Nancy - Wed, 05/20/09, 4:30p ET - At Home
The last two years, I have written a journal entry before tour rehearsals even start. Well, this year's no different! This'll be the first time I've ever been to Canada or upstate New York. At this point, I will be writing sentences in no particular order, as thoughts come to me. I went shopping today for more clothes for tour. Because I wear uniforms to school, my non-school wardrobe often is sadly lacking. But all has been remedied. I have enough shorts to last me all summer without doing laundry. Speaking of laundry, I hope we have a chance to wash tour shirts on tour. 11 days is a long time to be wearing the same shirt every night. I'm really just rambling. My words have no meaning. The syntax is unclear. I have absolutely no idea what flows from my brain to my fingers. HELP!!!
I guess I can say that Jeff had better have a tour journal this year, or no one will read this. Yes, faithful readers, there is not a possibility of the tour journal going away. Unfortunately for me, fortunately for you, Jeff has promised the survival of the tour journal. (Let's see how many times I can use "tour journal" in a sentence in a row.) Unfortunately because much of my time will be spent doing something I love, writing for the tour journal. Fortunately because much of your time will be spent doing something you could live without, reading the tour journal. I'd have to say that Jeff might receive some subpar work from me because I have no desire and motivation to write faithfully for the tour journal this year as I have in years past because the tour journal is one of my favorite parts of tour.
I hope you caught on to my sarcasm in the paragraph above. And I apologize for the run-on sentence at the end. There's really nothing I can do to fix it (and Jeff, you'd better not!). By now I'll bet you're saying, "Enough rambling! Get on with it! Why are you writing foolishness?" My answer: I agree, I'm done, and I don't know. So, until next time, when I am sitting on that glorious rectangular prism of moving metal, I remain,
Nancy
Jeff - Fri, 06/05/09, 10a ET - Hillsdale, VA
We had a good day of bus-riding yesterday. Traffic getting out of Atlanta and a bad wreck in Virginia slowed us down, along with some heavy rain, so we were about an hour late getting to the church we slept in. More rain today, so we'll probably be on a makeshift schedule, but what else is new. :-) Mystery tours are the easiest because nobody knows when the schedule changes, but this isn't a mystery tour.
We're at the Southwestern Virginia Training Center, which is a home for special needs adults. After singing a scaled-back concert here, we'll be back on the bus until about dinner time, when we arrive in Hershey, PA.
Andrew is supposed to be resting on the bus here, but what he's actually doing is listening to old Bill Cosby stand-up comedy routines on his iPod. He's laughing so hard I'm afraid he'll wake up Lewis, our bus-driver, who is trying to nap in the back of the bus on the break.
Nancy - Fri, 06/05/09, 6:45p ET - On the road to Hershey, PA
Goodness! It's been a couple of long bus days. Yesterday, I think a lot of the tour excitement encouraged many of the kids to be relatively quiet and still for a while. I played several games of Spades, the classic choir tour entertainment. Terry and I won a game and semi-lost a second to Ms. Rena and Ms. Deb. Nothing too exciting happened. We arrived at the church in Wytheville near or around midnight, and we quickly unloaded everything, etc. Olivia Powell had first-night devotion. She talked about how everything we think, do, and say in public and private needs to reflect Jesus. Alan echoed that this morning with "Always be gracious and humble." This morning, we sang at a training center for special needs adults in Hillsville, VA. God spoke through the selection of music we sang. During the line of "The Light of that City" that reads, "The lame will run all over that city," I got the telltale goosebumps of the Holy Spirit moving in the room (several of the audience members were in wheelchairs). This gave the first full day of tour a wonderful start.
Now, another bus day is drawing to a close. Ed and I conceded defeat in Spades to Jessica Cobb and Alys with an embarrassingly low score after attempting double blind low twice in a row. (If you don't understand, ask a youth-playing spades, ahem, spades-playing youth to explain. At the moment of transcribing, it's late and I'm tired). I proceeded to read a book, have a peach Chick-fil-A milkshake (a must-have!), and play "Would You Rather..." with the other junior girls and Matt Middlebrooks. Would you rather wear orange the rest of your life or cut off your ears?
Trick question!
Seriously, the 5 hours of sleep I got last night is catching up with me. I'm thinking it's about time for a catnap.
Later,
Nancy
(Later, at the hotel): Well, with the return of Doug Godbold comes an entertaining reading of the Washington, D.C., classifieds, namely the "woman seeking man" types. "Man seeking woman age 22-47." And I quote, "You multiply the first number by two and you haven't even gotten to the end of the age range. I guess if it doesn't work out with the daughter, then try the mother." Also, Doug's wearing a shirt that says "Whatever..."
Out,
Nancy
Before bed:
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!
From Grace Eidson: a shoutout to her mom, Rachel.
From Nancy: Hi family!
Good-night,
Sleepy Nancy
Jeff - Sat, 06/06/09, 3:40p ET - On the road in Pennsylvania
Last night in the hotel was nice, as opposed to sleeping on a floor the night before. We also got to sleep in a little bit. The hotel had an indoor pool with a water slide, so Andrew insisted that we forego dinner to go swimming. I figured Andrew deserved a break after being cooped up on the bus for two days, but fortunately Terry Heinlein & David Herring offered to bring us dinner from the Italian restaurant they were headed to. They brought us back a white-cheese pizza, the kind that you can only get in this part of the world.
This morning we went to Hersheypark, the amusement park that's part of the Hershey complex. We had planned to go there last night too, but it was rather cold and rainy and we pulled into the hotel late, so we decided to skip the evening run to the park. I didn't hear any complaints about that, I think the kids were just glad not to be stuck on the bus any longer.
Our family & Kimmi Herring took a trip to Orlando over Spring Break, so I figured I could forego the usual thrill rides and hang out with Andrew. Turns out that there were several kids who liked the idea of sticking to the low-key rides, so we wound up with Andrew & I & seven other kids of various ages. We had a fun day and even rode one big wooden roller-coaster a lot like the Scream Machine at Six Flags over Georgia before we left. We decided to form a support group for the rollercoaster-challenged and see if we can work up to riding bigger, scarier stuff eventually. Fun times.
Tonight we'll bunk down in Herikimer, NY at a church that's pastored by one of Kim's cousins. You may already know that Kim was born in that area, and still has family there. She used to make a pretty regular summer foray up this way, but those trips have been less-frequent as the kids have gotten older and busier. It's nice to be able to come visit again though. We'll sing at Kim's cousin's church tomorrow morning, and then go on to Cooperstown to sing tomorrow night. There's a beautiful park on a lake right in Cooperstown, where we sang last time we were there. It's a beautiful venue, and I'm looking forward to hearing the choir there again.
Nancy - Sun, 06/07/09 10:18p ET - in Richfield Springs, NY
I'm more sleepy at this moment than I've been since, well, last tour. We woke up all ready to go for Hershey Park Saturday morning. Once at the park, we took the necessary picture before splintering off into groups. Since I had never been on a roller coaster before, I first stuck with the non-roller coaster folks. We rode the Scrambler first. You sit in a compartment and go in circles while the contraption goes in circles. Similar to the Disney World teacups, I guess. But then I gathered my courage and arranged a group to ride the Comet with me, a not too scary one for my first. Then, as I gained confidence, I found more and different friends and rode more thrilling rides. I especially liked Mousetrap, which went around really sharp corners really high up (you think you're going to fall). I had tons of fun!
We arrived late in Herkimer, NY. The Baptist church was so small that the guys had to walk two blocks to the Methodist church. Most of the girls slept upstairs or in the basement, but the junior girls and a few senior girls slept in a nice, cool, comfortable room on the main floor. The service this morning was wonderful.
The concert tonight in Cooperstown was cold, but good. The people were really nice. I need sleep. I have nothing more to say. I really wish I had something of particular importance to share, like the fact that Gibson and I (as partners) made a double low. If you don't understand, it doesn't matter. I am going to go to sleep now. Good night.
I love you, Mommy!
Love,
Nancy
Nancy - Mon, 06/08/09, 3:40p ET - On the road to Rochester
I'm alive! A wonderful night's sleep and quick nap on the bus revived me. I'm now awake and ready to talk. I had tons of fun with Dekotah, Kaenan, Lexie, Amanda, Jessie, and Elaine at the roller coaster place. I read a good book last week.
I suppose I ought to start with Sunday morning. I woke up, and leisurely prepared myself for church. The place we sang, Herkimer 1st Baptist, is the church where Kim's mother's memorial service was about 3 years ago. Kim's Aunt Joan came to hear us and see Kim and family. That church fed us the most delicious breakfast of french toast, toasted bagels, eggs, sausage, and cereal. They also provided sandwiches and such for lunch. Sunday afternoon, we mostly drove to Cooperstown for our second singing event of the day: a performance (excuse me, service) at the lakefront park. We arrived at the church that housed us at about 9:20, and we were all fast asleep by 11. A miracle for tour! But a very welcome one by all. The church that housed us even left muffins and juice for us, even though we didn't sing. Very nice of them.
Right now, I'm sitting next to Elaine Sharitz, the next rising star of the God's Light tour journal. See, I'm graduating next year, and as of right now, Jeff and I are the only ones who faithfully inform the reading public of the "haps" of tour. So, Elaine is being recruited and will provide wonderfully written entries for the reading public to enjoy.
But I have to finish first.
This morning, we headed back to Cooperstown for a tour of the baseball Hall of Fame. While inside, I received flashbacks of my childhood when my brother, James, loved baseball more than anything. I remember reading all the books Mom brought home from the library, as well as suffering through repeated viewings of his tapes about baseball in the 1950's. I vividly recall reading "Honus and Me," a book about a boy who finds a rare Honus Wagner baseball card and is transported back in time to when Honus was alive. I also remember a lot about Satchel Paige, star pitcher of the Negro leagues, because I did a project on him in elementary school (one of those Black History Month projects all small children must suffer through at least once in their lives). I borrowed a camera to take a picture of their plaques in the Hall of Fame. James, I wish you had been there. We've got to make a trip. You'd go crazy with excitement!
I made history today: I took my first bus nap of Choir Tour '09! It was glorious and needed. Also, my purse has been coming a bit unsewed, so I continued working on fixing it. Well, Elaine is waiting for the computer, so I'd better let her write something and introduce herself.
See y'all soon!
Nancy
Elaine - Mon, 06/08/09, 4:15p - On the road to Rochester
So today, we woke up bright and early at around 7:00 (It was very interesting trying to find ways to try and sleep in a church pew, but somehow it worked) to some very yummy muffins that were thankfully provided by the church. After the regular "morning packing routine" we were off on our way to the national baseball hall of fame. Once we arrived, we watched a short little video about the history of the Hall of Fame and then we had until 1:15 to tour the rest of the Hall of Fame and Cooperstown. Since I'm not one of the regular "baseball fanatics" my buddies and I immediatly headed to the gift shop. Then, we just decided to go walk around. Trying not to spend most of our money, we popped in to some little shops and wasted some time. Jessie was getting pretty hungry so we went to go eat some food at a very tasty pizza place where the pizza was thankfully very cheep. :) We still had about 3 hours left once we were done, so we found this really fun shop with tons of toys! Jessie became fond of the nifty head massager (don't ask) and would not take it off until we finally left about 30 min later. After that we amazingly found some random things to do to pass the time and it was back on the bus to Rochester, NY! Jessie, Lexi, David Coomer (the summer intern working with Jay), and I were just talking about totally random stuff that had gone on that day until we all (except Lexi) had a little nap. Once we woke up, I didn't know what to do, so I decided to come up here with Nancy and take a turn at this. Nancy french braided my hair just a couple minutes ago while I was writing. Now it's raining and I think I'm done. Off to Rochester!
Jeff - Tue, 06/9/09, 12:10a - In Fairport, NY
Thanks to Elaine for joining the tour journal "staff". Her first entry is a good one, so I think she'll be a good addition to the team. Thank Nancy for that, it was her idea.
This morning we went to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. This is my fourth time to visit there, I think, but it never gets old for me. I love walking around the hall immersing myself in the displays there. If you're even remotely interested in baseball it's a really neat place to visit. James Lovas, Nancy was right. You really need to make a trip up here sometime. Cooperstown is a really pretty town, even if you're not interested in baseball.
Tonight we sang at Church of the Resurrection in Fairport, church home of Brian Panosian's sister and her husband. They run the youth program there. The audience was fantastic, and we really had a great time worshipping and praising God! Our kids and their members were really into it. Their youth sang along on some of the songs. The acoustics in their sanctuary were very good too, which made the choir sing all the better.
One of the ladies from Church of the Resurrection said, "the next time you come here [note she said "when", not "if" :-)], you should tell the audience it's ok to get up and dance, because some of us really wanted to. I promised I'd tell Kim. This trip has been so good to us. I talked to a lady last night who is involved with the arts council in Cooperstown, that schedules their summer concert series. She wants to help us be an official part of their concert series next time [there's that "next time" again ...]. The way things are going, we could have quite a bit of our tour six years from now scheduled by the time we get home. Did I mention that Kim's cousin, Patty Lawrence, is the pastor at Herkimer First Baptist where we sang Sunday morning? I'd say we've got a decent chance of getting in there again too ... ;-)
It's nice to have a comfortable bed and a shower in the morning. Tomorrow we're off to Niagara Falls!
Elizabeth - Tue, 06/9/09, 11:30p - In Niagara Falls, Ontario
Hello, everybody! I'm Elizabeth Davis, a Junior (rising Senior) at Whitefield Academy and oh-so-delighted to be updating you on what's going on in this year's choir tour. I've been meaning to write befire now, but I've found that if I hear the words "Tour Journal" it's like a magical eraser for my brain. I draw a blank. Well, I'll try anyway.
Last night was incredible! We were at the Church of the Resurrection, which I can honestly say, out of 5 years of Choir Tour, is the most hospitable church I have ever attended. The service was thrilling, and full of the Spirit, and quite possible our best ever! It was also rather fantastic to sleep in actual beds, and the showers...I could write a sonnet to hot showers. *wistful sigh* Well, moving on from the raptures of host-homing, I'll move on to Canada ("Canadia"). Somehow, we m,anaged to get all these crazies across the border in like 15 minutes, and let me tell you, that was God. We had a sort of jolly Border Patrol guy, who took down the intimidation a bit. The bus was actually silent for a few whole minutes. They have a Guinness World Records Museum here, and I'm pretty sure that fifty or so quiet teenagers belong in there. Oh, what else? Um...the Falls are AWESOME!!! I mean, the Maid of the Mist was absolutely thrilling, if very wet. There was a brief Titanic sing along, a lot of mist, and some soaking hair. Some of your kids are delighting right now over the discovery that they can still text without extra charge if they have Verizon. It's been verified, apparently, by the company, straight form the counselors. I'm a bit bitter, being a formerly contented customer of AT&T...haha, I think I'll suirvive, but after all the "How WILL you kids survive sans cell phones?!" jokes, I'm appreciating the irony. Haha, to all you scoffers out there! We have overcome...or managed to get what we wanted anyway. I have not texted in hours. I went through a brief withdrawal. There were a few ugly hours, but I've entered a 12 step program and formed a support group with the girls in my hotel room, so I'm thinking we might just make it. Hope ya'll enjoyed the entry, or at least that I didn't bore you. To my knowledge, we're all still alive, no one went over the falls, and all limbs are intact, so beloved family members, I send you all love from all your kids. I'm certain they would wish as much. They're having fun, and we all hope you at home aren't partying too hard without us. God bless.
Nancy - Tue, 6/9/09 11:07p - Niagara Falls, Ontario
I’m in the lobby of the hotel after hours, and Kim just said that we can sleep in until about 9:30ish!!! Yay!!!
Last night we sang at Church of the Resurrection in Rochester, NY. The entire congregation was so excited to host us! The youth greeted us with balloons at the driveway to the church. The sweet thing is that they waited for about 45 minutes for us out there as Cal tried to find our destination. The folks also fed us the most delicious dinner of lasagna, salad, fruit, etc. That church was the most hospitable of any church we’ve ever been to ever! The youth served us drinks and cleaned up after us. So basically, just as we have served y’all at Smyrna First this year, they served us.
Before the concert, the youth leader, Jack and Luke’s aunt, shared a bit about their youth’s annual mission trip with Reach Work Camp. They go with hundreds of youth from other churches to a destination and spend a week working on needy citizens’ homes in the area. A few of their youth spoke about their experiences. It was wonderfully inspiring and special to hear about the outreach and work of other youth.
The performance was the best yet. I fudged the prelude a bit, but worked it out later. The congregation was so receptive to our ministry, and the choir fed on the energy and allowed the Spirit to flow. Then the kind people took us in to host homes.
I was in a home with Alys, Mary Hannah, and Kathryn. The family has a daughter named Keri, and we visited with her for a long time once we arrived home. The shower was warm, the Martins extremely friendly and welcoming, and the bed comfortable. Mr. Martin made a scrumptious cheese and ham omelet accompanied by toast. We arrived back at the church in the nick of time to hear devotion and plans for the day.
My, what a long day! We drove about 3 hours from Rochester to the border, and crossed into a foreign country with no trouble. We immediately disembarked from the bus and boarded the Maid of the Mist boat. The mist was very misty. I managed to stay mostly dry with the help of those attractive blue ponchos.
After Maid of the MIst, we Journeyed Behind the Falls. It was awe-inspiring to hear the roar and thunder of the water from behind it. WE then traveled to the hotel, gathered in small groups, and searched for dinner (our first realy meal since breakfast). Special Kay ended up at Hard Rock and walked around in several souvenir shops, etc.
On our way to shopping, we passed a Royal Canadian Mounted Police store. Outside stood a statue of a Mountie. See, this trip the junior girls and Special Kay have been searching for cute guys, etc. I read a book about a character that fell in love with a handsome, wonderful Mountie, and I fell in love with the Mountie too. So we got pictures with the Mountie. Quote: "We need some men!"
The choir met back at the hotel at 9 PM, then walked over to the American Falls for an impromptu singing bit. The counselors said that that was the best they've heard us a cappella (a huge improvement from the Grand Canyon when we butchered For the Beauty of the Earth). Several strangers stopped to listen and take pictures (blinding us with the flashes). We sang To God Be the Glory, the seniors sang their song, Amazing Grace, and Closing Prayer. It was fun.
Afterwards, we had more small group time. SInce we were very thirsty, we stopped by Starbucks on our way to the Ferris Wheel. Then it was too late for the Ferris Wheel, so we just went back to the hotel.
I don't have time for lengthy reflections, so I'll get that in later. I've got to bring my luggage down to the lobby, so I'll write more later!
In Christ,
Nancy
Jeff - Thu, 6/11/09 8:18a - Trinity Presbyterian Church, Hamilton, Ontario
Yesterday we had some free time in Niagara Falls before we headed out for Hamilton. After we left Niagara Falls, we went to Niagara Glen, and hiked down near the rapids on the Niagara river. It was very beautiful, but probably the hardest hike we've had on this trip. In the process, Deb, Connie, Ed & some kids got separated from the rest of us and wound up making their own way back to the bus. From what I heard, at least part of the route they took back was not officially trail, but they made it back safe and sound.
We also stopped at the Welland locks, and ended up hanging around to watch them lock a ship through. Some of the kids were bored, but I love this stuff. My dad and grandfather worked for TVA (I think I told you that a couple of years ago), so we spent a lot of time around TVA dams. I lived in Florence, AL for awhile, near Wilson Dam. Wilson Dam is on the Tennessee River, and it's over a mile wide. The lock is the highest single lift lock in the world. My family would sometimes picnic down near the dam on Sunday afternoons and watch the boats lock through. A lot of times it was just pleasure boats, but sometimes we would see a barge string going through. I think the last time I saw a lock working was when we were in that same place 2 Niagara trips ago, so probably twelve years ago.
The people at Trinity Presbyterian were very gracious, and very appreciative. They fed us magnificently last night, served cookies after the concert, and made sack breakfasts for us this morning. We ask churches to use any offering they want to take at our services for a ministry of their choosing. Trinity is working to help build a church in Trinidad, so that's where their offering from last night is going. It's kind of cool to think that we're part of all of these ministries at other churches as well as our own.
Today it's off to Port Huron, MI. I love that area, and Port Huron UMC was great to us the last time we were there, so I'm looking forward to worshiping with them again.
Nancy - Thu, 6/11/09 12:28p - On the way home to the States [Editor's Note: On the bus to Port Huron]
Now I finally have time for those lengthy reflections that I may or may not be known for. Yes, man has tampered with the Falls to make them "more aesthetically pleasing" when it really should have just been left alone. Nonetheless, Niagara Falls remains a marvelous marvel of God's power. I guess you could say that the fact that humans have the ability to take the water of the Niagara River and use it to power electricity is also a marvel, a gift from God. Personally, I believe there ought to be a limit to how much humans can or should change Creation.
Yesterday morning, Kim allowed us the upmost luxury: sleeping in. We didn't have to be ready to go until 10:30, so I was able to write yesterday morning before leaving time. Then, a group of me, Olivia Powell, Gracie, Elizabeth Davis, John Tierney, Justin, and others decided to ride the Sky Wheel. The wheel went around about 4 times, with a long pause at the very top. Tim had given me his camera to take pictures, and the view from the top of the wheel was impeccable. There was more water going over the falls yesterday than the day before, so there was more mist at the Canadian falls. We agreed that the American Falls is nicer to look at because there are lots of rocks at the bottom and there's less mist. For a light lunch we traveled to Burger King before rushing back to the buses in the hotel parking lot.
The Hampton Inn we stayed at was really nice. The lobby was huge, with windowed walls on both sides, the pool inside, and a large breakfast area. The first three levels of rooms opened onto walkways. So, you walk through a door into the hallway behind the lobby, enter your room from the main door. The room had a sliding glass door that opened onto the walkway, and some rooms had gated patios (each section for a room was separated by a fence) with chairs and a table that looked over the lobby. The hotel also had a glass elevator. Kaenan and I rode all the way to the top and then back down. It was kinda scary.
After leaving the hotel, we drove to. It's raining right now, and the windshield wipers on the bus are going in opposite directions. It's bothering poor slighly OCD me.
After leaving the hotel, we drove to an overlook that overlooked the whirlpool in the Niagara River. A few minutes down the road, we came to Niagara Glen, home to hiking trails by the River. Kim gave Chad a map of the trails, and we climbed down a high flight of stairs. I made my way to the front of the pack because I knew I liked to go relatively fast. For me, hiking is a solitary activity done in a group. I don't really like to talk to people while I hike; instead, I concentrate on the terrain and the beautiful natural surroundings. I enjoyed yesterdya's hike immensely. We saw the crisp azure river with its whitewater rapids and experienced the wonder of God's creation firsthand. I love hiking.
Our final sightseeing stop of the days was the Welland Canal. We arrived about 3:20, and the next boat was scheduled to come through the lock at 4 PM. Kim made an executive decision to allow the choir to see the beginning of the process of the boat lowering in the lock. I'm happy she did because it was really cool to see.
I think that I'm writing nonsense and nothing about the spiritualness of tour. I shall remedy that promptly.
The kind folks of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Hamilton, Ontario, fed us dinner of lasagna and pizza last night. The small, beautiful sanctuary filled soon before we started the concert. When I started the prelude, Jeff's music was out of order and Terry's drums weren't working quite right. So Ed and I held down the fort until Jeff started about a sixth of the way in and Terry started about halfway in. Don't worry, we've still got a couple of more times of running it before Homecoming Concert. By the time you, the faithful readers and congregation, hear the piece, it will be well prepared.
Afterwards, the Trinity people had cookies and juice in the fellowship hall. Kim gave us about an hour to wash hair, brush teeth, etc. and to meet back in the sanctuary at 10:15 for devotion. Michael washed my hair in the kitchen sink. During the meeting, Kim allowed an open forum for anyone who wanted to say anything. Alan challenged the choir to hunger for Jesus. David Coomer thanked the choir (and counselors) for being so accepting and welcoming. Tracy shared a witnessing experience from Sunday morning in Herkimer. Ed reminded the choir to "Spread the gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words." Matt Middlebrooks urged the choir to build and treasure friendships now. Jesus spoke through each one with a different message for each person.
Lights out came next. The juniors needed to meet to plan our talent show skit (If I were a senior). At first, we sat by the door under the exit sign, but then we gained Kim's permission to sit right outside so we wouldn't disturb those sleeping. Lee and Cody attempted to share Cody's Snuggie, each with one sleeve. Then they tried to sit, and ended up nearly flipping over backwards. Needless to say, it was hilarious. The meeting proved productive, and we've got another one schedule for tonight to practice.
When we went back inside, Alan was still awake (his luggage was near where me, Grace, Olivia, and Elizabeth slept). We probably talked to him for a good half hour to 45 minutes. Connie broke up the party about 10 minutes after midnight. Without her command to go to bed, we probably would still be awake talking.
Jeff's battery is holding on by a thread, so I'd better sign off. I realize I've written a lot; I hope some of it is not rubbish. I've officially spent an hour writing. Woohoo!!! We're about 15 miles from the border, so I ought to go find my passport.
Pray we make it back in to the States!
Potentially stuck in Canada forever,
Nancy
Jeff - Thu, 06/11/09, 3:28p ET - At Best Western, Port Huron
Just to alleviate any fears Nancy might have left you with, we did make it back into the United States with no customs problems or other issues. The byline is because Kim decided we probably couldn't handle three straight nights with no shower. We saved some money from a tourist thing that we decided not to do in Niagara Falls, and we have made several hundred dollars on CD sales. Kim managed to find a hotel in Port Huron that had room for us and was affordable, so here we are, at the Best Western, and you, dear parents, do not owe God's Light one penny for it. We'll leave here in a little while to eat dinner and do our service at Port Huron UMC. We've performed there in the past, and they were very gracious to us, so I'm looking forward to it.
Jeff - Fri, 06/12/09, 11:50a ET - On the road to Frankfort, KY
The people of Port Huron UMC were great hosts. I spoke to one lady who remembered us from the last time we sang there, which was 12 years ago! She had enjoyed our service the last time and made a point of coming to hear us again. That's pretty cool. We've had great food and great hosts at every stop this year, and they always seem to compliment us on the courtesy and talent of our kids. Yes, I know you know that doesn't happen all the time, but it's still nice to hear, isn't it.
Nancy - Sat, 06/13/09, 1:18p ET - On the road to Chattanooga
Hello everyone! We managed to make it home, that is, back in the United States. Kim had said that after we crossed the border we would stop for lunch, but we never stopped for lunch. Instead, although we were originally scheduled to stay in the church in Port Huron, Kim sensed we needed showers and beds, so she made reservations at the local Best Western. I stayed with Alys, Dekotah, and Kaenan again, and we ordered a pizza for a late lunch.
We arrived at the church about 2 and 1/2 hours before the concert (Kim had thought it was 7 PM but then the church changed it to 7:30 PM w/o notifying her). They fed us delicious nachos, etc., for dinner. The piano in the sanctuary is a 50-some-odd year-old Steinway, approx. 12 feet long. I loved playing that piano! I wanted to take it home with me and set it up in my living room. Unfortunately, I think the folks at the church wouldn't be too happy. The concert went well, and then we headed back to the hotel where everyone showered and went to bed.
Friday morning, we left the hotel and headed south to Detroit. We made a quick stop at the Henry Ford museum to learn the history of automobiles. I've been up there before with my family when we visited my great-grandmother. My friends and I ate at the Michigan Cafe for lunch. I then spent some time walking around with Lexi and Amanda. While I waited for them to finish their drinks, I said hi to an older gentleman sitting across the hall from us. I told him where we were from, and he commented about the Air Force museum in Savannah. A few weeks ago was the last reunion of his squadron of Air Force bombers. He told me that the youngest of their group was 83. Given that fact, I assumed he is a WWII veteran. He was shot down twice and crashed his plane once, I think. THis conversation was one of the highlights of the day. A testament to the wonderful conversations it is possible to have with strangers. Right before we left the museum, I took a picture of Grace and olivia in Miley Cyrus' car.
I'm going to let Jeff tell you about the A/C on Bus 2. I was not on Bus 2 yesterday, so I don't know the whole story, and I'm about ready for sleep. Suffic it to say, we got to the next church about 45 minutes late and sang in our street clothes.
Last night was the Talent Show. Many of you might have heard about or seen the "I'm on a boat" skit. Some of the guys performed a remix entitled "I'm on a bus." The Spice Girls performed (a reunion tour); Alys, Amy, and Rayleigh danced; and Justin and Coleman serenaded the girl who captured their hearts [Editor's Note: It was Jenna Lattanzi. Justin has been
This tour is the most spiritually strong I've ever been on. Each concert flows with the Spirit, and there's been a lack of drama, at least among my friends. I'm learning how to better get along with people when I'm extremely sleepy, and I'm working on not being grumpy. God's helping me with this, I know. This has been a bad year for Spades, though. I've lost every game I've played except for the first real game I played last Thursday night (the first night of tour). I guess I'm due for a bad year because the last few have been pretty good. I'm going to go nap so I can write my secret person letter. I'm definitely going to cry tonight. I'll miss these seniors.
Oh, my brother got his permit yesterday, so he can now legally drive on real roads. Please stay off them! :P
Good-night,
Nancy
Jeff - Sat, 06/13/09, 3p ET - On the road to Chattanooga
Nancy's pretty well covered the activities since we left Port Huron. I should cover the air-conditioning situation that she mentioned. Bus 2 has had AC compressor issues since about the 5th day of tour, but it wasn't much of a deal up in Canada because it was relatively cool. Yesterday on the way to Frankfort, however, the clutch on the AC compressor gave out completely. Cal got a replacement part ordered, but couldn't find a mechanic who could install it in the wilds of Kentucky. The bus has vents on the top, so it's about like riding in Atlanta with the windows open on a hot day. Not comfortable, but not intolerable either. This is my 19th tour with Cal, and we've only had a handful of problems, and no showstoppers. We've never had a problem that required us to get a replacement bus or anything like that. Cal's been very good to us over the years and I count him as a good friend.
Nancy - Sat, 06/13/09, 4:44p ET - On the road to Chattanooga
OK. So the A/C is shot, and we've opened the air vents on the top of the bus. The air coming in is around 90 degrees, so the temperature on the bus is a little above that (it seems). I'm sitting in the third aisle seat, so I've got direct ventilation blowing on my face. We're around an hour and a half from our destination, so I think we can bear with it. Several people defected over to Bus 1 (also known as the air-conditioned bus) and several others gave up their nice cool seats for the folks who can't tolerate heat as well. About 45 minutes ago, we stopped at a Wal-Mart. The Wal-Mart had a mini-McDonald's, and all the kids on Bus 2 bought ice cream, ice bags, popsicles, and cold drinks. We spent a glorious 30 minutes standing in front of the food freezers and enjoying the treat of A/C. Connie bought $25 worth of frozen peas, and Cal (the bus driver) treated us to popsicles. Ms. Deb passed out popsicles, and Chad passed out the peas. I've decided that the most comfortable position for peas is behind my back. It has a wonderful cooling effect. I'm still on Bus 2. I figured I can stand the heat okay, and I might as well just tough it out. There's that old saying, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." I apply it to this situation. The tough is the heat, and the tough are the riders of Bus 2, both yesterday and today. Cal and Lewis have been wonderful, driving through all this craziness and keeping us safe. You really can't ask for more dedicated bus drivers than the two of them.
Before our stop, we had had a Spades game going, but with the addition and subtraction of various peoples, we are about to finish. I decided to entertain myself for the remainder of the trip by writing for the tour journal and making up stories, etc., but it seems as though my game is about to be finished. So, now that I've updated my reading public on the occurrences of this afternoon, I hereby proclaim that God's Light loves God!
Ready for a sink shower,
Nancy
Jeff - Sat, 06/13/09, 11:24p ET - At Jones Memorial UMC, Chattanooga, TN
Just to update you, we did make it to Jones Memorial with only minor inconvenience. Cal won't be able to get the AC fixed on bus 2 before tomorrow, so we'll have to truck it down to Atlanta without AC, but it's not that long a trip. Some of us have done about 8 hours with no AC on bus 2 now, so we're used to running with the vents. Of course, it doesn't look like I'm going to get this posted tonight anyhow, so you won't know any of that until we've already gotten home -- except every kid in the choir has a cell-phone now, so you've probably already heard that and worse. You also may have heard some stuff about the bus blowing up at a truck stop, which is, I assure you, wildly exaggerated. What really happened was that the same air conditioner compressor that's been increasingly unhappy started locking up and burning the belt that drives it. Cal cut the belt off, and that was that. Panic (and smoke) averted.
So it's now 11:30p or so and the choir is still working on their secret person stuff. This means that they won't be getting to bed very early, probably. I, on the other hand, will probably be hitting the sack soon.
Hopefully I'll get a chance to post this before we get home tomorrow, but probably not. Such is life.
Jeff - Mon, 06/15/09, 9a ET - At home
At work, really, but whatever ...
So to catch you up, 1) the choir *was* up really late on Saturday night, some of them until 4a or 4:30a, I heard, but I gave up at 2:15a; 2) Both services at Jones Memorial went well, despite the sleepiness; 3) it was cloudy and cooler than Saturday, so getting back down to Atlanta on bus 2 was completely easy compared to Saturday. The folks at Jones Memorial treated us really well, as did all the churches we visited this year. We were really blessed by all the congregations they visited, and hopefully they by us as well.
If you missed homecoming then I can't help you much, because there's little that I can say that's not going to pale in comparison to the actual experience. Let me just say from the start that you definitely want to buy the CD if you missed the concert.
I should probably throw in a disclaimer: I'm not as objective as I should be about this year's seniors, since my oldest son is one of them, and I'm absolutely not objective about his singing. In short, you can and probably should take my comments about the seniors and Thomas with a grain of salt. That said, I do feel that I'm being completely objective when I say that this year's tour was the best ever! The choir represented you well at every stop, and the folks we worshiped with loved them. I was so impressed with this year's group because they were so focused on the services. Even when things got a little tough, they always pushed through and did a great performance. I'm just completely amazed by your kids. The really scary thing is that it's such a young group; I can't imagine how amazing it will be when the current 7th and 8th-graders are seniors.
Homecoming was awesome! It's the first time we've sung in the sanctuary in the choir loft with no chairs up there, which allows the choir to form up a lot tighter. That makes it a lot easier to hear parts and balance, which in turn makes the choir sound better. We unfortunately had a couple of soloists who were under the weather, but I'll tell you that Emilee Kramer and Elizabeth Davis both did great jobs on their solos all tour long. It's a shame that they didn't get to show you that at homecoming, but you can take my word for it. Hopefully they'll both be able to sing next Sunday in church when God's Light does some of their tour selections.
Two of the pieces from the homecoming concert were more-or-less late additions. Thomas' rendition of "Raise Me Up" was not on the agenda until he sang it at his baccalaureate service and Janet Sue Gray posted it to Facebook. Under pressure from some of the kids, particularly Coleman Joiner, Kim was convinced to add it to the choir tour program. Lauren Justus' and Thomas' duet on "Think of Me" was something Lauren wanted to do for the talent show. After they sang it accapella for the talent show, Lauren asked Kim if they could sing it at homecoming as a tribute to their fellow seniors. I don't know how many people knew that was coming, besides Kim, Jan & Coleman, who had to know since he didn't walk down for his speaking part before Thomas' solo, but I can tell you that I had no idea what was going on until Lauren started speaking and I realized that Jan had different music up than I was expecting. That was a completely amazing moment that, unfortunately, will not be adequately caught by the CD, but at least you'll know what was going on when you hear it next.
This year's seniors are a special bunch to me, obviously, since they're kids that Thomas has grown up with, but also because they are a really quality & dedicated group of people. I coached many of them in soccer over the years, or at least coached against them. Coleman and Chloe Joiner and Emilee Kraemer actually came to God's Light originally at the invitation of many of our kids who played soccer with them in Smyrna. I coached Coleman and Chloe at several levels starting with under-6, along with Justin and Thomas, and at least helped coach many of the others, including Lauren Justus, Emilee, Anna Kelly (I think) & Reid Seagraves. Matt Middlebrooks from Whitefield joined us as a senior this year. You didn't see him at homecoming because he departed from us a few days early to go with a mission team from Whitefield to (I believe) Ecuador. They're an amazing bunch, and they've been great leaders. They've certainly set a high bar for the leadership teams that follow them.
I also was particularly impressed with our 7th-grade group this year. They worked hard, and seemed to have almost none of the drama that usually accompanies that age. They were truly dedicated to the choir's mission. There are a number of siblings of previous or current God's Light members in that group, which probably meant that they had a better expectation of what was to come. Still, I want to give them special props for transitioning in so easily in spite of the rigors of choir tour. Watching Mason and Rayleigh and Shelly at homecoming was amazing. They were so obviously into what we were doing that I just couldn't help watching them. [Rayleigh isn't a 7th-grader, by the way, I just realized that sounded like I was saying she was.]
This year we had our second "second-generation" God's Light member. Alexia Curtis came on tour with us. Her mother, Heather, was part of God's Light for at least a couple of my early tours. It was really a special moment when Kim invited all of the former God's Light members and counselors to sing with us at homecoming, to see both Alexia and Heather singing their hearts out. The number of past members who come to support us at homecoming always floors me. The number of parents who no longer have kids in the choir but who always come back to hear us is even more humbling.
I'm running out of steam, as you can tell, and the real world (i.e., work) is calling, so I'll wrap this up. I'm forever grateful to all of you who support Kim and the choir in this ministry. As Kim related last night, the effects of God's Light's ministry are far-reaching. This year, offerings from our services went to help fund a school in Trinidad, a Habitat for Humanity effort in New York, and so many other places. The number of people we reach at every stop, be it church, truck stop or Walmart, is immeasurable. We're so blessed to be part of this ministry, and part of a church community that so whole-heartedly supports it.
Nancy will surely send me a post-tour update, as she always does. I want to specifically thank Nancy for her dedication to the tour journal. Thanks again to all of you, for another great God's Light tour!
Yours in Christ,
Jeff
Nancy - Thu, 06/18/09, 7:35p ET - At Home
Well, it’s Thursday, and I’m just now getting around to finishing up the tour journal for this year. I have a good reason: work. I’ve been at church every morning for summer camps, and then Mommy might have been a little glad to see me because we ran errands together in the afternoons.
I guess I left off on the beach bus on Saturday. The church in Chattanooga had showers, so the Bus 2 girls got first showers by seniority. That meant that us junior girls got first showers! Yay!!! (on choir tour, showers are a lucrative commodity). The church had plenty of room for all the girls to spread out amongst several rooms, and we closed the doors so the air conditioning would cool the rooms. Secret person started rather late, and finished rather late. Senior time began even later, and I don’t know what time it finished. See, at about 1:30 AM, I was curled up under the pew in the sanctuary, fast asleep. At about ten til 2, I decided I couldn’t take any more, so I escaped to bed. Most of the folks my age or older apparently didn’t get much sleep, maybe 2 hours. Even though I missed circle hug, I believe I got the better end of the deal. Sleep-deprived Nancy=Scary Nancy.
Elizabeth Davis had me for secret person and I had Amanda McDaniel. Lizzy wrote me the sweetest letter ever and gave me a pig ballerina pillow. She took me around Target on Saturday afternoon to see what I liked, then enlisted Dekotah and Kaenan to pull me away to look at something else so Lizzy could furtively make her purchase and escape. The plan was successful because I was very surprised. I really enjoyed getting to know Amanda. My brother and dad know her brother and dad from Boy Scouts, so it was about time that I, as the sister and daughter, get to know the other sister and daughter. Amanda seems shy and quiet at first, but can play quite a spirited game of Hierarchy when challenged. I love her!
Sunday morning services went well. The band and I tried playing Bound for the Kingdom a bit faster, which worked wonderfully. Tim’s family showed up for the first service. Mr. and Mrs. Spanjer are blessed to have such an awesome son. Thanks for sharing him with us at Smyrna First! I met Kim’s sister Shari, whose church we sang at.
Jeff’s filled y’all in on Homecoming, so I’ll give my perspective. All the while Thomas and Lauren turned around to sing to the seniors and choir, all I could think was, “This is it, now I’m a senior.” I know I’ve still got a summer before senior year starts, but it’s getting so close! I pray that we as a senior class will work together as well as last year’s did.
I know I’ve said it in the past, but this year’s tour was the best. I truly grew closer to my friends and made new ones in the process (aka Amanda, Lexi, Jessie, Elaine, Chris Marshall, Jaime, Jana, and others). Even though I didn’t read my Bible as much as I should have, I grew in Jesus. Somehow He manages to work through my weaknesses. I learned how in my weakness Jesus gives me strength. A line in “Voice of a Savior” reads, “…and lose the strength to carry on.” I’ve got to tell y’all that on this tour, I relearned how to gain the strength to carry on, not lose it. Pray for strength, and its there. Amen!
I loved having Tracy Evans, Catherine Gray, Gibson, Rena, and Deb Cook on tour this year. Thanks guys! And congrats to Coomer for jumping right in. You rock!
Love you all,
I remain a sister in Christ,
Nancy