Watching Fireflies

Song for the day: Owl City - Fireflies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psuRGfAaju4

If I forget to say it later, praise God for fireflies. They’re awesome.

Setting out to Charlotte KOA

We’ve had an exciting few days since the last blog and being on the move is beginning to feel normal.
On Friday afternoon we picked up our hire car and had a pretty nervous drive to Walmart with Jimmy learning to drive an automatic on the wrong side of the car and road, while I tried to navigate with pictures on the Ipad of the map route we’d found earlier on google.
Fortunately we made it in one piece and Jimmy was cruising like a pro in no time. We picked up all our camping supplies and headed back to the hotel to sort all it out - with the new Tomtom we picked up guiding us…
 Saturday morning we went down to retry making our own waffles at breakfast and after a tasty maple syrup covered success checked out and headed to the Billy Graham Library – which is much more like a museum but that title doesn’t quite fit.
The effect of Billy Graham and his teams work has rippled through multiple generations and is still very much alive and at work today. He himself is still alive but very elderly and no longer in the public eye, the Billy Graham Evangelical Association is headed up and watched over by his son, Franklin.
The Library tries to focus on what God did through the work of Billy more than Billy himself (he never even wanted his name in the title of the Association) but he is just such an incredible guy with a unique life story that it can’t help but be about him in the most part. You learn about his upbringing as a farmhand in Charlotte and his conversion when Mordecai Ham rolled through town. Then onto his bible college education and how he met and married his wife Ruth (I’ll get to her later – she’s in a league of her own). After that he had a short time working in a church with lots of other speaking engagements before he took advantage of the new technology and started broadcasting on radio. Youth for Christ was also launched and he travelled all over the USA.

Letters sent to Billy Graham from all over the world.

Then came the LA Crusade, booked for three weeks but it ran for eight! From there Billy Graham was a household name and the crusades spread everywhere, to every country and tongue, broadcasted and recorded for television and radio. He and the team we’re the first religious organisations allowed behind the Iron Curtain! The stories, pictures, memorabilia, keepsakes, honours and awards are so humbling to see what God has done through a good and faithful servant. And by this I mean Billy, his family and his whole team, for he couldn't have done it without them. He befriended, counselled and prayed with no less then eleven US Presidents and took tea with Margaret Thatcher… What more can I say? God was with him every step of the way.

Ruth Bell Graham was an amazing woman, wife, mother and friend. It seems she had a brilliant sense of humour and a courageous faith. Whenever Billy went away on mission she kissed him goodbye and prayed him through each trip, writing him letters continuously. She had to play both role of the parents to their five children while he was away and they have all grown up with love for Christ and have gone into ministry work. She appears to have had the biggest beautiful heart I have ever known, and still was just as real as the rest of us. If I were ever to have an idol, it would be her. I was humbled to sit at her grave and know her race is done and she is with the Lord. Her grave stone reads “End of construction – Thank you for your patience.” – A sign she once saw when driving down a highway.
I could go on about the Library all day, the whole experience is flawless. But if you can’t get there I suggest you read this book: Billy Graham Autobiography, Just As I Am.
 Next! We went on to find the Charlotte/Fort Mill KOA and setup our tent and camping equipment for the first time. All very exciting and pretty successful. The second it was done Jimmy was in the pool! Finally he got out and we made quick dinner.

While I was finishing the cooking I looked up at the trees and almost knocked the whole camp stove over as

Dinner at Charlotte KOA

I called for Jimmy. Somehow I had forgotten about fireflies up until the moment I saw one dart though the trees just a few yards away from our tent. I only saw them once or twice on my travels here last time but here the South they are everywhere. Each night around twilight they begin to flash and dance in the foliage all around. We both sit fascinated and watch this natural light show play out. We watched for ages and laughed at the thought of God just plain showing off with this bit of creation. These tiny little bugs that would look like any other, but they have a mini light bulb stuck on the end that glows! It’s one of our favourite parts of the whole trip!

Outside Elevation Church - Matthews

Sunday 29^th was also a great day! We went to two Elevation Church Services, morning and evening, to get a feel for how they work in different locations. We often listen to their lead pastor Steven Furtick online but he was away on a break. At Elevation Matthews we heard Tim Fara and Elevation Blakeney, Chris Allan. Both were excellent speakers. They are just finishing a series called ‘Your Verse’ which they spoke on their favourite verse and explained them. The whole way Church is ‘done’ at Elevation is very different to how we know it in the UK but a really good kind of different. There is absolutely no way you can walk in and out of a service with being greeted at least once, we had interacted with at least four e-team members before we’d even sat down and felt so welcome. The music was so loud you couldn’t hear much congregation singing but that made you feel you could sing and praise as loud as you like because no one could hear you. None of the musicians had music stands, it was all memorised. The preaching was Christ centred and genuine. There are a lot of things we took away from Elevation and intend to use in the future – including our free t-shirts

J Quick note to say that in between the two services we found a place nearby called Squirrel Lake Park to eat our lunch and had a beautiful nature walk with lots of photo opportunities. Plus, a goat on a leash. Is this normal in the States?

Home again to our tent for the night and Jimmy made some exemplary omelettes for dinner and I introduced

Smores with a Cadbury twist.

him with Smores  - English style!

Monday was lie in and laundry day followed by a cheap twilight entry to Carowinds Theme Park. As the crowds faded out it only took us three hours to blast through all the major rides before a storm came in and they had to shut them down. We made it back to the car just in time! If you’re ever in Charlotte, stop by Carowinds, it’s Alton Towers on steroids.

Yesterday we packed everything up in the car and bid farewell to Charlotte as we wove through the Smoky Mountains into Tennessee and arrived in the afternoon to stay with the relations of a family from our home church back in England. They have all been so welcoming and generous with their home and time. They also invited their pastor and his wife over for dinner so we could meet and chat to them. This afternoon we are going to their church for Jimmy to speak to their high school age youth group and the pastor is bringing his home group in as well. Should be exciting!

Oh and also, last night we ran around the garden with the kids catching fireflies!

There’s things I've missed out but this essay is big enough. Tomorrow it’s Nashville, just in time for 4^th July celebrations!

Love to you all,
J&J  x

Viewpoint on the way to Johnson City.

 
Romans 8:14-17
 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.