Tag Archives: Travel

Seeing God Work

We saw many answers to prayer for the Wichita conference. As it approached, snow was in the forecast. That pretty much went away, and there was only a slight dusting. We prayed for families. God gave us many! We prayed for open hearts. God gave incredible hearts! We prayed that husbands and wives would come together, and they did!

Friday set up went great. It was fun to have Joseph and Elissa with us. Elissa pitched right in and helped with the book tables, while Joseph worked on the music set up. They practiced music, and it seemed like time flew! At 5 p.m., we began with three sessions. Dad did the business session, Mom the Schedule Triage, and I gave the writing session. We all had awesome groups and good interactions.

That evening, it was a treat having Joseph and Elissa join in the music. Elissa played her guitar on several songs, and she and Joseph sang “Channels Only.” We each gave our 5-minute talk about a passion of our heart, and it’s such a joy to share!

Saturday went smoothly. We all enjoyed fellowshipping with the many families who attended. Our hearts are to encourage believers in their walk with the Lord Jesus and their relationships with their families. So many people are hungry for like-hearted fellowship, and we love to be apart of helping them meet each other. God is good! Joseph gave his Who Is Jesus to You? session for young people after lunch.

We are very grateful for each family who came. One came all the way from Minneapolis, MN. We had families attend from all over Kansas, and some from Oklahoma. Thank you all!

A special thank you to our coordinator for all she invested.

Love,
Sarah

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Anna Marie and Joshua made cookies for us to bring.

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We had a great time of fellowship with several families at the hotel's breakfast room Friday evening.
We had a great time of fellowship with several families at the hotel’s breakfast room Friday evening.

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Saturday dawned beautiful.

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Here’s Mary with two cute little ones before Saturday’s first session.DSC_4575

A grandpa with his granddaughter
A grandpa with his granddaughter

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Talking!DSC_4599DSC_4619DSC_4624

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I couldn't help but smile to myself when I saw this.
I couldn’t help but smile to myself when I saw this.

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Joseph’s session.DSC_4666DSC_4671

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DSC_4686DSC_4692DSC_4716DSC_4740One of our friends offered to take a picture of us girls, and I am grateful. We don’t often get pictures together, and it was sweet to have our new sister-in-law in it too!

“Because thy lovingkindness is better than life,
my lips shall praise thee.”
Psalms 63:3 

Good-bye, Uriah.

It all began in December 2007, and it’s ending in November 2014. A picture is worth a thousand words.

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We are so grateful to the Lord for the time we had Uriah. It was quite the journey converting him from a leaky metal box on wheels to a home. He was home for us no matter where we were.

We found out that the main chassis frame is rusting through. It is beyond our capabilities to repair, so after prayer the decision is that we won’t be traveling with him any longer. We will be back to van, cargo trailer, and hotel rooms for future conferences such as the Wichita, KS Energize! conference.

We have been so blessed for these years, but the time has come. We don’t know exactly what his fate will be. We will decide in the next two weeks. Since you all are such a part, we wanted to tell you about this new season in our lives. God is good all the time.

“O come, let us sing unto the Lord:
let us make a joyful noise to
the rock of our salvation.”
Psalm 95:1

A Family Kayak Trip to the Gulf of Mexico

This morning we set out a bit earlier than yesterday, because Dad needed to be back by 9:30. Jesse, who was extremely helpful again, launched us all, and then he and Anna took one of the two-seater boats. We paddled for the gulf again, and this time, we explored a different area. It was a calm morning, so the water was pretty easy-going.

I took a single-seater kayak, managed pictures, and didn’t drop my phone (very positive!). It is slightly risky to take a phone out, but if I felt I was in danger of tipping for some reason, I’d stick it back in my waterproof pouch. Now, unseen dangers such as a manatee coming up underneath you, and accidentally flipping your boat–that could pose a problem. But that didn’t happen.

On the way back, we saw some very interesting creatures that we’d seen the day before. Anna, Jesse, and Mary tried to get close but never succeeded in figuring out what they were. They seemed to be a bit like long, thick snakes (shudder).

We’ve so enjoyed our time here! We’ll be going out in the boats one final time, Lord willing, tonight. Tomorrow morning, we pack up and head for the Atlanta area.

Sarah
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We also saw bald eagles. If you look at where the arrow points, Mr. or Mrs. Eagle was there. 
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“But I am the LORD thy God,
that divided the sea, whose waves roared:
The LORD of hosts is his name.”
Isaiah 51:15

Where We Are

We have been blessed with several days of R&R at a river house near the Gulf. Special friends have lovingly given us time here!

Despite the inches and inches of rain this area of Florida is receiving, we’ve managed some time out on the water (without rain!) and look forward to more. We’re here until Thursday when we move to the Atlanta area. I’ll leave you with some pictures from today. We had an amazing conference this past weekend outside of Orlando.

Pretty good stuff here, guys.
Pretty good stuff here, guys.
Follow the leader, and please, keep up your pace.
Follow the leader, and please, keep up your pace.
It's shore wet out here (a Florida egret).
It’s shore wet out here (a Florida egret).

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“Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times;
and the turtle and the crane and the swallow
observe the time of their coming;
but my people know not the judgment of the LORD.”
Jeremiah 8:7

Savannah, Georgia

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Our sweet friends hosted our Savannah conference Thursday night. It was unusual because it was a sister–brother team who were the actual conference coordinators! The Charleston conference was coordinated by an older teen girl too. I believe those three were the youngest coordinators we have had. They all did superbly well! The P family was also very generous to provide a delicious dinner before the conference started.

There was one mom at the conference who had just started homeschooling a week before under difficult circumstances. She was so overwhelmed by where to start. She came to the conference, and afterward she said it was just what she needed to give her direction and encouragement! How exciting!

Mom said she had the liveliest group of ladies in her session so far. They laughed and seemed to have a wonderful time as she talked about how to have an awesome day.

We also enjoyed parking again overnight at the L family’s home and fellowshipping with them in addition to catching up with necessary work. They had dinner for us and allowed us to make ourselves at home in their home.

Mary

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An adorable 7-month old.
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A sweet lady who invited quite a few to the conference.

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Our brother-sister coordinators.
Our brother-sister coordinators.

 “I will sing unto the LORD,
because he hath dealt bountifully with me.”
Psalms 13:6

On the Road Again

We are continuing to head south, and today’s stop will be Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina (Charleston area). We are grateful for our conference in Boone last night. More on that and last weekend’s later.

Sarah

Sunday night, it was dark when we made it to Boone, so we missed the scenery. It was great seeing it this morning.
Sunday night, it was dark when we made it to Boone, so we missed the scenery. It was great seeing it this morning.

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The girls have taken on cleaning the windshield at stops. Jesse used to, but he fuels now, since Joseph is gone.
The girls have taken on cleaning the windshield at stops. Jesse used to, but he fuels now, since Joseph is gone.

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“The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock;
and let the God of my salvation be exalted.”
Psalms 18:46