We got to Atlanta late Friday night. We'd planned to get in much earlier, but got stuck for 3 hours (!) in a traffic jam just outside of Chattanooga. Tomorrow morning we'll head for High Falls State Park for a couple days, where we plan to enjoy Georgia's great outdoors and sing for the campers there.
We're into the last days of our tour and we're all kinda bittersweet about it coming to a close. It's been such a terrific experience that we hate to see it end. On the other hand, we've been gone a long time (we're about to start our 6th week on the road) and we're all longing for home. Scott is looking forward to playing with his toys, Rachel is excited about getting back to horseback riding, Tim misses the comfort and privacy of our bedroom, and I can't wait to cook in my kitchen once again.
But most of all, we're jonesing for our friends and family at home. We've met a lot of wonderful people on this trip, some folks who we believe will be friends of ours for a long time to come. And still there's something comforting about coming home to the people who know you well (and love you anyway!).
This weekend was full of good music and great fellowship. We gave a home concert on Saturday night for my brother Bart and sister-in-law Janet (they've been our gracious hosts this weekend. Thanks, y'all!) and some of their friends. We played on the back porch to a small but wonderfully appreciative crowd. They kept us going for almost 3 hours! The weather was perfect - a lovely fall night with a clear sky full of stars. It added a special element to sing songs praising God under the open skies.
We started Sunday by singing for the morning service at the Union Hill Baptist Church in Alpharetta. Lots of stairs to tote gear in and out (when I grow up I want some roadies of my own!), but well worth the effort. The good folks there seemed to really enjoy the music. And we heard how ordinary people are changed when they encounter our extraordinary God (a sermon that really hit home with us).
Sunday evening we sang for the South Cherokee Baptist Church in Woodstock. This was a special evening for us, as it was a return to the church that we started the tour with. It seemed fitting that we should finish the tour where we started.
They first invited us to their church on the recommendation of Mike Gibbs, the pastor at Pine Ridge Baptist Church in Brunswick. We played for his congregation this summer, and he was so touched by the music that he called South Cherokee (his former church) and convinced them to give us a listen. So sight unseen (or more accurately, sound unheard), they let us play a couple songs for their morning service back at the beginning of September. Apparently they liked what they heard, because 5 weeks later they had us back again, this time to sing for the whole Sunday evening service!
After Sunday night's service we enjoyed a potluck dinner with the congregation (and a few folks who apparently didn't get enough of us at Union Hill and joined us at South Cherokee). They even helped us tear down our gear and load up the car, but only on the condition that we would offer up a short acoustic set in return (I'm pretty sure that's blackmail, but we're good with it). Judy (their music minister) is lobbying hard for us to come back and sing for their Christmas pageant, but if that fails, I'm certain we'll find another excuse to come back and sing.
Meanwhile, housekeeping chores are calling (yes, even when camping, there's always some housekeeping stuff to do). Dinner needs to be fixed, laundry awaits, and there are some lyrics percolating in my head that I'd like to try and capture. Better start in. Keep us in your prayers, and we'll do the same for you.
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