Friday, October 30, 2009

Fall Pics

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We are having a party with a purpose tonight. Pray that it goes well! I am very excited about it! We are raising money for Hands and Feet again. I will tell you how it went next week.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Seasons

I grew up in Florida which was wonderful, but we didn't exactly experience the seasons. I remember getting so excited when it got down in the 50's at Christmas. Nashville is a great place to live. It has all four seasons, but none of them are too harsh. Here are some pictures of the same spot in our backyard during different seasons.


Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Suspicious Mail

I received a number of notices in the mail that I had a package that needed to be signed. I called the post office and they said that I MUST sign for it. This got my curiosity up. Usually they would allow me to sign and place a note on the door.

I drove to the post office and picked up the package. It was a small box with no return address only postage from Mexico. My imagination took the best of me and I wondered if the kidnappers had found us. It would not be that difficult to do the way the internet is. I began wondering how big a bomb was.

I looked around the parking lot of the post office. There was a mailman pulling his truck around the back. Another person was casually walking into the store next door. Everything was simply normal yet I might be literally holding a ticking time bomb. However, it was not ticking. I listened.

I peaked inside one of the corners of the box. There was another box inside. The box inside had a picture of a cat on the front...not a likely bomb cover. Still, my heart was racing. I got out of the truck (don't know why that would make a difference) before I opened it. Inside, I found Mexican candy and a note from Barbara!

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Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Discouragement Turns to Joy

As many of you know, I was feeling very discouraged toward the beginning of last week. After your prayers, I began feeling much better. Then, by Wednesday night I was so overcome with joy that I had trouble going to sleep!

One thing is that I feel like the Lord is allowing me time to actually be off. Don't get me wrong. The last 10 years have been incredible and I would not change it for the world. However, I have set aside some things in my life in order to do this ministry. The ministry takes precedence over everything, so I have missed out on some family things or community events. Now, I feel like the Lord is saying to go be with family. Join a couple of Bible study groups. Nurture these relationships with friends.

To confirm that, I can go see my family in Florida, stay in a hotel near Brock's sister and family near Christmas, fly to the Dominican Republic for vacation and to visit our Compassion child all for free! Because of all of our frequent flier miles and Hilton Honors points, we are able to do all of this! It's as if the Lord is saying to have fun on Him! We are able to do all of this because of our travel for the ministry.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Fun Last Week

I went to my friend, Carrie's, house for lunch one day. She cooked a delicious quiche. Here's a picture of her standing by her quiche in her kitchen (like they do with chefs in magazines).
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Then, we went to the Cocoa Tree. Here are the Barbara Mandrell boots replica Bethany made with chocolate.
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She has two new truffles called pink lemonade and banana's foster.
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For dinner club, we went to a new taco shop in Franklin called Oscar's. It was delicious! So far so good with our new restaurants.
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After dinner, we stopped by the grocery store. When they began playing a romantic song, Emily began dancing with the large, frog stuffed animal. Maybe I was missing Brock or something, because shortly after, I grabbed the stuffed puppy and began dancing as well!

I went to a chili cookoff at my friends house.
PhotobucketWe tried all 7 different chilis and voted on the one we liked best. I was expecting them to taste a lot alike, but they were all very unique. It was fun!

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PhotobucketOf course, Lindsey encouraged eating flaming marshmallows while we were sitting around the fire.

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Saturday, October 24, 2009

Show at Boston College

They had some last minute problems with the show last night, but the message went really well. That's what we were mainly concerned about. Thanks for the prayer. Brock has another show tonight at a church in Boston. Pray that it goes well. Brock wrote a funny blog about the school assembly in Oklahoma. Go here to read it.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Cool Story about Giving 2

If you haven't read yesterday's blog yet, then, read it first. Of course I didn't say anything to my friend about all of this until I talked it over with Brock, but I felt rather confident about it. Brock is usually the one the Lord tells what to give, because he has such a gift with it. I immediately told Brock all about it. He said, "Sure, let's do it." I began planning how we could send her or the doctor $100 every month for the next year.

The next day, I was wading through the mail that had stacked up so high while we were gone. Somewhere buried beneath credit card offers and bills was an envelop from our county. This was strange to get a handwritten letter from the county, so I skipped all the other stuff and quickly tore it open. The only thing in the envelop was a check for $1,200. On the memo line it said, "Overpayed taxes for 2008." I don't even know what that's about, but we were not counting on it at all. It was out of the blue but very curious timing, don't you think???

Brock said to give it to my friend, and that's what I did! I don't know why the Lord didn't send the money directly to her, but I have my ideas. I think that He wants us to need each other. We are a body and that's how a body functions. Another reason is that if the money came straight to them, do you think she would spend it on herself? If you knew her, you would know that she would spend it on something that her whole family needed or wanted or at least spend it on her kids. Another reason is probably that he wanted to give me and Brock the joy of giving it to her! The Lord is so sweet!

Please pray for Brock's show tonight. It's at Boston College. They are advertising to students from a few colleges around there. Pray specifically that Brock will know just how to relay His message to them.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Cool Story about Giving

First of all, the show went great in Tulsa, OK. There were about 1,000 in attendance and 95 people decided to follow Jesus last night.

I have something very cool to tell you about. A couple of weeks ago, the Lord told me that he wanted me to give something to this friend of mine. He didn't tell me what to give her, so I was very curious about it. When I saw her, she told me that she and her husband had just saved up enough money to buy a couch, but they found out that morning that they had termites and it costs the same amount of money to fix that situation as it would to buy the new couch. So, she said disappointed, "There goes my couch."

I got really excited, because I thought that maybe this was it! Then, the Lord said, "I know what you are thinking, but that's not it." Over the course of lunch, she was telling me about how her health was not doing so good but doctors did not know what was causing her so much pain. She had seen some sort of advertisement for a doctor who specialized in treating the symptoms she was having. However, it was going to cost $100 a month for a year for the treatment. $1,200 is a lot of money, and her insurance would not cover it.

At that point, the Lord said, "This is it." I got very excited because I knew that this is what the Lord wanted me to give to her! More on this tomorrow...

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Show in Tulsa, OK

Please pray for Brock and John at the show tonight in Tulsa, OK. Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in the lives of all who are present there tonight.

Feeling Better

Thanks for the prayer and encouragement. Things began to get better yesterday. Not only did I begin to feel better, but some of my friends began inviting me to things. Then, last night, Lindsey and I went to this small group (we call them villages) with a few girls. We didn't know anyone who was in the group. As we approached the apartment, we were very nervous. I even told Lindsey that if we didn't like it, we would never go back. We loved it! The girls were wonderful! I actually knew one of them but didn't know she was in this group. We shared with each other and prayed together. It was an answer to prayer for both me and Lindsey.

The Lord takes care of me. I know He will. A few years ago, I woke up one morning knowing that He wanted us to do more illusions involving everyday items instead of big box tricks. This meant less of me onstage. I was the one who would get in the boxes. I told Brock what the Lord had told me. We took it to heart, and sure enough, we began doing illusions more personality driven (specifically Brock's personality) and not prop driven. It's so much better that way. Of course, the Lord was the One to tell me that I wasn't going to be in the show as much. If Brock would have told me, I would have been crushed. After we made the changes to the show, I still received just as many if not more compliments on being Brock's assistant.

I say all of that to say this. The Lord was the One who told me to take this break from the road. He has His reasons. Maybe it's just because I need the break, and He is looking out for me, or maybe He wants me to spend more time with Him and not be distracted by the cares of the road. It might be another reason all together, but He does have His reasons. He knows how to take care of me the best!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Discouraged

Please pray for me. I cannot explain it very well, but I am feeling very discouraged. There are times out on the road when I feel alone. This is one of those times. It's also difficult to keep up a personal life when we travel so much. Now, we come home and everyone else has their own lives going on.

It's difficult to balance life on the road and then at home as well. This year it's been out of balance because we've been out on the road so much. We have only been able to have a few parties. For other reasons, our community is falling apart.

I have mixed emotions about Brock going out on the road again this week without me. I know that I need the rest, but when I do shows, I don't think about anything else. It's a sort of escape. Anyway, pray that the Lord helps me figure some things out.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Week One of a Scheduled Life

Well, I survived the first week of my scheduled life. Honestly, it did not feel very different because Brock was here and I didn't miss a show yet. However, I did begin my schedule. I have an activity that I do with people and then a few work and prayer commitments that I keep everyday. Here's my activity schedule:
Monday-Date night with Brock since he is usually here on Mondays this fall. Last Monday we went to see a movie and went out to dinner. Just simple dinner and a movie, but it's been so long!!!
Tuesday-A small group with some ladies here and my friend, Lindsey. This is the only activity that I actually skipped last week. Whoops! Already not following the schedule, but that's bound to happen sometimes. Something came up with Brock that night.
Wednesday-Beth Moore Bible study that my friend, Tiffany, leads in Murfreesburo. It was so fun to actually do a Bible study with others!
Thursday-Dinner club with the girls. Every Thursday, we try a new restaurant...one that we have not ever tried. This is fun and feeds my adventurous side! Last week, we went to a Persian restaurant called House of Kabob. We tried hummus and babbaganoush, kabobs, and dessert. The food was fabulous! What flavor! The baklavah was good, but Steph said that the rose petal ice cream tasted like her grandma's bathroom smells. I agreed with that, but everything else was superb!
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Friday-Lunch with my friend, Carrie. Last week, I spent the whole time venting to her about the road, because she traveled for several years in a band and gets it. I'm sure I will be much more rested and positive about everything this week.
On the weekends, I don't have a schedule except church on Sunday. This weekend was really fun with Brock here. It included a few dinners with friends and an adventure in the Haunted Woods going on by our house.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Please Pray

This is the blog my sister, Kay, who is a missionary in Bolivia along with her husband, Trent, posted today...

As many of you know, the main community where our team has been working for the past year and a half is a small village called Qhochumi. A few months back, the guys told the first story that included baptism in it and our “man of peace,” Celedonio, soon after told them that he wanted to get baptized, without even being asked. When the guys tried to make his request a reality, he began to make excuses as to why he couldn’t do it that day, putting it off further and further.

We prayed that this trip Celedonio would put aside all of his hesitations and be baptized along with some other members of the community who have been listening to the stories. However, the guys called this morning and things are not going well. Celedonio told them he is not interested in the stories anymore and doesn’t want to change. The other families that have been learning the stories are working our guys like slaves and don’t seem to be interested anymore either.

Trent and our Quechua friend, Simon, have gone to meet the guys, encourage them, and assess the situation. As you can imagine, we are all confused, discouraged, and sad. What is God’s plan in all of the this? Why would we see God working through His word this whole time only for it to end in nothing?

Please pray for Trent and Simon as they travel and for our guys, Javier, Roberto, and Efrain, who are very, very discouraged.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Beautiful Sand Art

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Restaurants in New York City

We tried a few different pizza places while we were in New York City...Little Italy in Soho and Original Famous Ray's Pizza. However, I enjoyed Hell's Kitchen Pizza the best. I ate more pizza in 3 days in NYC than I have in the last 3 years. On Saturday of that week, as we were flying back home, I remembered why. My allergies were so bad that I was sick all day. I seem to get that way after I eat pizza. Dairy is not good for the sinuses. No matter how much I love pizza, I am going to go back to only eating it for my birthday once a year.

We also had some very good Thai food. Before we went to NYC the first time, we asked people that had been where to eat. They all said that everywhere was great. This got on our nerves. It's like when we ask the waitress at a new restaurant what to get and she says that everything is good. We soon found out that people were right about NYC. Usually, we like to know where to eat and what to get when we go to a city, but in NYC, we take the advise of my sister-in-law and simply eat as much as we can because it's so good!

This visit to the City we had a unique dining experience. We went to an underground ninja restaurant. It was fun! We went down an elevator and through a dark secret passage way to get to our table. Along the way, a guy jumped down from above us scaring us. The waitresses and waiters were dressed like ninjas and would sneak up behind people and pretend to put some kind of kung fu move on them. The food was a 5-course Asian meal. Often the entrees would come out smoking or with a huge knife stuck through it. It was an unforgettable dining atmosphere!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Chocolate Tour in New York City

We went on a walking chocolate tasting tour in New York City. This is Kee's chocolate and was our favorite place that we went! She breaks a lot of rules when it comes to chocolate. For example, she serves her chocolate the day she makes it and keeps it cool. Most chocolatiers make the chocolate a few days before they serve keep it at room temperature. The creme bruele truffle was amazing! It was an experience when you put it in your mouth. In fact, Brock made quite a scene when he fell all the way to the ground after he tasted it! He was blown away by the magical flavor. The chocolatier was there that day and she got a kick out of how excited Brock was over her chocolate.


We also went to Vosges chocolate cafe. You may recognize the name. She happens to be young, but is very successful. She is famous for making very unique chocolate like bars with bacon in it.




Marie Belle was a fashion designer. That's why her store looks like the inside of a southern belle's closet. The walls are a torquoise satin. There is a chest of drawers in the center of the store displaying some boxes of chocolate. Also, her husband is an artist and his art is displayed on the top of her truffles.



Eileen was here the day we went in. She began by using her building as a bakery to make her treats and ship them to restaurants all over the city. People began knocking on her door asking what that wonderful smell was and if they could buy something. Therefore, she opened the store to the public and won best NYC bakery for three years in a row.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

New York City

Well, I don't have any pictures to show you, but I will try and describe the best city in the world. For those of you who have never been, it's bigger than you think. The buildings are so tall. We stayed on the 26th floor of a hotel in Midtown. We went on top of the Empire State building this trip. Everywhere you look it is city...skyscraper after skyscraper.

However, there is also another world going on underneath the city. When I would walk around in the morning, I would see people pull up these doors in the ground and bring their deliveries down the stairs under the sidewalk. We also went to Penn Station. This is where the trains and subways meet underground. It actually sits under Madison Square Garden. There is a whole city down there...tons of restaurants, and shops, a K-mart. People hustling and bustling through there. I am familiar with just about every kind of transportation there is, but NOT subways. It was rather intimidating. You could definitely tell that we were tourists by the total confusion on our faces. Everyone knew exactly where they were going except us.

The people are not rude. They are actually very nice when you talk to them. They usually don't initiate conversations, but they seem to enjoy it when you strike up a conversation (which, being from Tennessee and all, we did everywhere we went). We talked with a hairdresser while we were riding the subway until she got to her stop. One restaurant owner heard that we were performing in Jersey and gave us a free meal! We also sat next to a guy in a little deli and talked with him while we ate.

There is not much personal space in the city. Even many of the restaurants had a bunch of tables all next to each other. You sat where you could even if you had strangers sitting on either side. I think that is why people may be slightly standoffish. You know that feeling you have after being cooped up on a small plane with a lot of people? New York City is like that all the time. Millions of people living on an island that is 22.96 square miles.

Monday, October 12, 2009

A Break From the Road

I am taking a two month break from the road. I will still be working some, though. I will make all of the travel plans for Brock and John (he will be going with Brock on all of the shows) and pack up for every trip. However, I will be staying home! You could say that I am taking a sabbatical from the road.

I haven't stayed at home for 2 months straight since I was in high school. That's been 15 years! This is going to be very different. I also do not have any routines. I take showers at different times every day. I eat at all different times, and the list goes on and on. So, I have decided to try an experiment. I'm going to stay home for these two months and create a routine. I will do the same thing weekly. For example, Wednesday will be errand day as well as the day I attend a women's Bible study.

It's going to be interesting. Time will tell if I enjoy the routine or hate it. You are more than welcome to walk with me through this time. Some of you that have more of a routine in your life may be thinking that my grand ideas of keeping a schedule will never work. I guess I must learn the hard way, or maybe it will be so much easier to have some sort of order to my days. Ready or not, here I go!!!

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Show in Monroeville, PA

The show was good in Monroeville, PA last night. It's just outside of Pittsburgh. The crowd was fun. I love doing shows. However, last night was the last one I am going to do for a while. I will explain it all tomorrow.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Show in Mifflintown, PA

Thursday night, we flew into Pittsburgh and stayed near the airport. Yesterday, we had a leisure morning and then drove a few hours to Mifflintown where our show was last night. On the drive, I saw the pretty countryside of Pennsylvania. We drove through rolling hills with trees marked by fall. The colors where astounding! What a beautiful place.

The show last night went rather well. There were a few ball games that interfered with the attendance, but we still had fun. Two of the people who decided to give their lives to Christ last night happened to be neighbors with one of the members of the church. She had been talking with them about Jesus for some time now. It's cool that she helped make the soil ready in their lives.

Today, we head to Monroeville, PA to do one more show before flying home tomorrow. Monroeville is back near Pittsburgh. Pray that all goes well!

Friday, October 09, 2009

Chocolate and Magic

The other night, I noticed that Brock had a chocolate bar inside of the vault. The vault is a new escape Brock does from a tiny steel box. He can barely fit in there. Yesterday, he informed me that he ate some chocolate while he was in the vault before he escaped. It was funny! Only Brock would do that.

We are in Pittsburgh right now. We are about to drive a little over 3 hours to a town called Mifflintown to perform there tonight. Tomorrow, we drive back over to this area to perform in Monroeville. Please pray for these two shows.

Thursday, October 08, 2009

Show in Jackson, TN

The show last night went great! It was packed out. They were bringing in chairs for the first 15 minutes to seat everyone. The crowd had so much energy that lasted the entire night. The response to the message of Jesus Christ was big...over 150 people gave their lives to Jesus.

Today we fly to Pennsylvania where we perform a show Friday night and Saturday night in towns 3 hours apart. Pray for us, especially Brock, as this has been a busy week.

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Show in Wisconsin

Brock said that the show last night went well. I did not go with him since I was still very worn out, and we have a big week this week. We have a guy traveling with us now. His name is John.

John is a God-send. We have been praying for a guy to travel with us so that I could stay home more. As you may know, we have had girls travel with us for the last few years. At the time, that's what I needed as well...a girl around in a male dominated profession. Now, we need a guy to keep up with this crazy schedule so that I can take a break (more on that later).

John is a quick learner and he has jumped right in there. He is very proactive and a leader. He is also much more thorough and organized than we are. We tend to fly by the seat of our pants, but John thinks things through beforehand. It may be time for a change. John just might help alleviate stress in many ways! Pray for John as well as Brock as he is on the road with him. Also, pray for our show in Jackson, TN tonight!

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

My Camera, Brock's Post

I thought that Brock explained this very well...

i have sad news for you. aunys most prized possession is now gone. if you know auny then you know she takes alot of pictures. she loves her camera. that little camera is in the back of a taxi cab in new york city right now. i wanted to show you our pictures of our trip but someone else is going to be enjoying those right about now. i know, sad news.

auny was so upset. she doesnt care about things at all. she doesnt even think about our possessions. she does care about her pictures tho. i think it is because it is her life. her memories are stored and saved in the albums that she has. this will be one trip that will be missing. dont worry she will have a new camera very soon. by the way, does anyone have any suggestions on camera?


Pray for our show tonight at the University of Wisconsin.

Monday, October 05, 2009

Shows in New Jersey and Tennessee

The show Friday night in New Jersey was extra intense, because we did the bullet catch. This magnifies my anxiety about the show quite a bit. It also takes it out of me when we do it because it's extra stressful. The audience that night were a bit rowdy. I was so concerned that they would not get quiet in time for the crazy stunt. I was backstage texting people to pray. Then, when it came time to do it, the crowd did get more attentive. The routine went well, and by the time Brock began speaking the message about Jesus, the audience was still. There were 550 in attendance Friday night and 111 gave their lives to Christ. It was worth it!

We flew home Saturday. All day that day my sinuses were really acting up. I thought that maybe I was getting sick even though Brock's sickness had been more about his throat than his sinuses. Then, I realized that I had eaten pizza a few times in New York. I never eat pizza and now am reminded why. I must be crazy allergic to it. I went to bed at 9pm on Saturday night and slept over 11 hours.

I felt much better yesterday but was still just not feeling great. Then, we went to a church in Franklin, TN (where we live) and performed. We only did an hour set, but it was a fun, action-packed hour. We performed at a benefit for Royal Family Kid's Camp. It was a wonderful show for a worthy cause.

Friday, October 02, 2009

New York City and New Jersey

We have a show in New Jersey tonight and it's so close to New York City that we decided to come early to go to the city. I will tell you all about it next week.

This week is going to be a busy one! We perform in NJ tonight and fly home tomorrow. We have a show in Nashville Sunday night and fly out Monday. Tuesday, we have a few shows in Wisconsin. We fly back Wednesday and have a show in Jackson, TN. Then, Thursday, we fly to Pennsylvania where we have two shows on Friday and Saturday nights. Then, we finally fly home next Sunday. Whew!

As of now, please pray for our show in New Jersey tonight. We are going to be doing a couple of things out of the ordinary, so I would appreciate the prayers. I will update you soon!

Thursday, October 01, 2009

Show in Nashville

If anyone lives in the Nashville area, we are performing at the People's Church in Franklin, TN on October 4th. You can go to http://kendavisfranklin.eventbrite.com/?ref=elink and enter the discount code "brockgill" to get a $5 Ticket to the show. Show starts at 6:30pm and goes to 8:30pm. Ken Davis will be there as well as Brock. The whole event benefits the Royal Family Kids Camp - For Abused Children. Regular tickets are $10 for an individual or $35 maximum for your family.