Missions, Buggy's, and a Bell

We have just recently returned from Pennsylvania.  We had several meetings there.  It took us approximately 14 hours with all the stops we made for meals and bathroom breaks.  That sure does make for a long day!  Our first stop was in Kreamer, PA, where we were attending a missions conference.  But it was alittle different  that a normal missions conference.  The conference spanned the whole month, and they would have a different missionary in each service for that month.  Brian gave his burden during the morning Sunday school hour, then preached during the service time.  The service went good!  After the service, the Pastor and his wife took us to a local buffet their....you ordered your main meal by plate, but then they had a "side's" bar and a salad bar.  It's so hard to eat healthy when there is so much food available...I guess that's why we've all gained weight since we've been on deputation!  The church put us up in a very nice bed and breakfast!!  It was a very relaxing place.  We even got to see some snow while we were there!

Next we moved on to southern PA, right in the middle of Amish country.  It was so interesting to see the way they live. They even have horse and buggy parking at Wal-Mart for them! I am so intriged by it all, and the way there families are so close nit!  They only lose 8% of their youth to the world.  It makes us Baptist look bad, when we have the truth and are still losing our youth left and right.  With the Amish, everything is about family!  Were losing that in our independent Baptist Churches!

During our stay, we were told it was very hard to reach the Amish.  There so "works" based, that they think it's prideful to say your "saved".  That you didn't know until you died...how could someone live that way with no security of where you will be in eternity.  Must be a miserable way to live.  But I guess there is more than just the Amish that live like that from day to day.  That's the main reason God left us on this earth, to be a light, and to show their is hope, and they can know they will be in heaven when they die!!! By GRACE, through FAITH in the Lord Jesus Christ!!!  We were also told that the Amish would only take German tracks....so maybe there is an open door there after all....

During our stay in PA, we always like to take advantage of "free" field trips as we travel, so we were able to visit Valley Forge, Historic Philadelphia (the Liberty Bell & Independence Hall), and Hershey's Chocolate World.  OK...so Hershey's Chocolate World isn't as educational as the other's...but the chocolate was worth it...lol... We learned a lot at Valley Forge and Downtown Philly.  The kids learned more about the Revolutionary War and why and how the revolution started and what transpired from the war.  I guess it sticks better in your brain when you are able to see history take place, and where it took place at.  We were able to visit the home of Ben Franklin, and the temporary home of Thomas Jefferson as he wrote the Declaration of Independence.  I really made history come to life!

Our next stop was in mining country in PA.  I never realized there were mountains in PA...this town was a big mining community, but not as much now, but they still do have working mines.  You could tell it had that small town atmosphere about it!.  The church was equally "small town"...but the people were genuine and caring!  We actually pasted several Ukrainian Orthodox Churches on our way to this church....you could tell they were orthodox by the gold domes on the top of the building.  I have never seen any Ukrainian Orthodox in the south, but there were many up north. 

Our last and final stop was another field trip :{)  We stopped at Gettysburg on our way home.  I never realized how many monuments and memorials they had in Gettysburg for all the troops, units, and states that were involved with the battles their.  I even took a picture of the field were Colonial Pickett's division was massacred by the northern troops.  Additionally, we hiked up to the top of Big Round Top, that was a tough climb, but a beautiful view of all of Gettysburg.