From the Road

So, our last stop on the Virginia tour just ended. We're in Silver Springs, MD. This stop was an intersection. I am in the van outside an office with wireless, so I'm going to post about the first day. I'm still alive...we're headingback to the Murches' tonight, and the PA tour starts on Monday...

>>MJ

The first day was Monday. Ben and I were up at 4, and the family (everyone but Mr. and Mrs. Murch) were planning to leave a little before 5. I took a shower and got my things ready, and Ben put everything in the car. At 10 after 5, we still hadn’t left. After a number of mishaps, Aaron found that he had to get frost off the window of the other vehicle. So finally, at about 5:15 we set off. Aaron was driving the Mercury and Ben his spiffy new car. We needed to get to where we were going about 7:30 or so, but we ended up getting lost. So, about 8:45, we arrived and parked. The stop was basically over. But, it was nice to see everyone and say “hello” and catch up some. Lauren, Sam, and Jesse Murch have been away since September at Jason Storms’ School of Evangelism in Wisconsin, so everyone was, of course, thrilled to see them. Lauren and Jesse have been debating Calvinism extensively since departing. Elijah ran up to Jesse with a large hug and an even bigger grin and the first words out of his mouth were, “Are you still a Calvinist?” Of course, thankfully, he is. After crossing half of the street, I was introduced to Serg and Ben, a couple of guys from the school of evangelism. The stop ended shortly after we got there. Everyone packed up, and I was standing outside the Graces’ van talking to Rachel and Talitha Snow, Christina Grace’s sisters, and I looked around and everyone was in a vehicle, and Ben’s car was no where to be found! In a panic, I hopped into the front seat of the Grace’s van, at their urging. I called for Ben on the radio, but he didn’t respond, so we took off. I decided to call him on the phone and he seemed rather concerned that I wasn’t in his car. I had been concerned that he had forgotten about me! So, Billy Joe Grace made a U-Turn and I got out of the van at a stop light (which turned green by the time I was told I could get out) and ran across the street to Ben, and got in the car. After this mishap (small, but a mishap nonetheless), we headed to McDonald’s and got some breakfast. I ate with Hannah, Ben, and Jesse. Before too long, Serg came up. I learned very quickly that he’s an Armenian and everyone he meets knows it. He’s a real funny guy. He’s 22 and is from Los Angeles. Shortly after, I met his girlfriend, Karin. She’s the same age as he is, and is also Armenian, though not as show-off-ish about it as he is. She also is at the school of evangelism. After breakfast, we went outside, where I met Jason Storms and his wife, Sarah, as well as their two precious daughters and adorable baby boy. I got to hold him some…he is quite a chunk! He’s such a happy baby. Jason and Sarah are a really sweet couple. Jason is full-time in the ministry as an evangelist, and she’s (not surprisingly) a housewife and Mommy. After hanging out outside for a while, we piled back into the vehicles and headed for what would be our last stop of the day, though everyone else went to another one. We passed out lit and did signs in the business district of Downtown Richmond. It was great. A lot went out, the gospel was preached, and the police did not give us a hard time. There were some people who complained to the police and many businessmen and women didn’t take literature, but in all, it was a good stop. Mr. Murch asked us to head home and skip the last stop on Monday, because he and Mrs. Murch hadn’t seen Lauren, Sam, and Jesse in so long, and he wanted some extra time with them. So, we had about a 2-hour drive home, and arrived before dinnertime! It was nice to hang out with everyone.