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How are you family? We really enjoyed reading your responses to the survey from the last newsletter. We pray that you all have been keeping warm and safe. |
| January has definitely been one for the books! |
| As you know, we spent New Years in Arizona. Overall, our trip to Arizona was |
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| pretty good. We enjoyed some good fellowship and warm weather, but that warm weather was short lived. We started Snowmageddon on the way home to Indiana from Arizona. It was a little bit unnerving as this would be our first time operating the bus in less than desirable weather conditions. Regardless of the safety concerns, it was really beautiful to see all the ice on the rocks and trees. Fascinating to think how something so pretty can be so dangerous. Praise the Lord, we made it home safe and sound. Well almost. Due to all the ice, the road into our home was deemed unsafe for the bus to traverse on. Thankfully, the little grocery store off the main road allowed us to park the bus for a few hours while we unpacked and repacked to head up to Fort Wayne. After we spent the weekend with Pastor Lindsay and the folks from both of his |
| | churches, we prepared to hit the road to Florida. The drive was really good and going quite smoothly until about 3 hours from Wimauma, Florida. We heard a sound like an explosion. Can you guess? Yes, indeed. A flat tire! Dad got on the phone and after maybe about an hour, someone arrived to inspect and ultimately change the tire on the bus. The exchange itself wasn’t very long, so we were on our way to the Winter Convention in no time. We had a great time with Pastor Bill Bailey, all the |
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| artistes and vendors. Conventions like this are a great opportunity to spend time with other artistes and vendors because we’re all in the same place. Whereas, usually while we’re in one place singing, our friends are singing somewhere else. Or when our friends come to our area, we’re far away. Additionally, we primarily get to see the vendors at events of this nature. While talking to one of the vendors who is a dear friend, she was saying, “Well I guess I’ll see you in April.” We said, “Nope.” “Really? You’re not going to be there?” “Not this year.” “Then in Jackson?” “No, not Jackson either.” “So then not until September?” “Yes, it would seem so.” Hence, it really is a special time when we get to be with all these lovely people especially for more than one day. A great time of fellowship, stories, laughs and catching up. For most of this month, we couldn’t keep water in the tank on the bus due to the cold weather and the manifold breaking because of how cold it was. We had to use water bottles for washing and do bucket showering. Though slightly inconvenient, it was fun to rough it with the water. It reminded me of one of my favourite book series as a child, The Boxcar Children. All in all, it has been a month of adventures. We thank and praise God for carrying us through this month. We thank all the gracious hosts that we’ve had this month. It was great to meet some of you and we hope to see you again. We also hope to meet more of you. |
|  | | | “I've been fortunate to see many of your performances through livestreaming of various churches and I love how often you shake up your set list. I was thrilled to read the new album reflects more of your creative vision - and I still look forward to an album where you produce and play the instruments too - and all that made me wonder how your creative process unfolds as a group. Is it spontaneous? Do you set aside time to try to create? Do you collaborate as a group [or do] one or two bring idea(s)?” — Jerome B. |
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| We currently do not have a set time for creating, though that would be a lovely thing to have in the future. Typically, most of our arranging is done before an album or when we have to learn a special song or songs for an event. In past times, Kayandra and Kaiziah would do most of the arranging and the rest would throw in an idea here or there, however nowadays, everyone participates in the creative process and more or less molds their part. We have had a spontaneous sessions, but they’re very rare. |
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| As mentioned in the intro, we enjoyed receiving your questions and updates. We saw that there was a way to respond, so we will be responding soon! In the meantime, we’d love to hear from you again? How was your January? How was the weather? Do you have any questions for us? |
| | | | | | At our prayer meeting I asked my pastor to pray for my hearing. He placed his hands on my ears and prayed. Afterwards, he asked if my hearing was better. I said I wouldn’t know until Monday when I appear before the judge at the courthouse. |
| | | 1 | Kendall SDA Church — Miami, FL, USA 8 | Golden Gate All Nations SDA Church — Naples, FL, USA 21 | UMC of Sun City Center — Sun City Center, FL, USA 22 | Thonotosassa SDA Church — Thonotosassa, FL, USA 22 | East Pasco SDA Church — Zephyr Hills, FL, USA |
| For more information about dates and to be notified when we’re in your area, follow us on BandsInTown → |
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| | | The story of Joseph in the Bible is a very interesting and special one. We can learn a lot from the way Joseph deported himself. How to shun the appearance of evil (Genesis 39:7-12), honour God (Genesis 40:8; 41:16,51-52) and leading in a righteous manner (Genesis 39:4-6,22-23; 41:37-43). Additionally, one principle that I think is hard these days, but still really important is the principle of doing good. In the eyes of man, Joseph had every right to hold a grudge with his brothers. They removed him from his home, from all that he loved. He went from being a “prince” to being a slave. His loss was immense and retribution would have been fitting to have, but Joseph acted out of mercy. Some might say that he did execute revenge by holding one of his brothers captive, but I would say that was more a test to know that his younger brother was in fact alive and to test his brothers to see where their hearts were. Regardless of my opinion, the short bit of time they were stressed was nothing in comparison to the 22 years Joseph had spent away from his home. In spite of the heartache he had experienced, Joseph chose to do good to his brothers. Even before he saw his brothers again, he chose to do good with his captors and masters. These days, pain and injustice are everywhere. Some of it is fresh, hot off the press. Some of us are living off the pain of generations before, no longer able to discern who really started it and who’s turn it is for payback. Courtesy is no longer common and bedside manners should be renamed “blue moon manners” for how scarce they are. In this society that is focused on “how I can get ahead, get what I want and be who I want”, it is not uncommon for us to find ourselves on the receiving end of someone’s lack of consideration. |
| The Bible, however, implores us not to become tired of doing good. It is often wondered, “what’s of doing good?” It may seem, at times, to be the short end of the stick. People often mistake “kindness for weakness”, but the Bible says in time, “we shall reap” if |
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| “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” - Galatians 6:9 |
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| we are patient. We will see the fruits of our labour if only we wait. There are people that I have given extra grace and gifts to just for being kind. There are people I will do anything for, for the duration of my life because of how good they’ve been to me. On the flip side, I am in nowise a good person, but I can say that doing good has brought tremendous blessings to me. Being kind has afforded me favour and grace in moments where I needed it but would have been reconsidered under normal circumstances. This doesn’t mean I’ve never been burned. I have been disappointed and betrayed many times, but something that I’m learning is that I should never be ashamed or disappointed in myself because I did what God asked me to do. These sentiments only reflect this “side of heaven”, but we can only imagine when time comes to a close, what the reward shall be. I wouldn’t advise that your reason for doing good should be for the reward, but I pray you’ll take courage in the thought that being good is never in vain. If you hold on a little longer, you will see the seed you planted turn into a huge watermelon. |
| | | [While on the phone with a travel agent trying to book a flight]
Agent: Ma’am, would you like to select your seat in advance? Woman: Sure. I don’t mind as long as it’s not a window seat. Agent: Alright, ma’am we can choose an aisle seat. Woman: That works. I just got my hair done and I don’t want it to get messed up. |
| | That concludes the Newsletter for February. We have some exciting things come next month and can’t want to share it with you. Until then, please be safe, stay warm and continue to reflect the love of God! Be good 😉 |
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