Northeastern Tour

The Sisters were up in New York and New England the first two weeks of October. Here are some of the highlights... The first leg of the journey was a stop to see our sister and her family: Ted, Sharon, Teddy (4), Emeline (2), and Veronica (6 mo.) Monsour. We arrived on Tuesday, Sept. 29, and were able to stay until Monday, Oct. 5. We were a bit on the draggy side upon arrival, for some reason. Maybe the previous weeks of activity slowed us down, or maybe we're just getting old, but it took us a bit to get acclimated. The weather was a bit chilly, and the leaves were starting to change. Ted and Sharon live by Hadlock Pond Lake just inside the Adirondack Park, so they experience the beauty of the region up-close. The weather was still not too cold that we couldn't go on the little paddle boat that Ted's parents own, so we tried to get in the activity while we could. Besides shopping and talking, we did do some sightseeing here and there. We visited a Children's Museum (Joanna & Monica really got into some of the activity there--such as the theatre and such. Guess you can't really take the child out of the lady, huh!) Sharon took us to Lake George Village, which is, of course, next to Lake George. This place was also a special spot, as our own Mother used to come there when she was but a wee girl. Her aunt lived in the area and they would vacation up there usually every year. In fact, Mom was on a paddle wheel boat on Lake George when they announced that World War II was officially ended. Everyone was so excited that the boat turned around after hardly going anywhere and headed back to the dock. Mom says she was one disappointed little girl. She didn't understand at the time why everyone was so happy...and why she was missing her boat ride! We also enjoyed a breakfast at Rathbun's, a nice little restaurant that housed a maple syrup mill at one point. Ted took us to see the apple orchard he used to go to as a boy. The Monsours were quite hospitable and made our stay relaxing. Sharon even sang with us a few times...once at their home church (by Ted's request), and once at another meeting. It was funny trying to practice in the van on the way to church...you usually can never hear the other parts too well and so we prayed for extra help that time. Teddy celebrated his fourth birthday with Aunt Jess. (Yes, that's me.) We both were born on the 4th of October, but we celebrated this year on the 3rd. Teddy is so tall now and is greatly enthused by Thomas the Train and anything to do with him. Emeline is getting to be a little lady. She loved to stand on a small stool in the bathroom and watch us do our hair, and she loved Aunt Jess' "pink beads". She is a determined little character. Veronica, at 6 months, was just a little cutie who smiled and cooed at everyone. She seems to be a contented little babe and was so fun to hold. Thursday, October 1: We drove over to the Victory Independent Bapt. Ch. in Porter Corners, New York, this evening. The church is meeting in a town hall as their building is being finished. Pastor Tim Delello knows Jon and Matt from their days together at Landmark Bapt. Ch. in Haines City, FL. There were about 20 or 30 of us tonight who met and tried to stay warm...it was a bit chilly in the hall. We sang and Pastor Tim gave a good message. We enjoyed a short time of fellowship before heading back to the Monsours. Sunday, October 4: Pastor Steve Carpenter and another church member helped us carry in our few belongings this morning. We had a bit of a struggle getting the sound system to cooperate, but eventually it did. Joanna tried her hand at ringing the old church bell here. (She was almost pulled up along with it.) The building is a quaint little thing and we felt as if we were transported back in time. For Sunday School, we met in the back room with just a few of us for a good lesson. There were several elderly folks here today in the Worship service, along with a lady and her mother who saw the ad for the services in the paper. One lady came forward to receive the Lord as her Savior. (That was a nice little birthday present for me!) We ate a delicious meal in the back room, complete with a rich chocolate cake which they dubbed my "birthday cake". Ted & Sharon came with their family for the afternoon service. We sang with her and it was a blessed time with the church family. On our way home, we had to pick up some "dawgs" from the "Dog Shack"--owned and operated by Ted's cousin. (Ted and his family used to own one in the area.) We ended the day with much hilarity and great food. Monday-Tuesday, October 5-6, 2009: We headed to Danbury, Connecticut, today. Arriving in one piece, we quickly changed and then met with Mrs. Joe Vassak (Pastor Vassak's wife) and children for a fast meal before heading to the church. This was a short Revival meeting with Bro. Tony Hutson preaching. Northeast Baptist Church was very receptive. We started out with "He Lives in Me"...Bro. Tony got a little happy and asked us to sing it again, and then began preaching. It was a blast, let me tell you! We had some great fellowship afterwards. On Tuesday, Mrs. Vassak, our wonderful chauffeur, drove us to see the childhood home of Fanny Crosby, as well as the church and school she attended for a short time before going to a school for the blind. It was amazing to think of all that she has done for our world of Gospel hymns today. The services that evening were a blessing, again. Pastor & Mrs. Vassak and the good people of Northeast were a joy to be with this week, even if only for a short time.