Praises – Our ‘family’ in Mississippi; thankful for so many things we take for granted; He is our Jehovah Jireh (our Provider)
Prayers – God’s will and timing; ministry opportunities; safe travels; contractor safety, weather, and completed projects; weight loss and overall health, being fit to serve wherever He sends us
“May the Lord bless you and protect you; may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26 Christian Standard Bible
Hello to our friends, followers, and family:
It always amazes us when we look back and pull our newsletter thoughts together. A month seems so long ago but summarizing it is a great way to feel good about what has been accomplished as well as see where we could have been more effective. We were home on June 1, leveled, water and electric connected, a few things put away, some TV, and early to bed. That first shower after traveling always feels so good, more putting things away, water temperatures reset and treatments done, a trip to the post office for our mail (including breakfast out), groceries, planting of the North Carolina tree (looking very shriveled and sickly), and the final step of connecting the sewer lines to drain the tanks on the 5th; back to normal.
Salty Strings went in many directions this month. We continued with the Booneville Dulcimer Club, enjoying our times of programs in care facilities, the Visitor’s Center, and the fellowship during lunches. There were many extra practice times and getting the instruments back in tune following humid weather and traveling. John attended his first Songwriter’s Workshop, greatly enjoying it, and has almost completed his “homework” of writing a song about an unexpected act of kindness to take back to the group in July. In addition to the jam sessions in Iuka, there is one at a church right down the road that we prepared some double dulcimer tunes for; we were there on their ‘fish and chicken fry’ community outreach night!
John has spent many sweaty hours in the attic this month, very productive hours getting the wiring moved, reconfigured, adding a 3-way switch, getting junction boxes in for outlets and switches, and has about two more trips in the heat to get it finished up. He also spent a morning in the church attic running thermostat wires – cooked to well done more than once this month. He got new glasses for mowing and they are working well to keep things from getting in his eyes. He worked at our rental mobile home to get an old furnace vent sealed up and keep it a bit cooler there, and he has cooked a few great breakfasts of hash browns and eggs with veggies, a real treat for Connie.
Connie began the month with research and ordering a new printer that arrived and ended up being broken; it was returned a few days later. In the meantime, we purchased a different brand with mixed reviews for printing CDs; got that unpacked to find it did not print CDs so it was returned and another printer ordered. Finally, on the 16th our new printer arrived and was set up; ready to print in beautiful color the newsletters that we mail every month and a great test CD. Another successful project was working on our toilet flap/ring and getting it to seal again. Some scraping, scrubbing, soaking with vinegar and toilet cleaner, along with prayers and patience brought a much better flushing experience! Connie mixed some cosmos seeds from Illinois with top soil and scattered them on the berm for a bit of color now, and she cleaned all the filters and chemically treated our swim spa and hot tub. She woke early one morning starting our toaster oven for some baking, made a few dozen deviled eggs and a pot of spaghetti for various potlucks, and got our procedure down for fresh hash browns. The month ended with some research and attempts to get our recorded songs with samples available for donation through our web site – no success yet but frustrated enough to hire someone!
There were several shopping trips and returns this month including window blinds and a printer. We enjoy having Sunday lunch at Captain D’s (good senior specials) and decided to try again, arriving later to avoid the rush. We did some shopping first, arrived around 1:30, waited 15 minutes in the order line, left and walked next door to Arby’s. No line, ordered, and were done eating by 2:15, with the same people still in line next door. We had a fun shopping blessing using our over-the-counter health product money that expires every three months; $150 free supplements and covered groceries. It took some time and lots of bar scans but we survived. Of course, there were mornings we slept in and some ‘lack of energy’ days with a lot of TV shows and a few movies.
During our May travels Connie spotted some red clover and rabbit’s foot clover so she ordered some seeds but has not cleared the area along the bottom of the berm yet. She needs to decide which clover will be in front, get some cooler weather, and get it planted for a border of sorts at the bottom of the wild flower berm. Lots of ideas but no ambition!! John put together his Father’s Day porch “rocking” chair with no arms, but hasn’t enjoyed it yet with all the heat and humidity. We finally made more detailed plans for our August/September travels, have some specific dates, and will be making some church contacts for ministry opportunities. Connie received word that her sister (Karen) was coming home in hospice care after a 9-day hospital stay. We will be making a short trip to northern Illinois for a visit, July 9-17, then will be close by when we’re in Wisconsin in August.
John found a great mobile RV service that came one morning and cleaned both roof a/c units along with trouble shooting some of our other concerns. Good news, some pointers for awning operation; bad news, some roof sealing is needed so they will be coming back again. We finally decided to get a cover lift for our hot tub, a trial to see how easy they work and what we would need for the big covers. It arrived the end of the month and it took us 2 days to figure out how to assemble it to work!
You know a really bad day, the kind where nothing goes right no matter what you try – Connie had one. The printer came broken, the window blinds were too wide, and she attempted to do laundry but only had soap for one load! Character building to say the least. She did help in the multi-purpose room with the wiring and blinds once we had the right sizes, and was able to modify a clearance $10 blind to work for the door. John did most of the work and framing for the lights and ceiling fan to work on the porch, and he added a pull-chain light in the attic. He also put the plywood back on the swim spa and had a few days of painting the ceiling (scaffold is needed now). We finally found a roof contractor on the 30th and have contracted with a landscaper but all the rain has put them behind, we are hoping to have a sidewalk and other drainage issues fixed by the end of July.
Connie continued to play the keyboard for worship at Journey Church along with the pianist, and we learned a new song for Homecoming Sunday services. Salty Strings shared two songs that afternoon after a wonderful potluck meal, giving the featured group a break. John went to the men’s fellowship morning, and our Wednesday evening study in Revelation continued with lots of interesting conversation. June had five Sundays, meaning Cross Point Church in Iuka has a potluck after their service that focuses on testimony and music – great fellowship as well as us sharing a few songs.
Our big event for the month was being live on the radio. Stress, fear, preparation, anticipation, etc. coming in waves throughout the month! We practiced 5 songs over and over, coming to the conclusion the day before that we were over practiced, as we fumbled and sounded awful. It was an early and long morning, but we made it through the interview and songs with several good comments. We were glad radio waves don’t carry images.
We enjoyed (mostly) lots of swimming this month. John will still use the hot tub but Connie gets too over heated for that. Our swim spa needs some repairs; it now has a running faucet type leak when one pump is on high; warranty service has been contacted but no date has been set. John got a pair of walking poles (hand strap and adjustable height) that he uses when he walks around the woods rather than warped pieces of wood; they are lighter in weight and come in handy for clearing cob webs! Several times he has returned with spider/bug bites or a tick. Connie will occasionally walk around the driveways or to the mail box in the evenings, but usually the heat keeps her inside. We noted a few apples and lots of pears this year, but we haven’t decided if these are real fruit trees or ornamental. We will have to learn about spraying if we want any edible fruit. John has started to do some exercises between swim days, we have been watching our diet better, eating more vegetables and taking some supplements, but our weights are about the same. (Two potlucks, four date nights, a hot dog roast here, and a few spur-of-the-moment invites surely contributed to the outcome.)
June weather was difficult across the US, extreme storms, rain, winds, etc. No different here in northeast Mississippi. Connie kept saying (hoping) this was unusually hot and humid for June but kept hearing “no, this is normal.” Hot, very hot, hot and humid, a week of excessive heat warnings, and muggy were frequently used in her journaling for the month. Of the 20 days she noted weather, 12 of them included rain, heavy rain, and thunder storms. One downpour was so heavy we pulled off the highway and several times we couldn’t hear the TV as it beat on our RV roof. Another storm brought a few thumps to the roof, likely 2-3” chunks of smaller tree branches. Three-weeks in a row on our drive home after ‘Friday date night’ there were rainbows, 2 double and 1 single; so beautiful to see and to reflect on God’s promise shown with a rainbow! (Genesis 9:8-17 “I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.” Vs 13)
DEVOTION THOUGHTS THIS MONTH:
** The reality of a “new normal” is what you progressively experience while the Lord is shaping you into His new creation. As the Lord leads you into experiences that are different and may be uncomfortable, He knows how to refine you and prepare you as a vessel to carry His gospel message.
** We fret over all the problems of life – We forget the One who is Eternal Life. Jesus has always been in existence; there is no starting point for the eternal Son of God. Jesus will always be in existence; there will be no ending point for Jesus.
[Jesus speaking] “So I tell you to believe that you have received the things you ask for in prayer, and God will give them to you.” Mark 11:24 New Century Version
Until next month – thanks for being part of our family!
John and Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry
Contact Information:
Mail: John & Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry
30A Hwy 367
Burnsville, MS 38833
Phone – John 909-336-8910 or Connie 909-336-8912
Email – SaltyStrings@hotmail.com
Facebook – Salty Strings Music Ministry
Web site – SaltyStrings.com
ONLINE DONATIONS via PayPal through our web site
TRAVEL PLANS AND UPCOMING LOCATIONS
- July 9-16 – Travels to Garden Prairie, IL (Rockford area) to be with sister
- July 29, 31 – Travels to Litchfield, IL overnight then to Union Grove, WI
- August 1-24 – SOWER Project, Union Grove, WI; friends and family
- August 25-September 24 – Travel Clinton, Illinois area, family, volunteer work, music
- September – Hopeful visits Litchfield, Carlinville, Macomb, IL and Kirksville, MO