Hey everyone,
Greetings from Illinois.
We are currently in Belleville, just across the river from St. Louis.
Many of you have heard about all the flooding in the Midwest, and we have been affected by some of it.
Last Saturday, we drove from Northern Indiana to Terre Haute. It was on the day they had a bunch of rain. Interstate 70 was shut down and what was supposed to be a 3 1/2 hour drive for us turned into a 7 1/2 hour drive. The last forty miles or so took us four hours! To make matters worse, our A/C on the bus is out right now and it was an extremely hot day. Now, if we are moving at a good pace on the interstate or whatever, there is at least a little bit of air moving through the bus. But that last four hours, there was no air movement at all. It was pretty miserable, to say the least. But we made it.
We were scheduled to perform in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, next week, but had to cancel that concert because of the flooding there. Sounds like it's pretty bad there. Five hundred city blocks were under water, according to the news reports that I read.
Another subject... a couple of weeks ago, on Memorial Day weekend, we had a big fundraiser softball tournament in Lancaster, PA, my home area. The action started on a Friday afternoon around 1:00 and there were games until 10:00 that night. Saturday morning, they were back at it around 8:00 and the tournament ended around 9:00 that night. There were eighteen teams from four different states. It was a a lot of fun. I even got to play a couple of games with a team from Ohio who needed a fill-in player. I went 3 for 5 with two doubles! Not bad for not having played for almost a year and not much at all for the past three years. Well, so much for my bragging. All day long on both days, we had concession stands set up with hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, pig roast sandwiches, and all kinds of other stuff. Then, on Sunday morning, the choir did a concert at a construction company's shop and the choir's Indian leaders cooked up a big Indian meal. That was still all part of the fundraiser. It was a great weekend. All of the proceeds went to famine relief in Northeast India. The tournament and related events brought in $17,000!
That following week, we performed at local fire hall there in Lancaster, and in four concerts raised another $10,000 for famine relief!
Since then we have been working our way west through Ohio, Indiana, and now Illinois.
Keep praying for us.
Michael
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Friday, May 16, 2008
Random Stuff and Mother's Day
Hey everyone,
It's been awhile since I checked in here, but here I am!
Right now we are in Damascus, Ohio for just one night of hosting to break up a drive from Central PA to Toledo, Ohio. We were here in Damascus a few weeks ago for a concert. This is an area that we are in every year and we know the people here very well, so it worked great to come back for one night.
Earlier this week we got to spend a few days with my family at a cabin in Central PA. It is a large cabin that my family vacations at quite a bit and, since we had a concert in the area on Wednesday night, we spent from Sunday night to Tuesday afternoon there. It rained all day Monday, so we stayed inside and watched movies (Alvin and the Chipmunks about 5 times) and played games. On Tuesday, it was nice, but still very wet, so again most of the time was spent inside. The boys did start playing baseball in the yard and it soon turned into a game up mudball.
Since Sunday was Mother's Day, and I had not seen my mom on Mother's Day for three or four years, I decided to try to make it special. On Saturday, I stopped at a flower shop and bought two dozen roses. As the kids got off the bus at the cabin on Sunday, I had them each take a rose and give it to my mom and say Happy Mother's Day. It was pretty neat.
See ya next time,
Michael Esh
It's been awhile since I checked in here, but here I am!
Right now we are in Damascus, Ohio for just one night of hosting to break up a drive from Central PA to Toledo, Ohio. We were here in Damascus a few weeks ago for a concert. This is an area that we are in every year and we know the people here very well, so it worked great to come back for one night.
Earlier this week we got to spend a few days with my family at a cabin in Central PA. It is a large cabin that my family vacations at quite a bit and, since we had a concert in the area on Wednesday night, we spent from Sunday night to Tuesday afternoon there. It rained all day Monday, so we stayed inside and watched movies (Alvin and the Chipmunks about 5 times) and played games. On Tuesday, it was nice, but still very wet, so again most of the time was spent inside. The boys did start playing baseball in the yard and it soon turned into a game up mudball.
Since Sunday was Mother's Day, and I had not seen my mom on Mother's Day for three or four years, I decided to try to make it special. On Saturday, I stopped at a flower shop and bought two dozen roses. As the kids got off the bus at the cabin on Sunday, I had them each take a rose and give it to my mom and say Happy Mother's Day. It was pretty neat.
See ya next time,
Michael Esh
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Hey everyone,
It's vacation time!! At least for us it is. We are currently in southern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, at a Christian retreat center called Camp Andrews.
We got here yesterday and have been having a lot of fun eating good old Indian food, playing games, and letting the kids be kids for a couple of days.
Last night we had a talent show where the kids dressed up and took turns singing and dancing. Today we did the zip line here at the camp. First you put on a harness and then attach it to a cable with a pulley. The cable is a couple hundred yards long and after you jump off the platform... away you go. A lot of fun. Video clips will be on www.hearthunters.org shortly. Be sure to check them out.
Tonight we have a ventriloquist coming in to entertain the kids for a few hours. And then ice cream is on the menu later.
And I'm home! Back in good old Lancaster County, PA. That is home for me... where I was born and raised.
That's all for now.
Until next time,
Michael
It's vacation time!! At least for us it is. We are currently in southern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, at a Christian retreat center called Camp Andrews.
We got here yesterday and have been having a lot of fun eating good old Indian food, playing games, and letting the kids be kids for a couple of days.
Last night we had a talent show where the kids dressed up and took turns singing and dancing. Today we did the zip line here at the camp. First you put on a harness and then attach it to a cable with a pulley. The cable is a couple hundred yards long and after you jump off the platform... away you go. A lot of fun. Video clips will be on www.hearthunters.org shortly. Be sure to check them out.
Tonight we have a ventriloquist coming in to entertain the kids for a few hours. And then ice cream is on the menu later.
And I'm home! Back in good old Lancaster County, PA. That is home for me... where I was born and raised.
That's all for now.
Until next time,
Michael
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Touching Lives
Headhunters to Hearthunters... the name of the musical we perform about six times each week... and a truly amazing story.
You know, this is my third tour. I have heard this musical literally hundreds and hundreds of times. It is very easy for me to get caught up in the technical aspect of it... to hear all the missed notes, etc. But every once in a while, when I really let it sink in, it hits me all over again how incredible this story actually is.
And it touches people all over the United States. Thousands of people each year are moved to tears, not only by the story, but by these precious kids. And they truly are precious. They are not perfect, contrary to what a lot of people seem to think, and we do have our issues sometimes. But I wish every one of you could hear these kids pray and see these kids worship. I have prayed over and over again that I could pray and worship like that. A prayer out of sheer dependence on and blind trust in a God who answers their cry. It is a beautiful thing to see.
Well, we are out of Texas and on to other places. We are currently in Arakansas and making our way toward the Northeast. This week was Spring Break week at a lot of places, so it was slow for us. We actually spent the last few days at a camp here in Arkansas.
The kids have been rehearsing all week, and they are slowly but surely improving in their singing and performing.
Well, I've got a concert to run in exactly six minutes from right now, so that will be all for now.
Until next time,
Michael
You know, this is my third tour. I have heard this musical literally hundreds and hundreds of times. It is very easy for me to get caught up in the technical aspect of it... to hear all the missed notes, etc. But every once in a while, when I really let it sink in, it hits me all over again how incredible this story actually is.
And it touches people all over the United States. Thousands of people each year are moved to tears, not only by the story, but by these precious kids. And they truly are precious. They are not perfect, contrary to what a lot of people seem to think, and we do have our issues sometimes. But I wish every one of you could hear these kids pray and see these kids worship. I have prayed over and over again that I could pray and worship like that. A prayer out of sheer dependence on and blind trust in a God who answers their cry. It is a beautiful thing to see.
Well, we are out of Texas and on to other places. We are currently in Arakansas and making our way toward the Northeast. This week was Spring Break week at a lot of places, so it was slow for us. We actually spent the last few days at a camp here in Arkansas.
The kids have been rehearsing all week, and they are slowly but surely improving in their singing and performing.
Well, I've got a concert to run in exactly six minutes from right now, so that will be all for now.
Until next time,
Michael
Monday, March 10, 2008
Still In Texas
This state is huge. We drive and drive and drive some more, and we're still in Texas. Only another week or so, though, and then we're on to other places.
I'm not complaining, though... we've been having a great time here. Definitely getting a healthy dose of "Southern Hospitality."
We had a good week of concerts and some fun time. On Monday, we got to go to the Houston Livestock Show, courtesy of Rice Temple Baptist Church. We had a great time there seeing all the sights, and I even got to back for the rodeo and the Tim McGraw concert that night! The church gave all of the kids cowboy hats before we went, so we had a big group of "Indian Cowboys."
On Wednesday we were in Galveston, Texas and got to spend a few hours at the beach. The church was only about three blocks from the water, so it was very convenient. Also in Galveston, I got to play a little bit of softball. Yeah! The coed team that my host family is on was short a few players and he knew that I liked softball, so he asked if I wanted to help. It was a little chilly, but a lot of fun!
On Thursday, the choir got to do something very unique. Buddy Griffin, an associate pastor and music teacher at Sagemont Church in Houston, Texas spent the day teaching the choir to play Ukuleles. For those of you who don't know, a ukulele is a Hawaiian instrument that looks like a small guitar. The best part of all was that that he gave all of the kids a ukulele for them to keep. They had a great time, and now with the cowboy hats they got on Monday, and the ukulele they got on Friday, make a great picture. Check out http://www.hearthunters.org/ for some pictures.
Friday, a visit to the Blue Bell Creamery, home of Blue Bell Ice Cream, and on Saturday we visited the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station, Texas.
And then yesterday... an awesome day. We broke the records for sponsors at a church, sponsors at a single service, and sponsors for one day. St. John's Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas... first service, 25 sponsors. Second service... a whopping 48 sponsors! Total for the church, 73! Add another 21 at the evening concert at First Baptist, Bay City, Texas, and we had a total of 94 sponsors in one day! Think of the impact that that could have. Awesome!
Busy week ahead... pray for us!
Michael
I'm not complaining, though... we've been having a great time here. Definitely getting a healthy dose of "Southern Hospitality."
We had a good week of concerts and some fun time. On Monday, we got to go to the Houston Livestock Show, courtesy of Rice Temple Baptist Church. We had a great time there seeing all the sights, and I even got to back for the rodeo and the Tim McGraw concert that night! The church gave all of the kids cowboy hats before we went, so we had a big group of "Indian Cowboys."
On Wednesday we were in Galveston, Texas and got to spend a few hours at the beach. The church was only about three blocks from the water, so it was very convenient. Also in Galveston, I got to play a little bit of softball. Yeah! The coed team that my host family is on was short a few players and he knew that I liked softball, so he asked if I wanted to help. It was a little chilly, but a lot of fun!
On Thursday, the choir got to do something very unique. Buddy Griffin, an associate pastor and music teacher at Sagemont Church in Houston, Texas spent the day teaching the choir to play Ukuleles. For those of you who don't know, a ukulele is a Hawaiian instrument that looks like a small guitar. The best part of all was that that he gave all of the kids a ukulele for them to keep. They had a great time, and now with the cowboy hats they got on Monday, and the ukulele they got on Friday, make a great picture. Check out http://www.hearthunters.org/ for some pictures.
Friday, a visit to the Blue Bell Creamery, home of Blue Bell Ice Cream, and on Saturday we visited the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station, Texas.
And then yesterday... an awesome day. We broke the records for sponsors at a church, sponsors at a single service, and sponsors for one day. St. John's Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas... first service, 25 sponsors. Second service... a whopping 48 sponsors! Total for the church, 73! Add another 21 at the evening concert at First Baptist, Bay City, Texas, and we had a total of 94 sponsors in one day! Think of the impact that that could have. Awesome!
Busy week ahead... pray for us!
Michael
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Deep In The Heart Of Texas
That's where we are... traveling all around the great big state of Texas.
The tour has been going well so far. We have been having some very good concerts and meeting some wonderful people.
This past week was a fairly laid back week. We had two concerts on Sunday and then did rehearsal for a few hours on Monday.
Since we were in San Antonio, we did some sightseeing on Tuesday. The church that we were at on Sunday night hooked us up with free tickets to the IMAX theatre in downtown San Antonio, so we went there and watched The Alamo. Right after that, we walked over and saw the actual Alamo, and then we spent the next few hours on the Riverwalk. We got to eat lunch at a really cool restaurant called the Rainforest Cafe. It was a place full of animated jungle animals that came "alive" every ten minutes or so. You can check out some video footage of that on http://www.hearthunters.org/. It was pretty neat.
On Wednesday, we did some schooling, and then had another concert at night in Corpus Christi, Texas. Thursday, we did some more rehearsal and then went to the beach for a few hours. We did another concert on Thursday night at another church in Corpus. And then on Friday, we did schooling for a few hours and then traveled to Victoria, Texas, where we did another concert on Friday night. Saturday morning, we hung out and played games and ate lunch at the church in Victoria, and then drove on to Houston, where we met our host families for the night. Which brings me to right now... I am laying on my bed writing this post.
Tim is gone for the next few days... visiting family and friends, so that means I have to pull double duty until Thursday, all my normal stuff plus drive the bus. No major big drives, though, so it shouldn't be too bad.
The kids have been doing well... we have been having some rehearsal days to try to knock off some of those remaining rough edges, and they have been improving. Still some rough edges to knock off, but we're getting there.
Keep praying for us.
Later,
Michael
The tour has been going well so far. We have been having some very good concerts and meeting some wonderful people.
This past week was a fairly laid back week. We had two concerts on Sunday and then did rehearsal for a few hours on Monday.
Since we were in San Antonio, we did some sightseeing on Tuesday. The church that we were at on Sunday night hooked us up with free tickets to the IMAX theatre in downtown San Antonio, so we went there and watched The Alamo. Right after that, we walked over and saw the actual Alamo, and then we spent the next few hours on the Riverwalk. We got to eat lunch at a really cool restaurant called the Rainforest Cafe. It was a place full of animated jungle animals that came "alive" every ten minutes or so. You can check out some video footage of that on http://www.hearthunters.org/. It was pretty neat.
On Wednesday, we did some schooling, and then had another concert at night in Corpus Christi, Texas. Thursday, we did some more rehearsal and then went to the beach for a few hours. We did another concert on Thursday night at another church in Corpus. And then on Friday, we did schooling for a few hours and then traveled to Victoria, Texas, where we did another concert on Friday night. Saturday morning, we hung out and played games and ate lunch at the church in Victoria, and then drove on to Houston, where we met our host families for the night. Which brings me to right now... I am laying on my bed writing this post.
Tim is gone for the next few days... visiting family and friends, so that means I have to pull double duty until Thursday, all my normal stuff plus drive the bus. No major big drives, though, so it shouldn't be too bad.
The kids have been doing well... we have been having some rehearsal days to try to knock off some of those remaining rough edges, and they have been improving. Still some rough edges to knock off, but we're getting there.
Keep praying for us.
Later,
Michael
Monday, February 18, 2008
On The Road
We are officially on the road! After spending a few extra weeks in Colorado Springs, because Mesak, one of our boys got sick, we finally started our tour on Friday morning.
Our first performance outside of Colorado Springs was a Euless First Baptist Church... a very large church in the Dallas area. We had 40 new sponsors sign up at the two services there! Very exciting for the first service.
School has started, so that keeps the kids busy during the day, and then we have concerts on most nights.
This week's schedule is pretty full... a radio show on Tueday afternoon, and a concert at night, two appearances at Baylor University on Wednesday, with another concert that night, and then a few more the rest of the week.
Keep us in your prayers.
Our first performance outside of Colorado Springs was a Euless First Baptist Church... a very large church in the Dallas area. We had 40 new sponsors sign up at the two services there! Very exciting for the first service.
School has started, so that keeps the kids busy during the day, and then we have concerts on most nights.
This week's schedule is pretty full... a radio show on Tueday afternoon, and a concert at night, two appearances at Baylor University on Wednesday, with another concert that night, and then a few more the rest of the week.
Keep us in your prayers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
