Happy 20th Birthday to our sweet Anna! You are a precious ray of joy in our lives, and your love for Jesus exudes from your countenance. You delight in the Lord Jesus, your family, and sharing with those the Lord brings your way. On the road or at home, you are a true delight.
We love you so much!
Your Family 🙂
“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
It was another cool, autumn day, and the pour was scheduled for 10. This time, there was a different driver, and he too was pleased with the cookies. Today’s pour was slower. Part of it was due to the fact that there was something a bit different about the concrete mix, so it was harder to work with. It was supposed to be the same as yesterday’s, but it wasn’t. All in all, it came together, andĂ‚Â Joseph’s driveway looks awesome! It was great to see the way the guys worked as a team to help their brother.
Love,
Sarah
“In all labour there is profit:…”
Proverbs 14:23
Howdy, y’all!
I don’t know if you noticed from pictures this summer, but Joseph’s driveway was badly cracked. It needed to be torn out and replaced. So, while we were on our trip, he hired someone to break up the concrete and haul it off.
Joseph’s first house project upon returning from our trip was to prepare the driveway for the concrete and then have it poured. Today dawned overcast and chilly–the day for Pour #1.
A little after ten, the concrete truck pulled up to J’s house. The Geiger driver said he had been a driver for a pour at our house several years ago. Those pours bring back memories! True to tradition, we gave him a plate of chocolate chip cookies, and he was delighted!
Although the temperature indicated the lower 40’s, the breeze made it feel like the lower 30’s (at least to the one holding the camera). Brrr! However, the guys worked hard, so they warmed up quickly. They each had a job to do andĂ‚Â efficientlyĂ‚Â did it.Ă‚Â Tomorrow, the other half of the driveway will be poured.
Our hearts go out to those who are experiencing Hurricane Sandy. We are praying for those affected and will continue to do so. Please join us in praying!
Love,
Sarah
Now for pictures from this morning.
“Prepare thy work without,
and make it fit for thyself in the field;
and afterwards build thine house.”
Proverbs 24:27Ă‚Â
Pacific, our final stop, already had a special place in our hearts. Earlier this year, many of the ladies and girls in the church did a study on Sweet Journey. They had enjoyed their time in God’s Word while developing a sweeter walk with Him. This was part of their motivation for inviting us to stop at their church on this trip. When we scheduled Pacific, we decided that the first evening would be a conference and the second evening a concert with preaching.
Tuesday, was a restful day. We went over to the pastor’s home for lunch (thank you all!) and fellowship. In the afternoon, we set up the book tables, for the final time on the trip, and caught up on computer things.
We presented different sessions than we normally give during an evening conference, and they went well. I don’t have pictures of each session, because it was not convenient to go into the rooms without being a distraction. My photos can easily be a distraction in two ways. One way involves the location of the door I need to use to enter the room where the session is going. The second is the shutter sound of my camera. It causes those in the room to turn to look. Back in Chicago, during the panel discussion, I was holding my camera when Dad took it to take a few photos while we were answering the questions. As I heard the shutter click, I thought to myself, “No wonder I’m a distraction in the young people’s session when I take pictures. That click was pretty loud!” That evening, as we were having our post-conference chat in the bus, it came out that Dad hadĂ‚Â accidentallyĂ‚Â left his microphone on when he took the photos – a good explanation for an unusually loud shutter click. We all had a good laugh!
On Wednesday the church held a ladies’ luncheon for Mom to talk about scheduling and answer questions. It was a great, small group time, and I loved hearing Mom share!
That afternoon, the younger five practiced music in preparation for the evening concert. It was hard for us to believe that we were down to only one more evening!
Living in the bus is part of being on the road, and that teaches us patience! One can’t move more than five feet without bumping into someone. I’m serious. When preparing for a conference, you might find four of us in a small area: one using the mirror to fix hair, one brushing their teeth, another waiting for the mirror, and yet someone else wanting to get through the hallway.
We still have Mr. Mouse living at large on the bus. Although he was only spotted once, we found evidence that he had chewed into the oats bag. We have set several traps but no success as of yet.
Back to Wednesday. I had gone inside early, and before long an elderly man came in. He had heard about the concert the week before and drove about thirty miles to come! As we talked, my heart was so grateful to the Lord for the blessing of allowing us to share with others. That evening I was also delighted to see the groom’s mom from a recent wedding that Christopher and I had photographed and to be able to chat with her. Pack up time went very quickly. We had great help, and one man actually trucked out all the boxes for Jesse!
Our desire is that the Lord Jesus be glorified and that He would bring lasting fruit from each trip on which He sends us. We have seen clearly His purpose for every conference. We praise Him for the fruit He has given!
We look forward to four months’ of home time. It is a joy to be here and settling into everyday life.
Serving Jesus,
Sarah
“The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned,
that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary:
he wakeneth morning by morning,
he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.”
Isaiah 50:4Ă‚Â
Mrs. Maxwell,
I wanted to say thank you for writing your Sweet Journey Bible Study book. The Lord is working through you in a wonderful way in my home. I have been reading your Bible Study book and then sharing your ideas with my children. This morning my 9 year old daughter asked for a “New Notebook from the School Closet” to start her very own Bible-Reading Journal.
Thank you and your family for such a great example in Christ. You have continued to be a blessing to my family since we started homeschooling 7 years ago. Thank you again.
A mom
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,
and a light unto my path.”
Psalms 119:105Â
A little before 2, we arrived home. What a joy it was to pull into our own driveway. What a job it was to unload. But, we all jumped in, except for John, who had a work deadline and will do his later. We unloaded, unpacked, shopped, baked, addressed invitations for a ladies’ neighborhood brunch, and talked. The little girls helped the aunts unload for a bit. We have missed them!
Love,
Sarah
“And he brought forth his people with joy,
and his chosen with gladness:”
Psalms 105:43