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The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
I will advise you and watch over you.

Psalm 32:8 (New Living Translation)

 

 

Many Things Going On

 

 

Cell Phone Photo

Jordan (left), Josiah, and Cerwin went to the Sportman’s Show at Harrisburg Farm Show Complex on February 7 and were pleased to meet Mark (right), the outfitter from Western Kentucky where Cerwin, Jeff, Jordan, and Nathan will be hunting in November.

 

 

On Saturday, February 18, Cerwin shared devotions and a ministry update with those at TFC’s Lancaster Prayer Breakfast.

Please pray for Raymond Hoover (in brown shirt – back to the camera) and his wife, Martha. We received a note from Chaplain David (yellow shirt) yesterday that doctors recently discovered a mass on Raymond’s spine that is causing paralysis from his waist down. At the time of the note he was in the hospital. 

 

 

We enjoyed a Sunday school breakfast at Lititz Family Cupboard on February 25. The winter committee did a great job of decorating the tables.

 

 

 

 

Mark led in devotions before breakfast.

 

 

After breakfast Nancy gave us a sheet of paper with interesting and challenging questions about coffee. I only answered a few questions correctly.

 

 

Ira (standing) gave us the answers.

 

 

After going home and changing to work clothing, we went to help Jeff and Chris prepare Mary Jane’s place and household goods for auction. You may remember that their friend and neighbor Mary Jane passed away last year.

 

 

They were cutting down trees and brush on this day.

 

 

Josiah coming back for another load of branches.

 

 

After helping sort through boxes of items and washing dishes, I walked outside to photograph some of the animals on the farm.

 

 

 

 

The sheep thought I might have food for them and began walking toward me.

 

 

 

 

Mark, Marcy, Cookie, Gene, Joanne, Gerald, Cerwin.

It was wonderful to visit with friends on Sunday evening, February 26, at the home of Gerald and Joanne. The ladies each have birthdays in February, so we have been taking turns hosting this dinner for many years.

 

 

Joanne is a fabulous cook.

 

 

The brisket was so tender, it could be cut with a fork.

 

 

 

 

I was surprised to see crocus blooming at the end of February when the weather was still very cold.

 

 

Now that we have more springlike weather many more flowers are blooming.

 

 

 

We thank you, God, we thank you— your Name is our favorite word; your mighty works are all we talk about.

Psalm 75:1 (The Message)

 

 

TFC Chapel Construction

For Frystown, Pennsylvania

January 26 to March 9

 

Photos by Cerwin, Pastor John, and Inge (International Office).

 

The donated trailer arrived at TFC’s International Shop on Thursday, January 26 – just two days before we left on our cruise – so construction was put on hold until Monday, February 6.

 

 

Early construction involves cutting two doors and a window into the trailer.

 

 

Removing the back trailer doors is also one of the first things that is done after the trailer is pulled in the shop.

 

 

The interior before anything was done.

 

 

Following our weekend at Living Waters Chapel (yesterday’s entry) Cerwin had more volunteers than he has ever had before.

 

 

He is so pleased with the progress of this construction.

 

 

Lunch

 

 

Back to work

 

 

 

 

Lunch the next day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It looks like someone needed a break!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another break?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pastor John looks like he is having fun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the end of last week, they were installing the ceiling. Cerwin doesn’t think he has ever built a chapel so quickly.

Now some of the slower, finish work begins.

 

~~~

Special thanks to each person who helped in this construction.

~~~

 

 

 

Put out of your life hate and lying.

Do not pretend to be someone you are not.

Do not always want something someone else has.

Do not say bad things about other people.

1 Peter 2:1 (New Life Version)

 

Living Waters Chapel & Transport For Christ

Wednesday, February 15 & Sunday, February 19

 

 

It’s been awhile since I followed a chapel – and it was the longest drive I have taken since getting the doctor’s permission to drive, following my December 21 accident.

 

 

Pastor John was there to help us set up the chapel in Living Waters parking lot. He is one of several pastors and also volunteers as a chaplain at TFC’s chapel at Frystown.

 

 

We had many visitors before and after their Wednesday evening worship service, and often heard the words, “Wow”, “Amazing”, and “Cool” – depending on the age group which entered. 

I could tell that one little boy really wanted to see the tractor, because he seemed to be looking for something else when he entered the living quarters, so Cerwin took him outside and allowed him to climb up into the tractor.

 

 

Youth teachers brought their class to the chapel during the evening service so Cerwin could tell them about TFC and chapels in truck stops.

 

 

While Cerwin was doing this, several other TFC staff and volunteer chaplains – most from Frystown Pilot/Flying J Travel Plaza – were in the adult classes telling them about TFC’s ministry to drivers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a fabulous evening.

 

 

We went back on Sunday morning where TFC was featured in both worship services.

Living Waters Chapel is making construction of the new TFC chapel for Frystown a project for their church, and Pastor John is doing his best to recruit more volunteer chaplains (and maybe staff) for that chapel. 

 

 

Some visitors came to the chapel even before going to the worship service.

If you are not familiar with the ministry of TFC, we place chapels like this in truck stops across North America (thirty-four). There are two in Moscow, Russia, and one (a building) in Zambia. We also have two mobile chapels that can operate by generator if necessary. We take these to churches, truck shows, and fairs for promotional work. They can also be placed in truck stops on a temporary basis when necessary. We call them International Chapel #1 and #2. The one you see here is #2. #1 is at the Frystown Travel Plaza (see yesterday’s entry.)

 

 

Chaplain Jim (Frystown) and Bunny O’Hare (Director of Chaplain Wellness) manned the display tables before and after each service.

 

 

 

 

We came inside when it was time for the first service to begin.

 

 

A few greeters remained in the lobby after the beginning of the service.

 

 

The worship team during the first service. Pastor John is on the left playing guitar.

 

 

Bunny and Jim (third from left) shared about TFC in the adult Sunday school class – between the first and second service.

 

 

Cerwin, Bunny, and Chaplain Jim with chapel volunteers from Living Waters.

 

 

Me, Cerwin, Bunny, and Chaplain Jim

 

 

After both services, Sunday school, and showing the chapel to many visitors, Pastor John took us to Golden Corral for lunch.

 

 

I told Pastor John that I wish every TFC chapel and lead chaplain had a church like this – one who supports the chapel with volunteers and finances.

His reply, “I wish every church had a chapel to pray for and support.”

 

 

 

Dear friends, your real home is not here on earth. You are strangers here. I ask you to keep away from all the sinful desires of the flesh. These things fight to get hold of your soul.

1 Peter 2:11 (New Life Version)

 

 

 

Why Is TFC Building a New Chapel

For Pilot/Flying J Travel Center, Frystown, Pennsylvania?

 

 

One of the reasons is that the truck stop was recently purchased by Pilot/Flying J, and the main building is being demolished so a new travel plaza can be built.

 

 

They are projecting that the travel plaza will be ready for use by the end of May. Cerwin is expecting that the new chapel will also be ready by that time.

 

 

Because electric will not be available in the area where the old chapel is parked during the travel plaza construction, Cerwin moved International Chapel #1 into an area of the truck stop that won’t be affected by construction. Also, this chapel can run on generator instead of electricity when necessary.

By the time of this blog entry, it is running on electricity, and will remain here until the new chapel is ready to move into place. Cerwin’s helpers on this day were Glenn, Chaplain Jim (Lead Chaplain at Frystown) and Larry.

 

 

It is parked near the shop on the west side of what used to be the main building.

 

 

Larry, Glenn, and Cerwin setting up the steps.

 

 

The old chapel is beginning to look shabby, so it was decided that a new chapel for this location would better fit in with the refurbished truck plaza. It is one of the oldest in TFC’s fleet and is smaller than most other chapels.

 

 

A few days after moving the International Chapel into the truck stop, the old one was removed.

 

 

We are grateful to Leroy Keens for doing that job.

 

 

Attaching his truck to the chapel.

 

 

This chapel was the first one put in place after Cerwin and I came on staff with TFC in 1990.

It was first placed at the TA Truck Stop, Bloomsbury, New Jersey, then when new owners felt that they no longer had space for it on the premises, it was moved to this travel plaza at Frystown.

 

 

 

 

The tractor is prepared to go to the Keens’ shop between Lititz and Lancaster.

 

 

The chapel is heading to the same place.

 

 

 

 Don’t change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but let God change you inside with a new way of thinking.

Then you will be able to understand and accept what God wants for you.

You will be able to know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect.

Romans 12:2 (Easy-to-Read Version)

 

 

 

Catching Up After the Cruise

February 5 to 15

 

 

Those of you who know us, know that we have not been sitting here twiddling our thumbs – waiting for me to post all of the cruise pictures before getting on with life.

It was fun to extend the cruise memories by spending a month posting pictures – but it is now time to move on.

 

 

On Sunday morning, February 5, just before leaving for Sunday school, I noticed a very large bird in one of our trees. At first I thought it might be an immature eagle, but determined that it was a hawk.

 

 

The red tail hawk is often seen in our area, and as far as I can tell, that is what this is.

 

 

Cerwin went into chapel-construction-mode immediately upon return from the cruise. This chapel will be a replacement for the one that is currently at Pilot/Flying J Travel Center, Frystown, Pennsylvania. (more on that in the near future).

In this photo Glenn Fahnestock is welding where the trailer’s doors had been removed.

 

 

Another major and delightful change in our lives is that our grandson Josiah Myers (from Maine) moved into the guest room of our house.

 

 

You may remember that he recently went to welding school in Florida, so we were pleased that he got a welding job at Binkley & Hurst in Richland, Pennsylvania – about twenty-minutes from us.

 

 

On Sunday, February 12, after church and lunch, Cerwin wanted to check out the location of Living Waters Chapel north of Lebanon, where he would be taking a TFC International Chapel in a few days. We asked Josiah if he wanted to go along and show us where Binkley & Hurst, Richland, was located. He works inside the building where he is standing.

 

 

Because it was Sunday it was closed, so we had to be satisfied with seeing the outside of the buildings.

 

 

Much of their work involves farm equipment.

 

 

On Monday evening, February 13, his sister Abby (who is married and lives about a mile from us) brought us these delicious cookies for Valentine’s Day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was a neat surprise inside – a piece of mint candy.

 

 

The next morning, Valentine’s Day, my sister Nancy took me to Brickerville Restaurant for my birthday breakfast. We live next door to each other (the backs of our houses face each other with a small woodlot between us), but we rarely sit down to just catch up on either others lives.

 

 

Since it was Valentine’s Day, I made one of Cerwin’s favorite stews for supper.

 

 

I also bought him a chocolate/raspberry filled cake at a nearby bakery.

 

 

On Wednesday, February 15, I followed the International Chapel #2 from Marietta to Lebanon (a forty-five minute drive the way we went) when Cerwin took it to Living Waters Chapel where TFC was being featured for the Wednesday evening and Sunday morning worship services.

 

 

In the next few days, I will tell you more about Frystown Chapel Construction and the services at Living Waters Chapel.