Wednesday, December 28, 2011

From Emory, TX

When we left off, we were headed to Arkansas.  As plans tend to get diverted, and rightfully so, they did, a bit.  Just a few hours after the last post, we followed signs to the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri.  Where we thought we were, wasn't where we were. But putting annoyance aside in the hopes of divine intervention, we kept following signs toward the primitive camping sites. They took us to some country roads and at around 11:30 PM we pulled to a fork in the *deserted, dirt* road.  To the right was Passover Rd., to the left, another name of less importance.  So we turned right and drove about 1/2 mile on a dark, one-lane-pine-tree-surrounded road.  Suddenly, a vast blackness and only a sandy colored gravel leading to it, filled our vision.  It was rather frightening, but Mike inched the car along and we saw the gravel continued to the right, so he followed.  The lights splashed across numbered posts and an outhouse.  Noone in sight.  We turned off the car and jumped out into the daunting, thick darkness. 

Honestly, it was terrifying.  The silence and complete lack lights was so foreign, my wild animalistic instincts had me on high alert.  When I thought I was hearing something bounding through the woods toward me, I realized it was the mist falling off the leaves on the trees and landing on the bed of organic mulch below. Yes, that's quiet.  In times of past, we've had to hike in for six or more hours to get that kind of silence.  This was an unexpected treat.  Some of our hobbies in life include finding the most silent places we can.  We knew it was a blessing. 

Mike and I walked toward the blackness and realized it was a lake.  The lake of the Ozarks.  The water was so crystal clear, he walked right into it.  When we're in such a pristine, sacred and natural place, it's hard to use flashlights or other worldly devices.  It's special.  The vibes are so unadulturated and we feel the presence of the Great Father, the Creator, when we're around that environment.  We spent the night.

The next morning was beautiful and we got some video that we'll be sharing soon.  We drove to Arkansas and arrived at Ouachita (pronounced Watchitaw) National Forest.  Similar story, drove on a back road for a few hours and when we couldn't drive anymore, we stopped and made a little campsite beneath the pines (video to come also).  What a silent and wonderful retreat.  We love to be in nature.  The night was peaceful, no wild animal sounds that are so typical in places like that.  The next morning we heard some sort of military missile range or some such place.  But that didn't last and we had a peaceful time.  Spent another night there and left in the morning for Emory. 

Arrived in Emory on Friday.  The weekend was full of fellowship, services and meeting lots of new people.  We learned more names just this weekend than we have in the last six or so months.  And the people were all so wonderful.  Naomi came down with a chest cold and fever and we're getting over that slowly but surely.  There were so many little kids for her to run with.  What an amazing weekend.  There are so many great people around here and that traveled into town for the event.  We were so blessed.  We played two songs after the Sabbath service and had some late-night musical sessions with various people.  The weekend was full of music from many gifted people.  It was a prime time to sit and be blessed by their gifts. 

FINAL REMARKS-

Some of our new friends have opened their home to us and we are so thankful.  They are wonderful and worthy of great blessings!  In the morning, the plan (we'll see how that goes.  he he) is to leave and be on our way to Cisco.  One of the many things that has touched me this weekend was realizing just how many people my grandfathers ministry affected positively.  People are always telling me how his ministry affected their life and lives of their family.  I've heard such beautiful things.  When you're on the road travelling, you're vulnerable and your senses are enlivened.  Things can get intense fast.  We have been blessed beyond measure while traveling!

Til we meet again,
lynays

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Walts Bicycle, Fitness and Wilderness Company

On the road again, sitting outside a cool store: Walt's Wilderness. To Arkansas to see cave paintings and soak in hot springs. 
This night will probably look something like this:  Drive a little, hang out, take a nap, play some music, take another nap, drive some more, hang out in the Ozarks by morning!!!! 
We've had a great time in Rocheport, hanging out with old and new friends.  Wonderful people!  It's been a blast! Thanks to all who've welcomed us.  It's been great sharing about the necessity to home-roast your own coffee.  I know we've convinced some of the taste difference!  Why does everyone always say we look like we use herbs and eat organic?  Ha ha. Well I guess we do.  Maybe we smell like garlic (which we do).  Roasted a pound of coffee beans this morning and are sipping h-h-high quality COfe (H2O). :)
Sorry there's no pictures.  We've got no camera.  Or else I'd be sharing some amazing sights.  :(

Lydia says "When you're traveling with Mike and Grace, be prepared for ANYTHING.  I wish I would've brought toilet paper.!"

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Was that real?!


Most of the trip was pretty uneventful. Beautiful weather was the norm, Indiana was all rain, ceasing almost instantly upon entering Illinois. The roads were mostly calm and quiet, with the occasional interruption of turbulence from the passing tractor trailer. I was the sole witness to something that in my mind can only be described as a flying saucer. The funny thing was that it wasn't flying.
It was about 2:00am, I was the only one awake out of the four of us. I had been sipping on some coffee, contemplating the mysteries of the universe; good, evil, Yahshua, his teachings, and how they apply to our daily lives. The radio was off now. The broadcast had sounded different than other radio shows. Very polished and clean, hardly any commercials. It was a lesson in history. The story of a man who attempted to kill a president. I can't remember any names or dates clearly but what sticks in my mind is the story of the man's life. He had a history of being dishonest and stealing.  Sins presented along with other facts about his life. The commentator was sharing the history in such a way that lead the listener to believe that everything about him was evil. He and his wife were homeless. They had very few possessions and they traveled a lot. The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has no where to lay his head. Killing, lying, and stealing are evil, being homeless is not, nor does it lead to evil. Sin is evil. People will try to impose their point of view and they will call evil good and good evil. Let us know the difference between good and evil and choose to set aside our own will, and do the will of the Father.
It initially caught my eye as it crested a hill in the distance. It was a parade, a giant convoy! Leading the way were four police cruisers with lights on, followed by several other escort vehicles with flashing yellow lights. It was being transported by a tractor trailer. It was an exceptionally wide load, the truck was driving in the center of a two lane highway. That alone is probably enough to explain the police escort. It was dark. The only illumination was from the headlights around it. It was shaped like a giant disc, extremely aerodynamic. As it got closer I was able to see that it was metallic and it had landing gear. No cockpit, more like drone, with no visible place for a person to sit. There were small reflectors on the front and back of the object. 10 to 20 tractor trailers were in tow. Then... empty highway. I found myself wishing I could hit rewind. If only I had a pause button. I would have stared for hours, got out of my car and walked around it, tried to climb inside and sit in the pilot seat. That was awesome! Why wasn't there a tarp on it!? Was that real!?
After the adrenaline and coffee wore off, around 4:00am I couldn't drive anymore. We stopped at a rest area for a couple minutes. Grace woke up and took over driving. The St. Louis skyline stood in the distance with glowing highlights. A truck-stop just across the boarder in Illinois was our home for a few hours. The sun came up and we were rested enough to contemplate going to the City Museum in St. Louis.

UPDATE:
My sister posted this link this morning.  Mike has confirmed that it's the same aircraft:
http://www.ksn.com/news/local/story/It-s-a-bird-It-s-a-plane-It-s-a-UFO/Gdz5Dk85VkKZ2T9jLXwYHQ.cspx

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

101

For lack of an audience, I'm afraid the prize goes unclaimed.  :)  Homeschooling has been so fun.  We are doing oral and written lessons 8 hours per day.  Lydia is doing so great and improving quickly.  Our focus is on building a good foundation:  1.  How to listen.  2.  How to read.  3.  How to write.  4.  How to search out answers.  5.  How to study.  I believe that when a pupil masters these things, they are capable of any area of study. 

The tour is still being rearranged a bit.  Stay tuned for updated dates.  We've added one in.  The time is approaching fast.  In just a few days we will be off and onto adventure.  We are tying up loose ends, Mike is cranking out glass-work, and we've been home-roasting batches of coffee for the road.  I'm working on a knitted hat and have been stumped by a technique.  I must go and find instructions on how to do it. 

Until next time,
toodle-ooo!!!

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Thank You

There are so many wonderful people in our lives who bless us in so many ways. We sometimes get so caught up with our daily routines and duties that we forget about those who are closest to us. Our lives would be truly empty if it were not for the people that we interact with every day. We would not be able to travel and share what the Father has blessed us with if it were not for the blessings we receive from others. We sometimes forget to say these things, but we pray that it never be forgotten.
We can see the Father all around us. He is in every living thing. He is the air that we breath, He is the breath in our lungs, He is the blood in our veins, He is the Light in the sky, He is the Wind in our hair, He is time itself, He is our newborn baby, He is the love in our hearts, He is the stream of pure flowing water, He is the work in our hands, He is the thoughts in our mind, He is the word in our heart, He is the word on our lips, He is the bread that gives life, He is Alive.

Friday, December 2, 2011

On The Road Again..Almost!

The Father has provided us with a reliable vehicle for the trip now and are gearing up for a lot of stops along our official dates.  We'll be playing in homes, fellowships, coffee shops, etc.  If you are in a certain area, or know of a person in an area that we may be going by, just send us a comment and we'll get it all worked out.  We love to hang out with new friends.

Obviously there will be a lot of updates along the way.  Check out our links page for our new Twitter and Facebook accounts, too.

Can't wait to see you all near and far!  Stay warm.