TobyMac Concert...

From the late 1990s I've always enjoyed listening to the music of DC Talk - a Christian rock band - and when the three artists that made up the trio of DC Talk went their separate ways into solo careers I continued to follow their music - particularly that of TobyMac. So, when I heard that he was performing in Evansville (just an hour south of us), Candace and I decided to fulfill one of my dreams and see him live in concert. We went down to Evansville on Friday 13th March and had a wonderful time singing, praising and dancing to the energetic, fun-filled concert. It's awesome to see people having fun while glorifying God through their musical skills and talents. It was definitely one of my highlights of 2015! :)

TobyMac and the Diverse City band on stage.

 TobyMac and Mandisa share the stage.

 Trumpets and a trombone as part of the one song.

Candace and I ready for the concert to start!

Songs of Praise...

I've enjoyed watching many lovely sunrises and sunsets here in southern Indiana. Creation often declares the glory of God, and none more-so than seen in a beautiful sunrise! As King David says in the book of Psalms:

 The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;

 where morning dawns, where evening fades,
    you call forth songs of [praise]. 

(Psalm 65: 8 NIV)

South African Snowman...

The beautiful snow gave me one last opportunity to build a snowman this winter. I've discovered that this task can be quite difficult when the weather is so cold. But I persevered and built a little snowman. It's the first snowman I've built in about 25 years!

 A closer view.

My snowman in front of the house.

Frozen Pond...

During the very cold weather of last month I was able to walk out onto the frozen pond nearby. I'd never walked on ice before and so I wanted to see what it was like. Slippery, definitely. Candace was with me in case the ice broke, but the pond isn't very deep. I wouldn't have tried it on a pond that I didn't know well. Anyway, when we heard a loud "crack" sound Rusty and I beat a hasty retreat! :)

Rusty and I on the ice.

February 2015 Newsletter...

Dear friends and family,

We hope you had a lovely February. We had a great month!

The highlight of the month was our trip to Atlanta, Georgia, to visit Candace's cousin and her family. Scott and Janet were able to be in Cape Town for our wedding back in 2012 and so it was quite special visiting them in their hometown. We had a great time reminiscing with them and we also did a number of fun activities. A highlight for Murray was visiting the World of Coca-Cola and being able to taste different Coke products from around the globe. We also visited the 1996 Centennial Olympic Park as well as the CNN Center. The next day Scott and Janet took us to visit the famous Stone Mountain park. Here we hiked to the top of the mountain and enjoyed being out in creation. Our Mercy Ships friend Erin, a native of Georgia, also met up with us here and it was great to spend time catching up again.

Murray was also able to spend a day with friends out at Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area, north and a little west of Odon, where he enjoyed nature-spotting and bird-watching. One of the spots of the day was seeing a Bald Eagle, America's national bird and animal, sitting in its massive nest!

February started mildly but ended with deep snow and plummeting temperatures. On one of the days the temperature hit -20 deg C or -4 deg F! Brrr – it was so cold! The snow and frozen landscape offered some great photo opportunities, as well as Murray enjoying his first time sledding and being able to build his first snowman for at least 25 years.

Both Murray and Candace continue to be rather busy with work and despite Murray's job being part-time, he is very happy to be employed and being able to make a difference in the community.

We are both slowly beginning to pack up our belongings here as we will be moving to new accommodation in a few weeks time. Please pray for a smooth transition for the three of us – Rusty included in that number too.

God is good, all the time - and all the time, God is good. Have a wonderful March!

- Murray & Candace

Sledding...

Candace took me sledding for my first time on Thursday, 19th February. We went to a hill nearby but only stayed about five to ten minutes because of the extremely cold temperatures that day. (-20 deg Celcius / -4 deg Fahrenheit.) It was lots of fun though!

 Driving along our snow-covered road.

 The Plainville Road was not in good shape.

 Approaching the snow sledding hill.

 The sledding hill.

 Candace showing me how it's done.

 Candace at the bottom.

 My first run down.

 Off I go!

I spun right round at the bottom. It was great fun!

Snow and frozen trees...

We had out first major snow fall of the winter on the night of February 15th. We did have some snow back in November but this was far more substantial and, mixed with the positively icy temperatures, has stayed much longer. We have also had more snow, sleet and freezing rain over the past two weeks, and this has caused some challenging driving conditions. Here are some photos taken on Monday and Tuesday, February 16th and 17th.

 Snow covers the frozen pond.

 Our driveway has disappeared...

 As has the road!

 The back road is also completely covered.

 Rolling hills blanketed with thick snow.

 Pretty tree next-door.

 Snow covers the pathway to the porch.

 Snow and ice overhang the gutter.

 The next morning there was ice clinging to every tree!

 View in the front garden.

 Icy bush.

 Ice-covered tree in the back garden.

 View of our place in the snow.

Rusty has a snow-beard! :)