We left PA Thursday about noon, and really drove hard till Sabbath.
 We stayed Friday evening just east of Kansas City and really relaxed.  We took some time for reading and study and then headed for the National Grasslands.  We walked through the amber rolling grassy hills and then took in a bus tour with a ranger who really knew a lot about the prairie.  He showed us many different plants.  One plant was a gum weed, you rub the sticky sap of this aromatic plant into your hands as a balm.  We saw wild bison, small bird nests built into the grass and learned about prairie life, history and about how they have returned this prairie area back to it's original state.
 We then camped at a remote lake in the prairie.  It was primitive but beautiful.  The night sky was so awesome I cried.  One could easily see the milky way, Jupiter and numerous satellites trailing across  the sky.
Today we traveled slowly west only covering about 150 miles. We stopped outside of Great Bend, KS at Pawnee Rock, a historical out cropping. Many traveling the Santa Fe Trail stopped at this rocky bluff to take in the view and carved their names into the rock.  Bruce enjoyed this historical land mark, but I was really hurting from so much riding. So we stopped early to rest and recover.
Tomorrow we hope to head west again, we hope to make it to Scott State Park and Lake to camp tomorrow.  I remember this area to be a bit creepy. But Bruce is adventurous and determined.
I hope you are enjoying the beautiful fall weather too!

Celebration 2010

The Celebration week started Wed. evening with a meet and greet.  I had picked up Martha earlier that day, she accompanied me to physical therapy, earlier we stopped for a nice breakfast at Cracker Barrel and a craft shop in Spry.
Thursday services began at 1:30 with Joe Kirkpatrick giving a message about grace.  Many enjoyed an evening out to a local restaurant and good fellowship was had by all and at Bob and Beverly's home  in their beautiful spacious garden like yard later.
Friday evening we had a service by candle light and sang songs and read scripture from Rev. 1:5-8.  It shows the history, presence and future of Christ our Savoir and King.  Martha was able to lead with me and the congregation sang with all their hearts, it was a very moving service!
Sabbath morning we were able to sleep in a little as the worship service did not start until 3pm, with bible study before that at 1:30pm. Mike Joseph shared a visual, hands on, lesson with the children about God's holy kingdom.  Bruce gave the message about our temporal bodies and how we can look forward to the day when our permanent perfect bodies live with Christ eternally.   We spent the rest of the day fellowshipping and sharing a meal of soup and subs.
Sunday we met at the church to hear a very stirring message from Calvin Burrell on loving one another.  We then enjoyed a picnic, at a near by lake, and much more fellowship.
Monday we joined early(7AM) for a trip to Washington DC.  We rode the Metro subway into DC, and arrived in the mall area where we split up to see the various museums.  We took in an IMAX of the ocean only to have many tired ones take a $7 nap.  We met to return to the metro at 7-7:30pm, a very tired group.  Dinner was at 9pm at a Cracker Barrel (ready to close).  We arrive home around midnight exhausted.
Wayne Hrenyk had Bruce and I take him to Gettysburg, wed. morning and then we showed him around Harrisburg.  We shared dinner with about ten others at Olive Garden and then returned for services at 7pm.  Wayne spoke with a heavy heart about our need to reach our loved ones who still resist Christ.  He seemed to struggle to reach us but as he had us break up into groups later and pray, it was evident he had certainly hit a chord in our hearts as we implored the Lord for help in reaching the unsaved. Even the children, which I had the pleasure to pray with, were excited about praying for those they know who are not believers.
Thurday we closed out the celebration time with a sermon from Robert Wertz.  Bob's sermon built on Wayne's plea to reach our loved one for Christ as he shared his heavy heart over the loved ones he had  recently lost who did not know the Lord.  He took us to scriptures which beautifully show the awesome throne of God and then he said, " Now don't keep this to your self, share it!"
We then joined together for a meal,  as we recounted the weeks messages and happenings and we left with both joy( for what we had shared) and sadness(as we wished it were not over) and we went our own ways to live what we had learned.

Everyone is doing well and have all recovered from the cold bug.
Abby is in need of a car after being slammed in the rear while delivering an edible arrangement, her car was totaled but she is fine. God certainly can be thanked for his protection.
Bruce is continuing to do well, but has very little work. Daniel will soon be leaving to join Kelsi in TX., it is where he needs to be but it breaks my heart to see them both go.
Hannah just received employment at a head start program in Harrisburg.  She is really hating the idea of sending Josiah to a daycare.
Anna and Sarah seem to be adjusting to their new schools and doing well.
My mother was bit again by a Lymes caring insect and is back on an antibiotic, she has already gone through along bout with Lymes disease. Her body often reacts negatively to the antibiotics.  She could really use your prayers for a full and quick recovery.

What a weekend!  We had a very nice turn out for Trumpets service with CPA COG on Thursday.  However, I felt a bit wiped out from an incident Wednesday evening.  Josiah had caught a cold and I was to watch him while Hannah went to volley ball.  Not long after she left, Josiah seemed to look poorly.  I took him in to change his diaper and when I turned around to get a clean diaper he began to have breathing difficulty.  I picked him up, without the diaper on to see if an upright  position would help.  His eyes were now encircled with a blotchy sort of redness and his face looked quite pink.  He pushed at his nose and started to stuggle to breath. Then to my surprise he closed his eyes and went limp in my arms.  I was extremely upset, I screamed for Bruce as I ran the baby outside for fresh air.  As I ran through the living room Abby saw Josiah and immediately called 911.  When I got outside he slowly came out of his faint and began to look himself.  The paramedics checked him over and suggested we take him to Hershey Med. so we did and he was given an inhaler,we were told to suction his nose and use saline mist.  He is much better now. Still gets rash like blotches and is still congested, so Hannah is taking him to see Dr. Matsko today.
Friday was very busy as well, I am continuing physical therapy which takes quite a chunk out of my morning.  After therapy we had a graveside service for Bob Sumner.  It was a pleasant service until the beautiful box Bonnie made for Bob's ashes would not fit in the tiled hole in the mausoleum.  So a worker there cut it to make it fit.
Afterwards we rushed off for the Delaware Seashore and Chanda Stine's wedding.  We arrived in time to go to bed.  Saturday morning the kids and I went to the beach and to the spot where the wedding was to be held, while Bruce worked on his message for Sunday's memorial service.
We had some fun with the little ones, playing in the sand and swimming. Daniel and Johnny worked very hard at setting up and so when they would get a break they would play with Anna and Tristen in the water or on the sand.  I really enjoyed watching them!  By the time the wedding was to start the boys and Hannah, Kelsi and Kelly really worked hard to set up and then when it was all over, tear it all back down.  A park ranger had come by saying we couldn't set up on the beach till right before the start (which was supposed to be at 5pm) and that everyone must be out by 7:30pm sunset.  Well the wedding party didn't even arrive till almost 6:30.  But the day was blessed despite the troubles, everyone was beautiful, the decorations were outstanding and the food was top notch!
We all stayed and help clean up in a hurry, worrying the ranger would come by and grouch.  We were done by 10-10:30pm and headed back to our room, very tired.  On the drive back Bruce decided to not stay the night but head home immediately.  So we arrive back home about1-2AM.
The next morning flew by as we prepared for Bob Sumner's memorial service for 2pm. It turned out to be a beautiful service as we were able to see some dear ones we have not  seen in  a long time!  The blue grass band Ben Sumner asked to play for the service  were outstanding and everything went very well.  Ben's restaurant catered a very good meal afterwards and all went home by 6pm.  Boy were we ever exhausted, so we slept very well!
I hope your week ahead is one full of God's hands in the many things you do.

Many have colds here at the Chesney household.  Sam was told by Dr. Matsko that he has bronchitis and was given an antibiotic.  He was having trouble breathing, it scared me a little.  Anna seemed to have brought the virus home from school. It spreads fast and almost everyone, even Bruce, and little Josiah have it, except me, ...yet...thankfully!
I saw the second surgeon for the second time yesterday, he has scheduled surgery for the 27th of October, three days after I return from Colorado.  He wants to remove 2 dicks and fuse them with bone material and plate.  He said three should be done but the fusion would not work as well and he seemed to be thinking that down the road after these heal - of possibly doing the third.  He also said it will not relieve all the neck pain as there is much arthritis in the neck.
The blood test results for auto immune diseases (Anti-TPO) came back high.  The reference level should be below 35 and mine was above 300.   So the doc is sending me to an endocrinologist.  At least I am making some headway to finding why I am so plagued with illness and joint trouble.
Tomorrow is Trumpet services, looking forward to that, Martha plans to join us and the kids are to sing two songs. Then, Friday we are to help with Bob Sumner's graveside service and then we plan to head to Delaware from our nieces wedding on Saturday.  The we must be back home by 1PM Sunday for a long memorial service for Bob Sumner and a meal for family and friends.  So.... I hope we all feel well enough for all that is planned.  It is all in the Master's hands and all that we plan matters nothing if the Lord's will is not in it.
Love to you all!

Had a really nice hike down and then back up Rickett's Glen waterfalls today with Bruce and the kids.  We really enjoyed the hike down, but I seriously thought Bruce and I were not going to make it back up.  The kids went on ahead as Bruce slowed his pace for me.  But soon I thought he wasn't going to make it.  We both were lightheaded and exhausted from the climb.  The kid's said they would start the grill, back at the lake till we got there.  Well, Bruce and I took a wrong turn and added another mile or more to our climb back up to the parking lot.  The hamburgers were cooked and the kids were worried.  They were pulling the van out to look for us as we walked into the parking lot.
Over all it turned out to be really nice, but boy are we sore!

Harvested my grapes this week and made grape juice.  Enjoyed a great visit with my parents and Martha, Thursday.  Anna began school on Monday.  She was happy after school Monday, but after school on Tuesday she hated school and never wanted to go back.  A little girl told her she did a lousy job on a teddy bear creation Anna made.  At home we all praise Anna for her art work and this was quite a shock for her.  She is learning a bit about the real world and it's cruel honesty and insensitivity to other's feelings.
Bruce finished cancer treatments Thursday and he is doing great!  He will not know if he is cancer free for 6 months or more.
I still need to meet with an orthopedic surgeon Tuesday before I make a decision about cervical spine surgery.  I am scheduled to have two disks removed November 8th at Hershey Medical, Penn State hospital.  But I am still not sure this is the best thing for me, so I am consulting with a second surgeon.
I hope your Labor Day weekend is restful and full of family and friends!