What a whirl wind trip we have had so far! Each night has taken us to a new church with fabulous congregations. For the most part we have been in fairly rural areas, playing for small congregations. Our musical ministry has been very well received.
We performed Saturday evening and again Sunday morning in Highland Heights, Kentucky. One gentleman, talking with Terry and I, commented that he was "positive if he could hear the bells ringing in heaven, what he heard from us would be it!"
Duff Street UMC in Clarksburg, West Virginia, is facing huge decisions regarding the condition of the building they worship in. One section of the building is shifting causing cracks in the walls. It is a very old structure on the Historical list in the community, the stained glass windows are exquisite. The decision they will need to make soon is whether or not they can afford to repair the building, or if it will need to be torn down to make room for a new one. Yet with the storm building around their personal needs, they still found time to tie a prayer quilt for us, which they presented at the concert. People are absolutely amazing in their ability to hold other's up while navigating difficult waters themselves.
Today we were able to play tourist a little for the first time. We visited the great city of Philidelphia, Pennsylvania. We were able to visit Independence Hall and see where the Declaration of Independence was signed. During the day we visited Ben Franklin's grave, Christ's Church (where we were impressed with the fellow talking about being a part of living History), Betsy Ross's home, walked through history in the visitor's center, and then stopped off in the Constitution Center museum to hear and see more about what our constitution allows us as citizens of the United States.
Our concert this evening was in Christina's family's area. Her parents and relatives along with almost 300 people cheered us on through our evening performance. It is nice to see familiar faces at this point in our trip. It helps stave off some of the homesickness that is starting to set in.
Tomorrow we will visit the Malmark factory, which is where our bells are manufactured.
Stay tuned,
Tracey
Finding the time to blog and download photos has been more difficult than we hoped, but here are a few. Being on the Wesley Bell Ringer tour means that we are always on the go and rarely sit still, which makes the tour exciting and adventurous, but our down time very limited. Just remember, that for each photo we do not post, it just means that we are having that much more fun!!
This group photo was taken at the Malmark Bell Factory, which is where they make the hand bells and chimes. It was awesome to see the process and they are all done by hand!!
New York--Wow! The Broadway musical "Wicked" was awesome. The dinner beforehand was very entertaining.
We walked our socks off on the streets of Manhattan. And the subway . . . . what an experience for everyone.
The Cathedral of the Pines in New Hampshire--what a beautiful place to play a concert!
And there is always the bus!! The place where we spend a lot of time . . . together . . . . . .
The music is getting better and better with each concert. The kids are wonderful, cooperative and very energetic!!!
Stay tuned for more . . . . .
The WBR