Pennsylvania...Chris and Laura

Our last leg of Pennsylvania included reporting to our supporting church, Victory Baptist, where Chris and Laura attend.  We had never met our little nephews Gabriel and Benjamin...Gabe was a lot of fun to tease and talk to!  Elena and Elias had a great time with their cousins.  I was able to take in a new ballpark (Philadelphia) as I went to what will probably be my only baseball game on furlough.  The Phillies beat the Rockies 3-2 in what turned out to be a perfect ending to a game.  The trip to Valley Forge was definitely a high point as well.  I understood alot better the meaning of this difficult part of the war.   We also stopped back at Slippery Rock Baptist Church on the way back to Michigan.  The Lord has really helped that church to grow by leaps and bounds in the last five years.  It was good to see them again and give an update. 

The Phillies taking the field courtesy of my zoom lens.  We sat near the foul pole on the third base side just two rows from the front...very awesome seats! 

Juan Pierre warming up...you can miss him with his socks.  He played a year for the Cubs back in 06'.

Cliff Lee firing the first pitch of the game.  He got hammered the first inning then settled down and pitched a good game. 

The Phillis famous mascott, the Phanatic game to our section. 

Pierre making a great catch!

Thanks Chris for taking me to Philadalphia!  And yes, the Philly cheese steak sandwhiches are ALL they are cracked up to be! 

Laura and Abby playing a flute duet at VBC.

Pastor Mawson and family

We went to Valley Forge, a short 20 minutes from where we were staying and about 20 miles from Philadelphia.  This Baptist Church reached out and grabbed me making me stop by and check out the monuments on the property. 

David Jones was a famous Baptist Chaplain during the War for Independence. 

Elias at the Valley Forge visitor center. 

Elena was my willing subject for photos that day.  She is standing in front of some soldier's huts that they built to survive the winter at Valley Forge. 

We talked to a "soldier" and got to ask him questions about the huts and soldier life! 

Hey, good idea for back at our house in Cameroon! 

At the George Washington arch at Valley Forge.

One of my favorte shots and monuments...General Wayne. 

Inside General Washington's headquarters. 

It was the most perfect day to visit!  We are truly blessed by the Lord to get to see some great places in the wonderful history of our great country! 

Pennsylvania...Adam and Katie

We left soutwest Pennsylvania and took the scenic route through Gettysburg on the way to preach at Adam Burtt's church near the Maryland border.  It was great seeing Adam and Katie in their house and ministry.  They took us to the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore during the short time that we were there!

One of the ways to make busy furlough travels more enjoyable is to make your stops in between meetings or on the way to meetings more memorable.  We really accomplished that in Pennsylvania, not to mention visiting family and four great churches! 

It was pretty amazing to go to two historic sites only hours from each other having to do with both Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.  Gettysburg and Valley Forge are both in Pennsylvania.  Valley Forge will be in the next post, but the kids loved seeing Honest Abe as they have heard a bit about him from their Illinois family. 

 Elena loves taking pictures any time she can get the small camera. 

 



 

 

Thanks for the great visit Adam and Katie!  



Pennsylvania...first stops

After leaving Ohio, we drove down to southwest PA to Dunbar.  Along the way we stopped in Grove City to visit my aunt and uncle. 

Nice to see you all again!  Thanks, Warren for your new book! 

 Pastor Wrachford and family in Dunbar! 

We stayed in the prophet's chamber in Dunbar with Nathan and Kristen Childs.  Nathan is the assistant at the church.  They have done a great job with an African themed guest room, and Elena really loved the animals. 

Nathan helped me fulfill one of my travel wishes...that of being able to research and see a new Baptist history site.  This one is Gerard's Fort, PA is very well marked and a lot of effort has gone in to remembering the life and death of Rev. John Corbley and his family. 

This is the church and marker that bear his name. 

 This monument not far from the church tells the story of he and his family walking to church in the late 1700's.  He was walking well behind his wife and children when he heard their screams as Indians ambushed them killing his wife, their newborn, and some of the other children.  Two of his daughters actually survived the scalping.  Pastor Corbley's wife shouted for her husband not to try to save them but to run to the nearby fort for help. He was spared to serve the Lord for many years to come including the planting of 30 churches in PA and surrounding areas! You might be able to click on the picture to see the monument and picture better.

This stone stands alone in the old and modern cemetary in remembrance of the life and ministry of Rev. Corbley and his family. He and his family including his first two wives are buried nearby. 

Rev. Corbley was also a patriot in the cause of the Revolution of 1776 and following years. His name is listed on the veteran stone of wars nearby.

What a blessing to visit family, to report to and thank the church that helped pay off our GlaStar airplane in Cameroon, as well as take part seeing the site that remembers the life and ministry of the John Corbly family...baptists worth remembering. 



Ohio Update

I almost forgot to post some pictures of our Ohio trip...how could I forget the town where I was born.  We also were able to drive up to see Jim and Jill for a few days. 

 I love old churches, and Portsmouth has its share.  These are churches established before 1876 one of which my dad and Grandad were members.  Temple Baptist is second from the left on top. 

One of the current interesting things about Portsmouth is the numerous murals painted on the floodwall downtown as well as at other sites nearby. 

An interesting story...the couple that took this picture for us was visiting Portsmouth for the first time.  They came there for the wife's 50th birthday.  She was born in Portsmouth but had never seen it after she was born!  They were enjoying the murals like us. 

We reported back to Temple Baptist on Wednesday and stopped by the next day for a good picture. 

Granny and Grandads old house on Summit Street. 

The cemetary where Grandad and Granny are buried.  We missed Granny's funeral while in Cameroon, so I wanted to come back with my family. 

Lake Erie at Sunset in Geneva, Ohio.  Chloe and Derrick...lots of fun together!

It was awesome seeing Jim and Jill.  Thanks Jim for showing us around...

Uncle Jim, Uncle Sam and the nieces and nephews!  We had lots of fun for the short time.  This is truly one of the blessings of furlough, being able to see everyone where they live. 

Jim and one of his pastors took us to Ashtabula, OH.  Behind us is the train bridge that replaced the one where Philip Bliss and his wife along with 150 others died in a train wreck when the wood bridge collapsed.  That was back in the late 1800's.  We sang some of Bliss's songs including my favorite, "I will sing of my Redeemer."  Philip Bliss truly had a song in his heart and had a wonderful testimony in his service for Jesus Christ. 

Cousins!

This is the actual site where those who died in the train wreck were buried.

We reported to two churches, went to the Creation Museum, visited my brother and sister-in-law, and got to see the Philip Bliss site.  Praise the Lord for our time in Ohio!