In The Midst of It All

Beverly sent this to me and asked me to post it for you to read. 

             God’s presence is still surrounding us with His unfaltering love, by providing multiple avenues of evidence that Trust Quartet is still chosen to travel on, ministering through song and preaching.  We have been very busy this season with many concerts on the schedule.  We are thankful for all our friends and neighbors and full time residents, and our northern/southern friends who are here on winter break, who keep us encouraged by attending our concerts and supporting us monetarily. With neither, we would not be able to continue on the road. God is still providing in all areas and by listing below just a few you will get the idea of what we are experiencing.  

            First, Spence was called upon to preach after one of our scheduled concerts, and the spirit of the Lord walked right in and controlled the service from beginning to ending.  Buzz is always kidding about having two preachers on the bus, Steve and Spence.  Well, let’s just say, it is the most rewarding, refreshing and fulfilling time of fellowship we could ever share, because Jeff is never without a question or statement that gets the “ball rolling” for a good “ole time” Bible Study. Okay, we have Baptist, Church of God, Assembly of God, and often times we switch to non-denominational so that we can get down to the “nitty-gritty” of what God is teaching us through His Word.

            On our way to LaBelle, FL we stopped at a local convenience store to meet up with Steve and there was a hitchhiker standing on the corner when Buzz turned into the driveway and made the statement that we should pick him up.  We all laughed because we really thought he was kidding.  Buzz just does not do something like that, ever!  After Steve got on the bus we were turning to go on our way and Buzz again said we should pick him up. He asked for a survey of yeas and nays, if everyone was okay with it.  It was unanimous to pick him up!!! Jeff had gotten behind the wheel and Buzz was in the buddy seat.  Jeff stopped and opened the door, and they asked him where he was going and he wanted to know what it would cost, since we were in the bus.  Buzz said a thousand dollars but he could ride with us anyway.  They asked him where he was going and he said La Belle. Well, we all laughed because that was exactly the direction we were headed.  Of course we were all a little anxious, but in conversation we found that he was a person who had, and still is, experiencing many problems. With over an hour of conversation we all felt overwhelmed with what had transpired, not only with him asking us to call his mom to let her know he was okay, but praying and thanking God for allowing him to be with a group of Christians.  Earlier, before leaving we had made sandwiches and had one left over, and for some unknown reason even stuffed a napkin into the Ziploc bag with the sandwich.  When we stopped for him to get off, we grabbed the sandwich, a banana, and a bottle of water and gave it to him. He was appreciative, and with a big smile on his face he got off the bus at a park. We waved goodbye to him and went on our way. That was on Saturday evening. We were still about 20 miles from our destination. On Sunday after the morning concert a couple (the same family Steve spoke of in our Trust-Worthy News) told us they would like to provide lunch for us and asked us to meet them at the park in La Belle.  You guessed it, the same park where we left our new friend. We all looked for him to still be there but he had left.  We will always remember him, and pray that he finds life with the Lord worthwhile.              

            Believe me, there are no real complaints to speak of, but when on the road on the weekends with a heavy schedule, a heavy workload on our daily jobs, family, homes, and just everyday responsibility the load seems too heavy to lift…

            Buzz picked up his phone one evening recently and found he had a message that had been there since morning. He listened for a couple of minutes and then turned with such a startled expression on his face I was sure there was something wrong. He then handed me the phone and said, “Listen to this”!  A gentleman from out of state said he had come across our website and liked what he read. He said he did not know us, but God had laid it upon his heart to call and encourage us to continue in our ministry, and not give up because he knew it was tough. He went on for several minutes with encouraging words while Buzz and I just stood there with tears flowing.

            We received a beautiful card a few days ago full of encouragement from a couple who have been true friends with Trust and they never fail to let us know how much they love us. They have gone to their summer home now but we are already planning for their return so we can see their fantastic smiles. We love them, too.

            We attended a Mark Trammell Quartet concert last evening, Awesome!  We are a little prejudice since we have known Mark for many years and had opportunity to visit with him after the concert and give him a copy of our latest project “Going Home”.  Yeah, as Steve says, when we aren’t singing we are on our way to hear someone else sing! Anyway, Mark, in his talking spoke of being a preacher’s son, and now he is a preacher, and oftentimes the load becomes “too heavy to lift”. He extended encouragement to anyone in the audience who was in a ministry to basically; keep on keeping on, In The Midst of It ALL!