Summer Tour of 2017 July - September

Alabama and Tennessee  

This tour was different than past tours, because we took the car with a trailer for our instruments and equipment. My poor car! But, bless Adonai, it held up great.  

We started off with a “Home” concert. We love these! They’re always informal and fun. Our hosts were great, providing food and overnight accommodations and we enjoyed getting to know them a little better.  

Next we were in Knoxville, TN for a Saturday morning service. I enjoy being part of a service. Every time, it seems that what we share meshes beautifully with the rest of the service. We love Shomair Yisrael, and are always blessed by the congregation.  

Kansas and Oklahoma  

In Kansas City we stayed with some dear friends, it had been so long since we had seen them we had a lot of “catching up” to do! The concert went well. I was feeling rested and stayed very cognizant and on top of things. This first two weeks of our tour were great! 

The following weekend was a bit tougher as we had two concerts and a dance camp.  Friday night at our “home” congregation in Wichita, was beautiful. It was so good to see the friends we have missed through the two years we've been away. The “dance camp” I taught Saturday afternoon in Oklahoma City was something I haven't done in awhile. It was so much fun, though by the end of it I was pretty exhausted. I rested in the library on the couch while Mark and some of the guys set up. We ate, did sound check, and it was time to sing my heart out once more. God was so present, and we all came away with a blessing from Adonai.  

I was so exhausted, we went right to the hotel and to bed. The next morning we packed up for our trip to Colorado and flight to Alaska the following day. Mark built a heavy cardboard and foam shipping container for my harp and we re-shuffled our baggage to prepare for our flight.  

Alaska and Colorado  

Everything went so smoothly, blessed is Adonai! 

From our accommodations in Colorado to storage for our car and trailer, and a ride to the airport in a vehicle large enough to accommodate our luggage, Mark's drums, and my big harp! We are so thankful for Roeh Yisrael and the families who hosted us, and all the coordinating they did that made everything as stress free as possible. 

It was such a blessing to bring our music to Anchorage, Alaska! If anything can help people understand their frailty, and look to God as their strength, it’s living in a beautiful but harsh and dangerous environment. The people were humble and sweet, yet strong, purposeful, and tough. We enjoyed working with their music team on a couple of songs that we shared at an Israel Festival which was opened to the public. There was a good turnout, and between us and the worship team, we put on a worship and praise filled concert. We also did a concert for the Messianic congregation and a small Baptist church. 

 In summer Alaska is gorgeous, green and cool. Winter there has it’s own beauty, and the “northern lights” are something I’d love to experience, but I don’t think I’d flourish in the constant twilight and sub-freezing temperatures of mid-winter! That said, I found the summer daylight that continued till midnight to be disconcerting. Dawn came extra early too (4 am!), so I was getting four hours of sleep a night the whole week we were there. 

Besides the wonderful ministry of Adonai, we also got a day to do a little sightseeing. We went to “Cook Inlet” to see if there were any whales. There weren’t, but the scenery was gorgeous. Then we went to an animal preserve, and got to see some of the Alaskan wildlife close up. 

By the time we returned to Colorado I was both physically and mentally exhausted. Adonai is faithful, and the ministry went forward. The Lord used the message of His word in the music, to strengthen the weak knees, and lift up the hands that droop. Even as He strengthened me to minister in adversity, He strengthened His people for the road ahead. However on the platform, my weakness was obvious, and the Rabbi expressed his concern to Mark afterward. 

The Blood Test 

After this strenuous week and a half, I was not doing very well. I was having trouble breathing with asthma-like symptoms, was light headed, weak, and had no stamina. At Roeh Israel some brethren were sitting with me at the CD table, I was having a difficult time even holding a conversation. They noticed and suggested that I go to a clinic that did bright field microscopy tests. One of them gave me the money to get the test done. Over the next couple of days I asked for prayer that they would have an opening that week, as we were leaving the area on Friday.  

Blessed be His glorious Name, God answered those prayers. Monday morning I called and they happened to have one opening near the end of the week, the next opening was 4 weeks later, and by then we would be long gone. When the drop of blood from my finger  was put under the microscope and projected on the wide screen, I gasped.  

My blood looked very strange. My platelets were stacked like a stack of plates and stuck together in branching clumps. My plasma wasn’t clean, it was like water from a polluted stream: Uric acid crystals, black clumps, strands of fibrin, mold spores, and a couple different kinds of wriggling parasites! Eeeewwwww! No wonder I felt so awful!  

Long story short, I’ve been on a regimen of parasite cleanse, candida cleanse, candida diet, enzymes, and nutritional supplements. I’ve continued in prayer, seeking the Lord for wisdom on where to go from here. I really appreciate your continued prayer support. Your prayers and God’s grace and wisdom will see me through.  

New Mexico and Texas 

We did 4 concerts in Albuquerque and Alamagordo in New Mexico, in both Christian Churches and Messianic Jewish Congregations. We met a very sweet blind couple. The wife Theresa is a gifted poet. She shared one of her poems with me, and also sang one she had turned into a song. They were poignant and beautifully written. I would love to put music to other poems of hers and do a CD of her songs. She was excited about the possibilities and we have continued to stay in touch. 

We did three concerts in Texas, interrupted by a flight to, and wonderful week with, my grandkids in North Carolina. I was glad for a slower pace. Mark went home for the week to drop off a milling machine for harp building, and while there prepared Baruch and Adrielle to evacuate our land as Irma was on the way! Praise Adonai, we had a couple of trees down, and some minor damage, but our tiny homes were spared. 

When we both returned to Texas, we played in Midland, Dallas, and San Antonio, and Mark got his second of two harp orders. 

We had a very eventful tour! Thank you so much for your prayers.

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