Adventures in Arizona

We are having a wonderful time in Arizona. It has warmed up and the children are loving the sunny weather and have been taking advantage of the outdoors! It is a joy to see them having so much fun. We are enjoying the sweet people we've met and are so excited to see the LORD work and move on our behalf. What an adventure it is to be following the LORD!

We got to take a family tour through the cute town of Wickenburg! We took turns reading about the different points of interest and asked questions along the way! It was a lot of fun.

Mr. Krell brings much joy and laughter to each day! :) Even posing for many pictures.

The GUYS

The LORD continues to patiently teach me His ways. Sometimes I am a slow learner, but God knows that we are but dust (For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.” ~Psalm 103:14) and is so gracious and gentle with His people. This reminds me of how Isaiah described God – “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.” ~Isaiah 40:11 I praise the LORD for His mercies that endure forever.

We all enjoyed some outdoor time in the sun, and since we forgot the lawn chairs, the back of the pickup was a great family chair! :)

Emily also enjoyed her book in the beautiful outdoors! We are thankful to experience the Arizona weather.

Eight of us got to enjoy a local farmer's market down the road. We found some delicious fresh fruits and veggies! What a blessing.

– will I trust that the LORD has a purpose for all the little irritations that would be so easy to complain about? Know that all these things will grow my character and reliance on God. I have a few examples to share, because this is very real in my life. The other day, (in a somewhat small living space, it’s amazing how easy it is to lose something!), I lost my toothbrush… and I enjoy having fresh breath and clean teeth! I was not happy about losing this little tool, and I knew that in a few days, we could stop by somewhere to get one, but I really desired to have clean teeth then. So I was tempted to complain about this, but then the LORD reminded me to GIVE THANKS! Now, this seems like a very small thing to me, getting flustered about a silly toothbrush, but IN the circumstance right then, little things can seem quite big! James and Philippians come to mind. “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” ~James 1:2-4 Now, it was hardly a “trail” comparatively, but even the smallest things we encounter are conquered BY the Words of God! He gives us a way out and teaches us how to respond to daily trials. “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” ~Philippians 4:4-7 I gave thanks… and not even 2 minutes later, I found my toothbrush and was so thankful. I was meditating on these circumstances the LORD continues to bring to my attention, and I am realizing that He is giving me opportunity to CALL OUT to Him for help.

Each of the children made their own mini campfires and invited the sisters to enjoy a "meal" with them! :)

Greg has been giving me continual help on my new camera. He is full of wonderful advice and is patiently teaching me little by little. What a great blessing to be able to spend more time with my dear brother!

Mom and the girls before a program.

Hannah has learned so much being our sale's lady! She interacts so well with many people and even has sold a couple of her own bracelets! 

Sam has done a great job introducing our family before each program. "Howdy, folks!..."

Daddy has enjoyed playing his little solo on the bass! What an incredible Daddy I have!

I was reading in Hebrews this morning and was greatly encouraged by these verses: "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."                 ~ Hebrews 12:1-2

Then I went to Philippians from there: "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." ~Philippians 3:13-14

Mr. Krell, carrying his instruments back to his trailer. (Duct tape is one if his favorite tools!)

We've had the privilege of meeting several sets of twins on this trip - that's been a lot of fun, especially as we've experienced the joys of these precious little ones in our family.

We were so blessed to see the E. family during one of our free nights here in AZ! That was a lot of fun and we were very refreshed by the fellowship of like-minded believers. What a joy.

Leah continues to wiggle her teeth. She's excited to lose her two front teeth. She's growing up...

Mom and I were walking yesterday, and talking about how fast we as people come to the end of ourselves. We try to do so many things on our own, but then when a trouble comes, we get discouraged and despair and lose hope. When will we remember to roll the burdens we so quickly take upon ourselves onto Jesus who told us to? “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” ~Matthew 11:28-30 God doesn’t say how small a burden – ANYTHING troubling our souls He offers to take upon Himself. We then experience true peace when we have learned to LET GO! “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.” ~Isaiah 26:3-4

What an incredible blessing this was! Our dear friend from last year that adopted us in Tucson (we've kept up with him throughout the year) surprised us by showing up at our trailer door that morning! We were just getting lunch, and we heard a knock on the door - and here was our friend! :) He has so blessed our family and we were excited he was able to come to our program that afternoon at "Desert Gardens". Leah stayed on his lap almost the whole time.

We arrived at this location, only a few blocks down... and we were all wondering why we were here... there was a white tent out in the middle of NO WHERE - a truck to the one side, but the rest was a whole desert full of dust - not a single person around. I was praying, "LORD, why are we here? Thank you for the purposes You have for us... We will trust you!" Mom called the lady in charge and as she was on the phone, another lady drove up, only to show us to a new location where the people began to pull up their chairs and almost all of them stayed the WHOLE 2 1/2 hours! That turned out to be a huge blessing and we met some dear people. Praise God! He knew exactly why we were there.

Sam and Bekah did a great job on their duet. I am impressed how they have grown from last year - even when they have messed up and had to start over, instead of returning to their seats in tears, they come back smiling and laughing! :)

Mr. Krell loves to pose for me. What a cooperative photo subject! :)

Almost the whole family - Daddy was busy talking to some people around the corner. What a special treat.

"When you're smiling, when you're smiling, the whole world smiles with me..."

God knows EXACTLY what we need! “But my God shall supply all your need according to his ruches in glory by Christ Jesus” ~Philippians 4:19 I had to use this verse again, because it is SO true! God has given us incredible traveling mercies! And His timing is always perfect. We did not have a program scheduled on Saturday all day, which was unusual, because Saturdays are almost always the busiest days expected. But for some reason, we didn’t have anything scheduled on this day. We soon found out what this reason was. Mr. Krell’s motor home didn’t have any trouble getting down here, but at the 3^rd or 4^th RV park we stopped at, his motor home decided to stop as well. But the amazing part is that we didn’t have to play at any RV park that was more than 15 minutes away, and we had Dad’s truck that we could haul his bass and other instruments around. Then on Saturday, Dad, Greg and Mr. Krell worked together for 5 HOURS to get a new starter in his motor home. This is what the problem was (and with all of Dad’s previous experience of YESRS under combines and trucks, fixing hundreds of problems) and my Daddy did an incredible job putting it all back together! We needed this 5 hours to fix it, and the park we were staying at graciously let us stay a few extra hours before moving to our next destination 2 hours away! God is so good, and we didn’t have to rush around and prepare for a program that evening. Praise the LORD for His timing and giving my dad the skills that still continue to be used.

Although it's hard to see, we girls had a fun challenge putting this song together in 2 weeks, each playing each others instruments. :)

This day, we played a total of 4 1/2 hours! I think Leah was tired.

The LORD blessed our family by the park inviting us to a family breakfast of pancakes with strawberries! We got to visit with some of the people who came to our program the night before.

Emily loves helping Leah - what special sisters!

We will update more later. We have another busy evening, playing for 2 hours at the Centennial Community Center out in the middle of the desert. Thank you for your prayers and support. We appreciate you all.

The LORD bless you and may His face shine upon you,
~Dani