I have really exciting news!
I am going back to Ghana!!! Yeah!!!!
I just got back from a music tour with Matthew Clark. You should check out his blog entry at: www.matthewclark.net
We had a really great time. I'll tell you about the places and the people that we visited...
1. Louisville, MS
We started out at Matthew's home church in Louisville, MS and had a really great time. The people were really sweet and I believe it was really special for Matthew to be there. We shared stories with them and sang songs. Before we left for the tour, Matthew and I decided that we would be playing mostly new songs this time (instead of the songs on our cd's...we love those songs, but we wanted to test the new songs out...)
We stayed with his parents and enjoyed spending time with them. Mrs. Susan is now a professional sudoku player and that makes me happy. Haha.
2. Memphis, Tn
We definitely enjoyed our time in Memphis with our dear friends. We played at Abbye and Jeff Pates house and had such a great time eating watermelon, fellowshiping with old and new friends, and Matthew and I played songs and shared stories. It felt really good to be there with people we love talking about Jesus and how we all belong in His story.
We stayed with the Karel's that night and the next day. We had such a great time hanging out with Michael, Paayton, and Bradley. They made us feel very welcomed and at home. We also cooked a really good Indian meal on that Tuesday night, which was delicious...it also took us 3 hours to make...haha.
3. Nashville, TN
What a great time we had hear. We stayed with Ms. Sherytha Scaife who is an old family friend of ours. She welcomed us in to her house with loving arms and we definitely appreciated it. The first night we were there we played at LaRawn's house where it was good to socialize with people and tell them stories. Matthew and I also learned a lot from that house concert...The next day, we played barbies, sang and danced...Oh, did you think Matthew and I played barbies? Oh well, we did, but we played with this little 5 year old girl who was so cute. We built puzzles too. :)
Matthew set us up to play at a homeless ministry in downtown Nashville and I really enjoyed it. We got to help be a part of a night where the staff fed the homeless men and women, provided stories and music, skit and speaker. Matthew and I played music for that and we even got to tag-team and speak. It was really encouraging and felt good. There is something about serving people that makes me feel so connected with our Father.
After that, we were so blessed to be able to hang out with some of the staff: Krystin and Charla and some others. They were so wonderful and we went with them to have our first taste of bubble tea? It is interesting indeed. :) We appreciate you, Charla and all the others for your hospitality and love.
That night we got to hang out with our friends Jenny and Tyler Somers from the group 'Jenny & Tyler'. If you've never heard of them, you should check out their music: http://jennyandtylermusic.com/
They shared with us new songs and we shared new songs with them and then we ended the night sitting in their living room singing hymns and praising Jesus. It was really a refreshing time and we are thankful for that night.
4. Greensboro/Durham, North Carolina
So the Lord had our plans in His hands the whole time. Even when I was frustrated with why we couldn't get places to play, He knew why. This weekend was one of the times. One of my dear friends needed me and thank goodness we had time because I got to go to her. Also, Matthew didn't mind so much because my friend lives in Durham and Matthew's girlfriend lives in Greensboro so I got to go take care of my friend and Matthew and his girlfriend, Katie Spaan got to have time together, which was so good for them.
Durham consisted of a really good time with one of my best friends, sharing stories, crying together, asking the Lord questions, getting manicures and pedicures, eating at the Melting Pot, exploring rivers and hiking, and watching old movies....It was soo good. After 3 days of Durham, I drove back to Greensboro to pick my brother, Matthew up. It was so good to see him with Katie. Katie has a really sweet spirit about her and I could really feel the spirit in her when we were together. She is really beautiful and both of them are really blessed to be in each other's lives.
We shared music together: Katie, Matthew, Katie's friend Rachel and I. We also shared stories of Africa and such...The next day, Matthew and I went to Katie's work and had lunch with her and then we had to leave. It was a really good time.
5. Knoxville, TN
Matthew and I drove to Knoxville that day. It was so good to have the time in the car with my brother. We talked about a lot of things, sang songs, read the book: Redeeming Love, and just laughed. :) It is good to be silly sometimes. Oh, and Elzmerelda Robotica took us all over the place. (Our GPS).
We went to a church that Matthew and Brian played at on their October Tour in Knoxville. It was good to see a familiar face there: Adrianne Rodgers. She's wonderful. We ate potluck and Matthew and I played for about an hour and a half. It was really good to share stories and sing songs with them. I feel really encouraged that the body of Christ is coming together and participating in the Lord's work together....
That night, I had a terrible stomach ache. Thats all I can say about that. Ha. :)
The next night we led music for a youth group. We started out with 4 of our original songs and then we lead 4 worship songs. I haven't heard a youth group that loud in a long time. They loved worshiping together and that was really awesome.
We stayed with Adrianne for a couple of nights and we are so thankful for our time with her. She is wonderful. Also, we can't forget about Brusels who is just as awesome...muhahaha.
6. Wilmore, KY
The drive to Kentucky was beautiful and dangerous. Ha. I passed several signs that said: Blasting Site. Turn off cellular phones. I've never seen those signs before so that was hilarious. There was one blasting site that we had to wait for about 20 minutes for them to clear...
We were welcomed very warmly to Wilmore, KY by Nathan and Caroline Phillips. I knew Nathan and Caroline from Mississippi State. Nathan was the Ass. Director under Hugh Griffith, where I was an intern. It was really wonderful to see both of them again. I love them a lot. We played music at JD Walt's house. JD is the chaplain at Asbury Seminary. He was such a nice, kind guy and their family was very welcoming. We had a good time playing music for their neighborhood friends and some students. JD even showed off some of his skills and that was fun as well. :) We also met some new friends and really enjoyed our time with them.
That night, Matthew and I were up eating strawberries and Matthew was saying how he missed Katie and wished he could see her. Well, "lets go" I said. Matthew was like, "really?" And I was like, "yes, really." (I wanted you to hear our dialogue. Haha) So then it was decided. We would drive back to Greensboro, NC for a day and a half so that we could see Katie. :)
7. Greensboro, NC
The trip was gorgeous. The valleys and mountains were beautiful. The old barns were incredible. I really enjoyed that drive. As we drove, Matthew planned how he was going to surprise Katie. It was so cute and really thoughtful. Rachel helped us plan how we were going to surprise her. We went to Wal-Mart and Matthew got her flowers and a card. We showed up at the restaurant that Rachel said that they would be at and they were on the outside deck so we had to be really sneaky to get to her without her seeing us, but it worked without a hitch. Katie Spaan was so surprised and thankful and it was really sweet. Rachel and I let them have their date and we went and had ours. Rachel is so sweet and has a very gentle spirit as well. We enjoyed talking and we were later joined by Matthew and Katie.
The next day, I spent a lot of time at a park that was really beautiful. I played my guitar, talked on the phone, and spent time with Jesus. Later, we went out to eat with Katie's mom and had a really good time. That night we played music at a church right outside of Greensboro. The Lord was teaching us there and Matthew and I enjoyed singing songs and worshiping our God. That night, we went out with some of the students at that church and enjoyed breakfast food at Waffle House. They even made choc. milk the right way!! ;)
Later that night, Matthew read some from Redeeming Love and Katie read from the bible. We ended the night with prayer and that was really special. I felt really lifted up by them.
8. Decatur, AL
Very excited about this trip!!! Went to see Erica Cain and her family. She set up a concert outside in a pavilion and that was a lot of fun. It was good to see old friends and meet new ones. Thank the Lord for community. I don't know where we would be without it.
We got to spend an extra day in Decatur and it was so good to rest. Matthew and I spent a lot of time on the Cain's front porch talking about the Lord and His beauty reflected in nature, we ate lunch at a really good restaurant, got a watermelon (yum), took naps, ate dinner with the Cain's, and then read some more on the porch...it was so good.
9. Enterprise, AL
Our last stop on the tour was Enterprise, AL. We played for a youth group and that was really fun. We played an acoustic set of worship songs and then played some originals and ended with "In Christ Alone." We hung out with the youth at McDonald's afterwards and that was really fun. They were a great group of kids.
We stayed with Matthew's mom, Mrs. Susan's roommate from college. She was wonderful. She loves antiques so her house was filled with them.
We had a wonderful time. I was reflecting on it today and really feel that the Lord blesses us with people in our lives. He places certain individuals in our lives for specific reasons and others for simply love. I was so blessed by some of the conversations that I had with Matthew and others and feel really challenged and loved in a lot of ways. It was a great tour and Matthew and I have learned a lot and also feel that two cd's will be in the making later this year....
wahoo!!!!!!!!
I am going back to Ghana!!! Yeah!!!!
I just got back from a music tour with Matthew Clark. You should check out his blog entry at: www.matthewclark.net
We had a really great time. I'll tell you about the places and the people that we visited...
1. Louisville, MS
We started out at Matthew's home church in Louisville, MS and had a really great time. The people were really sweet and I believe it was really special for Matthew to be there. We shared stories with them and sang songs. Before we left for the tour, Matthew and I decided that we would be playing mostly new songs this time (instead of the songs on our cd's...we love those songs, but we wanted to test the new songs out...)
We stayed with his parents and enjoyed spending time with them. Mrs. Susan is now a professional sudoku player and that makes me happy. Haha.
2. Memphis, Tn
We definitely enjoyed our time in Memphis with our dear friends. We played at Abbye and Jeff Pates house and had such a great time eating watermelon, fellowshiping with old and new friends, and Matthew and I played songs and shared stories. It felt really good to be there with people we love talking about Jesus and how we all belong in His story.
We stayed with the Karel's that night and the next day. We had such a great time hanging out with Michael, Paayton, and Bradley. They made us feel very welcomed and at home. We also cooked a really good Indian meal on that Tuesday night, which was delicious...it also took us 3 hours to make...haha.
3. Nashville, TN
What a great time we had hear. We stayed with Ms. Sherytha Scaife who is an old family friend of ours. She welcomed us in to her house with loving arms and we definitely appreciated it. The first night we were there we played at LaRawn's house where it was good to socialize with people and tell them stories. Matthew and I also learned a lot from that house concert...The next day, we played barbies, sang and danced...Oh, did you think Matthew and I played barbies? Oh well, we did, but we played with this little 5 year old girl who was so cute. We built puzzles too. :)
Matthew set us up to play at a homeless ministry in downtown Nashville and I really enjoyed it. We got to help be a part of a night where the staff fed the homeless men and women, provided stories and music, skit and speaker. Matthew and I played music for that and we even got to tag-team and speak. It was really encouraging and felt good. There is something about serving people that makes me feel so connected with our Father.
After that, we were so blessed to be able to hang out with some of the staff: Krystin and Charla and some others. They were so wonderful and we went with them to have our first taste of bubble tea? It is interesting indeed. :) We appreciate you, Charla and all the others for your hospitality and love.
That night we got to hang out with our friends Jenny and Tyler Somers from the group 'Jenny & Tyler'. If you've never heard of them, you should check out their music: http://jennyandtylermusic.com/
They shared with us new songs and we shared new songs with them and then we ended the night sitting in their living room singing hymns and praising Jesus. It was really a refreshing time and we are thankful for that night.
4. Greensboro/Durham, North Carolina
So the Lord had our plans in His hands the whole time. Even when I was frustrated with why we couldn't get places to play, He knew why. This weekend was one of the times. One of my dear friends needed me and thank goodness we had time because I got to go to her. Also, Matthew didn't mind so much because my friend lives in Durham and Matthew's girlfriend lives in Greensboro so I got to go take care of my friend and Matthew and his girlfriend, Katie Spaan got to have time together, which was so good for them.
Durham consisted of a really good time with one of my best friends, sharing stories, crying together, asking the Lord questions, getting manicures and pedicures, eating at the Melting Pot, exploring rivers and hiking, and watching old movies....It was soo good. After 3 days of Durham, I drove back to Greensboro to pick my brother, Matthew up. It was so good to see him with Katie. Katie has a really sweet spirit about her and I could really feel the spirit in her when we were together. She is really beautiful and both of them are really blessed to be in each other's lives.
We shared music together: Katie, Matthew, Katie's friend Rachel and I. We also shared stories of Africa and such...The next day, Matthew and I went to Katie's work and had lunch with her and then we had to leave. It was a really good time.
5. Knoxville, TN
Matthew and I drove to Knoxville that day. It was so good to have the time in the car with my brother. We talked about a lot of things, sang songs, read the book: Redeeming Love, and just laughed. :) It is good to be silly sometimes. Oh, and Elzmerelda Robotica took us all over the place. (Our GPS).
We went to a church that Matthew and Brian played at on their October Tour in Knoxville. It was good to see a familiar face there: Adrianne Rodgers. She's wonderful. We ate potluck and Matthew and I played for about an hour and a half. It was really good to share stories and sing songs with them. I feel really encouraged that the body of Christ is coming together and participating in the Lord's work together....
That night, I had a terrible stomach ache. Thats all I can say about that. Ha. :)
The next night we led music for a youth group. We started out with 4 of our original songs and then we lead 4 worship songs. I haven't heard a youth group that loud in a long time. They loved worshiping together and that was really awesome.
We stayed with Adrianne for a couple of nights and we are so thankful for our time with her. She is wonderful. Also, we can't forget about Brusels who is just as awesome...muhahaha.
6. Wilmore, KY
The drive to Kentucky was beautiful and dangerous. Ha. I passed several signs that said: Blasting Site. Turn off cellular phones. I've never seen those signs before so that was hilarious. There was one blasting site that we had to wait for about 20 minutes for them to clear...
We were welcomed very warmly to Wilmore, KY by Nathan and Caroline Phillips. I knew Nathan and Caroline from Mississippi State. Nathan was the Ass. Director under Hugh Griffith, where I was an intern. It was really wonderful to see both of them again. I love them a lot. We played music at JD Walt's house. JD is the chaplain at Asbury Seminary. He was such a nice, kind guy and their family was very welcoming. We had a good time playing music for their neighborhood friends and some students. JD even showed off some of his skills and that was fun as well. :) We also met some new friends and really enjoyed our time with them.
That night, Matthew and I were up eating strawberries and Matthew was saying how he missed Katie and wished he could see her. Well, "lets go" I said. Matthew was like, "really?" And I was like, "yes, really." (I wanted you to hear our dialogue. Haha) So then it was decided. We would drive back to Greensboro, NC for a day and a half so that we could see Katie. :)
7. Greensboro, NC
The trip was gorgeous. The valleys and mountains were beautiful. The old barns were incredible. I really enjoyed that drive. As we drove, Matthew planned how he was going to surprise Katie. It was so cute and really thoughtful. Rachel helped us plan how we were going to surprise her. We went to Wal-Mart and Matthew got her flowers and a card. We showed up at the restaurant that Rachel said that they would be at and they were on the outside deck so we had to be really sneaky to get to her without her seeing us, but it worked without a hitch. Katie Spaan was so surprised and thankful and it was really sweet. Rachel and I let them have their date and we went and had ours. Rachel is so sweet and has a very gentle spirit as well. We enjoyed talking and we were later joined by Matthew and Katie.
The next day, I spent a lot of time at a park that was really beautiful. I played my guitar, talked on the phone, and spent time with Jesus. Later, we went out to eat with Katie's mom and had a really good time. That night we played music at a church right outside of Greensboro. The Lord was teaching us there and Matthew and I enjoyed singing songs and worshiping our God. That night, we went out with some of the students at that church and enjoyed breakfast food at Waffle House. They even made choc. milk the right way!! ;)
Later that night, Matthew read some from Redeeming Love and Katie read from the bible. We ended the night with prayer and that was really special. I felt really lifted up by them.
8. Decatur, AL
Very excited about this trip!!! Went to see Erica Cain and her family. She set up a concert outside in a pavilion and that was a lot of fun. It was good to see old friends and meet new ones. Thank the Lord for community. I don't know where we would be without it.
We got to spend an extra day in Decatur and it was so good to rest. Matthew and I spent a lot of time on the Cain's front porch talking about the Lord and His beauty reflected in nature, we ate lunch at a really good restaurant, got a watermelon (yum), took naps, ate dinner with the Cain's, and then read some more on the porch...it was so good.
9. Enterprise, AL
Our last stop on the tour was Enterprise, AL. We played for a youth group and that was really fun. We played an acoustic set of worship songs and then played some originals and ended with "In Christ Alone." We hung out with the youth at McDonald's afterwards and that was really fun. They were a great group of kids.
We stayed with Matthew's mom, Mrs. Susan's roommate from college. She was wonderful. She loves antiques so her house was filled with them.
We had a wonderful time. I was reflecting on it today and really feel that the Lord blesses us with people in our lives. He places certain individuals in our lives for specific reasons and others for simply love. I was so blessed by some of the conversations that I had with Matthew and others and feel really challenged and loved in a lot of ways. It was a great tour and Matthew and I have learned a lot and also feel that two cd's will be in the making later this year....
wahoo!!!!!!!!
