It’s true! We are just a couple of weeks shy of the one year mark! Boy! How time flies. This time last year I had just arrived home from Uganda and was busy tying up lose ends and home; preparing for my departure with this amazing group. What an amazing adventure it has been and continues to be.
In the course of the last year we have…not even the last year let us start in February when the choir was in Port McNeil, Vancouver Island. Since that concert in Port McNeil we have driven through, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, dipped down into Maine driving through Vermont, and come back through New Brunswick and are currently in Nova Scotia. On August 8th we were in North Sydney, Nova Scotia; this is as Far East as we could go. On that day we had officially traveled from the Far West of Canada to the Far East a spanse of 2970 miles. That is not all the traveling we did however for in each province we zigzagged and covered the distance of 10,996 miles and that is just since February! During these travels thus far we have put on 181 concerts and we still have 55 or so to go!
It is an amazing feeling and indescribable comfort to know you are where you are suppose to be. Last week I had the opportunity to go down and sit by a river with a friend. We sat there and just listened to the water as it rushed over the stones beneath. After a few minutes of sitting and thinking she asked me, “what are you thinking about?” My response, which was exactly what I was thinking about was, “I wonder how many people have said or can say, ‘they don’t want to miss a moment of their life.’ They wake up with a since of purpose and not wanting to miss anything that the day has in store. Even if things are not always perfect they know they are where they are suppose to be and can not think of anything better to be doing in life. Because that is where I am.” Indeed friends and family that is where I am.
Sometimes I have thought to myself how can I have such a peace and joy. I live in a bus with 8 other adults and 26 children; I am a nomad. Tour is not always the easiest life, but I have found it incredibly rewarding. As I have had these thoughts of how can I have such peace and joy in the midst of sometimes being incredibly exhausted, I came across this line in a book written by John Piper. “Therefore, this man of INDESTRUCTIBLE JOY was ‘a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.’” (Isaiah 53:3) I am not saying I have had much sorrow or grief while on tour…quite the contrary but there are those times of growing and being stretched. When I first read this it seemed to be an oxymoron; indestructible joy and grief. Then I realized the since of joy and peace that I have is not based on my circumstances or surroundings. The since of joy and peace that I have is firmly based in the Lord and the assurance I have in Him and where He has me at this time in my life. It reminds me of when Ester was told in Ester 4:14 “ For if you keep silent at this time relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this.” If I had not joined choir 30 this tour would have still gone on as planned but my life would not be the same. All the things the Lord has taught me while on tour and the way He has stretched me and made me grow would not have ever happened. The Lord has placed me on this tour at this time ‘for such a time as this.’ What an amazing feeling! What an Amazing Lord!
Now I would also like to tell you some things we have done over the past month or so. We stayed in Gananoque, ON. The house I stayed in was right on the beach! The girls and I got to ride sea doos and go fishing. (I just had a nice little chat with my Papa on the phone; just thought you all would want to know that). The rod and reels we fished with were open face rods and I am normally no good with them. But I wanted to have one good cast...so I threw it out there and I'll be if a Pike did not jump on the end of that line! (I'm trying to write in a Texas accent) It was the biggest dad gum fish I had ever caught! Lots of fun! After the fishing adventure we traveled down into Maine. I had my first lobster! We went to a 'resteraunt' right on the coast...the boats where tied to the dock we were eating on. Sarah, who was the detail person at this church, took some of us out for lobster. She took me around back and we ordered a medium lobster. They pulled Mr. Lobster from the tank and sat him on the scale. The next thing I knew Mr. Lobster was Mr. Red, dead and on the plate in front of me! It was an interesting experience...can't say lobster is my favorite but I had fun trying it. At this same church there was a family who raised shetlin ponies. So they brough two of their full grown ones and a 2 month old out for the kids to see. All the kids got to go for a ride in a wagon pulled by the horses. They also were able to take the baby for a walk. The baby shetlin was as big as them...he would run and then the children would run while holding on to the rope that was leading the horse; thus they would just go in circles and I would laugh.
This morning we were on breakfast television but thankfully it was not live so we did not have to be there at 7! We got to sleep in till 8 and arrive at 10 or so. And that's about it for now!
