set up the chapel, while Trisha and I did some touch-up cleaning on the inside.

Trisha served us a delicious Italian supper.  Her Italian mom even made homemade noodles for the meal! 

Chaplain David Hoy told the Spruce Street Baptist youth about his and Trisha’s ministry to truckers on the Transport For Christ chapel at Petro Stopping Center, Elkton, MD.  Following that, the young people proceeded to their evening activity, and we enjoyed coffee, dessert, and wonderful fellowship at the Hoy’s house before getting a good nights rest.

Saturday

We were out of the house early to take the chapel to the Pancake Breakfast at Aldan Union Church, Aldan, PA.  This event is part of their week-long Mission’s Conference.  The morning is designed as a time when church members have opportunity to get to know their missionaries on more personal terms. 

David and Cerwin set up the chapel steps.

We were parked across the street from the church, and many people took advantage of the beautiful weather to visit the chapel and hear about our ministry to truckers.

Many children, some adults, even a few seventy and eighty-year-old women, enjoyed that Cerwin encouraged them to get a “trucker’s view of the world” by sitting in the cab of the truck.  A favorite of the children was blowing the air horn! 

Trisha was busy at the TFC display in the church, David was in the living quarters, and I greeted people as they entered the chapel area.  One of the benefits of attending a missions conference is the added financial and prayer support the chaplain and ministry receives.  This is the main reason we have a chapel just for promotional work at churches, schools, fairs, truck shows, etc.  (Working chapels stay parked at truck stops where chaplains serve on a daily basis.)

After the last visitor left, we prepared the chapel for travel, and lingered over a late (2 PM) lunch in an Irish restaurant with David and Trisha.

We pulled into our Marietta office about 4:30 PM.  When we got home, I was disappointed to discovered my Internet was down.  (When I finally had time to call the D & E technician on Monday afternoon, I discovered it was something to do with the electric being off for a short time when we were away.)

Sunday

Sunday was a different kind of day, weatherwise.  We traveled through rain during most of the trip to Ohio.  It was a good morning for reading and listening to tapes.  David Hoy called on the cell phone to comment on God’s goodness in giving us sunshine and warm weather the day before! 

My favorite trucker enjoys driving as much as I enjoy riding in the passenger seat!

When we arrived at the Christian school near Kidron, OH, to park the chapel, we were surprised to discover that someone had wrapped our car in toilet paper!  There was some kind of sporting event there during the weekend, and I guess someone thought our car looked like it needed to be decorated!  I collected the rain-soaked toilet paper as well as I could, but by the time we got to our first stop it had dried, and we were amused that our berry colored CRV, was now speckled with tiny pieces of white toilet paper!

Our “toilet paper speckled car” – before going through a car wash – when we got home last night.

We are grateful to the Lord for safety during the MANY miles of travel the past four days.  Thanks to those who prayed for us.

We Had A Great Trip To And From Ohio Yesterday

We were out of our house by 4 AM, and after two pit stops, arrived at Gary and Pearl’s house (near Kidron, OH) about 11 AM.  Gary is the Great Lakes Region Director for TFC.  After a short visit, we enjoyed lunch in a restaurant next to the Kidron Auction Barn, which was a beehive of activity as it was auction day.  The restaurant was full of farmers who were in town to buy and sell animals.

Gary & Pearl Nussbaum’s House

Our next stop was picking up the chapel.

Gary showed Cerwin everything he needed to know about driving the rig.

It’s been a while since I was in a truck, so it was neat seeing everything from a higher perspective.

We enjoyed seeing several flocks of turkey and a few deer.

We were at the TFC Headquarters, near Marietta, PA, by 8:15 PM.

Pray for Safety on the Road Today

We’re on our way to Ohio to bring the Transport For Christ mobile chapel to Pennsylvania. 

We will take it to a mission’s conference on Friday and Saturday.

Those Who Serve The Lord Have Awesome Bodyguards!

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,

and he delivers them. 

Psalm 34:7 NIV

The Angel of the Lord guards and rescues all who reverence him.

Psalm 34:7  LIV

 Monday, March 6

Manheim Central did not have school on Friday and Monday, due to parent/teacher conferences, so our ten-year-old granddaughter, Jenna, called and asked if she could spend the night and help me in the office one of those days. 

Since I was finishing a newsletter on Thursday afternoon, and needed Friday to regroup and get ready for the weekend, I suggested that Monday would work best.  I also had to go to the International Office to ship Ministry Material (while Rose Gehman is in Iowa enjoying a new grandchild) and I knew there would be things for Jenna to do there.

Jenna enjoyed putting 3,000 envelopes into packs of 100.

She also helped me pack and ship several items, unpacked some things that had recently arrived, stuffed envelopes for the ladies at the office, and vacuumed the Ministry Material room after we were finished.

Following work in the Marietta Office, we met Cerwin at TCW Computers to order a new laptop.  They are going to look at my old one to see if it or anything on it can be salvaged. 

Saturday Afternoon and Sunday Morning were Faith-Stretching

After the prayer breakfast, we followed Chaplain David Hoy to his and Trisha’s home in Newtown Square – near Philadelphia)  

We had never been to their home, so enjoyed a short tour and coffee and cookies before settling down to review a TFC PowerPoint presentation we had worked on at Camp Hebron several weeks ago – in preparation for a Mission’s Conference.  I set up the slides, sent them copies, and they prepared the script.   

However, when I tried to boot my laptop – there was nothing!  It had crashed!  After trying several times, we decided to call the technician who would be assisting us at church the next morning – to see if we could review it at church.  Thankfully I had saved the program on a CD, because I wasn’t sure how the church wanted it (laptop or CD).  He was not be available until 9 PM.  That was too late for us.

I asked if they had any friends who had a laptop.  They immediately thought about their friend, Mark.  He did, and after asking me a few questions, we decided it would probably work – it did!

By this time it was late afternoon, so we decided to review the presentation – so I could coordinate the slides with their script.   

Trisha in the kitchen and David slicing subs.

The first review went pretty well, but we decided we wanted to do it one more time.  Before that, they served us a delicious, supper.  Following the second review, we felt ready for the morning service.

We arrived at Aldan Union Church, Alda, PA, during the early service on Sunday, set up the TFC display in the room where the other missionaries had their displays, then waited for the fifteen-minute break between church and Sunday school – which was our time to set up our PowerPoint in the sanctuary.  David and Trisha were speaking to the Adult Sunday school class of about 500 people. 

We got to the front of the sanctuary where the technician was busy working on the missionary’s presentation who would follow us.  He was having trouble getting that one to work, but finally it was our turn.  He chose the CD I had along, but for some reason his computer couldn’t read it, so I turned on my borrowed laptop – and finally – one minute before the presentation – our PowerPoint was on screen!

As soon as that presentation was over (it went incredibly well, and nobody knew what we had been through!), we went next door to show it to the Adult Special Needs Sunday school class of a dozen people.  That one was done on a large TV, and was particulary rewarding because they loved the pictures and asked lots of questions.

Finally, it was time to go to the second service, relax, and enjoy someone elses efforts!  We were blessed to hear James O’Neill, President of CrossWorld.  He gave us a lot of really good challenges on missions, but what I remember most is this one:

He once read that Coke has a goal of having a Coke machine in every village in the world.  Why does the Christian Church not have a goal of having a fellowship of believers in every village in the world?  (Now we knew why there was a can of Coke near the pulpit!  It was his visual for the morning.)  He mentioned that he had visited a lot of villages in the world, and many of them do have Coke machines, but there are still two billion people who have not heard about Jesus.

  Saturday Morning

We were out of the house early – 6 AM – to attend a prayer breakfast at the Petro Stopping Center, Elkton, MD. I snapped this photo through the front car window as we were going by a cemetery about half-an-hour from home.

We had a great time with the TFC chaplains, drivers, and friends.

 Chaplain Sam Houchins (left) introduced the speaker, Gordon Valentine.

Gordon is in the early stages of preparing to come on staff with TFC fulltime.  We are so pleased about that, as he is a real solid Christian.   

The Elkton chaplains were most pleased that Jimmy came to the breakfast.

He is a lumper (someone who hangs around truck stops looking for jobs of loading and unloading trucks) and has been in and out of this truck stop for years.  This is the first time he consented to come to a TFC service of any kind.

This chapel has one of the best locations in the ministry.

Every truck driver who enters the Petro has to walk past it!  Not many chapels get placed this close to the entrance. 

In an effort to keep life simple and uncluttered at our house, we rarely buy new items anymore, unless we must replace something that is old – which happens now and then, since we have been living here 38 1/2 years! 

But last summer we watched one of the worlds best chainsaw carvers (Dennis Beach) carve this beautiful hummingbird at the Manheim Farm Show, and fell in love with it.  So when it came up for auction a few hours later, we began bidding – and got it.  It amazes me that something this delicate can be designed by a chainsaw.  It is 15″ high. 

Cerwin and I enjoy watching anyone who is highly skilled in designing things with wood, and often marvel at the God-given talent of human beings. 

He [God] has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as craftsmen,  designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers – all of them master craftsmen and designers.  Exodus 35:35 NIV

Iditarod 2006 Begins This Weekend

I am not sure why I find this one-thousand-one-hundred-mile-plus dog sled race from Anchorage to Nome fascinating.  I don’t even like going outside for my almost-daily walk if I must wear a sweater!  I use my treadmill or walking videos unless the weather is just perfect.

But, each year, at the end of February, I go to the Iditarod website; print the bios of everyone who is racing – there are eighty-three mushers this year; read their story; pick my favorites; and follow it a bit each morning and evening on the Internet.  OLN does carry it on TV, but by the time they air it, the events are over.  One story I found fascinating this year is Peter Bartlett’s.  He and his wife live in a 16′ x 24′ cabin, with plank flooring, no running water, and just recently got electricity.  Their wall decorations are dog harnesses. 

Consequently, when Cerwin and I celebrated our 40th Wedding Anniversary in 2003 by flying to Anchorage and renting a motorhome to travel some of Alaska’s interior, I wanted to visit the Iditarod Headquarters.

We had seen several advertisements for dog sled rides, but they were not the right timing, too expensive, too long, or something, so when we saw that the Headquarters offered a $5.00 ride (on wheels) for a few minutes, we thought this is where we get our dog sled experience.

I remember being surprised by how quiet the ride was.  I never thought about dog’s feet not making any sound when they run.

Since that trip, my favorite musher to follow is Jessie Royer.  She was our tour guide at Susan Butcher’s kennel during a riverboat trip.  She was also at the Athabascan Indian Village – across the river – to teach us more about sled dogs.  

Jesse came in 8th last year.

Since we’re in Alaska – I’ll show you a few scenes from our helicopter ride to Mt. McKlinley, which was THE HIGHLIGHT of our trip.

The first two photos were taken as we entered the foothills of McKinley.  I like these because you get a perspective of the scenery – due to seeing some of our helicopter surroundings.  The first picture is not a road – but a glacier slowly moving down the mountain!

The next photo is the top of Mt McKinley.  We were so blessed to see it.  We were told that only ten percent of tourists get to see the top – due to clouds or fog.

Flying in a helicopter around this area of Mt McKlinley was one of the most awesome travel experiences of my life.  THE MOUNTAIN was everywhere.  Tears were running down my cheeks from this breathtaking beauty.