Category Archives: blessings

A Year Ago Today

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.” Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. …For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. Psalm 91:1-6, 11-12 NKJVIt’s hard to believe it’s been a year already – a year since the near-death experience God brought us through – one that we all walked away from. We are still amazed at it all. It is hard to find words to express how we feel, except that God is powerful and merciful and faithful, and we are so grateful for each other and for life!

What a journey this past year has been as a result of the plane crash! (If you have not read the story, you can find it here.) We were invited to share our story on the radio with Wayne Shepherd, took our first flight after the crash a few months later, told the story and shared the gospel in a public school, connected with one of our EMT’s when we returned to that community, and watched God open so many doors to tell people the story and point them to Him. We’ve shared this story at kids clubs, churches, and prisons. People recognize that our survival was nothing short of a miracle. We tell them that we cried out to Jesus, He heard us, and that He is real. We are so grateful for this testimony to share with people.

first flight

we were able to share the gospel in a public school as a result of the crash

one of our EMT’s

As believers in Jesus Christ we have everlasting life, which means we know that when we die, we will spend eternity with Him. We were ready to take our last breath. Are you? Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 NKJV

Praise God for what He has done!

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised… The snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears. …The LORD lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted. Psalm 18:2-3, 5-6, 46 NKJV

Southwest Travels

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After Alabama, we were off to the Southwest!

After a two-day drive, we arrived at a church in Albuquerque where we would be singing the next morning. This church family has been a real blessing to us as we have gotten to know them over the last few years. A number of people were there to help us unload all of our instruments and gear, and after we set up, everyone went out for dinner at a true New Mexican restaurant. Tortillas, beans, green chilies…yum!

Mom started having some back pain and by the next morning it was to the point where she wouldn’t be able to join us for church, which included our concert. It also turned out that on Monday (our planned departure day) Mom’s back was not up for traveling, and our hosts, the Delaney family, were so gracious to us when we had to stay a few extra days. We had a good time with them!

Dad enjoyed trying out Mr. Delaney’s segway

a heart-pounding game of jenga

supper and fellowship!

We walked down to the Rio Grande river where there was a beautiful view of the Sandia Mountains.

Even though our schedule hadn’t gone as planned, it was still a profitable few “extra days” in New Mexico. Dad was able to have a couple of ministry-related meetings, and we three girls were able to join some of the church family in a children’s Bible club at the school. We shared the airplane story with the kids, showed them a picture or two, and sang a couple songs.

Thursday we had a concert scheduled on the Navajo reservation in Arizona, so it was time to say goodbye to New Mexico and the Delaneys. Mom was still having some back trouble but she was able to join us for the concert that night! We were in Tuba City at the discipleship center, and we enjoyed meeting people and getting to know the Haskins who minister there and also put us up for a few nights.

And how can you come this far and not go to the Grand Canyon? A few of us have been there before, but we had never been there as a family. We were really looking forward to going. Being at the Grand Canyon reminds us how small we are, and how powerful God is.

…for some perspective. can you find us?

in the lookout tower

I’m not sure if we’ve ever seen so many selfie sticks at one place. But if you don’t have one, just find a friendly-looking tourist to take a family picture for you!

And we can certainly attest to the fact that while pictures of Grand Canyon are amazing, they don’t even come close to doing it justice.

We had been invited to sing on the Hopi Reservation if we ever were down that way. This was another place that was a first-time for our whole family, and it was a great opportunity to encourage the believers and share the gospel. We had a concert there on Saturday night and then stayed for the Sunday church service. We met quite a few believers there and they made us feel so welcome.

the church door open for all

Sunday morning was a church breakfast, with tortillas made hot off the stove. The morning service was an encouraging time of testimony, music, singing Hopi hymns, hearing the Word, and at the end the believers got up and sang in their Native language, “God be with you till we meet again.” We were so blessed by them.

morning service

The town we were in is in a canyon, and right behind the church is a rock wall. It’s beautiful country down there, and between all the rocks, red dirt, plains, canyons, and other scenery we drove through or past in the southwest, we felt very far away from Minnesota! (And we probably sounded like it too…”Look at that rock! Look at all those rocks! Look at the dirt!”)Everywhere we were at on this trip, people were so welcoming and hospitable, whether or not they had met us before. It’s wonderful to be part of God’s family.

From Arizona we began our trek northward, a three-day drive home. We drove through the Rockies in Colorado, and despite some snowfall and high road elevations, we made it safely through and thoroughly enjoyed the stunning scenery.Our last two nights on the road were spent with our friends the Marinos in Colorado and the Wissmanns in Nebraska who are such an encouragement to us. Thank you so much to everyone who prayed for us and blessed us on this road trip! We know that God is working. Sometimes we see it, and sometimes we don’t. Either way, we desire to be faithful and trust that where God gives us opportunity, He is at work.

“That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is none besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other.” Isaiah 45:6

North Carolina and Florida

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Part two of our November/December trip: North Carolina and Florida.

Driving through the Smoky Mountains is a sight to behold, especially since we rarely get to do it! Last year we drove through North Carolina, but it had been a number of years since we stayed in North Carolina, so it was amazing to be able to be there for a number of days again.

The mountains were “smoky” because of wild fires

and where we live, Walmart looks a lot less interesting and certainly isn’t back-dropped by mountains

We apparently didn’t get many good pictures in NC that featured people. So you can just use your imagination if you’d like.

It was good to go back to a church in Cherokee that we had sang at before. We saw some old friends and made some new ones! One night we got to go with the church to the house of a man Dad recorded last time we stayed here. This man is not well physically, and the group came to encourage him with a meal and singing, but he was an encouragement and challenge to us! His faith is so strong and he is joyful. All the believers we fellowshipped with in North Carolina were a blessing to us.

Dad got to record the testimonies of a couple of people for The Storyteller radio program.

We were staying at a Christian camp and enjoyed spending time there with some new friends. Among other things we had fun playing football in the rain and extreme spoons.

yes, quite extreme

result of playing football in the rain

A beautiful place, wonderful people, encouraging times…then it was time to pack up and head for Florida.

the camp at Cherokee

We were really looking forward to Florida…not because of the amazing winter weather (although we certainly enjoyed that!), but because we were going to participate in a prison outreach. God worked it out for us to be able to be a part of the Gospel Express prison crusade this year, and we were excited!

Every prison we’ve been to is different, each experience is different, but at each one we see things that are precious. This time was no exception. We saw tears flowing. Hands raised in worship. Men singing along to songs they may have never heard before. We sang “Away in a Manger” with them—a roomful of men who have probably known that song since childhood, now in prison, lifting their voices in song about the One who came to save them. When it was time for the message one night, an inmate moved the pulpit to the stage. At the Sunday morning service a group of inmates gathered in the back of the room before we started…they joined hands and prayed. We could also hear them singing in a back room and were told it was the worship team practicing. We would have loved for them to sing in the service but we were told there wasn’t enough time. Over the four-day prison crusade, we saw people coming forward, unashamed, to receive Christ. We saw Christians coming to “un-kink their water hose” in response to the message that was preached about our relationship with God. On Sunday morning we sang hymns with the inmates, like “Victory in Jesus”…and they are not afraid to sing. Our family is so blessed to be able to be a part of ministering in prisons.

The prison services took place in the afternoon, so in the evenings all the volunteers and singers regrouped for worship, testimonies, singing, fellowship, games, and a jam session (not all those happened in one night). Here’s a few pictures of some of it.

the Gospel Express choir

our friends the Bechtolds

we shared a few songs

On the last night of fellowship as we were about to leave, our van decided it was time to give us some technical difficulties. Thankfully, we were in the right place with lots of willing hands and bus mechanics! Whatever the problem was, it was soon solved and we were good to go.With this prison crusade one evangelist traveled with us for all the services. It was so good getting to know Phil and his wife who have a heart for seeing the lost inmates saved and the believing inmates challenged and encouraged in their walk with God.

sharing a meal with the Stutzmans

Thanks to everyone who took pictures for us/shared pictures with us that we used in this post! As we look back on our week in Florida, it all falls under the category of, “Wow! What an amazing time.”

selfie!

And so we began our trek back to the north-land. Going from Florida to Minnesota in December means basically going from spring to winter. To add to that, when we left home it was beautifully warm autumn weather, but when we got home…let’s just say we had missed the first snow.

Running board-deep snow really isn’t a lot for us, but it is a lot when you have to plow through it uphill, without four-wheel drive, without snow tires, pulling a trailer. We took a running start and made it up the driveway to a good spot for unloading before we couldn’t go any farther.

time to shovel!

Thus ended our November/December trip. We were home for a few weeks before we hit the road again…next up is our January/February travels… including our first visit to Pickle Lake since the plane crash.

Thank you for praying for us!

Bless the LORD, all His works, in all places of His dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul! Psalm 103:22