Day 131

MISSISSIPPI!!!!!  Finally!  It was a great traveling day!  64 degrees...YAAAY!
Prayer requests for...
Bob Messer strep throat
Jenny says just pray for her all the time!
John McComsey
the family of Sadie Smith.  Sadie was a senior at Muhlenberg County H.S. She was killed in an accident.
Thanks to all for Happy Birthday's!!
Comments:
Crickette...Thanks. Got him covered
Cindy...Glad Jason had fun!  Praying for Smith family
Rachel...Thank you. Hope you're feeling better.
Terri...Had a VERY blessed bday!
Joan...Thank you
Cloe's...Thank you. It was a happy bday for me!
Shannon...Thank you!  LOL!!  We remember him making his eggs!
meluginland...Thank you!!
Good night and God bless you all!
Faith

Day 130

I jumped outta the sack early as a bird ( do you believe that? )...nahhhhh not really! Wink! I got up at my usual too late for a travel day...and heard Alex drive in for work. I knew Josh would be down soon so I threw on some clothes and headed out to mix grain. I hadda game plan. So when I saw the two fine southern gents together I sprung it on them.
   I said "good morning fellows" and they both said "hey"...cuz that's what guys down south say. And I proceeded to inform them that today was Deb's birthday and would they sing happy birthday to her with me?They both said sure. And I went back to doin' my chores and Josh split. I started stressing that someone else was goin' to be the first of the day to wish her a happy birthday. Ya gotta be first otherwise it looks like ya forgot. And I'm just not good at remembering these kinda things. I asked Alex where Josh was & he said he didn't know. So we got the ponies up for their oatmeal breakfast...and up came Josh from the house. I asked if he was ready to sing...and since we were all there I started it off. And lo and behold out from behind Josh's back comes a card, a muffin with a candle in it, and bar-b-que lighter. So the whole time we are singing, Josh is trying to light this single candle on a muffin....click...click....click..."hold on" he says...(we're still singing...)...click...click....click...."no wait a minute !"...click  "birthday to you"...FLAME...happy birthday to you. But in spite of our poor timing, Deb blushed and a good time was had by all.
   That's the kinda person that Josh is. And that's why we had such a great time. Deb, Josh's family, all great folks.But we finally got on the road and up the 90 degree hill Josh calls his drive way. Down hwy 45 past Selmer on a 50 degree plus, sun shining day. Thank you Lord! Bob & Casey are rested. But still no apparent weight gain on Bob.
We asked for requests before we left though!  We ask for prayer for Josh Young & Deb's successful business.  Josh boards and trains and shows his own quarter horses.  If you have any need for anything like this...look him up!  Josh Youngs Quarter Horses.
We need prayer for our Sis-in-law, Sharen, for tests to come back all good and right! And for her job bid to be successful and quickly!
Alex asked for prayers for our safety.
Josh's mom & dad, Sandy and Ricky also asked for prayers for our safety and for the neighbor to get back to his old self.  His 38 year old son died and he had an accident all about a year ago and he is struggling with depression.
Then we met a group of young men that wanted to take a picture so we pulled over for them and they all came and admired Bob & Casey.  We didn't get all of them to talk but, Jason asked for prayere for his mom, dad, brothers, and sisters.
Jimmy for his mom.
And Joseph Michael for his family.
Horses are just magic with young folks.  Nice to watch.
Along the road we met Cindy Kirk, Joanne Russom, Maddie, Taylor and Lauren.  They came out to see the horses go by.  Cindy asked for prayers for her son that is in basic training at Fort Benning!
Joanne asked for her family to be prayed for.
The Palmetto Christian Methodist Episcopal Church needs prayer too.
Then, while we were sitting at a crossroad checking out the empty spots that might be home for a night, we met Adam Day.  Adam has horses too so he invited us across the road to his place.  There we met his wife Meg, his sister Alicia, his children Linleigh,Addi, and Russ, and his mom, Gail Day.
We got to go to church with them and what a church full of friendly folks!  The Chewalla Baptist Church.  Thank you all for the great service!
After church we went over to see Jeff, a reporter, and do a short interview.  From there...to more family for supper!  Nell Armstrong and Pat Hinton.  Very nice ladies!  We would like to ask for prayer for Nell that when the kids all get in school and Pat goes home, she isn't so lonely.
That's it for the Lord's day!  See you on the next day of our adventures with the Lord!
God bless and good night!!

Days 128 & 129

Hey!  A signal!!
   We are still here at Josh Young, and Deb's place. We have been here for a few days...I could tell ya because once again God rescued us and we woke up with a flat tire (another nail) and were in a perfect place to fix it...(TRUE) but the truth is...we are still here because I have been having a blast!
   Josh raises, trains, and shows Pleasure Quarter Horses. I am not sure exactly what he has won (too much info for me to retain), but I know he has placed second in Nationals at least once, and has won some 1st places at several shows. I'm sure I am not giving him all the credit he deserves. Because the things he does with a horse is magic. He does more with a horse with no reigns-bridle-bit than I could ever do astride a horse with all those things. I am just blown away. I feel like I have been getting my own private show for three days.
   I watched him work with a 2 year old today. Only the 3rd time saddled. No bucking- no craziness. I was stupefied. Not stupid like a lotta people refer to me as (chuckle-chuckle) just plum stupefied. And he is one of the most quiet unassuming men I have met. He truly has a talent given him by God. And a lot of good learning by his Dad...who got him started and also breeds-trains and shows. I sure enjoyed talking with him today too. Between Josh, his Dad, and Alex they board and train quite a few customer horses plus their own. I have just had a blast...learning so much. We will be sure to take some pictures in the morning for everyone.
   Bob & Casey have had a great stay, outside in a grass pasture, with lots of other horses. Little bit of bickering when the other horses first came out. Lots of screaming and kicking. Scared Punkin when they put out a real mad holler. She has never heard that from a horse before. Thank goodness for steel gate fences. But they all settled down eventually.
   The first night we were here Josh had Casey and Bob overnight in his riding arena. They have never been in such a large indoor space. And they ran & ran and ran some more. They would go back and forth between the outside gate (wanting out!) and the gate we were watching from. Heads up high, bouncing and running. We had great fun watching.
Today we also got to meet Josh's grandfather, Jimmy.
   Josh's fiance', Deb is studying to be an RN. And she stresses really tough on tests (like my Deb). And she has a big test on Monday...so please everyone if you could remember her in your prayers Sunday & Monday that would be a great thing. Thanks in advance.
   But alas all good things have to come to an end. We are packed up and are rolling in the morning. Tomorrow is my Punkin's birthday. Please remember her in your prayers. Unfortunately there is not much I can do for her to make that day special out here on the road...except love. But that's not hard...in fact it is the most enjoyable thing I do in my life. I thank the Lord for having her...and being able to be part of her life.
   Do you guys remember John McComsey? He is the wagon traveler we stayed with who went from TN to AZ in 90 days. He is an outstanding man and it was a pleasure to meet him. His sister,Cheryl, has written us and John is in the hospital. He had pneumonia when we were there...and he has taken a turn for the worse. He also has some heart complication with it now. Please say a special prayer for John and his full recovery.
Rachel could use some stepped up prayer for a complete healing of ALL ailments.
Comments:
Rachel...We're praying too! Thanks
Cheryl...Oh my!!  Prayers up for him!  Please keep us posted!  Does he have his phone?
Joan...Haha! Darn. Just trying to fit in. Love it here!!
Crickette...No email, but 2mulesandawagon.com might find him.  He's sick right now but he's still all about his mules and wagons!
Cindy...That's no good!!  Hi to all!
We also got a call today from Wesley Allen.  You'll remember him from Kentucky.  Thanks for the call.  Was great to hear from you!
That's it for these two days!  Hopefully we'll have a signal again tomorrow!
Thanks for all your support!!  God bless and goodnight!
Faith

Days 125, 126, & 127

   Here we are again!  We were in the land of 0 signal again.  This time the indicator wouldn't even flash!  If we tried to connect, we got an error!  Sheesh!  Maybe we were on Mars???  Glad to be back!
   Tuesday was just a beutiful day. The sun was shining and it had to be in the high 60's. The Lord gave us a great day to travel after our day of mishap. I have gotten over my mad at the guy who side swiped us. Just no point in carryin' that kinda garbage around. Life is to short. Besides wasn't hurting him none...just me. So we had a nice travel day. Just amazing that I can ride around in my shirt sleeves in the end of January!
   So, on we traveled to Ada's Unusual Market.  Not so unusual.  Lots of Amish food.  But these folks are Menonite.  We stayed the night with Ada and her husband Jason.  And their great family!  I think everyone we met was Jason's brother or sister, with the exception of the ones that were Ada's brother's or sisters!  BIG families!  Great folks!  And Ada's good friend that lives right behind her.  Attended a bible study on Tuesday night and church on Wednesday.
   Needless to say, 1 night turned into 2.  It was raining in the morning and we don't hit the road in the rain!  Until today, that is!  It was only misting a little and Bob and Casey met Mark at the back of the wagon for morning oats, so since the fence was already half down, we geared them up.  Couple of creeps!  Time to charge up the fence for a while so they get to remembering what that's for!  They didn't go anywhere but straight for their buckets!  Not very good escape artists!  As soon as we were ready to hitch???  RAIN!!  Too late, off we go!
We met a couple of folks on our way to and when we first parked.  Lilly Terry (Dave' gma from our last stop) needs prayer for her knee.  Every doctor tells her it's something different but nobodies fixing it.
Dorothy Austin is a 9 year cancer survivor (congratulations!!) and asked for prayer for her family.
Penny Williams has a son, Brandon, that needs some salvation prayers.
Stanley Chanders asks for prayer for his wife and daughter.
We met up again with Chris and Lisa.  They invited us to their home but we got there in good time and 1:30 is just too early to stop on a beautiful sunny day.  Sorry guys, but thank you very much!  Sounded great!
Carol Cima would like prayer for her family.
Betty Murray the same, for her family.
Jeff Whtlten from the independant stopped for a quicky interview.
And Karl and Mildred Shoemaker have a daughter that is in need of prayer for personal problems.
Comments:
Joan...We're all good.  Thanks for prayers
Jennifer...LOL!  Tell her we LOVE TN!!
Rachel...We'll pray too!
Cheryl...Thanks so much!  And pass along to John that we were introduced to 3 Watusi's!!  Yup!  Right there in Finger, TN!!  They were great!
Terri...Thanks, I hope so!
Cindy...Thanks for prayers!  Say hi to the guys!
Shannon...OHHHHHHH BOOOOOOOOYYYY!  No worries, you can have a girl the NEXT time!  LOL!!  Jaime's good!  Very excited!
Larry & Paula...Thanks so much!  God is VERY, VERY good, isn't He?
Crickette...We stayed with John M for a few days.  He drove 2 mukles and a wagon from Henry, TN to Phoenix, AZ in 90 days!!!  WHEW!  Thanks
Jennifer...we had no signal AT ALL!  P.S.  Thanks for the pictures!
Well, that about sums it all up!  We're in early today.  Thanking the Lord for sending an offer to stay on the rain day!
We love y'all!! (TN accent)  God bless and have a great day!

Day 124

Interesting day!  We started out a little late but that was ok.  Thank you again to the Coffman's.  For everything! 
Got through Henderson and then...WHAM!!!  Sideswiped!  This old guy couldn't have cared less!  He got out of his truck and walked around to the passenger side to see what damage he did to his mirror.  So...Mark asked him...ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!  YOU ALMOST KILL ME AND MY WIFE AND OUR HORSES AND YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT YOUR MIRROR!?!?!?!  To which he replied...Yea.  I'm worried about my mirror.  So, he called the police and we waited.  Now getting stopped was no mean feat!  We had a couple of run away horses for a bit there!  Mark had all brakes on and reins pulled up to his ears!  The bad part is, Mark saw the whole thing coming in his rearview mirror.  Said he wasn't sure the guy was going to get over at all!!
   So minor damages. The trailer took a hard hit where one of the side feed barrels sit. He hit the left rear corner and wiped out three hooks on the wagon side and set all our water and feed buckets flying into the medium. So Punkin grabbed up the buckets and we waited for the police. Bottom line...no ticket that we know of. No apology-no remorse. I was so angry I couldn't spit. Lucky I had to hold the team, or I would have lost my testimony if I came down off the wagon.
   I also wrecked the piston that goes into the master cylinder, jamming on the brakes when Bob & Casey took off.
   I am very thankful no one was hurt. The Lord rescued us again. And I'm thankful for it. Enough said about that. Took about 1/2 an hour of walking to get Bob & Casey settled down. But I didn't blame them. As we continued down hwy 45, sunshine and 55 degrees. But everyone was pretty stressed. So when we pulled the kids over for a blow and David Hysmith walked down to talk with us I asked him if he had water & room for the horses. He said he did. David's Dad had Belgians and we had a great conversation.
   It was nice to get everyone off the road early. I think we only did 8 miles. But it's not really important. The ponies got off the raod early and we met lot's of good horse folks. Nothing like parking a covered wagon close to the hwy to draw a crowd. Dave, our host, owns a huge tire and service center. He made us a new piston (actuator) for the master cylinder. Once again God put us righjt where we needed to be! Thank you Dave & thank you Lord. 
Before the to do, we met a photographer.  James Webb.  He is with the Chester County Independant.  His request is for prayer for his wife.  God will know.
We also met Tommy Sanders.  He asked for prayer for JayLynn Stone.She is 8 months old and was born with a birth defect of her mouth.  She has had 3 surgeries and has 3 to go!
Chris and Lisa and the kids stopped by to see the horses.  Chris asked for prayer for his sister, Sherry.  Sherry's husband went to Mexico and passed away.  She crossed the border and they haven't heard from her in two weeks.  So, prayers for her safety and safe return.
Prayers for Mike and Brenda Beck.  They are both battling cancer. 
Cindy Martin asks for prayer for comfort for her neighbors family.  He was fixing the mailbox today and was hit and killed.  Lord, you have that one!
Comments:
Crickette...Thanks!  Where are you?
Kenneth...Thank you.  All's good
meluginland...rough day
Rachel...No problem.  Thank you.
Cloe's...Gotcha!  Thank you!
Cindy...prayers are up.  Thank you
Well, that's it for today.  God sure had our backs today!  And we are grateful to Him.
Be assured, we are all fine.  Just a stressed out bunch for a little while.
God bless and good night!

  

Day 123

Weather watching!!  It's 10:00 and here come the storms they've been talking about. Wind, thunder and lightening so far.  Looks like it got north and east of us.  However...part two is still west so we'll see what we get!  They are talking tornadoes!  I (Deb) REALLY don't get along with wind!
We got to go to church today!! Parkburg Baptist Church in Pinson, TN.   It was a good service with great people!  Jan went early to teach Sunday school and Bobby picked us up when it was time for church.  So, we had a great day!  It's so nice to get fed.  We miss alot of services due to timing and location! We surely do thank the Coffman's for everything!  They are holding us safe from the storms inside their barn.  With the offer to stay another night if we need to.  Thank you so much for your hospitality.
Much needed rest!  Took a nap! Baked cookies!  Had a great supper!  Blessed!
Mark will tell you about parking the wagon and his "unique" supper.
But 1st, prayer requests!  Dale McClanahan has terminal cancer and his friend is asking for prayer for his salvation!
Rachel needs some more prayer for her health and upcoming surgery!
We pray blessing for Bobby and Jan Coffman!
Salvation for Dakota!
Comments:
Jennifer...Awwwww...love you guys! Thanks for everything! mark1deb1@yahoo.com
Anon...Thanks.  God bless
Joan...She's a cartoon, for sure!  Love ya!
Cindy...We're in a barn...wagon and all!  Hi back to all!  Thanks.
Oh, I forgot to mention!!!! The Jennifer that we are talking to is Johnny Cash' great niece!!  Just an interesting little tidbit!  Very cool!
And now...Here's Mark!  God bless!
   Way to much hype for a simple story. One of the biggest problems we have?  Room to flip this long ol' beast  around. We have had to turn places down because there is just no room. We are like a semi. So we traveled about 3 miles off hwy 45 onto the back roads to get here and it was gettin' late. So we really had no choice but to try and make it work. So I looked around...up the drive was a round arena and one the other side a gated pen stretchin' to the barn. I tried a quick turn around but half way into it I knew we were not making it. So I asked Bobby if there was space in back of the barn to get turned? He said sure...and there was. So I drove straight through the barn and as soon as I got through it I saw some standing water. So I cut the turn short half way through. I knew right away it was goin' to be close. I no more than got the front 1/4 of the wagon in and Punkin hollers stop. I stopped the team and she says "your not goin' to make it. I tried backin' the team and it was just too much weight for them to back in the wet dirt. So after unhitchin' the team, we pulled the tongue and tried hooking a chain on and wrapping it around a barn beam, pulling her hard left. Not enough room. So I started pulling hooks off the right side of the wagon. Spare evener on the ground...electric cords-the same, buckets-bailing wire-solar charger- and a pile of STUFF on the ground. If you ever saw the side of our wagon you'll know what I mean. Bobby's neighbor came (who is younger than both of us thank goodness) we pushed it back into the yard with everyones help. I'm talking men-women & kids! We tried dragging the back end over to try and get it squared with the door way. Finally after cocking the wheels (front) to the right and hooking a chain on the left rear and pulling hard she straightened up. After a couple of forward pulls and hooking and rehooking we had the wagon in the barn. Everyone helped push the feed trailer in and we got her rehitched. I still have to redrill the hooks back in and rehang the side but we are good to go again. JUST ANOTHER DAY IN THE LIFE OF WAGON TRAVEL! THANKS TO ALL FOR THEIR HELP AND EFFORTS.
   Had a nice surprise for dinner tonight. Bobby & Jan's neighbor, Gene A. Pickett and his friend (once agian I can not remember his name, I am so sorry, I shoulda wrote it down) came by to see the wagon, and Bob & Casey. We talked for a while but he had to go. It was 2:00 pm and they were taking the 2 mountain curs squirrel hunting. They asked if I liked squirrel...YOU BETCHA!! They came back by a few hours later and had 5. They hadda youngster with them who did the shooting and a HUGE red squirrel they were going to take to the taxidermest. They blessed me with three, so I cleaned and skinned them for dinner. Fried them up (to hot to bake them...68 degrees tonight) with some rice with cheese soup in it, couple of cans of green beans and we celebrated the Lord's day with a great meal. Been a while since I had a few squirrels. If you never had them they are delicious. Kind of a dark meat. Not at all gamey or strong. They are just delicious. I like um slow baked best with a good sauce...but tonight was GREAT. thanks fellows!
Well it's about 11:30 pm and stormin' good here. Tornado's forming but not touching down. Some 100 mile an hour straight line winds reported. Glad for a safe place. You folks have a great night and may God smile upon you & yours. Traveling day tomorrow, good night all. Thanks for following.
Faith

Day 122

Oh what a day!  Started early!  That wasn't really the plan...but Casey had other ideas! Here's the way this went. About 6:00 am my dear sweet wife is waking me up. I had been up a couple of times in the night and wasn't real responsive...at least not in a positive way. snicker-snicker. She says "listen-listen to Bob". So what else coulda guy do? At 6:00 am in an empty fair grounds in a cool trailer, and warm bed, it's hard not to hear a belgian hollering and running. Especially when their pen is 6 ft. away! I tried hard to play it off...real hard! But Punkin knew something wasn't right...she crawls over me and peaks out the door. And lo & behold Casey is out and romping among the 5 tethered saddle horses of the girls in the next "pasture over". She had kicked a fence post down and went for a run. So her road dog, Bob, was frantic she left without him. So I threw my clothes on and jumped out into the mud, (2" of rain), along with Punkin. I called Casey and walked halfway out there, when she kicked up her heals and took off. I didn't bother chasin' her. I turned around and got an oats bucket ...Punkin fixed the fence. And the problem (Casey) was contained. Could have been a lot worse if Bob would have followed her out.
   But the day gotta lot better. We had Starbucks coffee (2nd time this week Slocum!) and donuts. The breakfast of champions I tell ya. This week was the first starbucks we had since we left. And believe it or not I was just askin' the Lord for a donut yesterday. TRUE! Our God is great! And some cold pizza left over from last nights pizza/pasture party at the fair grounds. Thanks Jesse, Jennifer and the girls! We met some great folks last night. Good conversation and good fun.
   So we headed through south Jackson on 45 south,we gave Jesse and Jennifer's  girls a ride for a mile and put a smile on their faces. We split with the girls again today. They headed down hwy 18 west, and we stayed on 45. We were warned off 18...lot's of hills. So we're staying on 45 a while longer.
   We did 14 miles today & we were offered a place for the night by Bobby and his wife (more on these great folks tomorrow it's 10:30 and I'm whipped. I gotta great story to tell you about pulling in and getting turned around, tomorrow. For tonight the wagon is in a barn and Bob & Casey have Grass & shelter if they want it. They are talking severe storms tomorrow and we are in a safe place so we will probably stay put. Good night and God bless to all. Thanks for followin' us!    
Along the way today we met Rodney and Anita Frank.  Their prayer is for their children to give their lives to the Lord.  They also have a ministry.  The Repairer of the Breach Ministry.
We also have a request for prayers for safe travels for Caleb.
Harmon Arnold, great nephew of Eddie Arnold, asks for prayer for his son in Afghanistan and grandson, in Iraq.  Prayers close to our heart!
We also met Tommy Calahan and his wife.  She says she's the best wife ever because 1 year for her husbands birthday, she bought him a pair of draft mules.  He does wagon travels (short trips).  So, he gave us his info and when we get to Corinth, MS...He says we can stay with them!  Thanks, Tommy!
And for Crickettes friend.  For continued healing and for good health!
Comments:
meluginland...Thanks so much for everything!  Pizza party was awesome!  Hope the girls enjoyed their ride!  We love you guys!
Cindy...Thanks, was a fun day!  I was surprised he published so many!!
Joan...Always good!  The dogs name is Tae.  He's an awesome little guy.  Walked all the way here from MI!  See his backpack?  No freeloaders, he carries his own food!  And Casey will have to get over it.  She can't read and we didn't tell her :)
Kenneth...Thanks so much!  Great stuff!
Katie & John...Prayers are no problem! It was nice to meet you!
Rachel...colder today, but 70 tomorrow!  I'll be looking for your e-mail!  God bless!
Crickette...Prayers for your friend for continued healing and good health!Thank you & God bless!
Ok.  Talk to you all tomorrow!  We love ya!  Kisses to home!
Faith

Day 121

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This is what we did today!   We are all safe and sound at the Jackson Fairgrounds in South Jackson TN.  11 miles of city and that was the by-pass!  Whew!
We talked to Courtney Scott and Scott Sheffield when we got here.  Courtney needs prayer to help her straighten out her finances.
We, again, want to thank everybody from the North Jackson Baptist Church.  You were all great and thanks for bringing a pizza party to us tonight!  We pray that the Lord blesses you all!
Comments:
Marion...2?!?!?!?!?!?!?!  It was 57 here today!!!  We will be traveling until the Lord says we're done.  Should be back for a stop next summer tho!!  Gotta see those grandbabies!!
Anon...???????
Rachel Johnson...Thank you.
meluginland...Thank you,. You were all such a blessing!
That's it for this day.  You just don't meet many folks out on the by-pass!  But...sometimes that's the route you have to take to get from point A to point B.  Now we're through it and things will start to change back to normal slow-motion!  Better for all!
We love you all and keep you in our prayers!
God bless and we'll talk to ya tomorrow!
Good night!

Day 120

One hundred and twenty days on the road!God is amazing. I was looking at some pictures the other day that Deb had posted a while back from Day 6! That was amazing. Seems like such a short time ago, but  long time ago. When I think of day 6....what little we knew! But still we went and never doubted. God was with us, we knew only that. We have learned so much...and met so many. What a great ministry and what a great journey. We thank God for being with us and we thank Him for this wonderful opportunity. And we thank God we have met each one of you in our lives.
Things we have learned on this trip about God:

GOD IS FAITHFUL

In big things and small things. Anything & everything.
So today we stayed at the church and got a few things done.  We had an unexpected expense.  Our little printer that gave out?  Couldn't be fixed.  It's hard to find a SMALL printer for the wagon but Bob from the church took Mark around and they found one. UGH!  Thank you Bob for all of your help.
The church people cooked supper for us again tonight!  Mmmmmmmmmmmmm...stuffed again!  Southern B-B-Q, beans, corn bread, yeast rolls, salad, dessert...too much!  Thanks to all of you at North Jackson Baptist Church.  We will keep you in our prayers!  Great folks!
We recieved a prayer request from our friend Tammy in Indiana!  Bob, that we have been praying for, had his surgery today and came out great.  While at the hospital, Tammy found Tonia.  Tonia has cancer and needs prayer.
Comments:
Joan...Thanks :)
Terri...He does care for us all, doesn't He?  Thank you.
That's it.  We will travel through the city tomorrow and we'll talk with you when we get out the other side.  Soon, the girls will part from us down Hwy 18 on their way to Houston and we???  well, we'll journey on wherever the Lord takes us!  Locals say 18 is hilly and 2 lanes.  Not for us.  We'll pray and go.
God bless and good night!
Faith

Day 119

Travel Day!!!  We left Phil & Rachel Johnson's house this morning heading out for Jackson!  Thank you to the Johnson's for their great hospitality!  You guys have a great place there!  They have Fresh Start Stables in Milan.  They board, train, give lessons and do sales!  Check them out!
On our way out, Brenda stopped in to check us out.  She asked for prayer for her grand daughters (Jan Cory) health and for herself to be a better person daily.
Along the road, Sharon Nelson stopped to chat and asked for prayer for health and for a little girl that is deaf.  Sharon is her interpreter and prays the she stays healthy and graduates.
We made it to the Jackson North Baptist Church in good time.  This was a prearranged stop for the girls and they are gracious and having us as well.  Great, friendly, people!  The girls spoke and so did Mark.
This church is pastorless at the moment.  They are staying in prayer for God's will to bring just the right one. If your church has ever been through this ordeal, you'll be eager to pray with them because it is as bad as church shopping.  But they are prayerful and optimistic!
While at church tonight, we met Carla Frye.  Her prayer request is for courage and wisdom as she starts on a new journey in her life!  ADVENTURE!!!!!!
Comments:
Cindy...we don't know mules well enough to "hitch n go". ANNNNNDDD... we don't have $4250.00 + tack!!!!!!  Thank you for your prayers, say hey to the guys fr us :)
Rachel...K.  We'll be watching
Cindy...That's what they say about the weather in MI!  Only state that experiences all 4 seasons in 1 DAY!!
That's it for the day.  Sitting it out tomorrow.  Not sure why, that just seems to be the plan.  Friday???? The big trek through Jaackson.
We had a news guy taking film for a  few miles but when we reached the church they only did the Haiti story.  We weren't interesting enough.  HUH!!!!  Go figure.  Whatev...  7 eyewitness news.
God bless you all and good night.

Day 118

Day 118 was a break day.  HEAVY storms rolled through and the temp dropped from 70 to 62 in less than an hour.  From there it was got colder.  Good rest day though.
The horseback for Haiti girls caught up with us in the afternoon so we will be traveling with them for a few days again.
We are on the road now heading for a church in Jackson, TN.  Friday we will go through it.  It will take all day to do it though.  Shortly after that we will be losing the girls to different routes once again.
We have no destination and they are cutting west to head for theirs...Houston, Texas.  Since we have no interest in Texas, we'll wander a little more south.  On good authority, we have been warned about Mississippi roads and the lack of police presence.  Two other wagon travelers that we know have been hit there so we'll heed to the masters and roll slow while we decide which way to go next.  ON WITH THE ADVENTURE!!!!  You just never know where you might find us ;)
To the Jones family...did you say you had people in western Mississippi?
That's about it for the day.  Rest. Mark even got a nap!!!
Our little Canon I70 printer finally took one too many falls so soon we will be out of cards, which stinks! It was soooo small and compact! It was perfect. So, I'll have to figure something else out for cards because we sure can't buy another one like this one! Maybe I'll take it apart and fix it! You never know, I'm pretty handy!
So, here's some entertainment for the day. Thanks for sending these to us!

God bless!

Day 117

Hello followers...what a great day that the LORD has made. It was in the 60's today, but very windy. Punkin hates the wind....but did I tell ya it was in the 60's? I love TN!!! Well today was a slow day...intentionally. Got some good advice from a seasoned wagon traveler that really resounded with me. I woke up with a slow down,,,it's winter...let the horses rest attitude. I guess what I am saying is don't expect great miles from us. We are focusing on shorter days and more on people than miles. Our objective was to get south and get away from the worst of winter & we believe we have done that.
   After this recent reassesment we will head once again to the back roads (lesser hwy's) once we have left TN. This western part of the state is better (a real under-statement) but the south of TN can still get some treacherous hills in the forests. So we will continue on Hwy 45 till we leave TN...probably. There's always the possibilty that the Lord will lead us some where else, and we want to stay open to that. We just don't meet many people on the major hwy's.
   Horses are well rested and want to trot (and run) too much lately. I just don't think that that can be good for a heavy horse on the asphalt...especially for our two who are on it A LOT. So today we did a lot of Whoa'ing. Starting and stopping. Took a few miles before Bob started responding to the verbal "walk" again.
   We did a dry camp last night (no water or electric). So the horses drank from their 35 gallon tank and we lived off our batteries. I think it actually warmed up over night so we stayed toasty. But it didn't stop Sugar-Ray from crying in the middle of the night until we let her on the bed. She is such a baby!
    We only traveled 4-5 miles today. We are meeting back up with the Horse-back For Hati team tomorrow. So since we are out in front of them we went to one of their prearranged places to meet them. Thier hosts (Rachel Johnson and her husband...I forgot his name...I'll have it tomorrow) were gracious enough to extend a welcome to us, so we can wait on them. They should be here tomorrow afternoon. Supposed to rain tonight & 60% chance tomorrow. Hope they stay dry. Bob & Casey get an off day and plenty of time to eat. And some for Punkin to bake...and time for me to get into the word & mink oil the leather (my boots and horse collars).
   We haven't had any television for a long time...we miss the news and weather. But we have 3 stations bouncing in and out. So maybe in 20 more miles we will have something.

 Prayers & Comments:

• Please pray for our friend Bob and God's hand on the surgeon next Thursday.
• My sister Denise and a physical healing in her life.
• Both Deb's and my Mom. For God to restore my Moms vision. And for our Lord to have his hand on Deb's Mom and her heart problems. We need to keep these two young ladies healthy while we are out doin' the Lord's work.
• For peace and comfort in our Son's heart in time of loss. And for God to restore his health.
• Please pray that the Holy Spirit continue to reside in our home church and that those who don't have a relationship with our Lord & are searching to fill the emptiness in their hearts where God resides come through their doors.
• please pray that GOD CONTINUES TO USE US, and that he uses us even more. That he leads us where we need to go. And that he puts in our path those he wishes us to minister too.
• That Casey & Bob stay healthy and continue to grow in strength.
• Please say a prayer for all the homeless children in our world.
• Please pray for those who can not care for themselves, and a blessing for those who care for them.

1.    Cheryl, It was nice to meet you to. We thank you & the animals thank you. Take good care of your brother, get um healed up..
2. Joan, Hi right back at ya.
3. Rachel, good deal and thank you.
4. Cindy, GONE! (the hitchhiker) Thank you and HI to all. Buy anything? Maybe a spare Belgian for us??? Tell Johnny and Jason we sure do miss um.

   That's it for tonight. May the Lord bless and hold you and yours. May his face smile upon you. remember, only in Christ is there hope for the helpless and rest for the weary.Talk at ya'll soon. Good night.

Day 116

Well, we made it to the south end of Milan today!  Change of routes again.  We were going to stay on 79/70A.  When we got just past the 45 turn we stopped for a breath and saw this big hill in front of us!  Realizing we didn't have any info on the road we were on...we turned back to 45.  Jackie Pemberton (wagon driver) found us and scouted a place a mile from where we were!  So we're all tucked in safe and sound for another night.  Thank you, again, Jackie!  That God sure is great!!!  If He doesn't show us what we need, He always sends someone to show us!
The place we stayed last night was closed today so we watered the last of our water and headed out.  Regina offered us water at her house this morning, but, once again, we left late so we rolled on.  Thank you to Regina Conway, just the same.  Regina asked for prayer for her family. And we ask for blessings for her for all her help!  Dinner (Mark loved it!!), water and everything!
We were able to get all water tanks (tummies included) filled at a station in Atwood. Plus hot lunch!!
Today we met Anna Bray. She asked for prayer for her and her family and for God to strengthen them.  She lost her brother 2 months ago. 
Ashley Sulters requested prayer for her and her family as well.
Ezekial Paul (5 yrs old) for his whole family.
The family of Chuck Betts in Wisconsin needs prayer.  We prayed for him before and today, on his 67th birthday, the Lord took him home!  So prayers for peace and comfort for that whole family.
Bob Anderson needs more prayer for his health.  He is going in for surgery Thursday to deal with a 11mm kidney stone!  He also has a ruptured disc that they will deal with later!!  Sheesh!!
Comments:
Crickette...Thank you!
Terri...Yes, that John.  We considered mules before we left.  Lower maintenance...hooves, tummies, etc.  But the best mule guy in MI said he couldn't breed them fast enough! Didn't have any. And EXPENSIVE!!!!  We are seriously in mule country since Kentucky!  But, we love Bob & Casey, however...Bob and I are still questionable ;)
Rachel...Get well for Pete's sake!!!  Lol!!  Rebuke that Devil and step out of his biddings!  He's going to keep you down for as long as he can!  Have your family cast that off of you!  We learned a while ago...tell those demons to go, where to go (pick any inatimate object), when to go (NOW), and in Jesus name GO! and stay gone!!!  Worth your while!  Love ya.  Let us know how it goes!!  We'll be praying!
So, that's all for tonight.  Hoping to land just north of Jackson tomorrow.  Probably hook back up with the horseback for Haiti ladies sometime this week.  Same path to Mississippi.
So, keep on praying! and we sure appreciate all your prayers for us! 
God bless and good night!
Faith

Day's 111-115

   Hello world! We're back on line! We took a few (4) day break for R&R (readjustment and repairs). Bob & Casey got some good rest and we got a lot accomplished. We might not have gotten a lotta relaxing but we sure ate good! First off I should explain...we were staying with a fellow wagon traveler...John McComsey. John went from TN to Phoenix AZ. in 90 days. A phenominal accomplishment. He's also done numerous other trips. Our friend Bob Skelding (the wagon teamster) set up the stay for us. Thanks Bob. John was a great host. But he has pnuemonia...I mean he is really sick. And he is having trouble with the VA getting his antibiotics. So please hold this brother up in your prayers.
   John's house is easy to find. He has mules out front & lot'sa wagons. He has them stashed all over...in various states of repair. It was great seein' and investigating them. Everyone has different ideas and John has some good ones.EVERY wagon of his has a shower. As will our next one! If we could just get'm away from them mules! Just teasin'...them mules step off a serious pace...30 miles a day! I'm sure he loves um...if it weren't for them ears...and that NOISE!
   Well here's what we got accomplished. Two new 8 ply tires in the rear of the wagon (lost the tread off the drivers side - inside)...front bakes fixed...new bearing buddy for the trailer (lost it already)...we sank our sink drain hose straight out and gained ourselves another 5 gallons for our sink. We also spent two days dropping some wagon weight (100lbs we figure) and blessing some folks we hope. We also got rid of every box and bag in our storaged compartments. We have a hitch-hiker. Rickey rat- Mr. mouse, some lousey tag along with no manners. Eats without chippin' in and we won't even discuss his toilet manners! So we found a nest and eraticated his food source...so hopefully he has went his own way.
   Ya gotta wonder how ya pick up one of these guys. I mean we are seldom in one place for more than a night. How do they catch us? Probably starts with the grain and hay behind us. Then a devious little path to the edge of the wagon & into the slightest of cracks...warmth...heat...FOOD...NESTING MATERIALS!!!. A new home!!! So we now have everything containerized and hopefully the pesty rodent is history.
   Bob & Casey were to amped today. Took a good 5 miles to get them settled in. TOOOOO much energy. So we walked them about 16 miles. We thought & pondered & rethought takin' hwy 22. A lotta folks recommended it to us instead of 79 to 45. But we finally decided to go 79-to 70- to 45. 70 will take us south of most of Jackson...Jackson being our biggest concern. Southern TN on hwy 22 still has a lotta hills according to the map. So we are going to try this. Maybe the right decision and maybe wrong....we sure have been wrong before! chuckle-chuckle!! Lotsa times!! So we are going on ahead and see if 70 helps. We are currently in Trezevant, TN. We hadda dusting of snow the other day...but that's gone. Weather said it was supposed to be in the 50's today...but the wind never stopped blowing long enuff to enjoy it. But we bundled up and made a day of it. Traffic was light and everyone pretty courteous.We even got an engineer walking between engines (while stopped of course! LOL), to ring his bell at us. Not the big blast horn...but this little ring-ring-ring bell.
   We are laid up next to a gas station tonight. We were hunting water and were assissted by a local police officer to a gas station just the other side of town. And they were good enuff to invite us in for the night. Thanks Regina. Well the horses are grained-watered-hayed- and have their coats on for the night. Getting down to 23 tonight and the horses didn't have enough time to cool down. It was near dark when we got here. Sorry we were gone so long...we'll see you on the road and remember...GOD is the God of miracles yesterday-today-and tomorrow. Pray with confidence that our Father loves us and can do all things!! Here's Punkin with prayer requests and Comments. Don't forget to write us...we love to here from you...and all donations/blessings are greatly appreciated.  
We met Jackie Pemberton.  He asks for prayer for continued health.  And his friend, Doug Askew, says he's all good and he can't complain about a thing.
Along the road we met Josh and Emily (newlyweds!!!) Emily asked for prayer for her sister who is going thru some tough stuff right now.
When we landed, a pair of cousins, Alan Ray and Jo Merrill, stopped to chat and take a few pictures.  They were in town for Alan's mom's funeral, so they both requested prayer for comfort for the family.
Comments:
Marion...We're baaaaaack!!! Love ya :)
Rachel...We're good to go! Prayers for your health, and keep loving that family of yours!
Miss Lynn...Thank you and God bless.
Crickette...Thank you.  And yours
Cindy...vacations over. Off we go!
That's it for tonight.  Sorry if we worried anyone by not blogging.  We'll do better!  On with the journey!!
God bless and good night!!
Faith

Days 109 & 110

Hello again!
Yesterday was a maintenance day for us.  We were all set to travel when Jimmy pulled in.  As we were chatting with him he said, Hey Mark!  That tire has a broken belt!  You can see the way it's shaped!  If you want to run to Walmart and buy one, I'll get it on there for free.  After closer inspection of that tire and the others, we saw that that entire inside tread was GONE!!!!  on the driver rear! So...off they went.  But to no avail.  Walmart did not have the tires we needed. Jimmy can get good ones Monday from his distributor.  That was the end of the travel for the day.  Got good stuff done though, in the way of maintenance.  Once again...we worked on the brakes.  Had no front and the backs are just plain worn!!  Got a piece rewelded that broke loose, and just generally puttered on the wagon.  Much needed!  That tire wouldn't have made it to our next stop!  And brakes are always good!  After the wagon, Mark helped Jimmy with a tire from his truck and I cooked some vittles for us all.
A couple of people stopped to see us during the day.  Alice Summers wanted prayer.  Her 16 year old son passed away and her mother.
Cheryl Hubbard needs prayer for herself as well.
An episode of Andy Griffith and off to sleep.
Monday.  Jimmy showed up nice and early to do the tire run!  They were gone forever!  I didn't know that Jimmy's tire guy was all the way back in Kentucky!!  Oh well.  The one thing you REALLY learn out here is that there is no rush.  This is definitely not life in the fast lane.  It was probably 1:30 when we finally hit the road.  But...only 8 miles to go today.  We sure do thank Jimmy for all his help and hospitality!  Anybody in the Paris / Henry area that needs tire help or roadside assistance should give him a call.  Good guy and hard worker! That's Dutton's in Paris on 79.
We made our trip in good time!  And John was home when we got here!  So we're all hooked up for a few days of rest.  Farrier on Thursday.  Just for resets this time (we pray)!  Loaded up on oats and set for a few.  Good thing too because I wore my last clean socks yesterday!!!  And I NEED a shower!
The prayer requests we have for today are...Patrick, he said awwww girl, you can just pray for me in general!  Ok, we will!
LeeRoy Hamlin asked for prayer for his wife, Linda.  For her blood pressure and just continued healing and health.
And Hugh Moore asks for good health and wealth!
Comments:
Keolahou & Mike...Thanks for the great pictures!  That seems like forever ago!!  Thanks for traveling with us all this time!  God bless you as well.
Cindy...Fire is good.  We've raised a couple of avid pyromaniacs over the years.  They always came home to burn something or blow something up!!
Rachel...Fun stuff!
Jerry...Gotcha, was great to talk to you!  Hitch those ponies up and come on down!!
Cindy...You work too much!!!  Get out there and ride!!!
That's it for the last two days!  Just enjoying the wonders that God put out there for us all!  Keep praying and we thank you for the prayers for us!
God bless & good night!
Faith

Day 108

Hi folks, Saturday travel in January in TN this year is a beautiful thing. We don't have any idea what the temp was...but about 11:00 am the skies cleared and it got beautiful. We had lots of visitors this morning and didn't even try to rush out. Plus it was time to say good bye to our fellow horse travelers, for a while. It is hard to explain how quickly ya become close with fellow travelers. We have a lotta respect for a 23 year old and a 21 year lady that can make their way across this country of ours on horse back. They are God loving Christian women of courage and character. Our good byes were difficult at best. We sure will miss them and hope to meet again soon. They were a great help to us from Kentucky to TN. Having a point rider is a great addition to a team.
Our friend, Bob Skelding, hooked us up with a few days of rest in Henry.  We called him  (John) and sure enough he came to meet us and find out if we had anything we needed him to get before we get there!  So, he picked up some oats for us and we can get them and pay him when we do arrive. After he left, he called us and gave us directions to an overnight for tonight because his house is just a little out of reach for one day of travel.
So tonight we are at Jimmy's.  He has a tire sales and repair shop right here on 79.  He wasn't here when we first pulled in so we scouted around for a minute and then he pulled in.  He didn't know we were coming.  BUT...full of TN hospitality, he welcomed us in and gave the horses a huge water tank and water and electric for us!  And fixed the spare tire that fell victim to a delinquent pack horse! The valve stem got bitten almost off.  All fixed now.
This morning we met Jim and Brenda Callahan.  They didn't have a prayer request but, instead, just wanted to praise God for all of their blessings.
Along the road we met Ron Dix and his grandson R.J.  They just asked for general prayers...health, safety...
Bob Keller stop to talk with us.  He needs some prayers for his health but asked for prayer for healing for his brother in Colorado.
Then, our host, Jimmy Dutton, we ask for prayers for the success of his business and blessings for his hospitality.  Great conversation!
My mom, for her health and to not be lonely at home.
I'm going to sign off quick so we don't get booted again!  Sprint is NOT the service to have down here!!  HORRIBLE!!  So I'm going to click on the button and pray you all get to see what we've written!
God bless and good night!
Faith

Day 107

   Good evening to all! I don't know what the temp was today...but it hadda be in the 60's. Does anyone feel like we are going to pay for all this dynamic weather eventually? Well we for one enjoyed it all the same! I slept out under the stars by the camp fire last night. Every star was bright and the camp fire warm. My dog bear was all in, stayed with me all evening until the I went in to say goodnight to Punkin and the ladies. When I went back out he gave me the okey-doke. Jumped out the door...I came out...he jumped right back in  and refused to come out. YOU PUNK!! My good and faithful dog abandoned me to the coyotes! Lucky for me Casey & Bob were right next to me.
   Fact is I woke up and probably groaned a bit (it's like that with old body's and sleepin' on the ground), checked the fire, and glanced up to See Bob and Casey standing at the fence staring down at me. And I do mean lookin' down! They look rather huge from that position. They hadda be wondering what got into me? chuckle-chuckle!! Finally I dosed back off and dreamed of gettin trampled the rest of the night. Ahhhhhhhhhhh...good times! Thanks to Connie, from Murry for bringing us vittles! KFC...yum!
   Well no 2 mile bridges (straight up & straight down) with airplanes stuck in the middle, today. In fact it was a day that was a little strange. Seemed like we worked really hard...but only got 13 miles. But it was an enjoyable day just the same. Casey was feeling good and having herself a day...the usual. Head right and but left. Pushing Bob over...not steppin' into her collar. Took a couple hills to straigten that attitude out. But basically she was full of it all day.
PRAYERS AND COMMENTS:
Sharon Seaton, for her Mom, Elise Bridge water, has Alzheimer's, please pray for restoration & Healing
Bill McCutheon, pray for the Lord to remember all the names and prayers on the prayer list at Oak Hill Union Church.
Tony Rushing, for his health
Please pray for Rachel and her continued health problems
Cricket, yes and thanks
Cowboy Bob, good luck with all that Brother...hope to see you back on the road soon.
Don, thanks for the great tip. I'll consult my navigator! And thanks for readin' and sticking with us.
Cindy, Cool and thanks. say hi to all.

That's it from Hwy 79. We are 5 miles out of Paris, TN. The city tomorrow and a parting of the ways for a while, with our saddle tramp friends. Sure are gonna miss um. Good night and God bless you and yours.

  
  

Day 106

OH BOY!!!!!  You just never know what you might see going down the road!!!
First off we left Marty Riggins house this morning, planning on a ten mile day to the State park.  Got a good start!  Thanks and blessings to Marty and his wife for all their hospitality!  Marty even brought us some more hay when we landed.  We did make it to our destination in good time.  Water and electric and only $20 for the night for ALL of us!!  Horses, people, dogs and all!  Not bad.
Connie from Murray is bringing out some dinner and Mark is enjoying a good camp fire, but it makes him miss Ryan, our grandson, even more because he always camped with Papa Mark at home.
Anyway, long, rolling hills today.  No problems at all!  Then there was the bridge!  Not only is it straight up and short, it was blocked!  We looked at it yesterday and it is under construction, but 1 lane (southbound) is paved, and much softer surface, so the plan was to use the new lane and stay out of the traffic lane.  When we came around the corner, we saw that they were back over in the lane we picked working with big stuff.  We would never get around it and it was up by the barrier so we couldn't cut into the other lane to get around!  Good thing for Brandy the scout!  She rode up to ask what we could do while we were still wondering if we should hail a pickup to pull us up it...she came back with this news...It's not a truck.  It's an airplane that they decided to haul northbound in that southbound lane for the same reasons we wanted to use it!  It was stuck and if we could chill until they got it moved, we could have the lane!!  WHAT?!?!?!?!  Oh yes it was!!!  no wings, but a HUGE body of an air force plane!  They didn't take long and got it unstuck and here it came!!  The look on Bob's face was hilarious!!!  He didn't even fuss!  He just stared at it the whole length!  You could just imagine him thinking...WHAT THE......?!?!?!?!?!?!  Too funny!  but done.  Then we were off once more!  The traction on that new pavement was great for traction and we made it up without help.  Brandy has been hitching her horse to ours on hills for incentive but today was ok with no help at all.  Drill tec still there and working, just not on solid rock!
We did meet some folks along the way though!
Dick Willard needs prayer for a safe trip to Oklahoma.
Chris Watters asks for healing prayers for his wife, Linda, who is very sick! Starting to improve some!
Chris's best friend, Henry, also asked for prayer for Linda!
Dennis Howell needs prayer for his eye surgery that is next Tuesday.  Glaucoma and cataracts!   Scary stuff for him.
Thanks for all your prayers for all the people we meet.  What a great place the world would be if we all knew everyones needs and prayed for each other everyday!  WOW!  So, thanks for helping with our little tiny ministry!
Comments:
Joan...Better now!  A day off to rest and much better hills!  Back on the highway!
Cindy...No!!  Didn't get pics!  mark1deb1@yahoo.com We're ok now.  Checked feet, just HARD surface! And thank you!
Anon...Thank you and God bless you, as well!
Crickette...79 to 45.  Is that Brownsville way?  And thank you.
So, off to eat dinner and get a good rest!  We love and appreciate you all! 
God bless and good night!
Faith

Dat 105

Ahhhhh... a day off!!!  Kinda!  Got some shopping done.  But after that!!! We went over to the Donelson Battlefield!!!  And the cemetary!!  Awesome stuff.  They show you a little film and then Marty took us around the battlefield.  They had cannons pointing down the river (which is how they won the steamship battle) We didn't go to the civil war store though because Marty didn't want us to get locked in some place when it closed up!  We had a GREAT time!!!
While shopping, Brandy was chatting with a lady in the check out line and got a prayer request.  Well, a couple...Momma Sue has a brother with a broken back.  He could surely use some prayer!  She also has 2 grand daughters, Hanna and Amanda, they are cousins, not sisters and they both have a brain tumor!!  What are the odds of that?  That family needs lots of prayer!!
So, slow, restful day.  Looked at route ahead and we're ready to tackle it all tomorrow!  The bridge we have to cross is one big steep hill!!!! We'll see how that goes!!
God bless
Faith

Day 104

   OK , let's just assume that there are absolutely no flat spots in Tennessee. Our good Lord musta forgot to run the disk over this part of the world after he created it! But since God never made any junk and never forgets this must just be his sense of humor at work. I mean this state is breath takingly beautiful and the folks are fabulous...but COME-ON!!!!! Can a Belgian getta break???
   Dale our host did some repair welding on our tongue. It had some stress cracks in it, but he did a great job. Dale caught me telling Bear "back" this morning. I told him I was just a little simple, and couldn't remember 2 sets of commands. One for the dogs and one for the horses. So the dogs have adapted to "horse commands"...whoa-back etc...It seems to be workin' out pretty well. The only dog command we still use is "down"...and we pray we never have to use that with the horses! WINK!
   The Journey For Jesus team, and the Horseback For Hatti team, both did interviews with the Local paper. The reporter was a great lady (Bonnie) and it was probably the easiest interview we ever did. But after repairs and interviews we didn't leave Dales until 11:30-12:00. I took the precautionary step of asking Dale to follow us threw the first few hills after yesterdays scares. And I mean scares. When your horses are 1/2 up a hill and there are huge skid marks from drill teck sliding off and you have to stop before they are on their knees hurting themselves...it's scary. And your heart is rippin' out of your chest for your horses because I have asked them to do this and put them in harms way. Same thing goin' down hill...breaks are mashed all the way down...straps tight on the horses butts and they are taking 1 baby step every 5 seconds...afraid they will slip. When your legs are cramping from holding the breaks so hard...for so long...and you hit what you think is the bottom of the hill...only to see it gets even steeper and longer around the curve...you start callin' on God and prayin' for all your worth.
   We listened to the local folks & came off 41 to miss Clarksville and the camp...shame on me. But we're in it now and nothing to do but push on through to the hyway. So thankfully we asked Dale to scout out the front for us. I decided to use him on three hills and not exhaust Bob & Casey...nor put them in harms way. The asphalt on these old back roads is harder than cement. You don't know how many times I have wished for a 3rd horse and aluminium frame instead of wood.
We needed help on one more hill before we FINALLY hit a the major hwy we were looking for. Hwy 79 YES! The hills are still there but they are long and not steep. So they are doable. We are just goin' to have to take our time across TN until we get a little farther west and it flattens out some.
   One of the ladies pack horses musta been nodding out behind the trailer (Bo) because he got spooked by some kids running out from behind a house and slippin' ended up on his side. But he popped right back up like a trooper. I was watching him in my mirror.... he looked more embarrassed than anything the way he popped back up and shook it off.  Nothin' to see hear folks-nothin' to see here! 
   We had a prearranged plan to stay with Marty Riggins. We had 13 miles top do...left at noon...and had monster hills hills all day, which means Bob & Casey need more breaks to blow. So as we were gettin' close to town it was sun down and getting dark. As we escaped the second half of Dover it was black out. We had flashing yellows in the back but not enough light for a string of pack horses and rider (Ashley) behind them. Up front of us we had Brandy on horseback and the only light we could give her was a "porch light" which only lit up Bob & Casey. But Marty showed up with a friend and they got back and fronts till we got here. Thank you so much!! Lord bless them men. They helped get every ones horses in (Bob & Casey gotta nice pasture with neighbors). The ladies horses are in a barn. And we all got taken to a great dinner. WHEW! Tomorrow will be a day off for the horses and us. Deb is pretty stressed at this point!
PRAYER REQUESTS & COMMENTS:
Thomas Cochran, justt for life
Doug & Meridith Russel ( and Hunter the cowboy) for Family
Joan thank you for prayers
Marion thanks so much, we need the prayers! Love you much and miss you
Rachel OK and thanks
We are sooooooo tired, GOD Bless you and yours. Talk to you tomorrow...if we have a signal.

Days 103

HI AGAIN!!!!  Day 103 brought us to Tennessee!!!  Bumpus Mills to be exact! We spent the previous night with an Amish family.  Aaron and Rachel Stoltzfus and their 4 boys.  They are great people!  They lost their 19 yr old in a farm accident this past fall and they said people have been so nice to them that they are giving some back!  Very, VERY nice family.  Thank you soo much!!  You know, they don't ask for prayer because their prayer is silent but I don't think God would mind if we prayed for them.  They also see death as the natural flow of life so they are pretty much at peace but a little more never hurts, I don't think.
We had NO signal last night! The light on the air card wouldn't even flash!!  So we're going to write one day at a time and hope it goes because we are connected at 0 % right now!  HILLS!!
And that was our introduction/welcome to Tennessee!  A hill that was maybe not so long but right straight up.  We didn't make it!  Those horses pulled as far as they could and more.  They still had pull in them but they couldn't get any traction!!  Each hit a knee at one point so we just stopped.  Of course by this time we were all the way across both lanes of traffic!!  BUT...outriders!!!  Brandy, riding point, rode up to a pick up and asked for a pull.  He agreed and we were saved!  Whew!! Rough!  So when we got safely into a gas station and greeted all the curious folks, we had an offer for the night!  Brandy rode with to check the roads and said there were some issues but thought we'd be ok.  We were.  This time it was a HUGE downhill!!!  With brakes floored the horses literally tip toed down that thing!!  This is scary stuff!!  We obviously got some info that wasn't what we meant.  We need to ask questions more clearly!! 
Anyway, at the end of the scary trail, we landed at the farm of Dale and Rita Swift.  More great folks!!  They took the girls in for the night because it was entirely too cold for tents!! As did the Stoltzfus'.
But, while we were at the gas station... regrouping, we did meet some nice folks!  We always do!
Frank Gibbs would like prayer for health and our safety.
Steven Wolf has some nerve damage that needs restoration.  He is unable to ride anymore.
Brady Mae Ross would like the Lord to give her an opportunity to testify!
Yvette needs prayer for better health
Dale Swift asks for prayer for this country. And we ask for blessings for their hospitality!
An anonomys man brought bales of hay and 2 bags of feed!
Holly Dill asks for prayer for her mother-in-law, Phyllis Dill.  Phillys had back surgery and came out worse than she went in.  They would need a healing so that no more procedures have to be done.
So, that's day 103.  We'll catch up today, tomorrow. 
Comments:
Crickette...Thanks. He always knows best, doesn't He?
Mark...Those pack horses "step up to the buffet" every time we stop!  They are soooo funny!!
Cindy...Sounds like a GREAT time!!!  We have NO phone call signal at all.  Lucky to get texts to go!
Joan...Thanks! Love ya!
SMS...Much safer for all!! I think
Terri...Thank you soo much!  The ladies are great!
Ok.  That's all!  Keep in touch, we love your comments!  Keeps us in touch!
Good night and God bless!
Faith

Days 101 & 102

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!!!
Sorry we missed yesterday....no signal. We didn't move yesterday...on purpose. We had guests. It was like Michigan day in Kentucky. Our host Rob is from Michigan, so it was great talking to him. Then our friends and neighbors from across the road from our old home stopped in. If you have been reading since way back....they're the STALKERS! They stalked us down again. They were visiting their son Matt in Tenn. so they stopped in on the way back home. It was so great to see them. But the visit was just way to short. I mean way to short. Sure was good to see their faces. Thanks guys. We know ya went threw a lotta trouble to meet us. And we sure enuff appreciate it. That meant a lot to us.
   Now I gotta give you a little back round on our next visitors. We have prabably mentioned them in our blog before. There have been 1 dog, 5 horses, and 2 ladies about 2 weeks out in front of us since Michigan. They are traveling to Houston, Texas raising money to drill wells in Haiti. Horseback for Haiti. We would run into folks on the road every once in a while who would say "do you know the 2 ladies traveling on horse back? They were just through here 2 weeks ago." Well of course we hadn't ... they were two weeks in front of us! Well they emailed us Friday night and explained who they were and Punkin and I laughed and knew exactly who they were. They left us a phone number and Punkin text a few times (no phone signal either) and they decided to come out and meet us. So some of their new friends brought them out and we decided to travel together a while.  Brandy said she felt like the Lord told her that we needed them to get through this piece.
   This may seem like a small thing but there are lots of "what ifs." What if the dogs don't get along...what if the horses don't get along... But once again all that stress and worry was for naught. God took care of all of it. We tied their 3 pack horses on the back of the trailer and we had a lead rider (scout) and a trailing rider bringing up the rear. Very effective keeping the traffic off us. The pack horses walked pretty good behind the trailer. 1 or 2 of them figured out that THERE IS HAY UNDER THAT TARP...so it was like leading them with a carrot. And ya know what? It was just good fun to see horseback riders in front and in my mirrors.
   The Girls names are Ashley & Brandy Nelsey. They are good Christain girls with a true heart for the Lord. We have great respect for the adventure they have under taken. There is not a doubt in our minds that they will accomplish what they have set out to do. If you can be of any help to them...God bless you. We don't know how long we'll have the pleasure of their company...but we'll enjoy it while we can.
   Bob & Casey take a much bigger step than the saddle horses, so they trotted a little more than they wanted to today. Plus Bob...being Bob...Mr. lead horse, I gotta be first...tried to catch Brandy's horse all day. He doesn't much care to have a horse in front of him I don't think. So he stepped up a good pace all day. We'll see if we can get them slowed down some tomorrow. Or at least more breaks. Just wasn't many places to pull off on this small road today. we did about 13 miles...which is fine, for a 12;00 o'clock start.
   Small county road with little traffic means we didn't meet many people. But this is the best way around Clarksville and Fort Campbell. We are staying with an Amish family who invited us in for a hot meal before we even got the horses up. We will share about them tomorrow. Great folks. Bob & Casey are in their fence, the 5 saddle horses are in a pasture, the Girls are tucked in an upstairs bedroom warm and toasty and Punkin-Bear-Sugar-and me are in the wagon. Glory to God! 7-horses, 3-dogs, and 4-people safe & sound, first night out. We all prayed for a big enough place and 1-2 MINUTES later, an Amish gentleman pulled over to talk with us  and recommended we try the farm on top the hill. Glory to the Lord.
   PRAYER REQUESTS and COMMENTS:
Mark-Connie & Erika and David Nelsey (the ladies Dad, who it was a pleasure to meet) aksed for prayer for safe travel for all and PRAISE and Gods blessings to all who have helped.
Thanks to Sharen-Joan-Rachel and Cindy.
Cindy our email address is mark1deb1@yahoo.com  . Please shrink all pic's to 600 maximum.
That's all for these two days. Our buckets are empty and we're whipped. Good night and GOD bless you and yours.