My Philadelphia Story

August 9th we left out from Georgia about 11 p.m. Sunday night. After nearly a 20 hr. trip we finally landed in Secane, PA. This is the only picture I have from Monday cause my camera was packed under the bus. This is the church where Bro. Sammy Allen preached a revival meeting all week. He loaded up a bus and took a group from Concord, mostly young people. We got to the church as the service was ending.Tuesday we headed to center city (they don't call it down town). So many experiences.... a train, a bus, the subway. So many people.... it was another world. People usually only go to church if they live with in a one mile radius of it. Many of them have never been more than a few blocks away from where they live. They have all they need within a few blocks.

Bro. Willis Shankles, our bus driver, in front of the Liberty bell. Had an authentic Philly cheese steak, but I like Pitstops better.

Inside Independence Hall, home of the Constitution and much history that shaped America.

We passed out tracks and some preached. We took a carriage ride around the historical part of the city. There were story tellers dressed up all around the square. I was amazed that it was considered a National Park.

Wednesday we toured the Martin Guitar factory and museum. There were guitars hanging in the lobby for you to sit around and pick and grin. Every guitar gets strings, tuned, and played before it leaves the factory.

Thursday we went to Hershey Pennsylvania where you can smell the chocolate for miles. The street lamps were kisses. Inside the chocolate factory we rode on a tour of how the chocolate bar is made.

Chocolate taste testing class. We graduated from Hershey University

Thursday night we went to the Rocky steps. People from all over the world came to run up the steps like Rocky Balboa. It was hillarious to see little Japanese people running up the steps, pose at the top, jabber and run back down. Friday we went to Lancaster Co. to the beautiful Amish country. We took a tour in a buggy. The two outer rows of corn in the fields are for the horses.

You think they live rugged, but they have propane, generators, and motors. This guy is using a saw hooked up to a lawn mower motor. Their mixers and fridges are powered by propane Singing in the bus going and coming.

Mike took us on a tour of their church. It was originally three stories. The lower a church and the upper two a farm house. They found several passages built to hide slaves. Their church were so generous and thoughtful. They went way out of their way for us. They fed us soft preztels, water ice, and Tastey Cakes, along with a wonderful meal every night.

All the gals in our I love Philly shirts. Well, except Whitney and she was in deep intellectual conversation upstairs with her husband-to-be.They have a tradition that they always wear their Philly shirts on their way home. We departed around 12 a.m. and I got dropped off in Knoxville, TN around 12 p.m. My sister picked me up and took me out to eat.

A missionary couple told me once that if I ever had opportunity to take a mission trip it would change my perspective. I can tell you I saw so many lost people, fields white unto harvest. They took the tracts and read them while sitting on the bus or train. I am concerned at the seeming sleepiness of my hometown. I want to care. I want to have a vision of the lost. I don't want to be timid when I hand someone a tract, or leave it laying because I don't have the guts to give it to someone personally. God help me. He that winneth souls is wise.