Friends

"There's a sad sort of clanging from the clock in the hall and the bells in the steeple too...

Regretfully they tell us

But firmly they compel us

To say goodbye . . .

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, good night

I hate to go and leave this pretty sight

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu

Adieu, adieu, to yieu and yieu and yieu

So long, farewell, au revoir, auf wiedersehen

I leave and heave a sigh and say goodbye -- Goodbye!"

Closing Dinner

The Dudley Family of Alabama


Three Valenti sisters of Louisiana


Joanna and Jessica Erber of Illinois


Two Sarahs in their colonial costumes


What fun- Pilgrim teddy bear!


The Faith and Freedom Tour tradition of getting as many autographs as possible for keepsakes


We parted from our friends very late (or actually very early the next morning!) but some Pilgrims didn't make the final good-bye

The Last Day

A peek into our bus on the last day of the Faith and Freedom Tour

What has the rapt attention of these girls?...

Ah, yes- it's a baby!


The statue of a Minute Man at Lexington Green


A monument in the form of a pulpit with a Bible, standing where the church once stood


The fearless words of a pastor to the men of his congregation


Children from our group line up where the Minute Men once stood


The Faithful Erbers delivering their outstanding daily lunches


The bridge at Concord, where the shot of the American revolution was "heard around the world"


Taking copious notes

One of the newly weds on our trip- Mr. and Mrs. Peter Bradrick


Hearing a lecture at Harvard University, the oldest college in America. Our tour guides shared their thoughts on what went wrong at Harvard, -college meant to train the Natives in Christianity and educate preachers of righteousness.


Miss Virginia Phillips practices her new smiling skills for her grandma while we are at Harvard

Next post coming up-
Closing Dinner

Sunday and Forefather's Monument

Sunday morning church was held at the hotel and was lead by Mr. Doug Phillips, Mr. Bill Potter and Mr. Geoff Botkin.


Our only official stop of the day was Forefather's Monument with Dr. Paul Jehle


Mr. Phillips and son, Providence, look up to Faith, the top statue of the monument


Dr. Jehle describes the monument -how the idea come about, the funds raised, the meaning of the statues and engraved quotes.


After a great message at the monument, we lingered in the hotel lobby ...


or went swimming, - or in John's case played a long game of "throw the towel" with a very obliging Jessica Erber! (Thank you Jessica! :))


Little girls and boys are always ready for a story as Molly Valenti discovers


We stayed up late chatting, playing games, visiting with new friends and getting ready for the last -sniff, sniff- day of the Faith and Freedom Tour.

Paul Revere's Boston

Saturday we didn't start so early after such a late night. We went to Burial Hill, which our family had spent some time at before the tour started. This time around we had more opportunity to look at "insignificant" names and learn about the people buried - how they viewed life and death by the verses on the graves.


Documenting the tour

After picking up our bagged lunches from the Erber family, we loaded up onto the bus for a second day in Boston.


Paul Revere's Home along the red Freedom Trail


At Copp's Hill Mr. Potter and Mr. Phillips told us about the battle at Bunker Hill and the spiritual heritage of the Puritans.


The plaque about the Mather family


Mr. Phillips at the Puritan Mather family grave


Staying warm


"So through the night rode Paul Revere..."


Eating in Little Italy with the Shermans, Stevens and Joy Cortes


Yum! Eating a canolli outside of Mike's Pastry


Before we headed for the buses, as we had some time on our hands, we went to a park of sorts to visit. Then Mr. Jim Reid began an "Intern Interrogation"- firing friendly, insightful, tough questions at the four young men interning at Vision Forum. It was great fun for all those there and no one was harmed in the process! :)

Boston

Friday Morning we were up early to board the buses for Boston!
Dr. Jehle gave us a tour of the Massachusetts State House starting with a lecture in the legislative chamber.


We sat in the seats where the state representatives sit while we listened


Dr. Jehle


A large painting of John Elliott preaching to the Indians on a rock in the wilderness


It is amazing the amount of Christian symbols, murals, paintings and statues throughout the inside of the state house. This statue represents the hands of God forming man at Creation.


Mr. Doug Phillips standing in front of the grave of Ben Franklin's parents at the Granary Burying Ground. Many great Americans are buried here, including our favorite- Paul Revere, James Otis and three signers of the Declaration of Independence, John Hancock, Robert Treat Paine and Samuel Adams.


Kings Chapel Burying Ground


Mr. and Mrs. Howard Phillips in the Boston Common


Here Brian Howell, Maloree and Hannah Crocker and Mrs. Mary Howell are on board the U.S.S. Constitution


And Julieanna and Amy are below deck :)


After the Constitution museum we had "Family Free Time" at Faneuil Hall where we ate and talked with good friends, the Fiech Family.


After our meal we wandered around the streets - watching the transformation from Thanksgiving to beautiful Christmas lights


Late that night we rode the buses back to our hotel when we nearly met with a horrible car accident. Right outside the window an out of control car flipped on the jersey wall and skidded along side our bus, in the fast lane, upside down. Some of our tour group jumped out of the bus to pull the passengers out of the smoking car. Both of the people were alive and probably were okay. The event left us a little shaken. Mr Bill Potter lead our whole bus in prayer for those injured minutes after the accident.