The Full Monte

Well....what an eventful month October was.  I would like to share with you a couple of things that happened.  As I looked over the schedule to see where we have been, a couple of meetings really stand out in my mind.  We always have such a great time at Gethsemane in Anderson, SC.  After the service Sunday we were able to go eat with pastor Sam Duncan and his family.  We really had a good time, and appreciate him taking the time out of his busy schedule to fellowship with "the unwashed masses. (watch out Katie Couric)" The next week in Ellijay, GA we had one of the most memorable services that I can recall.  We have been to Harvest Missionary Church several times, and always have a wonderful time. It's a large church that sits back tucked away in the blue ridge mountains of Georgia, maybe not exactly what you would expect when you turn the corner to see a church this large in the middle of all the beautiful farmland and apple orchards.  The times in the past that we have been there, the altars have been full, and we have really felt like they welcomed our style of worship.  This year was no exception.  We sang songs like Be Counted on God's Side, When I Wake Up To Sleep No More, Somebody's Here, The Next Glory Flight and others that just pumped the crowd to the point of an eruption epic to the volcanoes that are in the news recently. We sang "I'm a Used to Be" and the altar began to fill as Matt gave his testimony.  We then sang "When I Go Walkin'" and what I'm about to say may shock you.  A lady in her 70's was in the altar, praying with (who I assumed to be) her daughter.  With the news that her daughter gave her heart to Jesus, and was SAVED that very morning, the little old lady that had been confined to her wheelchair for over 7 years, decided that her seat just was at the wrong spot to get a good view, so she stood up and shouted a while.  HALLELUJAH! (and everyone else kinda' left their seats too!)  What a morning...one that I will never forget!  Later on in the month, we went to South Carolina and sang on the TV station in Greenville on the program  NIGHT LINE WGGS TV.  We left there to sing at Living Waters Community Church in Spartanburg.  I particularly like this weekend because we spend a much needed quality weekend with our family.  The fine folks at Living Waters take us in for the whole weekend and treat us to so many activities that our whole family enjoys.  Josh was extremely ill this weekend, and was unable to attend many of the scheduled events, like the Softball Game and the Dirt Track Race in Gaffney that we attended.  We were able to sing the National Anthem over the Public Address System after the Chaplain of the Speedway gave a moving testimony and prayer over the activities for the evening.  (Thanks Frank.... We had fun, and I still need to get Amy's dresses, apparently -I- left HER dresses in your car.)  Now comes one of the funniest things that have happened to the Group in forever.  Monte Shonkweiler is a very good friend of the Singing Echoes.  Knowing that Gary has been ill and that we had a lot of driving to do, Monte came along to drive for the group.  When he comes.....WE HAVE FUN! On the very first night out, I drove till we got close to Atlanta.  Monte was going to take over so I could get some rest. He said "Adam, I'm going to the bathroom before I take over, I'll be back in a minute."  keep in mind, some things on our bus are kinda' like the things in your house.  Some knobs need turning a certain way, some things only work when you (fill in the blank _________.) Our bathroom door is no exception.  You see, upon entering the bathroom, you must use caution not to push the handle on the door too far, or the linkage shaft will come out of the spindle for the handle...and you are, well, for lack of a better word...flushed!  Matt and I were up front.  Josh was just getting in his bunk when Monte went to the bathroom.  No one bothered to tell Monte about the series of steps to insure immediate exit from the bathroom.  Monte left, and had not been back for a while.  We didn't have to go far to find him.  Josh finally awoke from his bunk to the sound of Monte saying "Help.... I'm locked in!  Needless to say, he held it for the rest of the trip!  Just when we thought we had our laugh for the weekend, we truly have a gem for you to read about.  On our way to New Hope Church in Franklin, GA, we were having a hard time remembering exactly where the church was located.  Monte looked for the address, but we didn't have it.  I looked it up on the internet, typed it in the GPS and off we went.  Monte was at the wheel. The GPS got us to the road we were supposed to be on.  We saw a church, but it didn't look like the same church that we had been to a couple of years ago.  I told Monte that it didn't look familiar, but as we passed it I saw the New Hope Sign.  I told Monte that I was sorry, I told him wrong...we just passed it.  We went up the road just a little way, only to find a church up the road with the sign New Hope Church.  Boy was I confused.  Gary woke up and confirmed the church, and I got off the bus to help Monte settle the bus in the parking spot.  We all got off ready to unload, only to find the door locked, but there is generally a system that we have....look under the mat.  Sure enough, this had to be the church, they left the key under the door mat.  I got the key, opened up the church.  What happened next is so hard to explain without shaking too hard from laughter to type.  I looked on the bulletin board for a church announcement or poster to advertise the singing.  I didn't see a poster, but what I did see assured me we were not at the church we thought we were supposed to be at.  The pictures on the bulletin board were of a lot of people we had never seen before.... and when we went inside, there was a picture (almost as big as the pulpit itself) of Martin Luther King by the podium.  Now folks.... don't get me wrong, this is not meant to hurt feelings, or seem prejudiced at all.... but we've never sang at predominately black church. If you ask me why... I think it's just because the elders in the group couldn't keep up!  We jumped back in the bus and almost had it up on 3wheels leaving the parking lot, afraid that we would be in trouble for breaking and entering!  Thanks for the belly laugh Monte.... I needed it!

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