Day By Day

This week has been pretty typical for us when we are on the road! We sing most of the evenings and usually do two services on Sunday which make for some pretty full weeks. As we've travelled through South Carolina and Georgia we've been able to meet some of the sweetest people and been so blessed by their southern hospitably! It has also been encouraging to hear how God used a certain song or something that was said in a concert to touch someones heart. It makes it all worth it!

Right now we are trying to get a few new songs worked up and so some of our free time during the day is taken up with practicing! We are hoping to record a new cd as soon as we get home and so we are preparing for that as well!

Some days on the road you are cooped up traveling the whole time and others you have time to get out and do something active which we all enjoy!

Then there are the random stops that we need to take to do laundry, get groceries, wash the bus or dump and fill up tanks.

And every once in awhile we take some time to just enjoy being together! That is one thing that we really do love about traveling. At home everyone has different things to do and places to go, but in the bus we are stuck together all the time! And that has made for some pretty special family memories.

From here we are going to Florida where we will be for quite awhile. We are so thankful for the safe travels thus far and for all the ways that God has shown Himself faithful on this trip.

"I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God 

which was given to you by Christ Jesus." 

1 Corinthians 1:4

Alabama & South Carolina

The last two weeks we have had the joy of working with both We Care and Gospel Express ministries going into the correctional institutions in Alabama and South Carolina. They always host a week of ministry in the prisons and hundreds of volunteers come down to be a part of it. We've been coming for over 15 years and always leave so blessed by our time there!!

The services went really well! We were overjoyed to not only see new souls saved, but also to fellowship with dear brothers and sisters who are on fire for God! A few of the services ended up needing to go longer then planned and by the end of the service we ended up doing a few Christmas songs because we ran out of regular music to do, but they didn't seem to mind! Going into prisons is a highlight for our family every year. The fields are truly white unto harvest and we always come away with hearts full. God is good!!

When you're on the road, any room becomes a classroom!

In between our time in Alabama and South Carolina we were able to spend a day with some dear friends! Their hospitably was so wonderful and we enjoyed our time with them so much!

There also may have been a little fishing involved!
Because what is a trip to the south without a fish fry?!

"But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;
Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them;
Let those also who love Your name be joyful in You."
Psalms 5:11

El Salvador Pt 3

I have one more post filled with pictures from our last few days in El Salvador before I catch you up with what we are doing now!

We ended up doing one more eyeglass clinic which went really well! Once again, there was a steady stream of people that came through over the course of several hours. 

By this time, we had been in El Salvador long enough that we were able to say a few things in Spanish. Which was really fun!! But when it came to saying more then one sentence or trying to understand what someone was trying to tell us, we were sooo thankful for our incredible translators!

On Sunday we were privileged to share in several church services.

And we greatly enjoyed getting to know the people there!

Then one of the days we got to do a little bit of sightseeing!

We found a bus that we could use! Unfortunately, it was unable to get us very far.

We got to see how they dried coffee beans...

walked through a marketplace...

enjoyed the gorgeous views...

As well as the time together!

We were so blessed by our time in El Salvador and are extremely grateful for the wonderful people we met and the opportunities we had to share Christ's love with others. 

If the opportunity arises, we would absolutely love to go back!!

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

Matthew 28:19

Rachel

Happy Birthday Rachel!!

We love you and your darling family so much!!!

"You will show me the part of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy; 

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

Psalms 16:11

El Salvador Pt 2

The next two days in El Salvador were busy as well! This was the view that greeted us outside our window every morning.

This time we headed out of town to a small village! We brought some supplies and Bibles for their church.

 They had just recently put in the cement floor and were so excited about how God was providing for their church.

The picture on the left is what their buildings used to look like,  tree limb walls with local clay plaster. When Pastor Norm first started making trips down to El Salvador the people were meeting under a papaya tree for church.  Slowly but surely they've been working towards what they have today which is the building on the right.  The pastor and men made the concrete blocks themselves which they used to build the church.

Then we split up into a couple groups and went to visit some homes and invite the people out for the service.

There was a family that came with a three month old baby that made Charissa's day!

We started with a service for the children! A puppet show explaining the Gospel...

And Bible story about the precious gift of the Bible, God's message to us!

The service had a grand finale as we got out a piñata,  and the children loved it!

Later that day we had another church service. A lady that came to the children's service earlier in the day came back and asked for a Bible to take home with her. She said couldn't read, but that her husband did, and she wanted to be able to hear those stories as a family and learn more about God. After the service a gentleman said that there was sin in his life that he wanted to repent of and recommit his life to serve God.

The next day we headed out to do some door to door witnessing.

I didn't take pictures of that part, but we did get to talk to several people and it was such a blessing to be able to lead one young lady to the Lord!!

One of the places we walked past was a gorgeous farm! They said we could walk around and enjoy it for a bit, so we did!

It was like walking in a tropical storybook!!

I was having a lot of fun capturing pictures of it all, and I think I will let them speak for themselves.

                           We enjoyed another tradition: backflips....this time on the mountain top!

"Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name;

Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness."

Psalms 29:2