Gifts

Since we are not going to be around here for Christmas, we opened our gifts last night. Brock's mom's gift was the funnest. We made her wait until last to open her present. She opened the wrapping paper to find a movie poster with a huge picture of 50 Cent. Everyone was looking and laughing and confused. We told her that he signed it. The "autograph" read, "Whut up my white girl?? Here go a Happy H-Day from all da peeps. Now bounce to da front porch." By this time, she realized it was Brock's handwriting and she knew something was up. She didn't quite know what "bounce" meant, but she knew something had to do with the front porch. She went out to find a brand new Cracker Barrel rocking chair with a big red bow on it. We bought it back for her in the summer. Recently, her rocking chair broke, so this was perfect!

It seems like every year, we've given one parent something extra special. About four years ago, I gave mom a diamond tennis bracelet that someone gave me at a show. The lady said that she felt like she needed to give it to me because she was too materialistic. It wasn't my style, so I gave it to mom. Mom still prays for that lady to this day when she looks at the bracelet.

A couple of years ago, Brock made his dad a cajun microwave. It is the best cooker out there, but you cannot buy them at your local Walmart. Everyone I've seen is handmade. Brock happens to weld, so he had the resources to fabricate one. The bottom consists of a wooden box. The lid is a metal tray. You build your fire on top and place your meat down in the box. It cooks everything nice and slow and tasty.

Last year, my dad wanted a fish tank. We got a big fish tank for practically free, so we gave to dad for Christmas. I don't know if he intended to start out with a 100 gallon tank, but we gave him one. He now loves it. He knows all about the tank and the fish. It looks beautiful in their living room.

A Message Entitled "Get Off the Milk!"

I ate so much food yesterday that I thought I would explode. The Gills really know how to cook and they cook alot of food! I kept thinking about the message Brock gives on Hebrews 5. He talks about how you should be eating solid food and not milk. He gives the example of Thanksgiving at his family's house. He describes all of the food and how much it is and how great it tastes. Then, he tells the youth about all of the dessert. He says, "What if I were to look at all of this food that my dad had layed out for us and say, 'I think that I'll just have a glass of milk and that's all'?" He goes on to say that spiritually speaking, we do that all of the time. Our Father has a big table of healthy wonderful food for us, yet we settle for milk.

Happy Thanksgiving

I've got so much to be thankful for. Both of our families are so supportive of us no matter what crazy endeavor we set out for. Our friends at home and across the nation are so fun! Brock and I have such a wonderful life together. My Jesus is so giving and loving and patient with me. What are you thankful for this year?

Prayer for the Discovery Show

Now, we just received word that they will air it at 1 in the afternoon on December 12th. They have changed the date on us so much. They have spent more money on this than any other religious documentary ever, yet they aren't going to give it much publicity and they are going to air it in the afternoon. We think that it's spiritual. All throughout the taping and planning of this show, we've seen so much spiritual warfare. This is another one of those hurdles and mountains we must climb. Yet, through faith, we can move mountains. Please pray for this show specifically. Pray that the Discovery Channel will make a big deal about it and that it will air at a good time. Pray that it will impact people's lives in a big way.

Time Off

I slept in until 9:40 yesterday morning. Those of you who know me know how unusual that is. We were so tired from our big extended weekend (Thursday thru Monday). Also, it's easy for us to really relax when we are at either one of our parents' houses. I cannot clean the house or clean out a closet or anything here. When we lived on the road for those two years, we often stayed a while at our parents' houses, so they feel like home to us. We will be here in Louisiana with Brock's family until Sunday. Then, we'll go to my parent's house in Texas for the following week.

We just found out last night that the DISCOVERY CHANNEL SHOW in which Brock is the lead investigator will air DECEMBER 11TH! Look for THE MIRACLES OF JESUS on the DISCOVERY CHANNEL. Tell everyone you know. Tell all of your family when you see them or talk with them on Thanksgiving. I'll tell you more about that next week.

YEC in Louisiana

Today, we performed at a Youth Evangelism Conference in Alexandria, LA. I felt badly for the promotors of the event because they had so many problems. Normally, they hold the event for three days in an arena. However, this year, they have hurricane evacuees in the arena. All of the hotels in the area are booked up with evacuees. Therefore, they had to move it to a much smaller venue for one day only. They crammed over 4,000 people in this smaller venue. Plus, the air conditioner went out as well as a water main broke leaving everyone hot with no place to go to the bathroom. Still, the crowd seemed to be in good spirits and had a good time.

A couple of Brock's cousins, our good friends Brian and Stephanie and their children, and Brock's parents attended to the show. Plus, a group from the tiny town that Brock grew up in were there. It was good to see everyone.

Now, it's about midnight and Brian and Steph just left. We are at Brock's parents' house and I'm about to go to sleep for as long as I can...I'm tired.

The Wedding

We went to a wedding yesterday. Brock and I get really antsy at weddings, so we prefer to have jobs. My job was to take candid pictures. I like taking the pictures that the professional does not get. For example, when the doors of the church open to reveal the bride, all eyes are on her. However, I take a picture of the groom's face when he sees her for the first time at the wedding. Whenever the photographer is taking pictures of the bride and groom cutting the cake or whatever, I take a picture of all of the people watching them cut the cake. It's fun and they can get the pictures developed today if they wanted to. The professional pictures take months to get back. I'm not saying that they don't need a professional photographer. I just think that you should have both professional and candid snapshots.

Brock was the emcee for the reception. He was so funny! There was a chocolate fountain and everyone was gathered around it dipping strawberries and other assortment of fruit and desert. Brock got the mic and said, "Whatever you do, don't eat the chocolate. It's just for decoration." Everyone just stopped for a second. About 30 seconds later, Brock told them to eat the chocolate and he also told them to eat from the buffet which consisted of little finger foods. Brock said, "Go get you some chicken and grits and cornbread!" None of these items were on the buffet.

Later, we knew that the bride and groom were about to make their entrance. Therefore I was standing where they were going to enter waiting to take a picture. Brock welcomed everyone to the Johnson-Dupree wedding. (Their last name was Davis.) He corrected himself and then announced that the bride and groom were in traffic (which didn't exist where we were) and would not be there for another 2 hours. Then, Brock said, "While you're waiting, go get you some chicken!" I was standing near a table of older people. One of them said, "He keeps talking about chicken. There is no chicken up there!" Another lady responded with "He's been getting everything wrong. He called them the Johnsons." One of the older gentlemen said that he thought he was being silly. The first lady replied, "Maybe he is being silly."

Power During the Show Last Night

The guy is introducing us onstage last night, and Stephanie radios us from front of house that she cannot find the power cord for the laptop from which we play all of our music for the show. There was only 4% battery remaining. Of course, this was the one time that we didn't bring our ipod which has all of the show songs backed up. It was really all of our faults. I was the one who took the laptop in the bedroom leaving the power cord plugged into the office wall. Brock picked up just the laptop in the bedroom. So, I should've taken the power supply with me, Brock should've made sure it was in the bag before claiming that he got the laptop, and Stephanie should've checked for it when she was soundchecking.

However, there was no time for placing blame. The guy is still introducing Brock and I'm now at front of house looking at the computer watching as it slips down to 3%. Stephanie ran off to try and find someone who had a Mac power supply. The guy says Brock's name and the crowd begins to applaud. I have to make a split second decision. I played the song for the first trick praying that it would make it thru that one song. Then, I ran up to the stage and yelled to Brock to skip the next trick and go on to the third one. The third trick was a volunteer trick that did not require music. It would buy us more time for Steph to find a cord. During that trick, Stephanie did find a power cord to borrow from some random guy out in the lobby. I ran backstage and told Brock that we were good and to go on to the second trick after he had finished the third trick and then go on to the fourth and so on. We continued the show and the audience was none the wiser.

I was praying that Stephanie would find someone with a power cord on them during the time it took to do the third trick, and I was also praying that the computer would make it thru the first trick. I realized later that Stephanie and I were so distracted that there was nobody in the back manning the laptop to turn it off after that first trick. If it had any battery left, it would have gone on to the next song and been very awkward. Therefore, the laptop shut down exactly after the first song and trick. It was as if the Lord Himself was manning the computer for a second. Brock was praying for power as well as stalling for time onstage being extra witty with the volunteer. Stephanie was awesome! We couldn't have done it without her. She ran around frantically asking anyone and everyone if they had a Mac. Eventually she found power and saved the day!

Generation Y

It's crazy the difference between Brock and me and the girl that travels with us, Stephanie. We are 29 and 30. She is 22. Her whole world is online. She has a blog and a MySpace. She text messages people all day. She text messages people over a hundred times a day sometimes. We had the bmx team guys and Stephanie and her friend over at our house one night. They are all in their early 20's. Brock called me into the living room to look at how this generation communicates. They were all 5 sharing a couch, yet they were not speaking. They had laptops out and were text messaging each other or talking to someone on their cell phones as well as the TV was playing in the background.

The internet went mainstream when I was a senior in college. I remember my best friend and I went to the computer lab to try a "chat room." We ended up chatting to each other. We were sitting right beside each other. I thought it was lame. I entered college with a typewriter. There is only a few years separating Stephy and me yet a world of difference. Chad has an interesting post on this subject www.chadjarnagin.blogspot.com.

Busy, Busy, Busy

We are so busy this weekend. Today, Brock is learning a new illusion with the help of some guys from the conference tour we are apart of. Also, we are involved with a Youth Specialty Conference here in town this weekend. We have a show in Nashville tomorrow night. We're going to the wedding of our dear friends on Saturday and leaving for two weeks on Sunday. It's going to be hectic!

Comments

I'm so sorry that the comments have not been posted for the last week until now. I went into the settings to try and get rid of the advertisement comments and somehow hit a button that made it where I had to approve of every comment. There were lots of comments waiting for me to approve. I fixed it, so please comment!

San Francisco Votes

The city of San Francisco voted to kick out military recruiters from their schools. This proves they don't support our military. The people of San Francisco are fooling themselves if they think they are making the right choice. Even if you don't agree whole heartedly with our government on how they are using the military, you still must support our troops. I think that people along this line of thinking want a utopia. That's not going to happen. The reality is we are fighting a war on terror which will probably last for many years.

Bill O'Reilly suggests that the rest of America should not vacation there to send a sign to this city that we do not agree. This is one city that I haven't been to, so I don't know what I'm missing. What do you think?

Christmas Shopping

Brock and I are going Christmas shopping today. I know that it seems a little early, but we aren't going to be able to go home for Christmas. We have a show in North Carolina on the 26th of December, so we cannot be in Louisianna and Texas on Christmas Day. However, we have a show about an hour from Brock's parents' house Monday. So, we are staying at Brock's family's the week of Thanksgiving and going to my family's for the following week. It will be our first Christmas away from our families and I must admit that I'm disappointed, but that's how it goes sometimes.

We are going to make a day out of it! We are going to go shopping and get hot chocolate. We are meeting people for lunch and dinner. It will be fun! We've never bought all of our Christmas gifts in one day before.

Music

Brock and I tend to like the same music. This year, our favorite cd's were:

-FooFighters---The second cd in the collection is the best.
-Beck---I especially like "Que' Onda Guedo." It's fun!
-Casting Pearls---This guy has an amazing voice! He happens to play guitar for the Newsboys as well as being the lead singer of this band.
-Inhabited---"One More Night" was inspired by a person who came to Sara (the lead singer and composer of this song) for help.
-Pocket Full of Rocks---I always end up worshipping the Lord when I listen to this cd. I'll be in the middle of cleaning the house listening to this cd, and I get distracted by singing to the Lord.
-Collective Soul---I enjoy listening to the album "Youth" when I'm driving.
-Dido---She's great to listen to when you are just chillin.

The 23rd Psalm

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of rightesousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
Psalm 23

A Snake and a Goose

The rest of our trip was basically driving. We did stop by our friends' house that are on the bmx team on the way home. That was fun. There kids (ages 4 and 2) performed a Brock Gill show. They've seen too many of our shows. They remembered details!

It's been good to be home this week. I made the mistake of bringing Brock with me to the grocery store. I had him go get me some eggs or something and he came back with a goose! So, Brock cooked a goose this week. It was really good. It tasted like a mixture of turkey and duck.

The other day, I hear Brock urgently yelling for me. I came out and saw a bright, almost florescent green garden snake. It was very docile. Brock picked it up and played with it some.

The weather has been absolutely perfect. It's been sunny and in the 70's most of the week. The leaves are georgious shades of orange, yellow, and red. There are some trees in our front yard that look peach. One looks almost fuchsia. It's beautiful!

Crazy Horse

Crazy Horse gets little media. It is a sculpture that is still being worked on about 20 miles from Mt. Rushmore.


11/2/05

At first, Crazy Horse was not that impressive. We could only see the profile of a face. Then, we learned more about it. A couple of Native Americans asked a famous sculptor to carve a tribute for the indians in the Black Hills. They wanted to show the white men that they have heroes too.

Crazy Horse was a famous Indian who was born on Rapid Creek in the Black Hills of South Dakota in about 1842. While at Fort Robinson, NE, under a flag of truce, he was stabbed in the back by an American soldier and died in 1877. The Indian was defending his people and their way of life. He was fighting because the Treaty of 1868 was broken. This treaty, signed by the President of the United Stated, said, in effect:
As long as rivers run and grass grows and trees bear leaves, Paha Sapa-the Black Hills of Dakota-will forever be the sacred land of the Sioux Indians.

Crazy Horse, as far as the sculpture is concerned, is to be carved not so much as a lineal likeness but more as a memorial to the spirit of Crazy Horse-to his people. With his left hand thrown out pointing in answer to the derisive question asked by a white man, "Where are your lands now?" he replied, "My lands are where my dead lie buried."

The sculptor, Korczock Ziolkowski, is of Polish descent, yet he took on this project as his life work. He's never received any money from the government. Therefore, it's a slow process. The determination and vision Korczak had was inspirational. He died in the '80's, but 7 out of his 10 children as well as his wife are still working on it. We saw bulldozers up there working when we visited.

It's nowhere near complete, but I have no doubt that this family will see it to the finish. The head itself is 9 stories high. You can fit all the heads of Mt. rushmore in the one head of Crazy Horse. When done, it will be the largest statue in the world!

The Mountain Goat

We saw the coolest thing of our whole trip while we were on the trail to get a better view of Mt. Rushmore. There, right off the path, was a large mountain goat. At first, I thought it was fake it was so still. Then, it began to move. It was the most awesome wildlife I've ever seen.

As we fumbled for the camera, he came closer and stopped almost as if to pose for the camera. At this point, I got a little nervous. This goat wasn't your average billy goat; it was massive! It looked strong. I pondered what to do if it charged us. I couldn't remember if mountain goats are aggressive animals. I racked my brain trying to conjure up my past science classes. I couldn't remember even stydying about them. I don't know if I've ever even heard of a mountain goat, yet here was one standing only 20 feet away from me.

Just then, he slowly walked up the hill. We stood watching it in awe until it was almost out of sight. It was simply amazing! We were so close to it!

Mt. Rushmore

11/2/05

We finally reached Mt. Rushmore around 2:45pm. It was very impressive! The details of the Presidents' faces were amazing. Borglum, the sculptor, chose to carve George Washington because he was the commander of the Revolutionary army and first U.S. President. Thomas Jefferson was the third President, author of the Declaration of Independence, and mastermind of the Louisiana Purchase. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President whose leadership restored the Union and ended slavery on U.S. soil. Borglum chose Theodore Roosevelt because he was the artists' hero. Roosevelt promoted construction of the Panama Canal and ignited progressive causes such as conservation and economic reform.

The faces actually look different in varying light. They appear to be smiling in the morning light. Whereas, later in the day, they look more pensive and solemn. It trully is a work of art.

I found out that they received alot of opposition when starting the project in 1921. It took the artist eight years before he finally received the funding and the okay to do it. Conservatists claimed that man makes statues, but God made the needles in the mountain. I saw many more needles in the area, but none as impressive as Mt. Rushmore. God made the artist as well as the mountain. Together, they made a wonderful masterpiece.

North and South Dakota

11/2/05

I began driving excitedly ready to explore new terrain. I drove the long, desolate remainder of road in Montana. We went a little out of the way to go to North Dakota. We've never been and don't see an opportunity of getting out that way in the future.

We took a picture of me in front of the North Dakota sign. Everything that I had heard about the state proved to be true. There's not much there. We saw what appeared to be a ghost town. We stopped in a little town called Bowman. When I asked where to eat, they said that the fast food place was closed for the winter. I noticed alot of places were closed for the season in the Dakotas. The temperature gets down to 40 degrees below. That's probably the reason.

We ended up eating at a hole in the wall. I asked if they had any vegetables. The response was "no." I don't think green vegies are readily available up in the Dakotas. We had the special. It was a slice of turkey between two pieces of white bread with mashed potatoes. The entire plate (even the sandwich) was covererd with gravy. It was wierd.

Brock couldn't pass thru Sturgis, home of the huge bike week event, without stopping. I bought him a sock hat at the Harley shop.

As we were driving thru South Dakota, a dark colored eagle flew right in front of our truck. I was afraid we would hit the bird; it was so close. I wanted to take a picture of it, but I was just frozen watching it soar outside our window.

The Dakotas are crazy windy. At one point, I couldn't shut the passenger door of the truck because of the wind!

Driving Thru Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana

Here is pieces of my travel journal entries on the first two days of our trip:


10/31/05
Driving thru Oregon on I-84E was breathtakingly beautiful. When we drove this strip before, I think that it was night. We saw rows and rows of Aspen trees. They had bright yellowish-orange leaves and thin, lighter trunks. I snapped a couple of pictures from the truck as we were driving. It rained the entire day. In Idaho, it snowed a little. That's when we decided to pull over for the night. We're in Idaho almost on the Montana line on I-90.


11/1/05
We pulled over for the night just in time because it was beautiful when I looked out the window this morning. The whole drive thru Montana was amazing. We pulled over in a "parking area" as the sign said. By the time I got my camera and jacket on, Brock was already out of sight. I crossed the parking lot and caught a glimpse of the view. It literally took my breath away. There was a valley down below with a body of water. A cliff towered over the water. I heard Brock whistling for me. I looked down, to the right, and to the left. I couldn't find him. Then, I realized the noise was coming from above. Brock was at the very top of the cliff!

We stopped in Deer Lodge, MT to eat lunch. The sign outside of the cafe read "ICE CREAM, EXPRESSO, AND BUFFALO." We shared a buffalo burger. After lunch, we went into some of the little shops. Brock asked the salesclerk in the drug store if they sold ipods. She didn't know what an ipod was.

We pulled over at Fairmont Hot Springs Resort. By this time, the weather had cleared up and it was a beautiful day. We actually went swimming in their pools. They piped in water from a natural hot spring. There were only 3 others in the pool...a couple from the area and a guy from Washington on his way to Kansas to work for a couple of months.

We ate Montana steaks at the Oasis in Manhattan, MT. There's another Manhattan in Kansas. They call themselves "the little apple." We actually saw trick or treaters in the small Montana town out on Nov. 1st!

Church

This may sound slightly odd to you if you do not travel doing youth events all the time, but I was worried that I wouldn't want to go to church today. After going to "church services" every other night for the last two months, it gets tiresome. However, we are getting ready to go to our own church (which we haven't been able to go to in weeks), and I'm so excited! There's no place like your home church. I don't have to know the time constantly or check to make sure the props are set up or know when we need to get onstage. We are even taking the motorcycle today because the weather is georgious. I'm going to sing my heart out, catch up with my friends, and soak it all up!

I'm Home!

We got home last night after a very, very, very, too long of a drive. We were in the truck for five days straight. My sister has been posting my pre-written blogs for the last five days. Internet is not exactly readily available in Montana. Next week, I'll post some of my journal entries of my exploration of the Northwest.

I awoke this morning to a beautiful day. A variety of colored leaves cover the ground and pepper the trees. It's unseasonably warm today. I walked out on our deck in shorts and a t-shirt feeling comfortable. The weather is going to be perfect for Brock's dirtbike excursion that he has planned for this afternoon. While he's gone, I'm going to catch up on some laundry and enjoy being home.

E-mail from Springfield, IL

The following is an e-mail from someone at the Freedom Experience in Springfield, IL. It's a great testimony for the FX...


Brock, Auny, Crew, Stunt Bikers, Band…

I feel compelled to write you.

I helped with crowd control all three nights of your FX in Springfield. The first night, I was almost in tears when all those kids stood up and went to the back room to talk to the counselors…

The next night I thought, there is no way it could happen again… the first night all the kids were church goers on the verge of making the commitment anyway…or so I thought. The second night, just as many people started a commitment to Christ.

The third night, the ratio grew to what seemed like more “general public” kids outnumbered the real church goers…

The third night, you blew me away even more. MORE and MORE kids learning about Christ. They were learning that they can step away from the pressures of everyday life and live their lives for Christ. The flood of kids that stood up and went to the back room just blew me away!

I’m divorced and my son has to live with his Mom a little more than he gets to be with his Step Mother and I. We have him about 35 or 40% of the time. He is on the verge of making that commitment and I know if his Mom would have let him come to the show, he would have been one of those kids in the back room talking with someone because of your words. But, his Mom is not a church-go’er, and possibly a complete atheist. I have no doubt that my son will become a great Christian someday.

He doesn’t know that I have this signed DVD yet, but as soon as his homework is done, we are going to watch it.

I just want you to know that when I told you in the “green room” before the show that you were doing something wonderful that I meant it from my heart. I have never seen anything like the shows I saw this week and I will never forget them! We WILL see you again…we’ll travel somewhere so my wife and son can see your show in person!

Marriage Proposals

One of the guys in our office just got engaged. He was very clever in the way that he asked her to marry him. His girlfriend had planned to surprise him by flying to New York while he was there on business last weekend. Unbeknownst to her, he knew about the "surprise." He played surprised when she showed up in NY. As they were taking a carriage ride in Central Park, she began talking about how much it was like a movie. She was talking about how shocked he was to see her in NY. He told her that he had a surprise of his own. He brought out the ring and asked her right then and there on the carriage ride.

Brock proposed to me as we were practicing for an illusion. We knew that we were to be married, so I was learning the role of assistant. We were practicing in an empty church. As I "disappeared," all of our friends slipped into the back of the church. When I "reappeared," I saw everyone sitting in the audience and Brock was holding a diamond ring. He was already on one knee because this was his position at the end of the trick anyway. He would get on one knee in order to help me out of the illusion. It was very sweet.

The best proposal that I've ever heard of was my sister and brother-in-law. She was in England for 5 weeks taking some college classes. Her boyfriend had written her a song and recorded it in order for her to listen to it while she was away. After a little over two weeks into her trip, she was eating at a restaurant in England and received 3 roses from the waiter. She thought that was a little odd. Another waiter came up and gave her 3 more roses and so on until she had 11 roses. Then, she heard the song that her boyfriend wrote being played on the piano in the restaurant. She immediately got up and went to the piano. On the piano was another rose and her boyfriend playing the song.

Discovery Channel TV Show

The expectant date that the "Miracles of Jesus" TV show is to air is either at Christmas or Easter. Now, it's looking good for Christmas. Please begin praying that it will make a huge impact. Pray that Christians will learn more about their Savior and that nonchristians will come to know Christ personally or at least seeking Him because of this program. Pray that Brock will be seen in a great light. Also, pray that Brock's opportunities will increase immensely because of this TV show. Right now, we want to do more Freedom Experiences, but we're having trouble booking them. It's a lot of commitment financially and timewise for communities. Pray that Brock's popularity grows as a result of this show in order to encourage people to actually take the plunge and book FX in their own town.

Satan's Lies

The other day, I was talking to a friend of mine on the phone. She is a mother of two small children. She feels very incompetant at times as a parent. There is a young teenage girl in her community whose mother is dying of cancer. She feels supernaturally drawn to this girl. After our conversation, I began to think about something. Why would the Lord entrust such a wonderful young lady into her hands if she is not an excellent mother? It makes more sense that Satan is lying to her and trying to get her to believe that she is not the mother that she needs to be so that she would not follow through on this commitment of mothering this girl after her mom passes away.

I began to think about my dad and how much he hated public speaking. He said that he could do any kind of ministry except one that involved speaking. He’s now a pastor that speaks publicly every week. Moses in the scripture felt like he was not the right person for the job.

Lately, I’ve been listening to a lie. I think that I cannot develop relationships with women. I’m too different from them and my lifestyle is not relative to their lifestyle. I feel as if I cannot cultivate relationships with women very well because I travel too much. However, the Lord is using me to minister to young women lately. Even this girl that I wrote about above…the Lord placed her on my mind that day out of the blue. I had not talked to her in years, yet the day I called and told her that I was praying for her was the day that she needed it. She said that she felt so much love from the Lord because He asked me to pray for her at just the right time even though we were miles away from each other.

What lies has Satan been feeding you? Is there something that the Lord is asking of you in which you feel inadequate? The Lord speaks in a still, small voice, but Satan seems to hurl big, fiery, LOUD darts. “In our weakness, He is strong.” Take courage and don’t believe the lies!

Haunted Houses

I enjoy being scared in a controlled environment like a haunted house. Just the thrill of feeling terrified yet knowing you are safe is invigorating! I’ve had some crazy experiences in haunted houses…

One time, my sister and I went to a haunted house when we lived in Ft. Worth. They sent us through by ourselves. I was only 16 years old and Kay was 13 years old. At one point, we had to walk by a man with a chainsaw in order to get thru. I looked at my younger sister and said, “I’m not going that way.” She looked at me and asked what other way I would like to go. That was the only way out. After we ran by the chainsaw guy, we caught up with a couple casually walking thru. I think they were on a date, but that didn’t stop me. I grabbed onto the back of his shirt and hung on for dear life. Kay said that he kept looking back and talking to his girlfriend about some strange girl clutching his shirt.

Another time, some friends of mine were going thru a haunted house. I somehow ended up in the back. It was pitch black and I lost my sandal. When I stopped to find it, my friends deserted me. A “monster” ended up finding my missing flip-flop. He wasn’t quite as scary when he stopped his growling and said in a plain voice, “Here’s your shoe.”

Scenic Route

We must make that long drive home from Vancouver, WA. There are several routes we could take. However, we're choosing a northern way in order to experience some states that we've never seen. Our planned stops include an area that has natural hot springs in Montana and Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota. Also, we plan to stay in our rig the entire time. I'm rather tired of hotel rooms. Therefore, we will just pull over to sleep when we are tired and keep driving the rest of the time. It will take over 38 hours of just driving time. That's not counting site seeing or fuel and food stops. So, if you work 40 hours a week, we'll be literally driving the entire time you're working this week.

Portland, OR

Portland is very cool. This is my 3rd or 4th time to Portland. I visited the Gorge here. It's beautiful! However, it rains 9 months out of the year. I wouldn't be able to handle that weather. It's cold here now. Therefore, it's cold and wet. This week was the week that I got out my big jacket as opposed to my little hoodie.

I woke up 2 hours early this morning. For some reason, Pacific time is the most difficult time zone for me to adjust to. The others I seem to handle well. Even when we went to Australia, I adapted better than here. Tomorrow, with the daylight savings time I'm going to be all jacked up. One time, we flew from Maryland to Portland, performed that night in Portland, and flew back. That was the longest day of my life!

Chicago Airport

We had a 2 and a half hour layover in Chicago yesterday. The Chicago airport and the Atlanta airport both say that they are the largest airport in the country. I can settle the bet…Atlanta is the largest hands down. Also, Chicago has a lot of people but not a big selection of restaurants. There were people everywhere. You could barely cross over to the other side without getting trampled. There were lines at every food place from McDonalds to Chili’s. If you want to eat, the only option is sandwiches, salads, or pizza. Don’t get me wrong, Chicago itself is a great city, but the airport is not the best for its size.

It was cool being in Chicago the day after the White Sox won the World Series. All of the newspapers sported the word “Champions” really big. There were White Sox signs written in chalk on some of the luggage carriers. A lady at one of the shops was folding new t-shirts fresh out of the box that read “White Sox World Series Champions.”

Fly Show in Illionois

Okay, I have to admit. Right now, after being on the road for 2 solid months this summer and then going directly into this big tour, I'm tired of doing shows. So, last night, I wasn't too into this show. It was a fly show which means Brock does small interactive tricks and I run sound and lights.

During Brock's message, I went backstage because I was simply bored and wanted to read or something. As I was sitting there pondering how frustrating the production was in the show, I started to try and pray. At this point, the Lord told me that I was much more valuable as a prayer warrior than a production manager. I tried to get my act together and focus. I really had a neat time of prayer back there.

God heard mine and Brock's prayers. Out of the 500 people in attendance, about 25% made a decision for Christ! The youth pastor had 120 cards for the ones that were becoming a follower of Christ to fill out. They ran out of cards and had to use the backs.

Also, I was praying some specific things about this church that I felt like the Lord was giving me. After the show, Brock began to tell me his thoughts about this church that he got as he was speaking. As we were eating dinner, the youth pastor began to talk about the spiritual climate of the church. All of our assessments matched. That's when you know that the Lord Himself is telling you what to pray. That's my gift and if I don't use it for even one show even if I'm dog tired or bored, then I've failed the people in that town.

Lunch with the Pimps

We've been at the airport and on a plane all morning. It was really tough for me to shoulder all of the bags in order for Brock to rest his back. He's doing alot better due to the rest, but we're still taking precautions.

By the time we landed at 12:35, I was starving. The local youth pastor picked us up and took us to our hotel. He said there was a restaurant in the hotel. We dropped off our stuff and went to the restaurant. It had just closed at 1pm. I was beginning to shake because I was so hungry. The hotel took us to a Japanese restaurant down the road. We sat at the habachi grill with a few guys. One of them looked just like Dave Chappelle and they were all obviously pimps. Brock began teasing them by asking what they did for a living. Brock said, "Let me guess...you are all school teachers." They began to laugh. Brock asked them if they were on their lunch break or on a day off. They replied with "Day off."

Right now, we are back at the hotel and I'm about to take a nap. I stayed out late last night watching a movie with my sister. We thought that it would be fun to see "In Her Shoes" together since it's about sisters. Anyhow, I'm really feeling the effects of the late night and early morning.

A Weird Week

Last week was a weird one! We had some vandilism on our vehicle. There was some kind of animal crap left on the step of our truck by the passenger door. Someone wrote in magic marker on our trailer.

We sold a pen at our product table for $27 and a $20 gift certificate to Blockbuster. The guys that ran our table were trips and they placed a pen on the table with a $100 price tag. Some kids actually ended up paying the cash and gift certificate for a PEN! It was funny!

Stephanie heard someone scratching on her hotel window. Whenever she turned on the light, the noise would stop. When she turned the light out, it happened again. So, she flipped back on the light and it stopped. Needless to say, she didn't get much sleep that night.

We found our missing prop. It was left at the venue in Georgia where we performed a month ago. The promotor is going to mail it back to us.

A Positive Update

I haven't had access to internet for a couple of days, but here is the update. We are staying in Ft. Worth, TX with Brock's sister and brother-in-law for a few days. My sister and brother-in-law live here as well, so we get to see them too. Thanks to Josh, one of the guys on the conference tour, we're able to stay here and rest until Wednesday. Josh is driving our truck to Oregon for us. On Wednesday, we will fly to Illinois to perform Wednesday night and then to Portland on Thursday in order to be there for our shows this weekend.

It's amazing how much better Brock's back is now that he's been able to really rest. He's found that sitting in a vehicle increases the pain. Therefore, a 45 hour drive would not have been a good idea. Yesterday, we found a cool, ornate cane for only $6. So, we bought it for him. He uses it when he gets out of a car. Tonight, he's going to get a massage. Pray that he is completely healed by Wednesday. If not, the airplane ride is going to be murder!

I rented a car and am enjoying running around town. I feel alot of freedom and a bit of normalcy while driving a regular car. I ate lunch with my sister today and we'll be going over to her house tonight for dinner. Brock's sister's birthday is tomorrow, so we will be here to celebrate it with her! I think the Lord knew that we needed a break. Thanks for your prayers.

Road Problems

We broke down on the side of the road in Lebanon, MO at 5pm yesterday. We finally got it towed at 7:30. However, the mechanics said that it would be Saturday afternoon at the earliest before they had it done. We were to be in Dallas in order to perform by tonight and tomorrow. Our show is over Saturday afternoon. We spent the two and a half hours on the side of the road racking our brains as how to get to Dallas for the show. I called my mom so that she could get people to pray. Stephanie called her dad to get people to pray. We were praying for a miracle that we could make our show in Dallas.

At around 7pm, Brock called our friend, Brad Bennett who lives in Springfield, Mo which was about 45 miles from where we were just to see if he could help. He said that he had a friend who lived in Lebanon who was a CPA and worked with trucks in some capacity. He called that friend, Doug. Doug showed up, paid for the towing cost, and lent us his brand new dully pick-up truck to haul our trailer as well as us to Dallas. He is incredible...an angel. We got our miracle and we're now in Dallas about to perform.

However, it has still been a rough day. Brock's back is still bad. He had to try and stretch out in the back of the pick-up truck. That's difficult for a 6'4" guy. He was worse when we got out of the truck a couple of hours ago. I had to drive the entire way. I'm not very comfortable driving somebody else's vehicle especially with a 36' trailer attached. Pray for us. We have to perform all day tonight and tomorrow (with Brock's bad back), drive the 8 hours to Missouri by tomorrow night, pick up the truck, and leave Sunday morning to drive to Portland, OR by Tuesday night.

Last Night

Last night was amazing! Brock was slightly disappointed when we were praying before we started because they said that about 400 people were here. Brock said that he wanted to see 1,400 here. We prayed and in the end, there were 1,343 people in attendance. It was great. The venue was very tough because there were no chairs. Everyone stood up the entire night. When it came time for the invitation, it was difficult to get everyone quiet and listening. Despite all of the distractions, 157 people gave their lives to Jesus last night. Sometimes, it seems as if more people respond to an invitation on the night that they don't seem to be attentive.

Brock was able to see a chiropractor yesterday. The doctor said that he has a strained muscle in his back. He was able to loosen up Brock alot. That was good, because he was having trouble walking yesterday morning let alone doing a show. However, a strained muscle just takes time to heal. I could tell that the water coffin was painful for Brock last night. The chiropractor said that sitting is the worst thing he can do. Therefore, it looks as if I'm going to be doing the bulk of the driving to Dallas today. My sinuses are so much better though.

Taking FX Up a Notch

Last night, we did again. It was incredible! The crowd was mesmerized with anticipation. They let out a huge scream when Brock was victorious. Everybody is talking about it. There was a write-up in the newspaper about it. We've only done this particular stunt once before. It went really well. This stunt really took Freedom Experience up a notch. More about this later...

FX in Springfield, IL

So far, this has been a typical Freedom Experience. The band's van gave out while they were in Florida. Therefore, we got a new band as of 11pm Sunday night. They drove in from Georgia yesterday in time to play last night. Freshman 15 saved the day and did a great job performing. We also had props break in the show last night and one illusion was missing. I don't know if it was stolen or what. Our mic seems to be broken. One of the bmx riders' bike broke. The fire code is apparently really strict in this town. Our curtains were not allowed to be touching the ground at all. So, I spent over an hour pinning up the curtains. Also, Brock messed up his back during the straight jacket illusion and I'm still having major sinus problems.

However, lots of people were saved. Two fifteen year old girls were saved last night. They were on drugs and alcohol. One of the girls pulled up her sleeve to show the week old wounds from slitting her wrists. The other girl had scars indicating that she is a self mutilator. Now, they have Christ in their lives to help them battle through recovery. Pray that these girls get the help that they need to come clean. Neither one of them really have parents and they both have younger brothers that they are "raising."

Homemaking Skills

I was feeling very confident about my homemaking skills because I made some cookies for the staff of the conference. They loved them! I made so many of them that I thought they would be able to take some back with them on the bus. They didn't even last until Saturday!

Well, pride goeth before the fall. Yesterday, I woke up early to get everything ready to go. We left town yesterday and will not be back until November 5th. Therefore, I had a lot to do. I didn't have any dishwashing detergent left. I didn't have time to go to the store and buy some, nor to wash every dish by hand. So, I put just a little Palmolive dish soap in the dishwasher. DON'T EVER EVER EVER EVER DO THAT! Suds were going all over the kitchen about the time I woke Brock up. Brock spent the whole morning cleaning up soap in the kitchen. Needless to say, we got a late start!

Encouraged

After I wrote that last post, I was feeling rough. My sinuses were bad and I just wanted to go home. However, we had already made some plans with a couple here. I'm so glad that we went. Being with them really lifted my spirits and made me feel alot better.

This last book that I read, Captivating, did not really resonate with me. It was good, but it didn't hit me hard at this time in my life. However, the whole time I was reading it, I thought of my friend. I knew that I needed to give her that book. In fact, I hurried through it this week so that I could give it to her last night.

I offhandedly gave it to her. She said that it was not a coincidence that I gave her that book. She felt like the Lord wanted her to read a book. She is not a consistent reader so she didn't really know where to start. She was thinking about it a couple of days ago and that was the day that I posted the entry about books. After reading my blog that day, it only affirmed it in her mind that she needed to read a book. She was about to ask me last night what book to read but before she could, I handed her the book. I told her that for some reason, God wants her to read that book.

It was a special time. The Lord not only drew us together, but He showed us how much He loves us. We were both so encouraged by how the Lord pays attention to the details of our life.

Grouchy

I've got to admit that I'm grouchy right now. We're doing one of our shows on the conference tour in Nashville. It's difficult to do a show in your hometown. We've had friends come to the show and go to dinner and lunch with us. However, it's sorta like when you are in school and it's the day before some kind of break. You don't want to do any work.

Also, my sinuses have been acting up everyday for the last two weeks. They're not getting better. I don't know what to do. I've been taking medicine, trying to eat right, getting as much sleep as I can. It doesn't seem to be working. My right eye waters constantly and I feel like I'm on the brink of a sneeze every few seconds.

We are just plain tired. For the last nine days, we've been driving or onstage. I'm emotionally and spiritually and physically drained. I don't know if I can make for 15 more days just like the last nine.

I know that this is very negative. Just pray that we'll be able to make it through the next few weeks. We leave tomorrow morning to do a Freedom Experience in Springfield, IL. Then, we drive to Dallas to do another weekend on the tour. We then drive to Portland, OR, get on a plane, and fly to Rock Island, IL to do a show. Then, we fly back to Portland for another tour date. The next day, we drive to Vancouver, WA to perform. On the 31st, we start to drive back home to Nashville...Ugh!

Books

I just finished two books this week...three actually because we listened to one on CD. I feel so good when I complete a book. It makes me feel like I've accomplished something. I always read two books at a time. One that is fiction for pure entertainment and one that is nonfiction that helps me get closer to the Lord in some way. (As you might have guessed from my last few posts, sometimes I have alot of time on my hands on the road.) I recently read Captivating by John and Stasi Eldridge and Redemption by Karen Kingsbury and Gary Smalley.

My favorite books are:
Gone With the Wind by Margeret Mitchell
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
The Mark of the Lion Series by Francine Rivers
Prayer: The Key to Revival by Paul Cho
Six Hours One Friday by Max Lucado

Tell me some of your favorite books. I'm always looking for something new to read.

Last Show in Quincy, IL

It was a good night last night. Toward the end of the service, Brock led the students in a special prayer time. He says that the church today puts too much emphasis on the paid ministers. We are the church. He told the youth that you don't have to have a degree in ministry or a microphone to minister. "If you are a Christian, you are a minister," Brock told them. "He said you might say 'I'm only 14 years old.' Exactly, you are 14 years old and the Lord wants to use you."

He had people that were going through some tough times raise their hands. Then, he had students gather around each hurting person and pray for them. It was great watching youth pray for each other.

Cruising Around in the Church Van

During the days here in Quincy, IL, we have absolutely nothing to do. Brock rode his dirt bike with one of the leaders yesterday. So, Stephanie and I just had to find something to do. Our only transportation is our big semi. Therefore, the church let us use their church van. It's funny just me and Steph cruising around town in a church van. People would honk and wave at us. I'm sure that they probably attend the church and think that they know us.

We went downtown to a place to eat lunch. For a second, I thought I was going to have to parallel park that thing! That just wasn't going to happen. I had trouble parallel parking our little beetle. Luckily, we found a parking spot where we were able to pull in.

The place that we went to for lunch ended up being a tea room. It was packed with nothing but women. (I'm glad that Brock wasn't with us.) They also had all of these knickknacks that you could buy. It was a little odd.

After lunch, we went to a coffee shop. We sipped on coffee and hot chocolate and read our books until it closed at 3pm. Today, we plan on seeing a tree on which its trunk has a place that looks like Jesus holding a lamb. There is also a chopper shop here in this small town that Brock wants to look at. Hey, you do what you have to do when all you have is a church van and the nearest city is 100 miles away.

A Vision From Six Years Ago

We are performing three nights in Quincy, IL. Last night was the first night. I sat in a closet right off of the stage. Therefore, I could not see what was going except when I came out onstage to bring Brock something or perform an illusion. It reminded me of another time I sat in a closet backstage over six years ago...

It was my first summer out with Brock. We were at Pineywoods Campground. It actually might have been my first camp with Brock. I sat in that closet and prayed my heart out during Brock's message. The Lord gave me a vision. I saw a mist or cloud type form that gently hovered over and thru the crowd. Then, all of the cloud was wisped up into Brock's mouth. I think that the Lord was showing me how the Holy Spirit goes across the crowd and then gives Brock the words to say to those people.

Last night, I was praying about that same thing. After the show, Brock came backstage to the closet and asked if I had been praying. I told him yes. Brock said that he could tell because he didn't give the message that he usually gives. It was as if the Lord was giving him each word to say. I reminded Brock of the vision and told him that I was praying about that. He said that happened again last night. Brock could feel it.

Lots of people were saved and the Holy Spirit was thick in the room. I could even feel His presence in the closet on the side of the stage!

Lucille Ball Moments

I had what my sister calls a "Lucille Ball" moment this weekend. She uses this term when someone does something unintentional in everyday life that becomes comical. My incident involved a meatball. I ordered a meatball sandwich for lunch. We were sitting at higher tables in this restaurant. When I picked up the sandwich, the bread was soggy on the bottom and somehow one meatball broke away from the sandwich. It fell onto my lap and down to the floor. Because of the height of the table, it continued to roll all the way into the aisle. (Isn't there a song about that? "On top of spaghetti all covered with cheese, I lost my poor meatball when somebody sneezed...") At sometime during the meal, a waiter must have cleaned it up because it was gone before we left.

The most expensive "Lucille Ball" moment that I know of was when a friend of mine was using an airplane bathroom. He had a brand new ipod just as they came out on the market. At the precise moment that he flushed, the ipod slipped and fell into the toilet and into the abyss. He talked with the flight attendant, but there was nothing that could be done.

The funniest "Lucille Ball" moment was an incident when I was in college. My two friends and I would leave singing messages on our friends' answering machines. One of my friends really liked this guy and knew that he enjoyed the singing messages. After we had sung our song, she began to playfully talk about how much he would love the song and think of her and want to marry her, etc. I looked over and the light on the phone was still lit up. The phone was still on and her profession of love was now recorded on his answering machine. We had to get a friend of ours who was this guy's suitemate to sneak in and erase the message. That was a close one!

Believe Conference in Iowa

Everything went really well in Iowa. The crowd was awesome. We are really getting the hang of this tour. At the end of the whole weekend, we have a "Saturday Night Live" ending. It's where the whole cast comes up onstage and sort of dances around while the band plays and sings a crazy song. During this time, Brock crawled under the stage. There are a few different levels to the stage and right in front, there's a small gap in the staging. Brock got in that gap and kept popping his head out from under the stage where only the cast could see him. He had that goofy "Forrest Gump" smile when he came out. I laughed as each one of the cast members noticed him. Some were almost startled. Others leaned down to egg him on. Everyone was laughing.

We had a relaxing night last night. We went to a locally owned bistro for dinner. The owner and cook showed us the main courses for dinner. He was so passionate about his food. He greeted everyone who came in the door. "Happy Anniversary," he said to one couple who came in. "Have fun at the symphony," he said to some people who were on their way out all dressed up. The food was great! Then, we went to a local coffee shop where I sipped on hot chocolate and played online. It was fun.

Ode to Iowa

What would we do without Iowa?

There'd be no corn,
no corn on the cob,
no corn fritters,
no corn muffins,
no creamed corn,
no corn casserole,
no corn chowder,
no grilled corn,
no corn pudding,
no corn bread,
no corn flakes.

Also, we wouldn't have the color brown.

And most importantly, we wouldn't have our friends from the bmx stunt team Chaos on Wheels.

Does anyone know of any other way to cook corn that wasn't named above?


by Brock Gill

Davenport, IA

We are in Davenport, IA this weekend. It's a big dissapointment after being in Denver last weekend. There is not much here. On the way here, all we saw were corn fields. We are staying in downtown Davenport, but that's not saying much. Maybe it will surprise me and be a fun place!

It is freezing here! I feel like we skipped fall and went right to winter in Iowa. All that I packed us was a couple of hoodies. Yesterday, we were wearing shorts and now we need heavy coats. I'm not ready for winter. I want to experience fall.

Walking

Brock is reading a book about how to be healthy. One of the things that the book talks about is walking. Other countries walk 10 to 100 times more than Americans in a day. They walk to work and to the store or restaurants. We drive everywhere. Some of that is because everything is so spread out in the U.S. If you go to European countries, you can walk to wherever you need to go.

I began to think about it, and realized that we try to get a good parking spot at the gym. It doesn't make much sense. So, we've made a few changes. Brock now parks at the back of any parking lot in order to walk further. Also, we try to walk for an hour a day outside. Luckily, the weather has been good so far.

You wouldn't believe how much better it makes you feel just to be walking out in the fresh air! Even if you are walking around a city, it feels good. While doing these conference tours, we are getting our walking in. We walk to and from the convention center and to restaurants. We walk around in the convention center alot. My favorite walks are the intentional ones. Usually, we choose a pretty area. We've discovered so many walking trails in Tennessee. It's beautiful and relaxing. It's a time to spend with each other and our Creator.

Some Results from FX

Sometimes I wonder what goes on in the towns in which we put on an FX after we leave. This is an e-mail that we received from the promotor of our last FX in Harlan, KY:

Wow! I was just talking to an attorney from Harlan today about the drug problem and the problem with the break up of so many families in our area and told him the answer is to reach them with the truth of God and he told me about a lady that works in his office. This lady and her husband were going through a divorce when the FX came to town. Their children both wanted to go to the FX and so they worked it out and decided they would both take them to the event. As a result while they were there, God began to speak and to move in their lives and now they are back together as a family and stopped the divorce. The man that told me this did not know I had anything to do with the FX. Wow!! Talk
about being blown away!! I am still hearing about the results.

Denver, CO

Denver was a great city. They had a modern area downtown with blocks of streets lined with shops and restaurants. It was fun to walk around. The mountains in the background made it very beautiful. While we were there, we visited with some friends that live in the area. Tyler Newberry (tylernewberry.com) and his lovely wife Leslianne came to the show. We stayed with Doug Herman (purerevolution.com) and his family Saturday night. They have a great house and were very hospitable. Denver has been my favorite city on this tour so far. I'm rating each city and this one received 5 stars in my book!

As we drove home yesterday, the price of deisel increased by the hour. It's now up to $3.59 in Tennessee. We budgeted for the fuel prices to increase to as much as $2.00 for this tour when we booked it 2 years ago. We never imagined it to be over $2 much less over $3.50! Please pray that the prices will go down or the Lord will provide the extra money to cover the raising prices of fuel. In our big truck, we only get 7 miles to the gallon.

Kansas

We have been driving thru Kansas for what seems like forever! Kansas is so boring. It's flat and brown. Sorry to those of you who live there...I'm really sorry. If you want to see pictures of Kansas, go to xanga.com/stephydepp. It always seems to be cold here as well. Everytime we come to Kansas no matter what time of year, it's cold. On the way to Colorado, I was wearing a tank top because it was so hot. The moment we reached Kansas, it was freezing! Then, it was perfect weather in Colorado. I don't get it. Is it eternally cold in Kansas?

The coldest I've ever been was in Kansas a few years ago. It was 2 degrees but the windchill made it feel well below zero. I had just taken a shower so my hair was still damp. I ran across the small parking lot, maybe 15 yards. In that amount of time, my hair completely froze!

Last time we pulled over and slept on the side of the road in Kansas, I heard some running next to our truck. It sounded as if people were just running around in the back of a truck. We found out that there was a truck with cows in it that pulled up next to us. This time while we were pulled over on the side of the road in Kansas, I woke up and heard cows mooing. There was another truck of cows next to us! What is it with cows and cold in Kansas?

Brock's Plea

The following is straight from the heart of Brock:

Hurricane Rita hit close to home. The devastation of Hurricane Katrina has barely set in when Rita hit. As many of you know, I am from Louisiana (now living in Nashville). Let me tell you, the devastation is incomprehensible. As I write this, my home town is without water, power, and almost no communication. My family is all safe. My parents evacuated to Texas and my extended family stayed to ride it out. Rita hit them dead on. There is damage to my parents' house and trees down. The neighbors weren't so lucky. They had trees in their house. Some of my friends had to evacuate from the Sabine pass area in Texas. They can't go home yet. They aren't sure if it is okay or not.

If you saw the news, you might have seen a water tower with the words "Holly Beach" written on it. If you noticed, there was nothing else near it. That area was completely lost and wiped off the map. I have some good friends who lived in Holly Beach. They had a ministry they operated from their house right there on the beach. They have ministered to thousands of people over the years. As the storm approached they packed up and left. They decided to stay with a family from my father's church (my father is a pastor). That night, they heard a crashing sound and woke up to find a tree laying near the bed they were in. They were almost killed. The next morning, they found the trailer with all of their belongings crushed by another tree. They lost everything. Their house was gone and now all of their stuff. They only escaped with their lives. These people are devastated. They are good people who have devoted their lives to helping others. Now, they are the ones in need.

The depth of this storm will be enormous and long term. What I want to do is show you how you can help. What many people don't think about is how days lost cripple the local economy in such difficult ways. For example, think of a young business who needs everyday of business to make enough to pay the bills, or think of a young and small church who depends on every Sunday taking up the tithes and offerings. If the power is out for two or three weeks, then services are cancelled and the budget takes a blow. When they do return to normal services, many people have lost income and have no extra money to give. If a family gets paid less than usual, then their tithe is less. The domino effect is substantial.

I have talked to some pastors who have been effected by Hurricane Rita and they are in a long term mess with no light at the end of the tunnel. My father is a pastor in southwest Louisiana where the hurricane hit the hardest. His entire parish is without power. No one knows when they will get it. The devastation is everywhere. No one is running to their rescue. The media is not covering more than just a few areas. What about all of the rural areas that have experienced total losses? There aren't celebrities there getting their picture taken as they pass out water. It is almost as if these areas are ignored.

I am calling for you, my friends, every person who reads this to help me as we help those people in need, specifically pastors. Those who give the most sometimes need help themselves. I am asking you to give money. Make checks payable to Unity Baptist Church, (memo line Rita) we will be making donations to pastors who are in need. Send the checks to:
Unity Baptist Church/Rita Relief
PO Box 1342
DeRidder, LA 70634.
100% of the money will go straight to those in need. We need you to respond quickly to this. As we speak, there are pastors that we know who are spending their own money to buy ice, gas, and supplies for those in their communities who are in need. The government can't fix this. The churches should step up to the plate so God gets the glory. I am calling on you to act now.

Also if you know of a church who needs a pastor or youth pastor contact us. We will connect pastors from the LA and TX regions to churches who need staff. If your church wants to send volunteers to help with the clean up and rebuilding process contact us. Thank you for the prayer and support. Lets serve God by serving people. Lets help pastors now.

People are Watching

Last weekend after Brock gave his message about Jesus being the only way to God, one of the security guards approached him. She was in tears about the message. Brock asked her if she believed in Jesus and the lady replied with, "I think so." Brock told her that he would be praying that she would find her way to Jesus.

The weekend before that, one of the security guards began asking me some questions. She had seen us praying for each other during our group devotions on Saturday morning. I was able to share with her a little and gave her a DVD.

Today, we struck up a conversation with one of the salespeople at Hot Topic. Later, we saw her again at a restuarant. She was reading a book about yoga. She said that she was a spiritual nerd, because she enjoys studying theology. Brock gave her one of our DVD's and told her that there was theology on it, but she would have to find it. Brock and Stephanie (who travels with us) both commented on the fact that it was not a coincidence that we saw her twice.

It's cool how the Lord sends someone to us every weekend. People are watching us.

Dinner in Denver

We are in Denver, CO tonight getting ready to start another weekend of CIY conference. Brock and I ate at a very nice restuarant. We sat out on the patio. Toward the end of our meal, a homeless guy came up asking for money. Brock told him that he didn't have any cash. The man said that he wanted something to eat. To my surprise, Brock said for him to go get a table and Brock would buy them something to eat. The homeless man's eyes lit up. "Really?" he asked. Brock affirmed it, so the guy called his brother over and they went around to the entrance of the restuarant.

The waiter watched all of it happen. He sat the guys at the bar and gave them some food charging it to our bill. When he brought us the check, he brought us some dessert as well. We didn't order the cheescake, but the waiter said that when people do something nice, they should be rewarded. He said that it was really cool for Brock to do that because most people just blow them off. I think that the waiter received just as much of the message of Jesus' love as the homeless guys. Also, the cheesecake was the best I've ever had!

A Song of Praise in the Midst of the Storm

My best friend from college lives in Tyler, TX. Her parents live in East Texas near the Beaumont area. This is her story from the aftermath of Hurricane Rita:

My parents had a truly terrifying experience. Mom stayed up all night Friday just praying. She could hear the trees outside cracking and falling...she could hear shingles ripping off the roof...and she could hear loud bangs from large debris slamming into the house. We were all praying that God's hand would protect their home (where both my Grandmas and sister were also taking refuge). There is no doubt now that our prayers were answered...there is devastation all around them, and yet the house was relatively unharmed...and they are all safe and sound!

Sunday I had an opportunity to sing in church, due to the fact that a musical group we had booked was unable to get to Tyler. When the Worship Minister called me Thursday afternoon and asked if I knew what I could sing, I immediately said, "Through it All." It is an old southern gospel favorite of my dad's. There is a line in the song: "I thank Him for the mountains/I thank Him for the valleys/I thank Him for the STORMS He's brought me through.../Through it all I've learned to Trust in Jesus..." Even before I knew HOW He would bring us through the storm, I felt such a strong compulsion to share that message Sunday morning (if we were even able to have church).

Most of Tyler never even lost power, so we did have the joy of gathering for worship. At 7:40 Sunday morning, I arrived at church for a sound check and when I walked through the doors I could hear the Praise Team practicing. The spirit was so incredibly dense in that place you could almost see it. Everyone was smiling and saying "Hello..." There was just a general sense of jubliation, thankfulness, and humility. When I sat down to continue listening to the Praise Team, it occurred to me that my mom & dad would looooove to hear this music, and they were trapped in their home without power. They do have a phone line that works, however, so I decided to call them and let them listen through the phone. No sooner than Dad answered, though, I was called up on stage to start my sound check. I asked Dad if he wouldn't mind holding on for a while, then I passed the phone off to our Orchestra Minister and asked if he would mind holding it up while I sang.

Of course, he agreed. Also, the Worship Minister agreed to let me sing the ENTIRE song for the sound check. Green Acres holds three services each Sunday. Out of the four times I sang the song that day, the sound check was the absolute finest moment. When I got back on the phone, my mom was sobbing. "We weren't able to make it to church today," she said, "but we just had church."

Holly Beach Missionaries

Brock knows this couple that had a Christian resort in Holly Beach, LA. I say "had" because it's not there anymore. Holly Beach is gone. The only thing left standing is a water tower. On the news, it looks like a water tower in the ocean because the town is now ocean after Rita came thru. They depended on financial support to keep the retreat center afloat. They only had flood insurance on one little building on the whole property. Brock's parents church had just gone down there the month before to renovate the place. Now, it's gone.

The couple packed as much as they could into a trailer and went to some people's house in DeRidder, LA hoping to escape the worst of the storm. A tree ended up falling into the house where they were staying and landing just inches from their bed. They almost died. Then, a tree landed on the trailer they had brought and crushed everything. Basically, they lost everything but their lives!

This is just one of the thousands of stories of the destruction of Hurricane Rita. I didn't sleep very well last night. I thought about my parents trying to sleep in their hot house with no water. I dreamed that looters tried to get into the house because they have the windows up. It was 97 degrees yesterday where my parents live. A government helicopter delivered the town some food and water yesterday. They are saying that it will probably take a few weeks to get power back because the whole East Texas grid is down. Please, pray for all of these people effected by the aftermath of Rita. The media is downplaying the effect the hurricane had on west Louisiana and east Texas because it didn't hit Houston. It only hit small towns. Small towns are suffering right now. They don't have the resources that the larger ones do. Shepherd, TX where my parents live doesn't even have a mayor. Please remember the longterm effects that this is going to have on these little towns.

Updates on Rita

My parents were able to fly back into Houston yesterday. They went home to no power. They are saying that the power could come back on in 3 days or 3 months! Also, they were concerned about a dam in Livingston. If it broke the whole area would be flooded. They had to release some of the floodgates in order to relieve some of the pressure on that dam. Therefore, some of the houses in the low lying areas were flooded on purpose in order to prevent more houses from being flooded. Fortunately, my parents are not in a low lying area.

Brock's parents are still in Dallas. However, they know that there was alot of damage done to their hometown. The hurricane hovered over their area for a long period of time. They are about an hour northwest of Lake Charles in DeRidder, LA. They're right on the stateline of LA and TX where most of the damage was done. There are trees down everywhere. A couple went down in their yard, but none fell on the house. However, something to do with their electrical cover was blown off. Therefore, they are going to have to get some electrical work done. Brock's grandparents that live in that same town have two large holes in their roof.

Our friends that live near Port Arthur cannot get thru to anyone from their town. They have no idea the extant of the damage. They are staying in central Louisiana with his parents. However, they have no water or power. They have a few week old baby. They are miserable. The baby cannot sleep because he's too hot. They aren't even allowed to return home yet.

Praise the Lord that everyone is safe. However, still keep these families and towns in prayer. Everyone just has no clue what to do. Nothing is going on as usual. No schools are in session. My dad and Brock's dad are pastors. The churches are closed right now. The stores are closed. There are millions of people without power, and it's so crippling nowadays.

Out on the Road

We pulled over last night to sleep. We needed fuel desperately but the gas station where we were spending the night was closed. Therefore, we couldn't turn on the generator because we were almost out of fuel. It was okay because it wasn't very hot. We just opened the windows and the vent right over our bed. If you don't know, we drive a racecar hauler which is a freightliner with living quarters. So, we have a bed, couch, table, sink area, and bathroom. Our bed is up over the cab and there is a vent with a fan directly over the bed. In the middle of the night, it started raining in the vent and onto our bed. Plus, we have a vent that keeps coming up on our trailer, so it may have leaked inside the trailer last night.

Then, as we were driving today, people on a motorcycle drove up beside us pointing to the back. We pulled onto the side of the road and found that our trailer electric cord had drug the ground and split apart. Therefore, we had no trailer lights and no brakes on the trailer. We just had a list of things fixed on our truck. It seems as if the list will never end! Sometimes life on the road really bites!

Updates

Tonight was so much better than last weekend. Everyone is getting into the flow of things. I felt so much less stress than last weekend.

I'm completely well. Thanks for your prayers. At a little after lunch yesterday, my sinuses began to clear and I was all of a sudden better. I've felt 100% ever since. I know that this is because you guys were praying for me.

Brock's parents made it to Ft. Worth, and my parents are having a good time in New York City. We're glued to the TV watching the news concerning the hurricane. They just said that Rita will make landfall in a couple of hours...Now, Shepherd Smith cannot even stand up due to the wind gusts where he is in Beaumont, TX. Some of our best friends live right there. They already evacuated of course. It's scary!!!

Rita and Evacuations

My parents who live near Houston had already planned a trip to New York City for this weekend. They flew out yesterday morning. I'm so glad that they got out of there. Mom said that when they went to the airport, it was like a movie. The northbound side of the freeway was like a parking lot at 6am. They got to the airport 2 and 1/2 hours early and barely made it on the plane. Everybody that was flying out at anytime yesterday was there at 6am. Some people even let my parents ahead of them in the check-in line because my parents flew out at 9am and they didn't fly out until the afternoon. My parents plane was nowhere near full because everyone could not get through security. They waited for about 30 minutes until the plane took off leaving some of the passengers at the airport. I can only imagine the back-up that they are experiencing. However, my parents made it to New York with no problems.

After hearing about Rita's change in direction, Brock's parents who live near Lake Charles, LA decided to evacuate. They were going to stay with Brock's sister and brother-in-law in Ft. Worth, TX. Brock talked them into leaving last night instead of this morning. We haven't heard if they made it safely yet. Neither one of us can get thru to our parents on their cell phones at the present time. It says "Due to the hurricane in the area, this customer cannot be reached."

Our parents are just 4 people in the millions of people that are trying to leave. There is already panic in Texas. Pray that people will survive this hurricane!

Sick

I'm sick. The head pounding don't want to get out of bed sick. I sneazed all afternoon Tuesday. Then, I crawled in bed. I wanted to stay in bed all day yesterday, yet I got up, packed us up, drove (Brock actually drove) to Georgia and performed a show. One of the downfalls of this job is that you can't call in sick. Last night was the first night that I've performed sick.

When I went into the dressing room to get something to eat, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. With my eyes and cheeks puffy, nose red, and unkempt hair, I didn't look like a girl that could be onstage. I tried my best to conceal my pale, sick face with makeup.

The show went well overall. There were 750 people in attendance and 48 people were saved. The show was not a disaster, but it was very rough for me. My reaction time was slow. You can't be slow during our show. It doesn't work! I hope that I'm better by Friday when we start the second weekend of our conference tour in Richmond, VA. However, it's hard to heal in the back of a moving truck.

See You at the Pole

Today is See You at the Pole day. So, think about those students all across America who are gathering around their flagpoles and praying for their schools. This all started with some teens in Texas who really had a heart for their school. I hope that it has become just an event. I hope that many students today are praying from a sincere heart for their schools.

We have a "Saw You at the Pole" show in Georgia tonight. Today just became the most booked day we have all year. We even had a See You at the Pole event last week because the guy got the dates mixed up. Halloween used to be our #1 booked day, but it slid in second this year.

The Cocoa Tree

I had the best chocolate last night! We went to a place called The Cocoa Tree in downtown Franklin, TN. The whole experience was like a scene from the movie "Chocolat". My friend and I were cold as we walked in because we had been riding on the back of our husbands' motorcycles, so the lady behind the counter suggested that we try some of their hot chocolate. We had chocolate fondue. It was fabulous!

Later, the owner of the chocolate shop came out and began telling us all about chocolate. She accidently started making it and has come up with several unique kinds of truffles. They have red pepper truffles and sweet potatoe truffles. She said that her desire is to show that the Lord does want to give us pleasures in this world. He made the cocoa tree simply for our delight.

She also gave us a history lesson on cocoa. Cocoa beans are only found along the equator in Asia, Africa, and South America. Her favorite are the ones from South America. Companies have come and tried to industrialize the harvesting of the cocoa bean and have been unsuccessful. There are wars over it. I tasted an actual cocoa bean. It tasted like a mixture between strong unsweet chocolate and a coffee bean. It was so fun!

I'm a Loser

I lose everything! In college, I lost my wallet about once a year. I've tried alot of ways to keep up with my stuff. I purchased one of those wallets on a keychain. I tried carrying a purse but would leave it somewhere even more often. When Brock and I were married, I had him carry everything...the wallet, his phone, the keys. I would always be sure he remembered to bring everything with him, but I couldn't keep up with the items that I was carrying.

This is bad, because now I have to keep up with so much stuff...all of our luggage, our equipment. I seem to be able to do a descent job at keeping up with the big things such as these, but there has been an occasional missing pants or bolt from an illusion that are in some random city. It's the everyday items that I seem to misplace the most. There is some kind of loose connection in my brain that simply doesn't think to pick up all of my personal items when I leave a certain location.

This weekend, it was my phone. I've had my old phone for 2 years and never had a problem. I've had this phone for 2 weeks and just left it somewhere in Pittsburgh! I don't know what to do. You girls know that the pockets in our pants will not hold anything larger than a few dollars. Even a credit card or hotel key is a problem in some of girls' pants pockets. The cards will not bend with you when you sit down. We all know that I can't carry a purse, but I simply must carry my phone on me. What should I do when I get a new phone to ensure that I will not lose it?

First CIY Weekend

I'm exhausted! It was a good weekend but very tough. The first night on a tour is always sloppy. Plus, the rest of the crew have been practicing for two weeks. We haven't had any preparation. The stunt went very well. I cannot believe that we received it in the mail on Tuesday and performed it on Saturday! I don't enjoy doing things last minute, but I've learned to deal with it.

I wasn't used to the oddly angled stage and almost fell off. One leg went off the stage completely as I caught myself with my hands. Luckily, I was behind a large prop, so nobody noticed. I also tripped over one of the legs of the light tree.

There was a kid who had one of those belts that ran words across it like a marque. This afternoon, it read "BROCK'S WIFE ROCKS." I've never had that happen before!

Student Conference

We were at an airport or on a plane for most of the day yesterday. Today, we begin a junior high student conference. It's called "Believe" and is with the organization Christ in Youth (CIY) out of Joplin, MO (www.ciy.com). The conference is Friday night through Saturday afternoon and is about 14 weekends this fall and spring in cities all over the country. We were part of this conference a few years ago, but alot has changed. I'm nervous about it. We're performing a new big illusion/stunt for the first time tomorrow afternoon. Brock was practicing it in the hotel last night. Also, we're incorporating some of our illusions with other things that are going on during the program. It's going to be different. At least it will be a small crowd this weekend!

Back in the Saddle Again

We've had a wonderful time at home. We went canoeing, rode our motorcycle alot, hung out with friends. Chaos on Wheels and Inhabited have stayed with us. It's been great. In fact, I'm not ready to go. I've enjoyed being home so much that I don't feel like going again. Pray that I get back in the swing of things.

Yesterday, we drove to Pittsburgh. Today, we fly to Florida to do a show and then back to Pittsburgh. We are performing in Pittsburgh this weekend. We had to wait for a package to be delivered at our house before we could leave. Therefore, we didn't get off until 2pm. The reality of all of that is that we went to bed at 3am and woke up at 8am! Ugh! It's back in the saddle again.

Mangoes

We ate mangoes in Australia and loved them! Brock tried to buy some at the grocery store here, but they didn't taste the same. As we were driving back to the airport in New Mexico the other day, we saw a farmer's market on the side of the road. We pulled over. The guy let us sample some mango. It tasted as good as Australia! We bought a whole box of them for $2. I carried it on the plane. We've been eating mangoes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They are so good.

Epsom Salt Baths

After we did our last string of shows which ended up being 15 shows in 3 different states over the course of 9 days, we went to get massages. We both had gift certificates for massages that we received for our birthdays. We knew that this would be the perfect time to take advantage of the gifts. As I was leaving, the masseuse handed me a paper with some information on epsom salt baths.

I've been taking 2 or 3 epsom salt baths a week ever since. It's incredible! After I had the massage, I felt relaxed but very tired. The bath makes me feel relaxed yet rejuvinated. It is supposed to relax your muscles as well as extract toxins out of your body. If you don't have the money to get a massage every week, try this as an alternative.

You can purchase epsom salt at any Walmart or drug store (don't go to the food section like I did...it's in the pharmacy section). It should be about $2 for a large bag. Fill your tub with hot water and 3 cups of epsom salt. Soak for 15-20 minutes. Then, drain the tub until it gets about ankle deep and turn on the shower to wash off all of the salt. I usually make the shower slightly cool because the bath was so hot. I also read my book as I'm soaking. It's a wonderful thing.

New Mexico Show and Brock's Phone Call

Last night was a first. We were late for a show! It started at 5pm. I didn't know that. In all of the shows we have done, we've never had one to start at 5pm. However, it was still my fault because I should have asked. We strolled in at around 5:30 only to find that everyone is there waiting on us! If you're going to be late, New Mexico is the place to do it. They are so layed back here and sooo nice. Even the guy in charge was cool about it. The only time he told us when it started was on right about the time we got there. It was crazy!

The show went well after the rocky start. There were 350 people in attendence which they were very excited about in this town. The ministers in the area claim that people here don't come out for anything let alone a church function. There were at least 35 people that gave their lives to Christ. It ended up being great!

Later last night, Brock recieved a phone call. He had met a guy on a plane this summer and felt compelled to give him his phone number. Brock even chased him down in the airport to give him the number. The guy called last night and I listened as Brock told him the good news of Jesus Christ. This guy told Brock that he had been getting drunk everyday for the last two weeks and was sick of it. Brock ended the conversation by telling him that they sat together on that plane for a reason and he thought of Brock tonight out of the blue for a reason. Brock said that God was trying to get a hold of him. He also told him that he had a choice to make. Brock said for him to call him back in a couple of days to let him know how everything was going. Please pray for this guy who is a comedian but does not feel like laughing right now. Pray that he will come to know the saving power of Jesus Christ.

Flying to New Mexico

Today, we fly to New Mexico to perform. Whenever we fly, we take small tricks that play big. I actually just run sound, lights, and sometimes camera for fly shows. That's where I like to be best...in the production box. The fly show is just as good if not better because it's more driven by Brock's personality than by the actual tricks. Brock's personality is better than any trick we have. Therefore, the show is way more funny and interactive with the audience. Also, it's more impressive, because he doesn't use big, fancy props. He uses everyday items like their rings and keys, spoons, and ping pong balls. It's fun!

Message in a Bottle or Teddy Bear

The other day, I got some supplies for the hurricane evacuees. I dropped them off at a local church as they were packing up the trucks. One of the items that was on the list of needs was a teddy bear. So, I got one with an opening in the back held together by velcro. I wrote a note to the child and placed it in the stuffed animal. I hope that the child finds it one day and contacts me. That would be cool!

The Aftermath of Katrina in Texas

My friend was in a restuarant in Tyler, TX last week and met a couple with their niece who were from New Orleans. The child's father was disabled and could not evacuate as quickly. At that point, they didn't know where the child's father was and did not have any communication capabilities. They didn't know what to do. The lady said that many evacuees in the area were getting jobs at Walmart just to pay for hotel and food costs. These stories are everywhere!

On a positive note, people are really trying to help as much as possible. My parents live near Houston. Yesterday, they went to train to do certain volunteer work at the Astrodome and were told that they did not need anymore volunteers. They already had about 30,000 volunteers! That's great! Mom is on the list in case they ever need her help in other ways. Also, Second Baptist Church is providing one meal a day for everyone in the Astrodome for two months. Rick Warren was going to be having a big rally getting all of the churches involved with helping and ministering to the evacuees.

Relief Efforts in Baton Rouge, LA

Brock and I received this e-mail from someone that we know and trust:

Below is a letter from an old friend of mine Clay Holcomb. He is a solid man of God who God is using mightely in Baton Rouge. Today, I called him and he told me of the horror that has resulted since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. Thousands upon thousands of New Orlean citizens have moved into the Baton Rouge area looking for shelter and relief. The churches are being overwhelmed. After reading Clay's e-mail, I would ask for you to pray about sending money to:
Istrouma Baptist Church
10500 Sam Rushing Dr.
Baton Rouge, LA 70816
You can put "Katrina" in the memo line and it will be put directly toward the relief effort.


This is Clay's e-mail:

No doubt all of you by now are aware of the devastation that has been unleashed upon the Gulf Coast region from Mobile to New Orleans. Our country has never seen a disaster of this magnitude in its history. As you watch the national news coverage it is impossible to grasp the scope of what is really going on down here. Let me just say in brief, that the devastation and anguish is impossible to conceive; however, so is the enormous outpouting of love from God's people and indeed all the people of this region. Please pray for this region and our people, but also be encouraged by the effort that is taking place.

Anytime you unleash a city the size of New Orleans with the highest murder rate in the coutry per capita, and more than 150,000 people who live below poverty level not to mention the people who lived even south of New Orleans, you are going to have some significant challenges to say the least. The homes and buildings in the entire region is at serious stress. The health care industry, police force, prison system, fuel supply, traffic and road infrastructure, school systems, churches, and local food supply are at critical mass. We are making it happen by God's grace but without an outpouring from God's people, we will not be able to sustain this. And to answer your question, yes, the federal and state governments are doing all they can but it is impossible for them to have been able to predict the magnitude of this desaster and to respond as expediently as needed.

Please, we are calling on you to respond with gifts of love to this ministry opportunity. Istrouma Baptist Church in Baton Rouge is a shelter housing over 700 evacuees from New Orleans, but ministering to the entire region.

The enemy has had a foothold in the city of New Orleans for many years. No dount New Orleans is a charming city with wonderful culture worthy of being rebuilt. But I am praying more than ever that God would use this tragedy to bring his people back to Himself and to remind us that we are not out of His reach, in any circumstance. Let's reclaim the Crescent City for the sake of the gospel and for the first time in American history be a part of the rebith of one of the most influential cities in the world.

My Part in Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts

This weekend has been so fun, yet it's bittersweet. As I'm enjoying my time off spending time with Brock and at home, hundreds of thousands of people are homeless, jobless, hopeless. I feel guilty when I lay my head down on my pillow in my own bed at night. It's difficult to go on with life as usual.

Finally, I decided to do something about it. As I was on my church website giving money to the hurricane victims, I noticed that they had other ways I could contribute to the Hurricane Katrina Relief Effort. Therefore, I am going to give some supplies to a local church that is going to deliver them to the ones who are in need. I will be giving blood to the Red Cross as well. Also, I signed up to have some evacuees stay at our home. I hope that a family takes us up on the offer!

By the way, everyone keeps asking us if Brock's parents are okay. They live on the west side of south Louisiana, so they were not affected directly by the hurricane. Indirectly, I guess we are all affected. Tell me some of your stories concerning the aftermath of Katrina. If you are looking for a way to contribute to the hurricane victims, go to your local church websites, or you can give money online at my church's website www.thepeopleschurch.org/katrina. Of course, you could always go to www.redcross.org as well.

Fox News are Heroes

I know that in a recent post, I slammed the media. However, today, I'm seeing a better side of the news. Last night, we watched on Fox News as Giraldo Rivera pleaded with anyone to save the evacuees in the convention center in New Orleans. These people have been in the convention center for 6 days without food or anything. Thousands upon thousands of people went to the convention center having been told it would be a shelter and received no kind of aid whatsoever. Plus, according to reporter Shepherd Smith, there was a government checkpoint close by that would not allow the people to cross over to go get food, etc. I don't know what went wrong there, but Hiraldo picked up a 10 month old boy and said something to the tune of this plea is not for political or monetary gain, just please get these people out of here! He called it Hell on Earth. I dreamed about those people trapped in that convention center all night. This morning, the government sent military helicopters to rescue the people! I don't think that would have happened had it not been for Fox News.

Adventures on the Motorcycle

We went to meet a girl yesterday halfway between here and Jackson, TN. We met at Loretta Lynn's Kitchen. It was not very tasty. They make this red eye gravy consisting of ham fat and coffee. It smelled foul! Then, as we were conversing over lunch, we hear loud singing. There was a girl back in the back singing with the radio. You couldn't see her, but you could hear her. Our waitress said that she was trying out for American Idol soon. She wasn't bad, but it was just funny that she would sing so loudly behind a wall! Brock got her autograph as a joke. However, if Kristin Renee from Loretta Lynn's place makes it, we've got her autograph!

Because the gas prices are so expensive, we took the motorcycle. When we came out of the restuarant, Brock noticed that the chain was loose, so he tightened it. He had to stop three times to work on that chain, so we met some interesting people while we were fixing the bike. The first guys we met were motocycle guys. They were decked out in leather and scoffed at Brock's Honda. However, they had to push start some of their bikes. They may have been Harley's, but they were OLD. Then, we met another motorcycle guy on the side of the road that helped us tighten the chain again. He was very nice and tried to sell us his Honda. I only had one of our dvd's on hand. I tried to give it to him, but he took off too quickly.

Then, at a gas station, we met a family from New Orleans. They had never left Louisiana but were moving to D.C. They, like many others, have lost everything. The family was really cool...I thought they were a band at first. Brock gave them our dvd. I'm glad they got the dvd. Maybe during this tragedy, they will watch the message and accept the hope that Jesus offers.

Back in the Sticks

It's so peaceful where we live. We can observe nature from our windows or by taking a walk down our driveway. We counted 16 wild turkeys in our backyard the other day. Also, a deer went bounding over the steep hill in the back of our house.

As I went to get the mail, I saw a turtle in the road. It was about halfway into the right lane. I looked at its perfect shell and features. I could not bare to see it squashed by the next vehicle coming around the corner oblivious to its existance. So, I brushed it off of the road just as an SUV came barreling through the lane. Brock later went down and let me know that it was a land turtle. He said that you usually find them in the woods. Therefore, we took the little guy to our woods toward the rear of our property.

Yesterday, as I was mowing the lawn, a little brown and light blue butterfly followed me around the whole time. It was beautiful! I thought that it was strange that it got so close at times. They usually seem to be shy especially when there is a loud machine involved. Then, Brock and I sat on the front porch talking and the same butterfly came and landed on my leg. Brock would chase it away on accident, and a few minutes later, it would return to me. It probably sat on my leg for about thirty minutes.

There are some critters that I do not enjoy. Ever since we have returned from the summer, we've heard loud bugs called cicadas...they are LOUD! We also both got stung by a wasp the other day. Brock tried getting into our shop and was stung before he could even open the door. The wasp was just waiting by the only accessible entryway to our shop. I decided that if I run, maybe it wouldn't get me...WRONG! I did get the door open though.