After a cancellation in our schedule, we spent a couple of
weeks at home in Mississippi, enough time to experience the first winter
precipitation of the season! It was very
early for us to be getting snow/sleet (whatever happened to global warming?),
but it was beautiful and enjoyable nonetheless.
The time in Mississippi allowed me to finish a set of bunk
beds for the trailer while I was home.
RV mattresses can be very expensive ($500 for an RV twin) due to their
unusual sizing, but I was able to find a deal in which I could pick them up for
$130 apiece. Once we had the mattresses,
it was a small step to build the bunkbeds in the trailer. Previously, the boys had shared a fold out
sofa bed—the most uncomfortable I have ever encountered in 25 years of
traveling—Abigail had slept in the one bunk while Esther slept on the
floor. Now, Daniel is on the floor,
while each of the other three has a bunk of their own. In a few short months, Josiah will be gone
and all the floor sleeping will be a thing of the past. From a parental standpoint, each child having
a separate bed is a great aid in teaching personal responsibility. No longer can one child blame the other for
the state of his or her bed, not that our children would ever do that. But in case they might be tempted to blame
someone else, having their own separate area of responsibility will discourage
that, or so the theory goes.
The schedule between now and Christmas is a busy one. On the family side of things, November is a
busy birthday month for us. Sarah’s
birthday comes two days before Daniel’s, and then Thanksgiving arrives the
following week. This year, we will be in
a meeting through Tuesday on the week of Thanksgiving, celebrate the holiday on
Wednesday and spend the rest of the week trying to get to our next meeting on
the busiest American travel weekend of the year. Please pray for us. Ohio to Texas to Colorado to Mississippi—that
is the traveling schedule over the next few weeks.
On the ministry front, in addition to our meetings, there is
also another great opportunity in the early part of December. One of my good friends from Mississippi is
getting ordained and I have been asked to be on the counsel of men examining him
for the ministry. What a great privilege
and responsibility!
December will be our “down” time as we spend some time at
home preparing for the Christmas holiday, working in our home church, and
getting ready to resume travel once again in January. Thank you so much for your prayers.
In our ministry, there are always background projects that
are ongoing about which we rarely speak.
Sarah’s piano books are still in demand, and she has begun a series of
YouTube tutorials regarding hymnplaying.
She has always been an excellent piano teacher and is now attempting to
use technology to bring her instruction to a wider audience. Anyone interested may contact her directly via
Facebook or through my phone or e-mail.
In addition to Sarah’s work, I am working on writing projects of my
own. A long-term project is another book,
while short term projects include choral arrangements that I put out from time
to time. Combined with our traveling schedule,
the work keeps us busy.
Thank you as always for your prayers. May your year end holiday celebrations be
filled with Christ and His wonderful love for us.
Paul Crow
