Tour Scrapbook

Sunday, October 27
Today several of us were not feeling well, so we took the day off to rest and recuperate. Charles' parents left to visit family in Denver. We stayed in from the cold and watched Emmitt Smith break the NFL rushing record!

Monday, October 28
This morning while preparing to leave Garden of the Gods Campground, Charles met a curious RV neighbor and explained that 2MOMS encourages parents to slow down and have fun with their kids so that later the kids will be open to the real important stuff - Christian values and faith. The new friend then shared his own story.

†One Sunday morning after spending countless hours building a new business, the man discovered his 11 year son was missing. The son later returned from a little church down the road…that he had been attending for a month without his parents' knowledge. The man soon realized his misplaced priorities and began attending the church with his son. The man soon accepted Christ and was later instrumental in starting a church in the Orange, CA area!

After saying good-byes to the new friend, we arrived at the Wal-Mart parking lot (our home away from home) for a 1:30 interview with Becky Grosenbach, whose husband heard us at Focus on the Family. Becky contacted us and inquired about writing an article about our endeavors for submission to a several Christian women's magazines. Becky is a former editor of Today's Christian Woman magazine and is now a freelance writer and mother of three.She met us in the Wal-Mart parking lot (how glamorous!) and interviewed Sharon and me while the dads took care of the kids for three hours!
Wow, what a neat experience! Becky has such a heart for the Lord. She was so easy to talk to (not that Sharon and I have any trouble in that area). She was such an encouragement to us. Please pray for her as she works on the article. Also, pray that it will be accepted for publication. This could be an incredible opportunity to spread the message God has given to 2MOMS.

After the interview we traveled up the mountain to Woodland Park Community Church where the steering team for the MOPS group prepared an Italian dinner for us that was delicious. Not only was the meal for our families, but also, for the families of all the steering team. It was nice for men to be there for our husbands to visit with and children for our kids to play with!

Tuesday, October 29 - Brittlea's BD
Today we awakened with anticipation of what the weather would be like. When Avery and I (she's the early riser) looked out the window, there was a dusting of snow on the ground and it was still falling. As I began to get ready for the day, I felt rejuvenated and energized. "It was going to be a wonderful day!" Avery and I went over to the church at 8:30 for a sound check. I thought it was strange that there was only one car in the parking lot . . . but I trudged on through the falling snow, carrying Avery and all my stuff. When I got to the front door, there was only one unlocked. It was the one we'd used the night before. I went in and wondered if everyone was running late because of the snow, but then I heard a high-pitched buzzing noise. I had set off the burglar alarm! I looked at my watch and it said 7:30 a.m. . . . I looked at the clock in the hall and it also said 7:30. I radioed Charles and begged him, "well, you'd better get over here to meet the police, because I've set the alarm off!" Avery had awakened me at 5:30 instead of 6:30. We had forgotten to set our carphone time back since the time change! I had made a name for myself before we even had the chance to perform! The good news is that we were all able to enjoy the beautiful snow that was falling in huge flakes . . . it was "a wonderful day!"

After a wonderful MOPS meeting, we headed down the mountain without any trouble. It was obvious people were praying for our safety. All the way to the top of Raton Pass in NE New Mexico, the clouds were dark and looming over us, but as soon as we passed over, the sun peeked through. To me, it was like God promising He was watching over us! We later heard that Colorado Springs received 11 inches of snow the day we left!

Along the way we stopped at a K-Bobs Steakhouse to celebrate Brittlea's Birthday. She found a new bicycle hidden near the salad bar! We finally made it to Albuquerque at about 10:30 p.m. No reason to pay to stay at an RV Park . . . so why not Wal-Mart?!?

Wednesday, October 30
We awakened to car alarms, running motors and honking horns this morning. I guess that's life in the Wal-Mart parking lot! After we did finally awaken, we cleaned house and prepared for "family" to visit our home. Charles' great aunts Do and Wilma live in Albuquerque. Johnie and Nelson (Charles' parents) brought them to see our buses and have lunch. They all hung around to see their great nephew drive off in a big-ol' bus!
We rolled in late to an RV park in Williams, AZ (west of Flagstaff).

Thursday, October 31
Today was a lazy day. We just kinda hung out . . . went swimming, washed clothes and went hiking up the mountain beside the campground. It was a fun family day. When we went hiking, we stopped and had a devotional, climbed trees, and took pictures. It was a fun family time for us. D-daddy, Nonie and AnnNan, (Pat's family) came to visit for Brittlea's BD. They stayed at a nearby hotel and the kids went swimming and celebrated Britt's 6th Birthday. They ordered pizza and then the kids all dressed up for the "Wedding" Birthday Party! They were all adorable and Sharon's custom-made wedding cake looked great!

Friday, November 1
Today we went to the Grand Canyon. What an incredible work of God's creative hand! We spent most of the day there along with Pat's family. We had fun eating at the famous El Tovar wilderness restaurant on the rim of the canyon. We hiked about 10 minutes down the canyon when a young ram passed right by us!
We were all pretty exhausted when we got home tonight and as I was tucking Abby into bed, she began to express how she wanted to go back home to Texas. She asked "why do we have to come back after Christmas . . . can't I just stay with Papa and Nina?" Obviously my heart was heavy. "What do I do? . . . What do I say?" I kissed her and assured her that everything was going to work out. I prayed that night that God would give me wisdom to know how to handle her homesickness.

Saturday, November 2
As Abby awakened this morning I told her that I wanted to go on a walk with just her. We walked and talked about who we were going to see and what we were going to do when we got home for the holidays. We picked up pinecones to take back to Texas to decorate for the holidays and just chatted about whatever she wanted to talk about. Before we went back to the bus I asked if she would pray with me. I asked God to help us make the most of our time at home and yet be able to be faithful to the call. It was a precious time with her.
We thought we would have an easy traveling day going from Flagstaff (mountains) down to Phoenix (desert). But in between the two was Camp Verde and the longest, slowest mountain ascent of the entire tour!

We finally arrived in Chandler, AZ and made it to Chandler Christian Church in time to sing two songs during their offertory. Pastor Roger interviewed us before we sang and really pushed our concert next Friday night. Then John and Lisa Spidel took the Hilliard family out for great Mexican food!

Tonight before Abby went to sleep, she asked if she could pray. She offered the sweetest prayer thanking God for "letting our family be together and for letting us sing to so many mommies so that they can be nicer to their kids. Thank you for the men who worked on the buses and thank you for letting Jesus die on the cross for our sins . . . AMEN!"
In my heart I thanked God for relieving my anxieties!

--Laurie