The Salt Shaker

 “It is good to praise the Lord and make music to Your name, O Most High, proclaiming Your love in the morning and Your faithfulness at night, to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp.  For You make me glad by your deeds, Lord; I sing for joy at what your hands have done.”  Psalm 92:1-4

Greetings to our families, friends, and followers:

Praises –Safe travel without any incidence from Texas to Illinois; ability and strength to do hard work without back or foot problems; projects that feed us, what a blessing to our budget; for all our prayer partners and supporters!  

Prayers –Continuing to do work as needed without re-occurrence of injury; Memorial Services for Connie’s dad (Curt) to go smoothly May 23(Lane) and 29 (Beloit); RV spot near Beloit for July; Music ministry opportunities

 Our SOWER Round-up (reunion) the end of March was very busy with special music and devotions every day so we appreciated a few days of nothing-ness!  Prior to the start of our volunteer work we enjoyed a camp fire with the three couples staying for this project, our first fire since December.

Our project this month, International ALERT Academy, was different in many ways from our other camps.  We attended “recruit” night where 33 young men started their training, much like boot camp with a Christian emphasis.  These “kids” will be stretched physically, mentally, and spiritually!  They will have survival training, pass inspections, learn respect for their commanders, build up to a 24 hour 55-mile hike in wilderness conditions, and recite 1 Peter from memory before their graduation.  All 33 Cadets were still in training at the time we left (week 5).  Phase 2 is basic response training and Phase 3 is certification in EMT, Fire, Rescue, Diving, Pilot, and Mobile Response.  This campus is huge with lots to be done and is great to ride bicycle around.

We chose to go about 25 minutes away to Holly Tree Bible Church where we met Pastor Tim and a wonderful congregation.  We were invited to share with some special music for three events and were blessed to attend their outdoor Easter sunrise service in a beautiful wooded setting, brunch, and indoor service with harp, piano, violin, and special singers.  It was wonderful!

John and the guys spent most of their time upgrading 8 camp sites for big rigs.  Lots of digging of trenches for water, sewer, and electric (lots of sand in the wash machine too!); putting in posts for electric boxes and a high post to mount the wifi repeater with a boom bucket; laying underlayment, and shoveling asphalt to park on.  The last few days they were patching holes in the roads and moving bleachers and chairs to prepare for a large group coming in.

Connie graduated to a “sewing SOWER” this month!  She spent her time in the sewing room starting with ripping seams for the new recruit shirt alterations and cutting out the body of an eagle for a banner.  Into week 2 she did a lot of ironing – shirt sleeves for patch locations and dress pants for hemming, and cutting old towels into appropriate rag sizes.  Finally, instructions on use of the serge sewing machine and getting to sew!  The final days were ironing, cutting, and hemming the sleeves on boys’ shirts for Father Son camp.  It was a lot of fun.

On our many drives to church and for errands we found typical signs of spring with lots of deer and some wild boar piglets along the roadside, lots of flowers starting to bloom in multiple colors, and some fox pups living in the underwater storm system at ALERT and poking their heads out of the drain gutter near the dining room.  Twice we moved our vehicles inside a large convention building with threats of thunder storms producing large hail.  Thankfully for our trailer roofs it was an unnecessary precaution since the storm fronts were quite mild.  We had three game nights where John provided background music for “Hillbilly Rummy” (Connie won the last game!).  One of those nights we also celebrated April anniversaries with cake and ice cream.

Our 35^th wedding anniversary was a great day – playing special music at church, being treated by the Pastor to a wonderful lunch, taking photos of flowers, putting on a new harp string, and sitting around a camp fire until the mosquitoes attacked.  There is a harp player who lives and works on campus that is inspiring Connie to get back to “Frankenharp” practice (our rescued harp has metal plates bolted together at the top to help straighten the neck).  Right before we left, she came over and gave some pointers as well as playing our harp, it sounds pretty good when you know what you are doing!

Wednesday April 24 we were back on the road for a two-day trip to Illinois with great driving conditions with the wind at our back.  Up to 7.4 miles per gallon staying on interstate most of the way with light rain most of the second day.  We decided to cut north on the outer bypass of St. Louis and cross over the Mississippi River into Alton, IL since we had viewed the beautiful bridge a few years ago.  There were lots of soggy fields along our drive as well as flooding along the Mississippi.  We arrived safe and sound with time to visit some of the staff and get mostly set up before going to dinner.  We parked near our 2016 spot, barely within wifi range, and ran 140’ of water hose to the nearest building for our water supply due to water line breaks in this area of the RV sites.  It is good to be back at a camp we love volunteering at!

“You shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land He has given you.  Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God . . .   Deuteronomy 8:10-11

Thanks for being a part of our travels!

John and Connie Nicholas, Salty Strings Music Ministry

Contact Information:
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

MAIL ADDRESS:
John & Connie Nicholas ~ Salty Strings Music Ministry,
255 N Sperry St, Bushnell, IL  61422

TRAVEL PLANS AND UPCOMING LOCATIONS

• April 25-May 18 –Lake Williamson, Carlinville, Illinois; central
• May 19 – June 1 – Tentative – Little Galilee Christian Camp, Clinton, Illinois; central
• Memorial Service – May 23, 10 am at Lane Christian Church, Lane, IL
• Memorial Service – May 29, 10 am at Beloit Eagles Club, Beloit, WI
• June 1-30 – Macomb/Bushnell Illinois with family
• July – Tentative – Beloit Wisconsin area with family
• August-September – Tentative – Minnesota Projects and SOWER Reunion

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.  For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.”  2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Greetings to our families, friends, and followers:

Prayers – RV park for July in Beloit, Wisconsin; continued rest needed from all the travel and activity; safe 3-day travel to Illinois April 24-26; music ministry opportunities for May, June, and July

 Praises – Safe air travel; family and friends; RV parking found for June; strength and peace only God can provide; volunteer time-off allowing us to travel!

As we traveled the end of February through the panhandle of Florida, we saw the inland devastation of hurricane Michael.  Although “cleaned up” there were still trees twisted, broken, and being cleared along with I10 road signs bent and crushed along the road edges.  After a great day of driving (over 400 miles) we spent our first night at a Walmart near the west edge of Florida and proceeded the next morning into Alabama, crossing Mobile Bay into the city.  As we crossed John noticed an alligator heading slowly towards a bird resting on the water.  Connie drove us through the tunnel (a bit scary pulling a trailer) and on through Mississippi and into Louisiana.  Our second night on the road was spent at one of our favorite volunteer projects outside of Eunice, where we had electricity for the night.  What a blessing along with hugs and chats with some of the staff.  Following a wonderful breakfast in town we were back on the road noticing the following signs: “WARNING Speed Trap” and after crossing into Texas “Hitchhikers May Be Escaped Inmates.”  Interesting to say the least!

We stopped at the Walmart in Woodville, TX before continuing the last 10 miles of our journey.  The very final 3 miles started with a turn off the “hard road” onto a bumpy dirt and sand logging road.  Texas had a lot of drizzly rainy days recently making the road very slow, muddy, and slippery in places.  We were warned to stay in the tire grooves (sometimes 4-6” deep) and that the black areas had been filled in with rock and were solid under the mud.  We continued on, the road turning into the private drive to Triple Creek RV Music Park and were certain we would “arrive” just around the next bend . . . and the next, etc.  You can imagine the conversation as we slip-slided our way to our new home!  We were greeted, shown to our site, mostly set up, and made it to the 5pm potluck in the shed (cozy woodstove going) followed by our first jam session.  John played his mandolin while Connie, being tired out from the travel, listened and worked on a jigsaw puzzle.

Triple Creek is a great place to be with lots of potlucks, great musicians, early morning men’s coffee time, Monday night BINGO (Connie won once), and Saturday mid-morning breakfasts.  A group of young musicians, ‘Snake Blood Remedy’ gave a great impromptu “old country style” concert when they spent the night before going into Houston for some shows.  Washboard rhythm section, violin/fiddle, guitars, banjo, harmonies, and yodeling for about an hour before the jam session started.

Connie split her time at the camp with trips to Wisconsin for her brothers’ final days in Hospice.  (He has spent the last 3 years in surgeries and treatments for brain and lung cancer.)  Our son flew from Phoenix to Houston to help her travel stand-by and provide chauffeur service for the first trip (March 4 to 11).  They enjoyed a string quartet at Houston Hobby Airport while waiting.  Once in Beloit she stayed at her brother’s house helping relieve the main care-givers and providing some extra hands for cooking, cleaning, and care.  After his death we both flew back to Wisconsin (March 18 to 21) for the funeral.  A special “thank you” to all those who were there for us emotionally, the relatives we haven’t seen for many years, and all who helped with the funeral and everything that goes with it.

John did a lot of pickin’ and grinnin’ along with making several potluck dishes and driving to Houston airports several times.  After leaving Connie at the airport he managed to get through downtown Houston, construction detours getting him lost in the city twice.  GPS kept wanting to take him back to previous construction, so he gave up on that and just headed east until running into the main highway home.

With all the travel Connie didn’t have much time to enjoy the craft shop at camp where all sorts of yarn, sewing supplies, multiple weaving looms, spinning wheels, and a triangle loom were available for use.  The camp owners have three alpacas (Johnny, Waylon, and Merle) for fleece/yarn but there was no time to try some spinning.  She did manage to start a triangle shawl and crammed the last few days to get it wove and off the loom before leaving; with the addition of a border it will become a gift.  All the air travel also provided great down time to get another shawl (promised five years ago) almost finished as well.

Sunday, March 24, found us packing up and heading northwest, through Nacogdoches (John can pronounce that from an old John Wayne movie) where we switched drivers and found beautiful deep red clover along the roadside.  We arrived at our next volunteer project early for the Texas Roundup (SOWER Reunion) where we provided a special song that evening along with leading worship the next three mornings and some songs for the talent night.  It was a wonderful time of fellowship and great teaching with horses from “Sermon on the Mount” ministries.  We spent two mornings on bleachers outdoors while receiving biblical teaching as a young two-year old colt was “broke” for riding.  The trainer of course knows what is best but the horse wants to continue in its own way.  The trainer allowed the horse to “run wild” until he would look him in the eye which brought a smooch and the reward of rest and relationship being built.  In less than 2 hours the first day the colt was saddled and rode with one lead rope rein and a few smooches.  The second day reinforced lessons on trust and rewards, some body commands, and a very confident ride inside the fence.  Truly amazing!

A beautiful way to end this month is with spring coming, at least in the south.  More blooming flowers, redbud, and paulownia (new to us) trees here in northeast Texas, along with the pine pollen!  Migrating cardinals arrived our third week along with some beautiful black and white winged woodpeckers as we were leaving.  What a joy to see God’s handiwork renewed!

“Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being praise His holy name.  Praise the Lord, O my soul and forget not all His benefits – who forgives . . . and heals . . . who redeems . . . and satisfies your desires with good things.  For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him.  Praise the Lord, all His works everywhere in His dominion.  Praise the Lord, O my soul!  (Psalm 103:1-5, 11, 22 paraphrased)

Thanks for being a part of our travels!
John and Connie Nicholas, Salty Strings Music Ministry

Contact Information:
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

MAIL ADDRESS:  John & Connie Nicholas ~ Salty Strings Music Ministry
255 N Sperry St, Bushnell, IL  61422

TRAVEL PLANS AND UPCOMING LOCATIONS

• April 1-24 – ALERT Academy, Big Sandy, Texas; northeast
• April 25-May 18 –Lake Williamson, Carlinville, Illinois; central
• May 19 – June 1 – Tentative – Little Galilee Christian Camp, Clinton, Illinois; central
• June 1-30 – Macomb/Bushnell Illinois with family
• July – Tentative – Beloit Wisconsin area with family
• August-September – Tentative – Minnesota Projects and SOWER Reunion

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.  Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.  They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.  Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”  Psalm 19:1-4a

Greetings to our families, friends, and followers:

Prayers – Rest and rejuvenation as we take a month off in March to continue the work of our volunteer ministry in the months to come; discernment for songs for Sower Texas Roundup reunion worship music at the end of the month; RV park for July in Beloit, Wisconsin.

 Praises – Good roads and weather for 3-day trip to Texas; visiting friends over night at Acadia Baptist Center, Eunice, LA.

For our February project we didn’t have to travel (good, because Connie was still anxious about traveling again).  We stayed at Camp Horizon for a second month along with two other SOWER couples.  An additional five new couples joined us for a total of eight volunteer couples for the month.  Everyone was needed for all the work to be done!

The ladies continued to clean after groups and deep clean four of the eight cabins after the guys were finished with their work.  We started at the top and worked our way down:  ceilings, air vents, light fixtures, walls, curtains, lockers inside and out, bathrooms top to bottom, mattresses, and mopping the floors.  Connie also put plugs in the new windows, those little plastic pieces that cover the screws, which included re-drilling the factory holes so they would fit.  In addition, we cleaned the kitchen storage area including “combing” the streamers and bagging them to keep from tangling in the future and did some food prep work.

The men were quickly split into teams for replacing all the windows and adding egress doors to five remaining cabins.  Some pulled out old windows, some rebuilt rotten wall sections as needed, some were installers, and others caulked or ran for parts and supplies.  John was the designated “Doorman” and worked with the camp maintenance man as he learned all the “ins and outs” (pun intended) of door installation.  The cabins tended to sink slightly toward the back and the walls were not perfectly plumb, so John learned from their head maintenance guy how to overcome this and other minor problems.  After a few doors another SOWER helped out and together the last doors were done quicker and better.  These skills will obviously come in handy for future SOWER projects that will benefit other Christian ministries we are called to serve at.

Camp Horizon hosted a Marriage Seminar where we were asked to do a concert following their special date night dinner.  We had a great time and were a blessing to many as we shared songs around a love theme.  We continued attending First Christian Church of Leesburg where we provided special music for the early service, and a mini-concert for their “Fabulous Friday’s at First” talent night.  Some snowbirds we met our first winter in Florida (“The Indiana Gang”) invited us to The River Palms RV Resort (south of Zephyr Hills, about 2 hours away) for a wonderful reunion meal after which we made our way to the activities building where we had ice cream and put on an evening concert for the park residents.  This was also John’s Birthday so the travel and fellowship made for a memorable day.  Our last Sunday we ministered with some special music for the Leesburg Church of the Nazarene, where some SOWER friends attend, and were invited to their Chili cook-off movie night which was a lot of fun.

On our last Tuesday we drove about a half hour south to Groveland where we spent one day with the SOWER reunion.  It was great getting together with old and new friends and meeting new SOWER couples just starting their adventures.  We did the morning devotion using the fruit of the Spirit as our theme with a song for each (Galatians 5:22-23).  We had many positive comments and will likely use this again sometime.  Connie joined the lady’s choir for a special song following the devotion time.  We stayed for the evening concert and really enjoyed seeing “The Puffers,” a couple with about as many instruments as us!  John also worked hard in practicing new songs and techniques from his mandolin lessons.

There was some time this month for several bike rides around the camp and for several days we were able to watch a helicopter practice with a water ball, flying back and forth gathering water from the lake and dumping it near the airport.  There were WWII planes (Florida War Birds) overhead February 8-9 and we were able to see the SpaceX Falcon 9 evening rocket launch from the camp (February 21).  Weather related, we had blue sky with white puffy clouds to the south and gray clouds with a rainbow to the north one afternoon. 

Connie started a “net” to help us move and carry our newest acquisition, John’s Christmas and Birthday present, a massage chair insert that helps his back and soothes sore muscles as well.  On one trip to town there were young eagles (we think) in the camp entrance field learning to fly and picking at some carcass on the ground.  The night we returned from our reunion it appeared a bag was over the gate keypad and we wondered how we were going to get back home; turned out it was an owl sitting on the post that flew away right in front of our windshield.  What a beautiful sight it was in the light from the headlights!  And spring is coming!!!  The flowers and trees are blooming:  azaleas, hibiscus, spiderwort, wild hibiscus, and others we don’t know.

February 27 found us on the road again, with Connie over her anxiety of traveling.  We spent the first night at a Walmart still in Florida, leaving early the next morning to cross into Alabama, drive through the tunnel in Mobile, through Baton Rouge and on to Eunice, Louisiana where we were able to stay overnight with electricity at one of the Christian camps we have worked at.  We went to breakfast into town with the leaders from our first project before getting back on the road to our final destination outside Woodville, Texas.  And that journey is to be continued next month!

 

SPRING HAS SPRUNG IN FLORIDA – AND IS MOVING NORTH!!!

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul.  He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. . . Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”   Psalm 23:1-3, 6

Thanks for being a part of our travels!
John and Connie Nicholas, Salty Strings Music Ministry

Contact Information:
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

MAIL ADDRESS:

John & Connie Nicholas ~ Salty Strings Music Ministry, 255 N Sperry St, Bushnell, IL  61422

TRAVEL PLANS AND UPCOMING LOCATIONS

• March – Month off – Triple Creek RV Music Camp, Woodville, Texas; northeast
• April – ALERT Academy, Big Sandy, Texas; northeast
• May – Tentative – Lake Williamson, Carlinville, Illinois; central
• May 19 – June 1 – Little Galilee Christian Camp, Clinton, Illinois; central
• June – Tentative – Macomb/Bushnell Illinois with family
• July – Tentative – Beloit Wisconsin area with family

I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God.  I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting people may know there is none besides me.  I am the Lord, and there is no other.

 From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.(Isaiah 45:5-6 and Psalm 113:3 – New International Version)

Prayers – Safety as we volunteer this month; discernment for songs to share for our February music engagements; and to ease our anxiety for long travel (February 27-March 1) to northeast Texas.

Praises – February music opportunities; help with changing trailer tires; back problems almost gone.

Greetings to our friends, followers, and families:

Our praise from last month was being thankful for the ways God protected us and others on the road with our flat tire.  Now for the rest of the story!  Friday, January 4 we were ready to leave with little to do in the morning so we could make our “short” trip to Leesburg, FL first thing and be set up before the rain started.  How long could 149 miles take?  We left at 8:05 am and arrived at 5:15 pm!!!  (That’s 9 hours 10 minutes, average of a little over 16 miles per hour.)

As John backed up to be in position to make the swing and turn out of the driveway Connie noticed a different color area on the trailer front passenger tire – sure enough some steel belt was showing.  So, we prayed and kept praying the whole trip.  About 15 miles after we got on I75 south we were part of a 5-mile backup from 2 lanes being closed due to construction/clean-up from a multi-fatality accident the previous day.  Another 32 miles down the road found us at our third stop for use of facilities, already 11:15 am.  (Interesting stop as we met two other SOWER couples at this rest area!)  Back on the road again, still praying for our bad tire, and John noticed our outside hand shower compartment door was blowing open – another pull-off about 10 miles from the rest area and more gorilla tape fixed that.  Back on the road and 20 miles later we were flagged down with a blown tire on the trailer front driver side.  We pulled off and contacted our insurance roadside assistance who sent service from Orlando (80 miles away).  The gas station near our waiting spot had a Cici’s pizza which we enjoyed around 1 pm for our lunch.  The heavy downpour of rain started about the time we received a call saying our service truck had just left and it would be another 2 hours.  By the time the service truck arrived the rain had let up and we were back on the road about 3:45 pm.  Since we were still praying for the other bad tire and driving on our only spare, we chose to take the highways through towns and evening traffic through Ocala, The Villages, and Leesburg, along with a fairly steady rain.  By the time we arrived it was sprinkling and we managed to get into our site, hooking up the electricity before calling it a day!

 

 

Saturday found us re-parking, getting leveled, and finishing our set up with a beautiful north Florida sunshiny day.  Camp Horizon is in a rural setting with wonderful sunrises over the lake, lots of bird sounds, and the Leesburg International Airport runway directly across the swamp to our west.  John especially enjoys watching the many planes fly over the camp and our trailer, from Learjets to WWII bombers and a P-51 fighter plane.  We were blessed to be here during a men’s weekday retreat and a weekend retreat for the 7-8^th grade choir of a public school.  Since we were with 6 other SOWER couples our work was shared amongst many hands.

 

 

John started out the first day with a stiff back and helped make some table saw inserts.  From there he painted some “plastic” boards the guys had routed for new signs along the driveway and installed them when finished.  A team of three guys in a tractor bucket made short work of building some soffits and installing screening along 4 of the cabins.  They worked assembly-line fashion unrolling the screen and stapling it into place, passing it along to the next guy before moving on to the next section.  They had just about as much fun riding in the bucket, especially when they turned into the three monkeys (hear, speak, and see no evil) at the suggestion of a certain spouse who will remain nameless.

 

 

The ladies were primarily cleaning; the lodge (10 motel-like rooms), 10 cabins, chapel, and dining room along with doing the laundry from the men’s retreat.  Connie was able to do some extra help in the kitchen preparing food and serving for the guests.  She learned a new skill this month – sectioning fruit, navel and blood oranges, from the trees on the property.  This camp uses everything with very little waste, even the orange end slices and portions too dry were distributed to those who wanted to “infuse” water.

 

 

We headed off our first Sunday morning to their “early” contemporary service at the First Christian Church of Leesburg, had a wonderful service, and stayed for the Bible Study after the service.  We made introductions to the pastor and associate pastor and were warmly received and accepted into this church family.  The following Sunday we went to their other Bible Study first then attended the traditional “late” service, meeting many more wonderful people.  Since then we have been rotating services and shared some special music for the traditional service one Sunday.  It was nice to have a bit of a break in our music ministry this month, but we have made several contacts and February will be fairly busy.

About 2 am on Sunday January 13 Connie received a call from Liberty Village that her Dad Curt had passed.  He died peacefully in his sleep, before Hospice admitted him into their care (due to a snow storm).  This was an answer to her prayers (Friday/Saturday) that he wouldn’t suffer and would go quickly.  He was a daily Bible reader in the later years of his life, and enjoyed the church fellowship (and donuts) before dementia settled in.  The sermon this Sunday was from 1 Thessalonians 1:3 and truly spoke to us in our music and volunteer ministries as well as thinking of Curt’s life and passing.
We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
We remembered Curt and the work he did for STAR Ministry in Florida, and his help for our many house projects.  His faith prompted him to work actively serving God and others; his labor was prompted by love for the ministry and people he helped; and he did look confidently to eternal life having hope in the Lord Jesus.  We hope to leave a legacy as well from the hours we spend serving and encouraging those around us.

We did find a nice bicycle trail in Leesburg, 7 miles round trip, just far enough to make the legs feel tired after several weeks of no bicycling.  On Monday January 21 we were up at 1:45 am to see the solar eclipse with its red moon; what a beautiful site with a huge view of the sky.  January 24 was our last “project” volunteer day and John managed to cut his finger, bad enough that he couldn’t play his instruments for a few days.  He was able, with the help of a fellow SOWER to get all the trailer tires off, into town, mounted, and back on the trailer on our first “day off.”  (Of course, with the trailer slides in and on jack posts, first one side, then the other, it was inaccessible for the day.)

We do thank God frequently for allowing us the privilege of meeting such wonderful committed people at our projects, other volunteers we volunteer alongside of, friendly people in the churches we have attended, and all of you who read through our ramblings!

We would ask in these coming weeks as you think of us to pray the following for us ~
“We continually ask God to fill [John and Connie] with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that [they] may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way:  bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, begin strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that [they] may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified [them] to share in the inheritance of His holy people in the kingdom of light.  For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.  Colossians 1:9b-14  NIV

Thanks for being a part of our travels!

John and Connie Nicholas, Salty Strings Music Ministry

Contact Information:
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

MAIL ADDRESS:
John & Connie Nicholas ~ Salty Strings Music Ministry, 255 N Sperry St, Bushnell, IL  61422

TRAVEL PLANS AND UPCOMING LOCATIONS

• February – Camp Horizon, Leesburg, Florida; north central
• March – Month off – Triple Creek RV Music Camp, Woodville, Texas; northeast
• April – ALERT Academy, Big Sandy, Texas; northeast
• May – Tentative – Lake Williamson, Carlinville, Illinois; central
• May 19 – June 1 – Little Galilee Christian Camp, Clinton, Illinois; central
• June – Tentative – Macomb/Bushnell Illinois with family

. . . for every animal of the forest is mine and the cattle on a thousand hills.  Psalm 50:10

 Prayers – Connie’s family as her Dad (Curt) nears end of life; God’s provision for four new trailer tires.

 Praises – Noticed a trailer tire starting to show some steel belt as we left, prayed for that tire to hold for our 150-mile trip and it did, but a tire on the other side blew out and a trucker and another car got our attention; we were able to pull over and take an exit less than a mile away!

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace . . . surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering . . . we all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way . . . he has poured out his soul unto death.  He was counted as a sinner, and he bore the sins of many, and he pled with God for sinners.  (Prophecies about Jesus from Isaiah 9:6, 53:4, 6 NIV, 53:12 TLB)

Greetings to our family, followers, and friends:

It was 33 degrees “feels like 24” when we left North Carolina all bundled up and heading south.  There were some fall colors early in the drive with occasional subdued bright colors, heavy rain, a razor-back boar rooting along the roadside, and then cloudy with great warm weather (no coats!) as we arrived in Live Oak, Florida.  Monday morning, we reported for our volunteer duties working as a couple for the maintenance department at Florida Sheriffs Boys Ranch.  (The “Boys Ranch” is now the “Youth” ranch and has “ranchers” of varying ages with individual cottages of boys, girls, and sibling groups.)  Since we had a 3-week break between December and January projects we put in some extra hours and remained parked in their RV area about a mile from the “ranch.”

 

 

 

Our first week we did several coats of paint to finish off cement block walls and metal ceiling tile railing in 4 rooms of the Education Center that is being converted to a museum.  An elderly past president of the ranch had a vision for this and had collected many mementos.  Everything was coming together in a rush fashion to have this ready for the dedication in 2 weeks.  We were able to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony one chilly evening before their Christmas Dinner and program put on by the ranchers.

 

 

 

Week two brought variety as we prepped, sanded, finished and hung a solid wood door in one of the staff homes.  We also sanded, finished, and installed 7 small square windows into office doors in the administration building.  We made a cardboard template to fit over the door, drew the diamond outline, cut the holes (hollow core doors this time), cleaned the window glass, and screwed the new windows in place.  We worked outside, removing each door from its hinges as we went.  As you can see, the Program Director really liked the change to his office.

 

 

 

Week three we refinished a larger wood door including several short trips to the maintenance building.  There was a lot of rain, therefore high humidity, and longer drying time between the stain and finish coats.  With the rain we were back indoors painting bedrooms in a boys “cottage.”  Each room was done with a base color and contrast color for one wall.  The trim around the floor, window, and doors (4 in each room) was the opposite color of its wall.  Between two coats of paint on everything and all the “trimming in” it took many hours to complete a room!

During our weeks off, we continued helping with room painting and finishing up the door refinishing.  In all we had 145 volunteer hours and felt we eased some of the burden for the maintenance guys.  A maintenance worker here spends the last few hours of each week day working with one of the “hired” ranchers (they must complete an application and interview).  This allows the kids to learn some skills as well as have a mentor to share with.  Some serious discussions and life decisions have been made during this time together.

 

 

 

We made a few bicycle trips over to the ranch, riding up and down the hills on the paved roads and making it through several mud puddles, wash-board gravel, and bumpy spots on the way to the “hard road.”  The countryside around this area is pine forest and large cattle ranches, although we saw a few cotton and peanut fields and passed by a multi-acre spinach farm with the plants grown and harvested inside row after row of huge plastic greenhouses.  It was interesting to learn about pine straw (raked in huge piles from between the pine forest trees, baled, and sold) as well as peanut straw (baled from the peanut fields after the harvest).  We were also invited to eat an evening meal with one of the cottages where we were able to share our faith and testimonies and encourage them as well.

 

 

 

We split our Sundays heading 30 minutes north to Bellville Community Baptist Church (home church of our friends) and 15 minutes down the road to Suwannee Station Baptist Church (pastored by the Boys Ranch chaplain).  All the preaching we heard had the same theme – Christmas is more than the birth of baby Jesus.  We shared a few songs for special music and had a Sunday evening concert at Bellville Community Baptist Church with our focus being on “the bigger picture” of Christmas.  We included several Christmas songs and invited the kids present to help out with some motions to one of the songs.  Our Sunday evening concert at Suwannee Station Baptist Church was on December 30^th and we shared some testimony and songs leading to a time of surrendering our disappointments and failures (those resolutions that didn’t happen) to God by writing them on paper and shredding them so as to be ready this new year for what God has planned for each of us.

 

 

 

Christmas Eve found us attending a wonderful church service in Jacksonville, Florida with our eldest son from Phoenix.  We spent Christmas Day in St. Augustine (via our son’s rental car, a black Mustang!) walking around the old buildings and taking in some history from the first successful European colony in North America (1535) with the first Franciscan mission (1587).  Most of the tourist sites were closed, but we peaked through the gates of the Fountain of Youth, surrounded with coquina walls.  (Coquina, means tiny shell, is a mixture of shell fragments and sand held together by calcium carbonate.  It is a sedimentary formation that is soft until molded and allowed to dry.)  We enjoyed the old buildings, tree/moss canopies on several roads, and scenery along the waterfront.  It was a bit breezy and as soon as the sun started to set it became very chilly, cutting short our visit to the lighthouse and walking on the pier where several pelicans were gathered waiting for the scraps from a man cleaning some fish.

Back at the camp we had a few evening fires, roasted some hotdogs and marshmallows with our Wisconsin/Floridian friends, enjoyed the wonderful fresh air, sun rising through the pines, and had some beautiful views of the moon coming up from the horizon as well.  We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas season and we will continue our prayers for this New Year to find you healthy and prosperous in all you do!

We thank you all for your prayers, and our prayers for you continue . . .
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you.  We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.  (Colossians 1:9-12 NIV)

Thanks for being a part of our travels!
John and Connie Nicholas, Salty Strings Music Ministry

Contact Information:
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

MAIL ADDRESS:
John & Connie Nicholas ~ Salty Strings Music Ministry, 255 N Sperry St, Bushnell, IL  61422

TRAVEL PLANS AND UPCOMING LOCATIONS

• January/February – Camp Horizon, Leesburg, Florida; north central
• March – Month off – Triple Creek RV Music Camp, Woodville, Texas; northeast
• April – Tentative – Ecclesia College, Springdale, Arkansas; northwest
• May – Tentative – Lake Williamson, Carlinville, Illinois; central
• June – Tentative – Family travels central Illinois and southern Wisconsin

The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy!  Psalm 126:3

 Praise the Lord.  Give thanks to the Lord,for He is good; His love endures forever.  Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord or fully declare His praise?  Psalm 106:1-2

Praises – Less back strain the last few months; indoor work a blessing; quiet country setting by ourselves here in Florida; weather not hot and humid!

Prayers – Good weather for outdoor work; back to stay healthy; music opportunities in January/February.

Greetings to our family, followers, and friends:

November, a month of Thanksgiving, which is getting harder and harder to remember amidst all the Christmas music, decorations, and advertising!  However, we were surrounded by thankful people!  Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina and the surrounding area received damage from Hurricane “Flo” (Florence, September 2018).  There were still brush piles in areas, lots of tarped roof spots (rich and poor homes), and remodeling/furniture debris in front yards.  But it was the emotional damage that caught us by surprise.  Everyone was either directly affected or knew someone who was – evacuations, upset in routines, jobs – basically fear of the unknown or of change.  Strangely (or perhaps not, knowing God is directing our steps) we know what evacuation is like, and packing/unpacking from moving every month or so going to someplace “new” as well.  There is still some anxiety, more so for Connie, as we travel around the country and we choose to do this!

After a Walmart overnight stay, we arrived on Thursday, October 25, shortly after noon in Lake Waccamaw, NC.  This allowed us to get everything connected and set up without rushing before dark.  We were parked behind a huge arena across the road from a tobacco factory (interesting smells some days), with stables and horses as part of our landscape.  Friday, we traveled into South Carolina visiting North Myrtle Beach (Aldi’s grocery shopping) and down the “strip” (17 miles in 45 minutes and what seemed like hundreds of mini golf places) to Myrtle Beach where we met with the owner of Fresh Brewed Coffeehouse to finalize our concert.  It was cold and rainy most of the day, getting wet feet from all the puddles, and certainly not enjoying the beaches!  We made several stops, getting new wipers and a gas cap for the van while in “town.”

On returning we found a note on our step that asked us to meet with Pastor Joe from the project, who invited us to share some songs and testimony in the Sunday morning chapel service.  God placed us here as much for music ministry as for volunteer labor!  This was the first of 3 chapel services along with two songs at a cottage Rotary dinner, one song at a youth promotion dinner, two songs for the “State of the Homes” breakfast meeting involving area-wide staff, and two songs for their Thanksgiving staff/family dinner.  We were able to practice with their praise team with separate practices for the singing girls and the drum/piano guys.  They also have a wonderful pipe organ in the chapel which Connie was able to play one Sunday.  There was only about an hour that she was able to practice for fun with John accompanying on the mandolin, which sounded beautiful together.  Organ and horses and horse shows, oh my!  God willing we will be back here again.

Each cottage here (provides housing for up to ten youth) is sponsored by an area civic club, Rotary, Civitan, Lions, etc.  Most of the youth have been in 30-40+ foster homes before coming to the Boys and Girls Homes!  Added to that was the recent evacuation to the North Carolina mountains, a totally different setting for most of the youth.  Lots of healing needed for staff as well as youth, and God used our music and testimony throughout this month.

We had one other SOWER couple with us.  They had been full-time and with SOWERs for 15 years, now returning for a project after a 3-year medical leave.   The guys spent all their time at “Roxy’s” a weight room/fitness center for the campus that was damaged when the rubber roof came off that end of the main building.  Acoustic ceiling tiles were glued to cement block walls and painted after the old tile was scraped off.  New trim and ceiling tiles were added as needed, and the floor was “stripped” ready for new wax before we left.

The ladies worked at the “Country Store” a thrift store located in an old church building that had several attachments.  The roof here was damaged as well and we were allowed to finish up the “holiday room” which needed the new drywall primed and painted.  We ladies came up with the trim solution (there was an uneven gap between the drywall and floor trim of 3-4 inches) and talked the guys into spending an afternoon installing the stained quarter round and trim.  The woodwork was wiped off as well.  Plastic had been put in to help with the leaks leaving quite a bit of dirt/black mold on the beautiful old wood.  Along with this we also dusted, vacuumed the carpeted floor wall-to-wall, tried to arrange the book shelves, straightened the linen area, and did some creative marketing with glassware, shoes, and jewelry.  This store is an emotional support ministry as well.  Everyone gets lots of “sweeties, babes, and honey” as they shop and check out, and this serves as a meeting place for locals to check up on each other and share stories about their time as kids at the church.

Of course, we had lots of fellowship time, enjoying some meals together, traveling to Wilmington, NC which has recovered well from the hurricane, and several trips together to the nearest Walmart for supplies.  While in Wilmington (a cool, blustery day with threatening rain) we walked around the old downtown, along the bay, were chased out of “Coast Guard only” parking, and observed the USS North Carolina battleship across the bay.  Then we went to Sam’s Club, enjoyed some ice cream, and went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond where they still have Table-Mate trays, which we purchased and modified for our new music stand.  There are some beautiful wood piers along the coastal areas but the weather and timing didn’t permit us to get to any of the beach/pier areas.  There were two horse shows over the weekends, one English and one Western, providing us some camping company and entertainment as well.

We made one more trip to Myrtle Beach, providing two hours of music at Fresh Brewed Coffeehouse which is in an old part of town about a block from the beach.  We set up in the corner of the front window rather than in their concert area in the back to attract customers.  Although there were few in attendance, the songs we played definitely connected with many as they sang along.  We had one young lady ask for us to do “Simple Gifts” again and she sang along with the words her grandmother had taught her.

Our last Sunday we attended Bridge Church (a Presbyterian church in a mall) about 45 minutes away to support the youth from the Homes who were part of the Glee Club singers from the on-campus school.  We were at the first service where they did well, but they were much more relaxed and enjoying their singing after the break between services.  We enjoyed lunch with Pastor Joe and his family before returning home.  We decided to celebrate Thanksgiving on Wednesday by going out for lunch and stayed home alone, packing up the trailer for travel, on Thanksgiving Day eating leftover spaghetti!  Much better than our previous three years of being on the road on the holiday and spending Black Friday, starting on Thursday night, at Walmart or a truck stop.  We were up early Friday morning, pulling in the slides, and on the road by 7:45 am for a very long day of travel to north central Florida, arriving about 5:15 pm November 23.  And so another new volunteer project and ministry begins!

Christmas is coming ~ here’s the real reason to celebrate:

A sign will be given, a virgin will conceive, a human baby bearing undiminished Deity.  The glory of the nations, a light for all to see; and hope for all who will embrace His warm reality.
Immanuel, our God is with us; and if God is with us, who could stand against us?  Our God is with us, Immanuel.
(Immanuel, Michael Card © 1986)

We’re back in the south so all y’all have a great Christmas!
Thanks for being a part of our travels!

John and Connie Nicholas, Salty Strings Music Ministry

Contact Information:
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

MAIL ADDRESS:
John & Connie Nicholas ~ Salty Strings Music Ministry,
255 N Sperry St, Bushnell, IL  61422

TRAVEL PLANS AND UPCOMING LOCATIONS

• December – Florida Sheriffs Boys Ranch, Live Oak, Florida; north central
• January/February – Camp Horizon, Leesburg, Florida; north central
• March – Tentative – Acadian Baptist Center, Eunice, Louisiana; south central
• April – Tentative – Northeast Texas/Northwest Arkansas

You are holding a cup of coffee when someone comes along and bumps into you, making you spill your coffee everywhere.  Why did you spill the coffee?”   (answer at the end)

 Prayers – “Listening” for God’s direction; being flexible; confidence in music ministry; music contacts and recording.

 Praises – Crossing the Eastern Continental Divide, van made the trip again; unpredictable beautiful fall weather; reconnecting with church family; wifi at the trailer sites this year at Potomac Park, what a blessing!

Greetings to all our friends, family, and followers:

This October project begins our fourth year of ministry!  It is amazing that we are still re-arranging our possessions within our ~300 sq ft of trailer.  From October 2015 to September 2018 we have volunteered at 21 different Christian ministries.  30 months have been as SOWER volunteers, 4 months volunteering at Little Galilee Christian Camp, and 2 months of “time off” with lots of music ministry.  There is no way to quantify the spiritual impact – lots of volunteer hours of work and help as expected, but also many more hours in listening and encouraging the staff of these ministries as well as “Salty Strings” ministry of sharing and building up others through music and testimony of God working in and through us.

Our arrival at Potomac Park, Falling Waters, West Virginia, brought relief from the rain for them.  The ground was a bit soggy from their very wet year making parking a bit difficult (we had to have the van pulled out of the mud last year) but we didn’t get stuck this time.  Although above average for temperatures we had 2 weeks of sunny weather, the longest stretch of sunshine they had all summer!  We were able to vary our hours and add numerous extra volunteer hours to provide helping hands in the kitchen and complete some “to do” things around the camp.

John started in the first Saturday we were there helping them close down the pool area and cover the pool.  That evening found both of us helping in the kitchen and serving guests.  John’s primary task was to close in an area of the Activity Center to be used as a kitchen for the lessees’ activities.  (There are numerous small homes on the property that create the lessee community.)  The skills he learned last month in installing ceiling tile grid were used and he learned a lot in building wall sections.  As is typical in building, plans change, so the framed and installed window was removed to create a permanent pass through with a garage-type lowering door in the future.  There was putting wood framing to the steel I-beam to attach the new walls, moving lights and light switch, changing ceiling tile grid and tiles, framing walls with chair rail, temporarily hanging the door, putting up T111 siding for the outer walls, caulking, painting, and putting up the baseboard in slightly over three weeks!  The lessees were so excited to see the progress, even though there are many more hours needed to install cabinets and new appliances as well as plumbing, drains, and electrical plugs.  He also spent an extra volunteer day helping to remove shingles from an old cottage now used for storage.

Connie spent most of her time in the kitchen helping with prep work, setting up dining areas, and serving food the first week.  Then came the “uplift” to Mason dining hall.  The paint appeared for the posts which led to the decision to add a bit more color down the center and window cement block valances even.  More paint was required for the second coat and the director decided to go a shade darker to match the existing curtains better.  Connie was able to squeeze two more coats out of the next gallon of paint making everything blend together quite well.  John had the task of spray painting the old vents and was coaxed to put them back on!

Connie received a coffee cup from a lady’s retreat with the inspirational sayings inside and used in this newsletter.  Although the coffee cup was returned to them (we have too many already), the messages will be kept as a reminder of what our lives are to be.

John had arranged for a coffeehouse gig on a Saturday night “down the hill” in Manassas, Va.  We spent the afternoon with our son and daughter-in-law and her family enjoying a Greek dinner and walk around downtown Manassas before ending at Jirani (Swahili for neighbor) Coffeehouse.  While walking around we stopped outside a new “game” store specializing in large versions of games (Yahtzee, checkers, etc.).  A father and daughter from our group paired off in a very intense Jenga competition with the much larger 2×4 blocks.  There was quite a crowd watching as she used a chair to reach the top blocks, eventually beating her dad who toppled the tower with a loud crash!  It was so good to see family interaction and what a witness to those who took the time to watch.

 

Sunday morning found us on the highways into D.C. where we drove past the famous huge cathedral on our way to the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land.  The Franciscan monks maintain special sites in Israel and have built replicas bringing “the Holy Land” to the U.S.  What a fantastic, ornate, and wonderful place to be, even though their wood pew benches were out for refinishing.  We completed the tour and walked around the grounds before heading back to Manassas and packing up for “home.”

Our last week was full of music!

On Thursday we provided the music for the quarterly hymn sing at Potomac Park – lots of good old hymns as well as some praise choruses and a few of our songs – followed by a delicious lunch.

On Sunday we provided two church services for Rehoboth United Methodist Church in Williamsburg, Maryland.  This is the church we attended last year and became attached to many through Sunday School and Wednesday Bible Study.  The Pastor and music leader were visiting other churches to gather ideas for their new building.  Both services went well and we were blessed as we shared our music, testimony, and encouraged them with our theme of “Life Changes, God Doesn’t.”

On Monday we joined some of the lessee musicians for a “Talent Night.”  We did two songs and were asked by the camp director to do “one more,” his favorite (‘I Believe in Jesus’ written by John to an Irish pub song) which we managed without music.  After the talent came a half hour of praise and worship in which John joined the praise team and Connie played “sound tech” for the groups.

The other big event for the month was Connie’s 64th birthday.  Her/our new bed was delivered during lunch after the hymn sing (supposed to come in the evening) and we watched the “bed in a box” being unrolled and decompressing, amazingly turning into a comfortable night’s sleep.  Different, but no more “boinging” coils as you roll over in the night!  We stretched her Birthday celebration for several weeks; delivered home-cooked meal from our son, Golden Corral lunch, Cold Stone ice cream, and present received!!

Tuesday (October 23) found us packing up, forgetting our table-mate converted music stand, and saying our good-byes.  We were so blessed to be a part of this camp again this year.  We received a thank you bag of travel goodies (donuts, chips, cookies, etc.) as well as a whole batch of peanut butter fudge from our lessee neighbor, eggs and hamburger, day-old donated food, and leftovers from the kitchen – no worries about “what to eat” as we traveled and set up camp again!  Day one of travel we noticed the outside shower door swinging back and forth right before making a gas stop.  Connie checked the latch, which was partially broken, and taped the door shut so it wouldn’t rattle open again (we have never used this anyway).  After getting gas Connie locked the keys inside the van; thankfully the windows were down enough for John to reach in with our stabilizer bar tool and hit the unlock button.  Day two of travel as Connie pumped gas and didn’t put back the gas cap or close the lid (but John didn’t notice as he got in to drive) we lost our gas cap!  We arrived, looked at each other, and decided we are getting very forgetful or perfecting our “bad news” reaction skills!!  But, we will continue to “run the race” with our eyes “fixed on the prize before us” (2 Timothy 4:7-8; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Hebrews 12:1-2) using all of our forgetfulness, travels, and circumstances as a witness to God’s faithfulness and for His glory!

Answer: “You spilled the coffee because there was coffee in your cup.  Had there been tea in the cup, you would have spilled tea.  The point is whatever is inside the cup is what will spill out.  Therefore, when life comes along and shakes you (which will happen), whatever is inside you will come out.  It’s easy to fake it until you get rattled.  So, we have to ask ourselves, ‘What’s in my cup?’  When life gets tough, what spills out?  Joy, gratefulness, peace and humility?  Or does anger, bitterness, harsh words, and reactions come out?  You choose!
Today (and everyday) lets work towards filling our cup with gratitude, forgiveness, joy, words of affirmation, kindness, gentleness, and love for others.”

Thanks for being a part of our adventures!

John and Connie Nicholas, Salty Strings Music Ministry

Contact Information:
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

MAIL ADDRESS:       John & Connie Nicholas ~ Salty Strings Music Ministry,
255 N Sperry St, Bushnell, IL  61422

TRAVEL PLANS AND UPCOMING LOCATIONS

• November – Boys and Girls Home of NC, Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina; southeast
• December – Florida Sheriffs Boys Ranch, Live Oak, Florida; north central
• January/February – Camp Horizon, Leesburg, Florida; north central
• March – Tentative – Acadian Baptist Center, Eunice, Louisiana; south central
• April – Tentative – Northeast Texas

Consider it pure joy my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.     (James 1:2-4)

Prayers – Ministry/project locations for spring; being mindful of God’s plan for us; inspiration for writing timely updates and avoiding the “trials”

 Praises –Bee/wasp stings didn’t hinder work or music; van over 180,000 miles and still running good; internet wifi at our trailer, what a blessing!

Greetings to all our family, friends, and followers:

What a wonderful greeting we received on our arrival at Michindoh Ministries outside of Hillsdale, Michigan.  There were several couples we had worked with before already there with warm hugs, just what you need after a long drive.  We passed 180,000 miles on our odometer and are so thankful God provided such good transportation within our “low” vehicle budget three years ago when we started this adventure.  We were at this camp for 3 days last year for the annual SOWER Reunion but will spend almost 5 weeks here this year as we provide volunteer labor and attend the reunion again.

Our work was accomplished with the help of 7-8 other couples (3 of them new to SOWERs) making for very busy and lively weeks.  The men broke into 2-4 groups with John working mostly on removing and rebuilding landscape blocks, digging and installing wood handrail, and on a rainy day working with ceiling tiles and track in the kitchen.  Lots of bending, lifting, hauling, sweat, dirt, and laundry!  It remained unseasonably hot and humid here also.  Once the landscaping was complete the guys tackled cleaning up the RV area including trimming, power washing, weeding the road gutters and parking areas.  Twice John received bee/wasp stings in the same general area of his hand/fingers while picking up brush.  (The first evening we rode our bikes to the dining hall for supper he got a sting on his shoulder as well.)  Stings make John swell up, itch, and burn so it was a long month but thankfully none of the side effects caused him to miss work or music engagements.

The ladies remained in a larger group of 6 or 7 working on painting a cabin and two adjoining buildings used for education.  By the end of our volunteer hours we had found ways of staying out of each other’s way!  We had two days where it was raining so we washed chairs in both dining areas.

Michindoh (MICHigan INdiana OHio) is a camp/conference center with several areas of ministry around a small lake.  The weather did cool off a few nights and there were a few thunder storms; the geese have started moving through so fall is approaching.  A couple of trees turned a vibrant orange and they have abundant black squirrels (all too fast for the camera) and chipmunks as well as gray squirrels and ducks and turtles in the lake.  We woke one morning with mist/fog over the lake as us ladies went to work.  The camp had its start around 1910 and the “cross rock” was found at that time, mounted, and placed in front of the main dining/meeting building.  The red cross rock color is solid and goes through the whole rock, both directions, very unusual.

We searched online for area churches and decided to try the “interactive” late service at Hillsdale First United Methodist Church.  On arrival we were surprised to see a porta-potty outside the front door and found they had been under construction since April.  Only the sanctuary and a small part of the kitchen were accessible since an elevator was being installed, causing bathrooms, electrical, and plumbing to be shut down.  Their pastor had also retired in June so there was a “new” pastor with no office and no sense of what normal is.  It is a beautiful old church with wonderful colors inside, great music staff (of course the organ has not been used because the pipes have been sealed off due to construction), and an outreach service to the community held across the street at the Elks Club because their kitchen/water are not working.

Having such wonderful internet connection really helped us in making contacts for future music ministry.  We played at “Rough Draft” coffeehouse in Hillsdale, near the college campus and had a wonderful time with some of our 60-70’s songs as well as original and Christian music.  Our audience was great too!  We were able to provide the music for the UMC outreach breakfast service at the Elks Club, a bit different than our usual setting, but a wonderful way to be a blessing to those in the community who don’t usually get to hear live dulcimer music.  Our last music event was a concert for the SOWER Reunion where, much to our surprise, they took up a love gift collection for us and our ministry.  God certainly does bless us as we share our talents with others!

Some of our recreation was a 16-mile bike ride with an ice cream stop (at the Udder Side) and another 20-mile ride, both with new SOWER friends.   We also took a trip to Elderly Instruments in Lansing, MI where we purchased several of our instruments 30 years ago.  We saved and looked at catalogs (before the web!) and made our wish list then.  Just a few things on our list this time, nothing was in stock, but we sold them our Balalaika which we haven’t used for years.  We met with Walter and Jamie Neuenschwander and their family (former youth and worship leaders at our home church in Illinois) for dinner, visited their church, got some groceries, and stopped in Jackson, MI where a Craigslist contact liked and purchased our extra autoharp; we know she will get a lot of pleasure from having it.  A long day full of memories and connections from the past (even saw our old Dodge Caravan).  The trailer will be a few pounds lighter now and we will have a bit more space.

We started packing up a day early to avoid some rain and hit the road again for another 2-day trip to West Virginia.  Good weather for driving with an overnight at a new Walmart with a separate area for RV overnight parking.  The signs said “no trucks” but we were surrounded with running engines.  We arrived at Potomac Park Retreat and Conference Center on Thursday, September 27 and are glad to be back to this area again.

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.      (James 1:12)

Thanks for being a part of our adventures!
John and Connie Nicholas, Salty Strings Music Ministry

Contact Information:
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

MAIL ADDRESS:       John & Connie Nicholas
Salty Strings Music Ministry
255 N Sperry St, Bushnell, IL  61422

TRAVEL PLANS AND UPCOMING LOCATIONS

• November – Boys and Girls Home of NC, Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina; southeast
• December – Florida Sheriffs Boys Ranch, Live Oak, Florida; north central
• January/February – Camp Horizon, Leesburg, Florida; north central
• March – Tentative – Acadian Baptist Center, Eunice, Louisiana; south central
• April – Tentative – Northeast Texas

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. . . .(Genesis 1:1, 31a)

If rain clouds come, or the cold winds blow, You’re the one who goes before me and in my heart, I know That this good day, it is a gift from you.  The world is turning in its place because You made it to.  I lift my voice and sing a song of praise – on this good day.
“This Good Day” Chorus by Fernando Ortega © 2000

This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!    (Psalm 118:24)

Prayers – Financial decisions; van and safety while traveling over mountains 9/26-27

Praises – A bit of cooler weather this week; music opportunities; encouraging others in their journeys; God’s wonderful creation!

Greetings to all with our hope that this finds you well:

Another long update – a lot happened this month!  Our arrival at Lake Lundgren Bible Camp (northeast Wisconsin) on Thursday, July 26, found us parked with four other couples from another volunteer RV group.  Lake Lundgren is a small lake with beautiful hills, trees, lots of summer camp kids, and for the most part blue skies.  We thought we would be working alone but were quickly included in their devotions, work, game, and leisure plans.  Connie finished up the remaining window blind and hooked up our new printer.  It printed wonderful color pages allowing us to get out our update mailings for the previous 2 months.  Connie also joined the other ladies for a day out – 2 thrift stores, a quilt shop, an alpaca farm, and of course lunch out!

The first work day we helped pick up, vacuum, and organize the shop area.  The next few days Connie joined John and one other volunteer “planting” 4×4 treated lumber posts to be used for lights.  The first had been broken off by a snow plow, the rest were new holes (and trenches for the electric conduit) in their parking lot.  The camp rented a trencher but there were still lots of rocks to be moved out of the way in the bottom of the trenches.  Holes for the posts were dug by hand and some trenching was dug up again because of a kink in the conduit that wouldn’t allow wires to be pulled through.

The 2^nd week Connie was pulled aside to sort and organize drawers of shop things.  You know how we all have a “junk drawer” where all the odds and ends go that we are sure we will need one day?  Although well-organized originally, sorting was needed to put like things together, decide what remains, toss what will never be used or is broken.  Screws and drill bits followed.  Once sorted (about 4 different types) the regular bits were sharpened as needed, sorted, and filed by size.  With a few extra hours Connie and the “Drill Doctor” finished before we left!

John continued work on the light poles, and painted the new light fixtures to match the existing ones.  Then the hard work began – fencing an orchard/garden area in lots of heat and humidity.  By this time there were 5 volunteers and usually one younger maintenance staff working together.  John was one of a team of 3 working on digging the holes and planting the posts, with the help of a gas auger that didn’t start very easy.  Two other volunteers ran chicken wire buried in a trench along the bottom of the posts, and one dug the trench.  John’s group ran into rock about 18” down, resorting to hand digging, chipping away and removing the rock.  Eventually they came into a “sandy” hole area giving them a break, then some with tree roots that had to be chopped through.  By the end of the second week all were tuckered out and fencing work would stop at noon.  The posts were all set by the official end of our project and John worked an extra 2 days with the others to see the fencing completed – 4’ chicken wire with 2 higher sections of larger wire to create an 8’ fence to deter deer and rabbits.  As a break from the fencing there was outside painting/staining/crawling under a deck at a staff house to get the support posts and trim, tearing down a “donated” piano for the metal/burn pile, adding a router channel for wiring for the light posts, restringing some shop fencing, and pounding in stakes as markers for the newly lighted parking lot.

Lake Lundgren Bible Camp is unique in all the camps we’ve been at.  Their “staff” is paid by funds or support that each family has solicited.  What a committed group of workers!  There were also lots of young families – two new babies joined the “family” during our time there.  We were able to join the kids for many meals.  Two of the favorite camp meals were the “black pot” picnic (outdoor eating with chili or stew in the pot over the fire) and “hot ice cream” for breakfast (really creamy, sweet, and smooth cream of wheat).

Our music ministry was greatly blessed to have three opportunities to reach the community.  August brings the end of summer and thoughts of school, with it the annual church picnics.  Our 2^nd Sunday (August 5) we played about 3 hours for the Faith Baptist Church picnic which included the Beecher community and people in their outreach ministry.  It was a very hot and humid day with rain threatening and we were thankful it was moved inside.  Fresh roasted sweet corn with jars of butter to dip into, pulled pork, potato and pasta salad, all the fixin’s, and of course wonderful deserts.  Saturday evening (August 11) found us playing for about 2 hours for the Northwoods Chapel annual pig roast picnic outside under a small tent.  It was in the evening with a great crowd and fantastic food again.  Our last Sunday (August 19) was a community concert hosted by Grace Lutheran Church.  We attended their morning service sharing a song for special music, and had a great group of people for the evening concert.  We are being blessed as we share our gifts with others, and are certainly seeing God at work in many lives as we talk with people afterwards.  We also hosted a jam session at the camp for the staff, summer workers, and fellow volunteers as several had asked about our music and indicated they would like to share their musical gifts as well.

 

On one of our days off we drove north to Marquette, Michigan (time change 1 hour ahead) for a 2-hour bicycle ride along the Lake Superior shoreline (a great trail) with a few stops for pictures, seeing the light house from a distance, and walking along the smooth rock shore.  The trip was combined with laundry (“Loads of Fun” laundromat), Culver’s for Wi-Fi, and grocery shopping.  It was a beautiful day where we saw our first “moose crossing” sign and “Da Yoopers Tourist Trap” (with free admission and free batrooms according to their signage).  The Upper Peninsula (UP – and those who live there – Yoopers) is a unique place to be!

Another trip was to Marinette, WI with Menominee, MI on the other side of the Menominee River.  We stopped at the visitor center getting a bike route map through the city, riding and making several stops along the way to walk on the beach, watch an eagle soar overhead, walk out to the lighthouse and up/down the steps, and Stephenson Island (splits the river, a natural staging area for logging operations of the original settlers).  Again, our usual grocery stops before returning home to a heavy downpour.

We took some time our last day at the camp to go hiking.  Connie loves waterfalls and Marinette County Wisconsin has more waterfalls than any other.  There were 12 waterfalls listed online within a 20-mile radius and we hiked 7 of them!  Signs of “rugged trail,” “dangerous terrain,” and “warning dangerous overlook” were posted which meant the paths to get there were hilly, rocky, rooted, and not clearly marked.  But what wonderful sights and sounds awaited at the end of the hike!!!!!  No two were alike (other than the steep and rugged trails) and we took several videos.  There is a peace that is present, even with the turbulent and violent splashing, as the clear water follows its downhill course.  We left about 10 am, had lunch along the way, drove lots of back roads, and returned home about 5 pm to a final group campfire – a fantastic day!

We had a relaxed packing up morning, leaving at 11:30 am Thursday August 23 after the morning devotion and break with our new volunteer friends.  We followed county highways into Michigan, crossed into Eastern Standard time zone, and followed the shore where we could see waves, whitecaps, and swimmers enjoying the day.  As we rounded the bends and caught glimpses of the Lake Michigan shore it reminded us of the California coast!  We left the “Yoopers” crossing the Mackinac Bridge about 5 pm and parked at Walmart overnight leaving about 5 hours of driving to south central Michigan on Friday.

There’s the wonder of sunset at evening, the wonder as sunrise I see . . .
There’s the wonder of springtime and harvest, the sky, the stars, the sun . . .
But the wonder of wonders that thrills my soul is the wonder that God loves me.                  O the wonder of it all, the wonder of it all, just to think that God loves me!
(Excerpts from “The Wonder of It All” George Beverly Shea © 1957)

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Romans 8:38-39)

Thanks for being a part of our adventures!  You are often in our thoughts and prayers.
John and Connie Nicholas, Salty Strings Music Ministry

Contact Information:
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

MAIL ADDRESS:
John & Connie Nicholas ~ Salty Strings Music Ministry
255 N Sperry St, Bushnell, IL  61422

TRAVEL PLANS AND UPCOMING LOCATIONS

• September – Camp Michindoh, south central Michigan,
• October – Potomac Park, Falling Waters, West Virginia; upper northeast
• November – Boys and Girls Home of NC, Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina; southeast
• December – Florida Sheriffs Boys Ranch, Live Oak, Florida; north central
• January/February – Camp Horizon, Leesburg, Florida; north central
• March – Tentative – Acadian Baptist Center, Eunice, Louisiana; south central
• April – Tentative – Northeast Texas

Our July Update        (Published Tuesday, August 28, 2018)     

Prayers – For cooler weather – as we write this we are doing physically demanding work with very hot & humid weather!

 Praises – We’ve been able to see God’s Spirit at work through our music ministry; passed the one-year mark from John’s cornea tear eye injury and all is well

Greetings to all:

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.  And be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.       Colossians 3:15-16

Our “month of music” started back in March and April with John making calls and contacts in northwest Wisconsin.  God blessed us with multiple engagements and still had a few surprises as the month progressed.  Our home base was a wonderful camp outside Fairchild, WI.   Little Creek Camp was recently purchased by a family with 3 boys who actually had “chores” (anyone remember what they are?) around the camp.  One area was permanent trailers for seasonal use, mostly weekend visits with grandchildren.  One of the boys would drive the lawn mower with a series of 5-gallon drums that had been made into “cars” with various themes, giving the kids a ride around the camp.  Our area had a few long-term line workers as residents and lots of weekenders.  Most visitors had 4-wheelers but the camp rules were followed and there was very little noise and partying.  It was a 1-mile walk going a figure-8 route around the camp, so we had lots of exercise, including bicycling on the back roads and with walking on the “hard road” several times.  Overall the weather was very hot, much more than we thought northwest Wisconsin would be!  Our trailer was in full sun so we used lots of electricity to keep cool inside.

Our scheduled music engagements included four coffeehouses and one church service.  Our first Saturday afternoon in the area we were in Eau Claire at the first coffeehouse (Gospel Christian Coffeehouse).  Although there were very few people we were able to chat with a few and pray for their outreach ministry mostly to meth addicts.  The following week we were in Chippewa Falls at a long-established ministry (Barnabas House) on Saturday evening.  There were more people and we were able to be a special blessing to some with the songs we choose to play.  The third week was a long drive north to Rice Lake for a Saturday evening at a ministry currently run by the founder of Barnabas House (Lighthouse Christian Center).  Not very many people but we were able to chat and pray with the founder, recovering from a fall from a ladder, and his wife.  The fourth week found us back on Saturday night at Barnabas House with a larger group of listeners.  The owner there joined us with some harmonica and whistles and a percussion wood “slinky” thing! Then Sunday morning was our church service at Osseo Community Church.  They became our home church family for our stay and we got quite attached to these people (Sunday potluck following the services helped).  We planned songs and scriptures to reinforce the pastor’s messages from Ephesians 5.  Of course, Sunday service plans are often interrupted, with our glitch being the power point (words to songs to sing along with) quitting in the early part of the service.  People sang along to what they remembered and we still had a great service as we encouraged and challenged the congregation.

Obviously, we did a lot of practicing, building up those callouses, and discovered we know more songs than we thought!  With only a couple duplicates of songs on different instruments we were able to fill about 7 hours of music including old hymns, original songs, instrumentals, and other Christian music.  Tuning was a bigger problem as the coffeehouses were not very well air conditioned and the weather hot and muggy.  One week we would be tuning down (everything had gone sharp from the humidity), the next week would go the other way.  A few things, especially our drum, did not work at all or would change through the programs.

We had some time to spend riding our bicycles and traveling.  The first road trip was to Black River Falls where they have a wonderful 4.1-mile loop around a part of the city.  A few sections were city streets, but most of it was asphalt paved, winding up and down hills and around curves.  We followed the Black River a bit, went by parks, a golf course and hospital, and a smaller stream flowing into the Black River.  We met our daughter Valerie in Tomah for dinner and grocery shopping before going home that day.  There was a beautiful dam and waterfall in Merrillan (an old mill pond dam on Hall’s Creek) along the way. 

We contemplated a trip to the Mall of America in Minneapolis, but decided it was too far away and too expensive to do any of the things we thought would be interesting.  We settled for a day in New Richmond where John graduated from high school.  Our first

stop was at the Chamber of Commerce to get information about bike routes and to use the restroom.  As we waited we noticed a summer music series and asked some questions.  The next thing we know we were hired for a Sunday afternoon concert to end their “Fun Days” weekend celebration.  We biked around the town, Connie getting a glimpse into the “teenage John” she never met.  As with all things, time changes the buildings and perceptions.  We then crossed the St. Croix river into Minnesota to walk around Stillwater and climb all the steps up the hillside.  It was a wonderful day and a much unexpected blessing to have another music ministry opportunity.

Other free time was spent with a campfire and working on arranging a song John wrote 18 years ago!  It turned out well with the hammer dulcimer and guitar.  John spent a lot of time buffing out the finish on the trailer, and also some time carving on his pocket tray (for those things men must carry in their pockets and put somewhere at night).  Connie installed two of three aluminum mini-blinds to our dining room windows; the old ones had broken and she had been waiting patiently for almost two months to find the time and space to get them replaced.

We were pushed to our limits at times with all the programs and practice.  Our last week of music was one of those times.  We had the Saturday night coffeehouse (home at 11:15 pm) followed by Sunday morning service (up at 6:30 am), a quick lunch at the church with a 2-hour drive to New Richmond for their concert.  It was hot and humid both days (everyone knows how much Connie loves heat and humidity!).  We got set up with our sound system cranked up as high as it would go to carry sound through a huge outdoor tent, played for 90 minutes, packed up, and headed home (with a stop at Denny’s for dinner and another stop at the end of the drive for DQ dessert).  God is faithful and supplied us the strength and stamina to do more than we could have on our own!

Tuesday, July 24, we were packed up, on our way west across Wisconsin to our resting place in Kewaunee.  Shortly before leaving our printer quit yet again, and we made the decision for the make and model to replace it.  A quick trip was made to Eau Claire with no success.  After getting set up we met our oldest son Aaron and he took us back about 30 minutes into Green Bay where we enjoyed supper and picked up a printer.  On Wednesday we drove north to Sturgeon Bay to meet him and traveled through Door County taking the ferry to Washington Island and another small ferry to Rock Island.  We docked at Thordarson’s blue limestone boathouse finished in 1929 and were able to go into the great room upstairs where some really fancy gatherings were held.  We then

proceeded to hike around the island, stopping at the north end to climb the lighthouse.  It truly was a hike, up and down hills, gravel and sand paths, and roots and rocky paths.  What a wonderful chance to view untouched land, gorgeous views of Green Bay, sandy and rocky beaches, and climb the steep steps to the top of the lighthouse.  Although there is now a solar energy panel, you can still see the bent wood fence around the garden.  Multiple families would live in the home with wood stoves in most rooms.  We caught the

last ferry from Rock Island and returned back to the mainland tired and hungry.  Our dinner was at Al’s Swedish Restaurant in Egg Harbor, one of the tourist attractions, where the goats eat the grass on the roofs of the buildings.  The goats were in for the night and a storm was headed our way as we ate and watched the clouds getting darker and closer.  We opted for some extra time at our son’s hotel and soaked in the hot tub (which helped our sore hiking muscles) before driving back to our trailer in the rain, thunder, and lightening.

Thursday morning found us packing up and heading north to our August project at Lake Lundgren Bible Camp outside of Pembine, Wisconsin.  Within 3 days we had passed through or saw signs directing us to:  Poland, Denmark, Alaska, Luxemburg, and Norway.  What a wonderful state Wisconsin is!

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.  Colossians 3:17

 Until next time, thanks for being a part of our adventures!

 

Thank you for your continued prayers and support!

John and Connie Nicholas, Salty Strings Music Ministry

Contact Information: Phone – John 909-336-8910 or Connie 909-336-8912 
Email: SaltyStrings@hotmail.com    Facebook:  Salty Strings Music Ministry

More information and our update blog:  SaltyStrings.com

ONLINE DONATIONS via PayPal through our web site

MAIL ADDRESS: John & Connie Nicholas,  Salty Strings Music Ministry
255 N Sperry Street, Bushnell, IL  61422

TRAVEL PLANS AND UPCOMING LOCATIONS

• September – Camp Michindoh, south central Michigan,
• October – Potomac Park, Falling Waters, West Virginia; upper northeast
• November – Boys and Girls Home of NC, Lake Waccama, North Carolina; southeast
• December/January/February – Tentative – northern Florida
• March – Tentative – Acadian Baptist Center, Eunice, Lousiana
• April – Tentative – Northeast Texas