Goose Creek/Columbia, Sc

Yesterday was a long day for us. Bro. Scott Smith picked us up from our hotel at 7:30 a.m., which was EARLY, to head out to Goose Creek for church. It was about a 2 hour drive to church. We got there a little early and took a quick tour of Charleston, Sc prior to church. Bro. George preached powerfully at the Goose Creek church and such an awesome presence was there. Immediately following the service, we jumped back in the car and headed back to Columbia for the afternoon service. Originally Bro. George was scheduled to preached the 3:00 p.m. service, but Bro. Smith felt to move him to the 4:00 p.m. session. Evangelist Doug Smith preached the 3:00 p.m. session. He did an incredible job and it was great to meet him for the first time. Bro. George then preached the main session and did tremendous. We had a great altar call and good move! The church fed us and all other guests following the service! It was a great time of fellowship which concluded a long day! I did not have my camera with me so there are no pictures from yesterday!

Columbia, South Carolina

We are sitting in Columbia, Sc ready for some church tomorrow. We arrived here this afternoon in the midst of a storm, but made it safe and sound. We are leaving at 7:30 a.m. to head to Goose Creek, Sc for service in the morning, then coming back to Columbia for the afternoon service. Bro. George will preaching in the morning at Goose Creek and coming back to preach the 3:00 p.m. session in Columbia. Bro. Doug Smith will be preaching the main service in Columbia. We are looking forward to a busy Sunday, but know it will be worth it.

Chillin'

Since I became a bloggin' machine, I feel awkward not writing a post for a few days, so here it is. We are in North Carolina one more day before heading down to South Carolina for church on Sunday. I did some more service on my car today to get it ready for the trek back home beginning June 6th, tenatively! It has been extremely hot here, as well as storming! I am listening to the thunder roar and the lightning flash as I write! It also does not help that it is EXTREMELY hot in my room! Thank God for my towel! Anyways, I pretty much have nothing to say and have said nothing, but here is a blog post. HUGE shoutout to our LCA grads tonight (Ali, Ash B, Alex H, Stace, and Britt)!!!! Until later...

Burlington, Nc

On the way to Burlington

Bro. George preaching

Pastor Kenny Godair

Altar shot from the platform

Another altar shot

Chior practicing after service

We left Newport today and headed to Burlington to be in service tonight at the World of Pentecost with Pastor Godair. We arrived to a very comfortable room several hours before service. Bro. George decided to "take rest", while I tried to run off some of the food we have eaten over the last several days. I am not sure how much good I did though. We then got ready for service and arrived at church at 7:00 p.m. for prayer. Bro. George, Bro. Godair and myself went into the office around 7:20 and talked for a few minutes before heading out for service. It was neat to see people come together on a Wednesday night with such enthusiasm and desire. Pastor Godair handed the service over to Bro. George before 8:00 p.m. and then we had some church. Bro. George was a little tired to begin with, but then about 15-20 minutes into it, it was all over him. He was running, dancing, and preaching like a young man. The church was praising, dancing, and having a good time. He preached on increasing our faith for the miraculous. The power of God was very strong and evident there. He stopped around 8:40 to allow time for God to move and did He ever! What an awesome service! Loved being in Burlington and seeing some old friends!

Leaving Newport, Nc

Tomorrow morning we will be leaving Newport, Nc. It has been an incredible few days with the Erskines. They are awesome people and there has never been a dull moment since we arrived. We are heading to Burlington, Nc for service tomorrow night with Pastor Kenny Godair. I have visited this church on several occasions and always look forward to going back. I am expecting a great service at World of Pentecost tomorrow night. This weekend we will be traveling to Columbia, South Carolina to be with Pastor Scott Smith. Until later...

Newport, Nc pt. 3

Beach properties

Atlantic Beach, Nc

Bro. George

The East Coast

Today was just a chill day. We are still in Newport, Nc with Bro. Erskine. We slept in a little bit today and then made a journey to Atlantic Beach, Nc. Bro. George wanted to see the coast and take a few pictures. It rained a little bit on us while we were at the beach. The water here was slightly warmer than the Pacific. After seeing the coast, had to stop by Mcdonalds to get Bro. George his #11 Filet of Fish! I think I am going to start dreaming about those things soon. At least I should get some stock in Mcdonalds. We then made our way to the church, where school was still in session. Bro. Erskine and I played some ball with the high school class. Those kids can play softball. Bro. George took a grand tour of the church during this time. I brought Bro. George home so he could rest, while I went and had my car serviced. We have now hit over 5100 miles on this trip. Here are a few pictures of the coast...

Newport, Nc pt. 2

The Sanctuary - Newport, Nc

The church

Just a random lobby shot at the church

Two of the boys that receieved the Holy Ghost

A shot of what broke out!

Pastor Erskine

Bro. George and Pastor Erskine

Bro. George

Bro. George

Bishop preaching - story behind the Bishop part

Altar call shot from the back

Boy did we have some church today at The Sanctuary!! Bro. Erskine preached powerfully this morning on "Freedom's Recipe". It was an exceptional message on deliverance and the main ingredient for freedom is the truth. "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Packed out house this morning with several renewings this morning and a powerful altar call.

Tonight, God simply blew our minds! We were just cruising along, having good service, when all of the sudden it hit! Bro. Erskine was talking and spoke that somebody could receive the Holy Ghost right then. People started coming out of their seats and with a matter of just a few minutes, God filled 3 people with the Holy Ghost just like that! It was so awesome! This has to be one of the craziest churches, when it comes to praising and worshipping, that I have ever been in. Bro. George then concluded the service by preaching! It was an awesome service and boy do I have some stories coming from Newport, Nc...but until later...pictures coming tomorrow...

Newport, Nc pt. 1

Me and my niece, got to see her last night!

We spent Friday night in Rocky Mount, Nc before heading to the coast of North Carolina. I got to see my sister one more time and also my niece. We had a great time together. We headed for Newport, Nc this afternoon to be with Bro. Erskine tomorrow. It was a few hours drive which is like a breeze these days. We stopped by the church on the way into town. I am so looking forward to service tomorrow. Bro. Erskine will be preaching in the morning and Bro. George at night. We have had a great time already and are really looking forward to being with the Erskines for the next several days. Tonight we went to eat by the beach. You talk about an awesome steak, it is pretty close to Jocko's steakhouse which is saying alot. The Atlantic is so different than the Pacific. The beach is flat and boring, but much warmer, so I have heard. Anyways, just a little update as to where we and will be until Wednesday morning. Until later...

Nashville, Nc pt. 4

Me and Michelle

Me and Todd

I am loving this Nashville trip so much that I am on part 4. Anyways, here are just a few pictures from dinner tonight. My brother and sister met me at the hotel we are staying at and had dinner with me tonight. We did ALOT of catching up and still there is more to do! We laughed, had a few watery eyes, and most importantly an AWESOME time. This has been an incredible last 2 days!! No words to describe it...

Nashville, Nc pt. 3

Here are just a few pictures of the church!

Nashville, Nc pt. 2

Todd, Me, and Michelle

I felt to write a seperate blog post for this. On Monday, I found out from Bro. Booker, that we were to head to Nashville, Nc for service on Wednesday. I knew this city and area seemed familiar but was not quite sure why. It finally clicked, this was the home to a brother, who I have not seen in 18 years, and a sister, who I have not seen in close to 10 years. We have had minimal contact over the years, but it has greatly increased in the last few months, however, only through email. So I emailed to let her know that I would be coming to Nashville, Nc and we would be having a service there on Wednesday night. The next morning I recieved a phone call from a number I did not know. I answered and it was her. We talked for a few minutes and she was wanting to make sure that I really meant Nashville, Nc, since it is such a "huge" city in the middle of nowhere. I confirmed it was Nashville. We made plans to meet up sometime for dinner either Wednesday or Thursday, but I was to call her when we got into town. I called today and left a message that we had church tonight, so we could not do dinner, but they were more than welcome to come to church. We played phone tag for the next hour, then finally started texting. At 7:05 I received a text message saying that they were at the church. By this time, I am in a complete shock and don't know what to say. This is a dream come true. We arrived at the church and there they stood. Words cannot even express the emotion that I felt. We hugged, shed a tear or two. After 10 years and 18 years, we were finally reunited. There is so much that is racing through my mind, it is hard to believe that this has all taken place. After 4500+ miles, this trip was worth it all and I would do it all again in a heartbeat!!! Better try to rest up....AHHH

Nashville, Nc pt. 1

Pastor Mike Matherly

Bro. George

Bro. George

Bro. George


Praying in the altars

Praying in the altars

Toward the end of alar call

After service at home

We left Winston-Salem, after sleeping in, around noon or so. Stopped by Captain Toms for some good fish, a ritual when in NC, before making our way to the little town of Nashville, Nc. I do not believe that I have even seen a Mcdonalds here, which is not good for Bro. George. The daily #11 Fish filet might not be available for lunch tomorrow. Anyways, we arrived at Pastor Mike Matherly's home close 5:00 p.m. His home is located on a 2 acre plot below the church. We had a home-cooked meal, something I have been craving I might add. If I see another bowl of soup or fast food, I might go crazy. After supper, we got ready for church at Faith Cornerstone. It was a beautiful facility, surrounded by lots of green grass. We had an outstanding service tonight. Bro. George preached powerfully on "Thou Hast Loosed My Bonds". He gave a portion of his testimony about how God had delivered and healed his body many years ago. He preached that same God that had loosed him showed up to loose somebody. During the course of the message, a lady came running to the front wanting Bro. George to lay hands on her! It was awesome. Lots of tears were shed during the first several minutes of altar call, then finally after several minutes a breakthrough took place. People were dancing, rejoicing, and crying before it was all over with. Something special took place tonight. We came home after church and had some fellowship. It was neat getting to meet the Matherlys. They are grand people...pictures will be up tomorrow hopefully...

Winston-Salem, NC

We slept in a little bit today and then started toward North Carolina. The drive was beautiful through the mountains. We arrived in North Carolina at 5:30ish and checked into the hotel. After getting settled in, Bro. George wanted some time to pray and study for tomorrow's service, so I obliged. I went and spent some time with my family. I was able to see some aunts, uncles, and cousins. We had a great time together. I love them so much, too bad it wasn't hunting season, then it would have been complete. Tomorrow we head to Nashville, North Carolina for service. The next few days could prove to be very awesome, but we will wait and see. I will keep you posted!

Knoxville, Tn

It is 2:43 a.m. and we just got to Knoxville, Tn. It has been a long day of driving Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Tennessee....a little bit over 800 miles today. We went from heat to fog to rain, but we survived it all and made it. If it was me I would have gone the other 4 hours tonight, but thats me....just saying. We will be here for just a few hours to sleep, then head to North Carolina in the morning. We will be in North Carolina for a week or more. I am so ready for country ham and sweet bread. Anyways I am out....

Update

My last post ended as we were getting ready for Thursday night's Summit service. Wow what an amazing service it was. There are no words to describe the Spirit that we felt. Bro. Lambeth is truly a man of God. Incredible. Friday morning was another great daytime service starting off with Bro. Puckett. Bro. Spell followed him and blew the lid off the place with the Word. At the conclusion, Bro. Marks, who was scheduled to preached, gave the altar call. Friday night's service was beyond amazing. No one can conclude a conference like Bro. Godair. He just has a unique way of ending of conference. We shouted, danced, and praised! It was an awesome Summit and I am looking forward to next year, if the creek don't rise! We spent Saturday around Tulsa and relaxing. Saturday night I met up with some friends from here and had an awesome time. Sunday was a little different for us as we got to sleep in and attend Bro. Howard's afternoon service. Bro. Howard taught the first session. It was incredible on the new birth plan of salvation. Bro. George testified and it was great! Bro. Waldrep preached and the altars were filled with hungry hearts. One was baptized and another wants to! We went out for Indian food after service with the Howards. They are incredible people! Tomorrow we leave for somewhere....I don't know as of yet! So until then....

Summit

No words to describe last night and today's services. They were simply incredible. Bro. Mayo preached awesome about "The Bitter Test". It is imperative not to let a root of bitterness get in our spirits. Then today was old fashion church. Three preachers starting off with Bro. Groce, one of my favorites. He preached about "God's preacher, a man with his hands full". Deep and profound. Bro. Smith followed him up reminding us not to treat the sacred things of God so casually. Never let it become common to us. Bro. Deeds concluded this morning or afternoon challenging us to keep our spirits right for it is the candle of the Lord. It has just started and has been tremendous already. I am looking forward to hearing Bro. Lambeth tonight. Incredible man of faith!! Until later....

Tulsa

We left Sulphur, La around 8:30 this morning and headed toward Tulsa, Ok. It was a fun drive trying to find all the little back roads that I was suppose to be on. However, one of those back roads led me to Center, Tx, the home of my cousins. I was not expecting this today, but it dropped of us in the heart of Center, just a block away from where my cousin works and the boys go to school. I was able to take a few minutes to surprise them at work and school. This was the highlight of my day. Their looks were priceless. Love them to pieces. We then left Center and continued our journey and arrived in Tulsa around 7:30 p.m. We drove 544 miles today and I watched as my car hit over 100,000 miles in under 4 years...wow. After arriving I met up with Sher and Nay and had dinner! Good to see family and great friends today. I am looking forward to not driving for the next 5 days and I ready for Summit! I am not sure how much blogging I will do over the next week, but I will try to do some!

Awesome Sunday

Song Service - Bro. Uptons

Elder Upton

Bro George - Sulphur, La

Some still praying

Bro. George - Sulphur, La

View from the balcony

View from the platform

Elder Upton and Bro. George talking

Today was incredible day, other than not being with my momma for Mother's Day. This morning we were at the Apostolic Temple in Lake Charles, La with Pastor Rick Treece. Bro. George took a few minutes and testified. Then Bro. Treece preached powerfully on the "Power of Grace". Awesome message and it was a joy to be with them for service and for lunch. They were so very kind to us! We got to see the new building that is almost complete, about 45 days out. It will be an great facility right off the freeway.

Tonight we were in Sulphur, La with Pastor Allan Upton. We had a great service with a great move of the Holy Ghost. Bro. George ministered powerfully tonight! Awesome! Altars were filled and many lingered in the presence of God. Bro. Upton took Bro. George to eat, while I went out with some of the young people. It was great day! Tomorrow morning we are headed to Tulsa, Ok. It is "only" 544 miles, that is nothing anymore. By the time we reach there we will have hit over 3,000 miles since last Saturday. Until later...

Happy Mother's Day

Just wanted to wish my incredible mom a Happy Mother's Day. You are awesome, incredible and the epitome of gracious. I regret not being there with you to celebrate this day, but if I could, you know I would be there by your side. This is your day!! I love you more than words can express and you mean so much to me! I promise to make it up when I get home. And to those who bragged and tried to rub it in to me about getting to hug my mom today, just remember it never will replace the hug of my brother and I. However, good try though! LOVE YOU MOM and I will see you soon!!

MMM Food

Steamboat Bills

A litle crawfish

Love Blue Bell'

You cannot come to Lousianna without have yourself a little cajun food, I feel sorry for those who do not like it, you are missing out. Steamboat Bills was the place for lunch today. One pound of crawfish for $3.00, what could be better? I am thinking that I will have to revisit this place for dinner tonight. Also, one thing that I must have when coming to the South is some Blue Bell' ice cream. I am not normally a big sweets fan, but this ice cream has made a convert out of me. I need to get out of the South or I will never lose weight on this trip.

Sulphur, La

We left San Antonio this afternoon after having lunch at the Riverwalk. I toured the Alamo this morning and once again was reminded of how much history we have in our own country. Amazing! We have arrived in Sulphur, Lousianna, where we will spend the weekend. Looking forward to be in service with Bro. Rick Treece in the morning and Bro. Alan Upton in the evening. Until later...

San Antonio, Texas

Alamo history


Alamo with the flag


Alamo


Alamo at night


A view of our hotel


Riverwalk

We traveled to San Antonio, Texas today. This is my first time to this city. We arrived around 3:30 p.m. at the Emily Morgan Hotel, got to love priceline. We are located directly across the street from the Alamo and 2 blocks or so from the Riverwalk. It is hot and humid here. We haven't had time to tour the Alamo, but will do so in the morning before heading to Lake Charles, La tomorrow afternoon. Bro. George chose to stay inside tonight due to a little sickness, while I wandered down the Riverwalk. I had some Texas BBQ at The County Line. Ribs, brisket, and some sausage with some sweet tea! AWESOME! I would definitely eat there again! It has been a nice, chill night and much needed. Looking forward to spending the weekend in Lake Charles.