Family Update

We are in week six of our school year, and as the maxim goes, so far, so good. Abigail has been initiated to the delights of cursive writing, and all the details of correct handwriting formation. Josiah is forging ahead in math and English, boggling his way through the dizzying array of terms, formulas, definitions, and diagrams. Esther is still joyfully throwing herself into her kindergarten work and loving every minute of it. I must confess that at times she gloats a little when she finishes her schoolwork before her siblings complete theirs. Of course, her gloating is always received in the best and kindest way… Daniel is content to roar around the trailer making as much noise as possible, and commandeering his older siblings’ belongings while they are engaged in their studies. I had no idea this much drama would be a part of my daily life! We are once again attempting potty-training with Daniel, with more or less success.

Our summer has been so busy, and has flown by with amazing speed. We have covered a lot of territory, and the Lord has given us many ministry opportunities. Frankly, we all needed a break. Thankfully, we were able to take a few days of R&R at Paul’s parents’ farm in northern Indiana last week. The kids were thrilled to see their grandparents, as well as meet their brand-new cousin. Grandpa and Grandma were happy to see us as well. The kids had all kinds of lovely adventures – riding the tractor, playing in the barns, fishing in the pond, and gathering eggs from the chickens. All in all, it was a really nice, relaxing time for all of us.

This week, we are holding a meeting in Warren, IL. We are staying in an RV campground just over the Wisconsin border. The weather has been nice this week, but it is supposed to get rather cold tomorrow and the next day. I am so glad we have some of our winter clothing with us. Of course, I have to swap it all out with the summer things, and I haven’t quite found the time to do that, so right now we are all digging clothes out of the boxes sitting on the living room floor. I really need to get that done. Jumping over boxes to reach the kitchen table does not enhance our trailer living experience. There is always the chance that you will land on a stray toy!

Josiah has had a rough summer physically. It seems that everywhere we have been, allergies are at an all-time high, causing the need to have numerous breathing treatments. There have been a few “stupid attacks” (as we sweetly refer to them) of eating things that he should have known better than to ingest. The most recent of these was last week, when a misinformed sibling gave him a cookie, telling him that I said he could have it. I found out thirty minutes later, and was highly upset with both of them – the younger for giving it to him (I never said he could have it), and the older for eating it (I had already said that those particular cookies were off-limits to him). We ended up driving to the emergency room where he was treated and observed for several hours. Thank God there were no serious side effects, other than a few new gray hairs upon my head.

If you have ever read the children’s book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, this may make sense to you.

If you give Josiah a cookie, he will want to have a drink.

If you give him a drink, he will throw up in the sink.

After he throws up in the sink, he will finish taking his shower.

After his shower, his stomach will feel very bad.

Because his stomach feels bad, he will hurry and get dressed.

After he is dressed, he will wander downstairs.

When he goes downstairs, he will find Grandma.

When he finds Grandma, he will tell her that he ate a cookie.

When he tells her that he ate a cookie, Grandma will panic.

When Grandma panics, she will run downstairs to tell his mother.

When his mother hears the news, she is incredulous.

Because she is incredulous, she runs upstairs to verify the story.

In order to verify the story, Josiah and Abigail are called into the kitchen.

When they are called into the kitchen, the interrogation begins.

When the interrogation begins, their mother becomes highly animated (this means upset).

When she becomes highly animated, the tears begin to flow.

Because the tears begin to flow, the mother gives her children hugs.

Because hugs do not allay the pain in Josiah’s tummy, she also administers Benadryl.

Because the mother is scared, she talks with the father.

They both decide the best course of action is to go to the hospital.

Since they have to go to the hospital, Grandma takes Josiah and his mother.

After they get to the hospital, the waiting begins.

Because they have to wait, they are subjected to inane television programs.

After some debate, they change the channel.

Since they changed the channel, they begin to watch a cooking show.

While they watch the cooking show, they decide that it makes them hungry.

Because they are hungry, the clock goes more slowly.

After several hours, they are released with a prescription.

Because they have a prescription, they have to get it filled.

Because they have to get it filled, they go to Walmart.

Because they go to Walmart, they have to wait 30 minutes.

Because they have to wait 30 minutes, they do some shopping.

Because they are shopping, they do not hear their name called over the loudspeaker.

Because they do not hear the page, they do not find out until 40 minutes have passed that Walmart does not have the medicine in stock.

Because Walmart does not have the medicine in stock, the pharmacist volunteers to call it in to the CVS.

When the pharmacist goes to make the call, he realizes that they DO have the medicine after all – it was just hidden behind something else.

Because they have the medicine after all, the wait was prolonged another 15 minutes.

Because they were all exhausted, Josiah, his mother, and grandma all sat on the bench, stomachs growling.

After escaping Walmart, they still had to go to CVS to get more Benadryl (Walmart was out of that, too).

On the way to CVS, they took a short cut.

Because they took a short cut, they got lost.

Because they got lost, it took twice as long as they had expected.

Because it took so long to get home, they were practically starved when they arrived.

Because they were so hungry, they ate dinner.

However, Josiah did not have another cookie for dessert…

Hopefully, that is THE END.

Ministry Update

More than one English idiom deals with rain coming from the sky. Two come immediately to mind. The first is this: When it rains, it pours.

On Saturday, June 18, 2011, we took delivery of another trailer, having lived in our first one for nearly eight years. We had looked at the unit before and told the dealership what things needed to be done to fix it up. They had two weeks to get the work done. In addition, they gave us their assurance that they would run some tests on it themselves so as to ensure that it was all ready for us by the deadline. During the two weeks, we were away at camp, after which we returned to begin the tedious process of moving from one trailer to another. When we arrived to pick up the trailer, it was not ready, nor would it be ready for another two days. It seems that the promises of the sales team were never communicated to the service department. We should have checked things more thoroughly, but instead we were concentrated wholly on getting our things moved from one unit to the other.

After two very full days of moving things, we said our goodbye to the old trailer and headed out toward I-25 and our next meeting in Kansas. We would never get there.

As we negotiated the hills and mesas on our way to Albuquerque, we discovered that something was wrong with the truck. It still ran, but it was losing power at higher rpm—not good for pulling a trailer in the hills.

We found a place to park in Rio Rancho, NM, just north and west of Albuquerque, and began to settle in for the night. This would be our first night in the new trailer away from the campground. Operating the slide-outs, we discovered that the rear bedroom slide-out had some serious problems that we had not noticed in our preoccupation with moving. During the trip one of the drawers in the kids’ room had fallen out and broken into its component pieces, the next morning we discovered that the rear bathroom toilet leaked, and the next day my closet with my hanging clothes collapsed to the floor. When it rains, it pours.

The second English idiom comes from the time-honored pages of the King James Bible: showers of blessing. Many years ago, a man named Paul Schmidt worked for my Dad in SC. He had since moved to Albuquerque, married, and adopted a little girl. His church was where we parked. He had all the tools I needed to fix my trailer and after a few days of working, the toilet leak was stopped, the closet was back up and stronger than ever, the slide-out was completely fixed, and the kids’ drawer was back together. When it came time to pay for the repair on my truck (bad throttle position sensor; cost for the part alone over $600), he took care of the entire thing. As if that were not enough, his wife provided us with many meals while we were working on the trailer, and his little girl Monique had a great time with our children playing.

Now we are ready to go again, except that Daniel and Esther have been running fevers for a while. Please pray for their recovery.

And speaking of rain and water, we are now off to Minot, ND.

Ministry Update

Years ago when I was in college, I heard a seasoned evangelist remark that an evangelist must have bats in belfry to schedule meetings in the state of Arizona during June. Yet, we find ourselves heading to New Mexico for two weeks of meetings this month. Granted, NM is not AZ, but it is very hot.

The summer will be a full one with not only our own meetings, but also vacation Bible schools inherited from a friend who was unable to keep all of his scheduled meetings. Things will taper off slightly around the first couple of weeks in September, after which our fall schedule will begin in earnest. Thank you for your prayers for our safety over the thousands of miles that we will cover this year.

After living in our current trailer for eight years, seven of those full-time, we have come to the decision that it is time to replace our trailer. The reason for this decision is not because what we have is falling apart, but rather we can no longer accommodate our family with the present configuration. We would like to sell our current trailer and get another one that we have already picked out to replace what we have. With the present economy, anyone trying to sell anything faces an uphill struggle, a struggle only compounded by the fact that an RV is considered a luxury item. God has all these details in His hands and we can trust Him to do what is best in our lives.

Family Update

School’s out! We have been enjoying our summer break for almost two weeks now! I don’t know who is more excited – the students or the teacher! We are looking forward to a very busy summer of camps and vacation Bible schools. The Lord has given us safety in travel this spring, and provided for all of our needs.

Our house in Indiana is for sale, and we are looking for the Lord to provide the right buyer in His time. Please pray with us about this step. There are so many decisions to be made.

I had the greatest blessing this week. We stopped at a church for the night, and prepared to spend the midweek service with them. The assistant told us that we were welcome to peruse the missions closet while we were there. I was amazed when he opened a door and an entire store appeared before me! It was like a small Goodwill, with clothes on racks according to size, as well as household goods, shoes, jewelry, and miscellaneous craft items. The Lord knew that some of our clothing needed to be replaced, and He provided amply for almost every member of the family! It was such a blessing! Now I have to pray that the closet rods hold up under the strain!

Everyone is healthy and strong right now, and although we have had a bit of sickness now and then, it has passed quickly. Probably the only thing any of us are suffering from at present is torrential boredom on the long drives! I have endeavored to fill the hours by reading aloud several classics of literature. We most recently finished “The Wind in the Willows” by Kenneth Graham. Even Paul enjoyed the rollicking adventures of Mr. Toad! Right now, we are forging our way across the prairie with Laura Ingalls Wilder in “Little House on the Prairie.” I am ever a lover of good books, and I am attempting to instill a love of reading in my own children. I anticipate a summer full of adventure and learning!

Ministry Update

For the second year in a row, God has brought us to Richfield UT to minister in the Bible Baptist Church. God is steadily growing this work in the middle of Mormon country. We will head out as soon as possible after the meeting is over and cross the country to southwest MO.

Thank you all for your prayers. God has been at work so far this year and we look forward to seeing more of what He has planned for us this year.

Family Update

Greetings from Utah! The weather here is clear and cold, and absolutely beautiful! The trip here from California was a bit rough, since we had several delays and a breakdown on the way. After a few days, the trailer was repaired, and we headed out somewhat wounded in wallet, but in good spirits! The Lord is good—had we broken down just a few miles farther up the road, we could have been in a serious accident. While we were waiting for the repairs to be finished, everyone decided to get sick. It was rather convenient for everyone to be sick at the same time, but on the down side, I felt as if I was living in a tuberculosis ward with all of the terrible coughing and moaning, especially at night. Thankfully, everyone is on the mend, and we are all up and running.

Paul and I had the opportunity to go skiing for the first time last Friday. We went with the pastor and his wife and daughter. The pastor had never been before, either, so we pooled our ignorance in an amusing and dangerous way. We did have an instructor, but upon conferring with other skiers, I have determined that he played a tremendous practical joke on us by telling us to do the opposite of the proper technique in almost every area. We spent most of the afternoon lying on the snowy ground after having crashed too many times to count. Being one with nature is not all it is cracked up to be. There is something humiliating about lying on the ground while 4- and 5-year-old skiers whiz by you with the encouraging shouts of their instructors echoing off the mountainside. Adults are supposed to be more coordinated, right? I am very glad to say that there were no serious injuries incurred, although I had some very sore spots the next day—probably from flinging myself on the ground to avoid certain destruction in the form of a fence, tree, or another human on skis! All said, I would try it again—with a different instructor… one that didn’t smile so much when he was telling us how to ski!

We have had a major change in our house. Daniel at some point last week lost his pacifier, or “pappy,” as he calls it. While we knew this would come at some point, we hadn’t planned to go cold turkey. Thankfully, he has been so sick and tired every time he is to go to bed, that he hasn’t really had a hard time. He has been very clingy lately, though. I hope it stays lost forever! We are also considering buying dentures for Abigail, since every time we turn around, she has another loose tooth. Maybe we will just get her some “Billy Bob teeth” out of the quarter machine.

We have had a lot of sickness already this year, so I would ask that you pray for our health, especially that of the children. If one of them gets sick, they almost always all get whatever it is. This is partly due to the fact that we are in such close quarters all the time (either the truck or the trailer), and partly due to the fact that none of them ever covers their mouth when coughing or sneezing. I know I have been sprayed with germs on more than one occasion. Bring on the Lysol and hand sanitizer!

Today I went hiking up the mountain with the pastor’s wife and another lady from the church. The climb was not all that bad, but the altitude nearly killed me! I could barely catch my breath just walking uphill! The view from the top was breathtaking, with the brilliant blue sky behind the red, rocky mountain, sprinkled with dark green cedars and dusted with snow! Our God has given us such a beautiful world! I am so glad that I am able to experience so much of it!

Ministry Update

A few years ago, someone was in one of our meetings and purchased a copy of every preaching CD I had available on my table. Their mission: to send it to American troops in Iraq. So it was that I preached to men in harm’s way on the other side of the world. Last night, a Marine named Ron Miller came up to me and told me a similar story, only this time my preaching CD’s went to Afghanistan. He told me of Marines gathered around the stereo to listen to me open the Word of God by way of recording. I wept as he told the story. He took off his globe and anchor tie clasp and gave it to me as a token of appreciation for my ministry to those Marines, some of whom breathed their last there in that mountainous country.

When I turned 18 some years back, I got out the phone book and found the number for the local Marine recruiter in the town where I lived. I wanted to join the Marines, I told him. After a few questions pertaining to my medical history, the recruiter told a disappointed youngster that there was no way I could ever join the Marines due to medical problems. God used the news in my life as another confirmation of my call to the ministry, but I have never lost my love of the Marine Corps, though I could never be one of them. To know now that I had the opportunity to preach the Gospel of Christ to Marines facing combat every day was one of the greatest blessings of my life.

“In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.” Ecclesiastes 11:6

Ministry Update

The first month of 2011 has come to a close, with the Lord doing some wonderful things for us. In north MS, a man gave us two brand new trailer tires, both of which were greatly needed. We have only two Sundays available between now and the beginning of May, one them due to a cancelation. God has burdened my heart to pray and to trust Him for the greater works promised in John 14:12. Thank you for praying with us that souls would be saved and Christians would be revived.

Family Update

I’m loving California in January. The people here are all apologizing for the cold weather, which happens to be in the 60’s. Ummm… I think I can handle it after such a cold Indiana winter! We made it across the country with only a few mishaps – frozen water in Mississippi, a new water pump in the trailer, a transmission rebuild and a tire blowout in Texas, and some dreadful sickness that gave the children fevers and general malaise for a week. All of the sickness did wreck my school schedule a bit, which is the worst of all the aforementioned mishaps! I am a stickler about keeping a tight school schedule! Anyway, things are on their way to being back on track.

On a personal note, I have started an “everyday blog” about life in general, just not things related to family happenings. Well, I guess it is still family, but just more about my random thoughts and interests than I normally write about in the ministry/family update. Please feel free to visit http://sarahsnotes-rvmama.blogspot.com to find out more. The updates on things are generally a little shorter and more frequent – that is, when I have internet access!

We are glad to be in meetings again. This morning, a little girl was saved in the services, and a young man received assurance of his salvation. I believe we are going to have an amazing week. The people have been praying and fasting in anticipation of what the Lord is going to do, and I think we will see some great answers to prayer. We serve a wonderful God!

I think 2011 is going to be a great year, and I hope that you will pray with us as we serve the Lord in itinerant ministry.

Ministry Update

The new year takes us out of our house and into the trailer once again for our annual pilgrimage away from the cold and into the Southwest. In the next few weeks, we will be in different spots along the southern part of our nation ending our westward migration in San Diego, California.

The thrill of the road and, more importantly, the thrill of seeing lives changed is very high for us right now as our peripatetic lifestyle arouses from its Christmas hibernation. The Lord has given us many opportunities to serve Him this year in many different places. As Archippus was told so many years ago, we want to take heed to our ministry, that we fulfill it.

Family Update

Sarah will be able to fill in the details of preparing to depart our house and get the trailer ready for travel once again, but first of all, a man’s perspective. The move from North Carolina to Indiana was culture shock in many ways, but one of the lessons that we had to learn was the lesson of the cold weather and its affect on the trailer. From time to time, we had been in the trailer during cold weather, and because the trailer was our only home, we have never winterized it. Then, in the summer of this year, we moved into our house and were in it when the cold began to exert its icy grip on Indiana.

No problem, right? We will just leave the heat on in the trailer and there will be no need to spend the money and effort to winterize everything. This cold, however, was a different kind of cold. We are not in Kansas anymore, Toto. It is one thing to have an overnight low of 17 degrees, but it is another matter entirely to have a week in which the high temperatures are in the teens. Heat or no heat, that kind of cold is bound to do things to the water system, especially is no one is living in the unit at the time.

So, as we were preparing to leave, I discovered that the water system on the trailer was frozen. There are two ways to put fresh water into the trailer and both inputs were blocked by solid ice. Nor was there any hope of getting the problem even diagnosed, much less solved, until we could get to a warmer climate. The words of that wonderful song come to mind, “I wish I was in the land of cotton…” Never truer than in January. So, to Mississippi we went.

It was a balmy 52 degrees the day we arrived, although it had cooled to about 45 by the time we arrived that evening. The problem was that when I tried to hook up water so that we could have the comforts of home, there were leaks. Turns out, the water pump had some issues so that the water from the hose built up so much pressure in the pump that water was spraying all over the bay of our trailer, threatening to douse my books and other equipment that was in storage there. After hours of work, we still did not have water and all retired to bed for the night.

The next morning we had running water! That is, whenever I ran to get it in a 2-liter bottle from the church. But by 2:00 that afternoon, I have worked around enough to repair the pump leak and to give us water again in the trailer. I have no idea how things might be different in UT in a few weeks, but for now, we have running water as long as the weather holds above freezing.

California, here I come!

Ministry Update

This past month, going back into October, has been good month for us. The meetings in October took us to different parts of the South in Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee while November found us back home in Indiana working in our home church.

This last round of meetings brought a lot of vehicle expense. In Alabama, the flywheel came detached from the torque converter on the truck, destroying both parts. That, combined with the need for tires, put the repair bills very high for that period of time. With all the trouble-free miles we have logged on the truck, I figured that we were due for a major repair sooner or later, especially considering the miles were hard miles pulling the trailer.

The good news is that the BOA (bed of affliction) is now gone, having been replaced by a very nice mattress that was a gift from a lady in Prattville, AL. The frame for the bed went in our house and the mattress went in the trailer. God is so good to us!

We will be out in meetings again in January when once again we will turn west and head for California. The Christmas season is always difficult financially. Thank you so much for your prayers.

Family Update

Within the last month, both Daniel and I celebrated our birthdays. I really can’t believe he is already two years old. He is beginning to speak more plainly each day, repeating things that his siblings say. The girls are busy trying to teach him his colors, which he can repeat, but cannot yet identify. They have a good time doing it, though.

Thanksgiving was a time for relaxation and family. My family came from Ohio and spent the night at our house, giving the kids some grandparent time, and Paul some much-needed mother-in-law time! I was able to spend the day after with my mom doing our favorite activity – scrapbooking! All in all, it was a lot of fun.

One of the things we are thankful for is that Paul was able to shoot four deer this season, and they all went straight into our freezer. The Lord has provided bountifully for us during these lean months, and we are so grateful. This was also our first Thanksgiving meal in our new home. Many of you have asked how we like our new house, and I must say we LOVE it!

Yesterday, we went out and chose a Christmas tree – our first real tree in eight years! I was so excited! We put it in our living room, and after a short battle with the lights, got it up and decorated. I always let the kids help decorate the tree, giving them the unbreakable ornaments and allowing them to place them on the tree. The effect is somewhat akin to a Christmas shotgun blast. There are clusters of ornaments hung precariously on tiny, drooping branches with large open spaces between cluster groups. I am trying to teach them the art of balance in decorating, but so far, I haven’t succeeded. It is hard to let go of my perfectionist tendencies and allow them to enjoy the moment. I will admit to limiting the amount of ornaments per branch to only five! This is always a highlight of the season, and we all look forward to it each year. We wish you a wonderful, Christ-centered Christmas!

Ministry Update

Feast or famine. That is how the ministry of evangelism has often been described, and that phrase has described this year very aptly. The first part of the year was the busiest spring we have ever had while this fall has been one of few meetings. Yesterday, however, was a time of excitement for me. After living in a normal house for a few months, after knowing firsthand the benefits of having all my library accessible, after having a piano readily accessible every day, after having all the space we need as a family so that the children were never under our feet—after all that, I moved my family yesterday back into the trailer to head south toward Alabama and a revival meeting. And what is more, I was excited to do it. Excited to leave behind the normal settled existence that I had grown to know in our house. Excited to cram all six of us into the cab of the truck for hours on end. Excited to settle down after the travel in a home where we are constantly crawling on top of each other. The excitement, of course, is not primarily to be living in the trailer so much as it is for the reason we do this in the first place: a revival meeting. The chance to beg God every night for His mind as to what to preach, the chance to plead for His power every day several times throughout the day, the chance to see lives changed and eternity affected—this is the ultimate reason for my excitement every time I load the trailer for another trip. But I would be less than truthful if I did not admit that I enjoy all the other attendant circumstances of heading to a revival meeting. I actually enjoy the travel, the trailer life, and even the cramped quarters. I don’t even complain about preaching in a suit and tie, so much so that I often liken the task of dressing up to a fighter pilot putting on his flight suit for another mission. Thank God to be in another meeting.

Oh, regarding the famine time of no meetings? God provided for our every need as He always has done in the past and as He will continue to do in the future.

Family Update

Ahhhh! On the road again with trailer in tow – what a feeling! That feeling was preceded by other feelings, mostly stressful ones such as, “How am I ever going to get all this stuff ready to go?” and “the house is not clean,” and “I sure hope I don’t forget something important!” (I did…) It took us a while to get “moved” back into the trailer from the house, but by late afternoon Thursday we were on our way to Alabama. The day was one of those gorgeous fall days and I enjoyed seeing the vibrant colors of the changing leaves against the cloudless azure sky. We parked overnight in the greater Nashville area, and after several hours of driving, we were eager to rest our weary bodies. However, our much desired repose was less than invigorating for several reasons. The first reason was that we were parked on a steep hill, the incline of which left the front of the trailer several inches lower than the back. While this may not seem like a big deal, it does create a gravitational force that pulls me to the side of the bed, and if I am not careful, over the edge onto the twelve inches of floor beside it. The second reason was that we are now sleeping on what we have laughingly dubbed the “Bed of Affliction,” or BOA. Some time ago, you will recall, we bought a house, and have been in the process of remodeling, moving, and furnishing our new nest. Of course, we had some furniture in storage, but precious little, since we had downsized our possessions when we first purchased the trailer. One of the items we did not have was a queen size bed. No problem – we would just use the one in the trailer.

Now, RV mattresses are never anything to write home about, and our original mattress was no exception. A few years ago, we were given a regular mattress to replace the thin, lumpy RV mattress. It was really nice, although the gas springs that raised the bed platform (for under-the-bed storage) were not equipped to handle the weight of a regular mattress. Consequently, it now required two people to access the storage space, one of which had to have the strength of Atlas, and the other the speed of Mercury. After the desired item was retrieved, the sweating, straining, herniated one would release the platform, letting it fall with a resounding whump! At this point, the one retrieving would have visions of what it would be like to face the guillotine. We decided, then, to take the mattress from the trailer and move it into the house, since neither Paul nor I relished the thought of sleeping on the floor. We dragged the mattress off of the platform, groaning under its weight, and it promptly folded itself into something that resembled a very large taco. I do not know the exact weight of the mattress, but I will estimate it between 150-200 pounds. Somehow we managed to drag it into the house, around several corners, as well as up and down a few stairs and dumped it in the bedroom. I vowed then and there we would never move it again. I believe Paul seconded the motion.

This brings us to the present. Since there was no way we were going through the Olympic task of moving the mattress back into the trailer, we had to figure out some kind of sleeping arrangement. I had an inspiration. “We can just use the mattress out of the hide-a-bed couch in the trailer!” It isn’t very heavy, and I reasoned that we could use it in place of the other mattress for the few weeks we would be on the road. I have already mentioned that RV mattresses are somewhat below standard in quality, but an RV hide-a-bed couch mattress scores lower than a leaky air mattress. The article in question is a full-size mattress about two inches thick. I mentioned earlier that we normally use a queen size mattress, so this mattress is a good ten inches shorter than our normal bed. It really isn’t a problem for someone who stands 5’4” tall, but when you are 6’3”, there are some definite issues, as we discovered last night. The experience was somewhat akin to camping out in a sleeping bag, minus the rocks underneath. I think perhaps, the ground might actually have been softer than the wooden platform. Paul tried in vain to find some way to get comfortable, the fetal position being the only means to have all of his lanky frame on the mattress. It quickly became evident that neither of us was going to sleep well. I suggested that he try to sleep diagonally. This worked well for him, but meant that I was now shoved into the upper right hand corner of the bed. In retrospect, it was not bad, because the angle offset the gravity problem of the uneven trailer, and I was no longer in danger of falling out of bed.

This is not the first BOA on which I have ever slept. In years gone by I have slept on lumpy beds, hard beds, sagging beds, scratchy beds, beds with dirty sheets, beds with flat pillows, and beds covered in animal hair. However, this time, I don’t have to endure it for just a night, or even a week – it is a BOA of my own making that I must endure for at least three weeks at this point! The worst part about it is that the couch is now defunct as well, having sacrificed its innards that we might have a place to sleep. The couch doesn’t look too bad at first glance, but beware the casual sitter! It swallows up people like an oversized Venus fly-trap, and the victims must be extracted by their hands and feet, usually the only thing sticking out from between the flapping cushions. “Where’s your sister? AAAHHHH! The couch got her! Quick! Help me get her out!”

So if you see us in the next few weeks, don’t be surprised if we look as if we haven’t been sleeping well. It all comes from having a BOA in the house. 

Ministry Update
We are coming to the end of our time that was to be spent on fixing up the house. It has become quite a nice place for us to live, completely adequate to meet all of our needs as a family. So far, the list of improvements we have made to the house since we moved in a month ago is as follows:

New bead board and trim in three bedrooms
New paint in kitchen, living room, bedrooms and bathroom
Fixed kitchen plumbing leak
Replaced toilet
Painted bathroom cabinets
Install new bathroom floor all the way down to the joists
Installed new bathroom lighting
Cleaned ductwork
Removed low basement ceiling
Removed moldy wood in basement
Installed new basement lighting
Painted basement with Dry Lock paint
Replaced leaking cast iron sewer lines with PVC

There are some other things that we would like to do, but I go back to preaching this week, going to northern Indiana to preach in two churches there. Once we return to Connersville, I will be teaching in the church’s Bible institute in between meetings, plus preaching from time to time as the pastor asks me to. We are busy, but loving the place where the Lord has us.

Many do not know our new address because I have not yet gotten my website updated. Please forgive my negligence in this area. Here is the new address:

Paul and Sarah Crow
827 Earl Dr
Connersville IN 47331

Thank you for all of your prayers as we begin to resume our traveling schedule once again.

Family Update

As you can see from the above list, we have been quite busy the last several weeks. In addition to all the repairs, we have also begun a new school year. Josiah entered the fourth grade, and Abigail is now in the first grade. The challenges continue to mount with each passing day. Josiah is desperately trying to conquer two-digit multiplication, with nominal success. Abigail’s biggest struggle is overcoming her need for perfection in the area of writing. She thinks that if it doesn’t look exactly like the printed example that a meltdown is in order. Esther keeps busy with her “school work” of coloring reams of pictures and adding them to the ever-growing pile of homework, quizzes, and tests that litter the desk. Daniel is content to color himself, the floor, the desks, and any papers he can get his hands on, as well as initiating organized terror in the form of toy-dumping, sippy cup irrigation, and hitting anyone who threatens his agenda. Nap time is a welcome reprieve!

I have also taken on several piano students, which is exciting for me. I think some of them are still in shock. Right now, I have eight students, including two of our children. It is a blessing to help prepare these young people for service at an early age. We need young musicians to be trained and working in the context of the local church.

The house is really nice—we have much to be thankful for! We have had so many friends pitch in and help with the demolition and renovation projects! It is so nice to have some space to call my own. The kids love living in the house, and have staked out the “no boys/girls allowed” areas. The boys’ room is, amazingly enough, relatively clean most of the time. The girls’ room, however, is usually a complete disaster, with dolls, clothes, toy food and dishes, shoes and strands of gaudy beads mixed liberally and scattered on the floor. I keep telling them if they would only get out one thing at a time, the cleanup time every evening would be cut down tremendously!

Abigail, always my helper, has appointed herself the chief dishwasher. While this relieves my work load, it has also caused some anxiety due to the fact of the lowered standard of sanitation (sometimes the food from the last meal escapes her six-year-old notice). Paul and I have learned to be a little more circumspect when selecting cups and plates from the dish drainer! I am so thankful for her sweet spirit and helping hands. Obviously her attitude is contagious. Esther announced today that she wants to “fold the clothes every day.” This means romping about on my bed in the clean clothes, and folding the smaller pieces of laundry until she gets distracted, but I am grateful for all the help my girls give around the house! Sometimes I have to remind myself that I need to put aside my way of doing things better and let them be responsible. Hence, we have beds that are made crookedly, with blankets askew, clothes that are folded in strange ways, and dishes that have smears of food on them. Only with practice will these things improve, so I have determined to put up with less than perfect in order that I might train them to be good housekeepers. Josiah wants me to teach him to cook – I think it is primarily because he loves to eat so much! I have not yet relinquished that duty, though. I may have an aspiring chef on my hands! Daniel’s greatest joy these days is his bath time. He laughs and stomps around in a little dance whenever I start running the bath water. Of course, he feels it necessary to empty the tub himself, one cupful at a time onto the bathroom rug, so he must be kept under a watchful eye at all times. He is beginning to talk more as he approaches his second birthday. Some of his words are “bath, out, NO, mine, all gone, cookie, eat, please, thank you, HEY, and Bye-bye.” He is such a funny little guy. He loves to be chased and tickled, especially at bedtime. He also loves to sit on my lap and read books. “Book” is another one of his words. I am so thankful for the children God has given us. They are such a joy!