Christmas Concerts!

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: New G is proud to announce that we will be singing WITH the St. Joseph Symphony! The concert is December 18th, 7:00 p.m. at the Missouri Theater. This is a huge honor for New G and we are looking forward to some wonderful collaborative songs with the Symphony. Put it on your calendar and we'll have more details later too!

But wait, there's more...
New G will also have two other opportunities to hear our full concert of Christmas concert.
One of them will be an out-of-town performance in Platte City as a follow-up to the Changing
Hearts Crusade from this past summer; this concert will be on December 19th at 3:00 (tentatively!). Again more details to follow.

That still leaves a full concert IN St. Joseph, but we have a few more details to work out!

Day 13, Laramie, WY.

Hey New G readers...

So here is the deal, not a lot happened today. We got up, got on the busses, and headed to Laramie. We arrived at the hotel, unloaded, and then performed at First United Methodist. It was a very pretty church, and a good performance. We then arrived at the hotel with jsut nough time to do a little swimming. I was unable to get pictures today, but hopefully I can get a few more pictures posted tommorrow before we arrive home on SATURDAY!!! I hope you all have enjoyed the posts so far, and thank you for tkaing time to follow us on the road on our 2008 tour.

Signing off and God Bless,
Your Blogmaster,
Brandt S.

(P.S., make sure you check out the Yellowstone and worship post if you haven't yet today!)

The Big Worship and Day 12, Yellowstone

Hello fellow New G blog viewers.




This edition of "The Written Word" from Tour is brought to you by Brad Davidson. Brad Davidson is made with high fructose corn syrup, but on the flip side he has zero trans fat. Alright then, all joking aside, I will be taking this time out of your day to talk to you about the annual Worship Meeting that we have on Tour. This year's Tour Worship was based on a skit performed at a Christian concert held by the band "Lifehouse." The first time I saw this skit I was moved to tears. This skit is aimed more so at the teenage audience, but it can still be very moving for adults also.

The skit starts out with God creating a young girl. The entire skit is played to a song by Lifehouse and it's also done without any talking whatsoever. She goes through many of life's struggles and in the process starts to stray away from God's gaze. In the end she sees just how far she fallen from God's path and tries to get back to God, but the journey isn't as easy it sounds. If you'd like to see the skit for yourself you can go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyheJ480LYA. The version that the Worship Committee presented to the kids was not the exact same as what is on the website. Instead of the girl facing suicidal thoughts toward the end of the skit, we had replaced that with troubles at home with the family.

The roll I played in the skit was God. At first when I learned that the Worship Committee wanted me to play the part of God, I was petrified. I knew that those were some awfully big shoes to fill. Ultimately though, I feel that by playing this roll in the skit, I was able to come closer to God. Not only have I come to love my fellow Christian, but I know that I have done what God wanted me to do. Seeing so many people moved by something as simple as a skit made me feel so good. I had many kids who came up to me throughout the night full of tears, but no matter how close I was to that kid or how many tears they had in their eyes, I couldn't bring myself to cry, because in my heart I knew that I had done exactly what God was calling me to do. By listening to God I was able to help touch the hearts of so many people and that alone made me one of the happiest guys in Idaho that night.

Being a part of New G has changed my life forever. It has given me leadership, hope, open-mindedness, and even life-long friendships. It was only a month ago that I was officially baptized for the first time in my life, and ever since then God has been calling me to do everything in my power to help people. It has been one of the greatest months of my life and I can't wait to see where the future takes me and New G.

If you'd like to hear more from people like me (instead of short paragraphs by other individuals), just leave a comment with Mr. Shields and I'm sure that he'd be more than willing to let someone else takeover for a day. Thanks for reading.

Your Bro in Christ,

Brad Davidson

• I would like to thank Brad for his post about the tour worship. He and the worship committee spent a lot of time working on the tour worship, and it was definitely worth it. Today we went to Yellowstone Natt'l park and spent a lot of time on the road. We saw the Mammoth Hot springs, and Just missed the Old Faithful Geyser. We arrived at the hotel after 11 last night, and most of us quickly went to bed. Here are some pictures from yesterday, and some other pictures from previous days that I had not posted yet, they are a little sparse since I didn't have any time at the hotel to get picture cards. Hope you enjoy the post though!
  

  
  

  Signing off and God Bless,
  

  Your Blogmaster,
  

  Brandt S.

Days 10-11, Idaho, Tour Worship, and Playing in the Park

Hello "Written" Word readers!

After a great performance in a very interesting church in Caldwell, Idaho, we had our annual tour worship. The tour worship has special meaning every year, where the worship committee takes our sermon theme for the year and takes it too the next level. Now I could ramble on about the way the worship was put on, but I have a special treat for the next blog post, when members of the group and of the worship committee will tell you what this year's worship meant to them, how it touched them, and what we can learn from it. But until that post, there are pictures in the slideshow so you can see a little bit of what happened.

We then traveled to Rexburg, Idaho so we could be closer to Yellowstone Nat'l Park, which we will visit today. On the way, we had the all important Wal-Mart run, (for some members that is a bigger deal than others.) When we arrived in Rexburg, New G's put down tons of pizza at Craigo's Gourmet Pizza co, and then, as a surprise, the sponsors let us stretch our legs at a local park, where we swung, jumped, played tag, capture the flag, and just had fun. WE then came back to the hotel for a night of rest before going on to Yellowstone today. I am sure I will have a large post with plenty of pictures tonight or tomorrow morning!

That's it for this edition of the "Written" Word!

Signing off and God Bless,

Your Blogmaster,

Brandt S.

Day 8-9, Glaciers, Golden, and coming back to the USA

Hey Readers!

Just to let you know, there will probably not be a post tomorrow, since we are spending the night in a church, and I doubt that internet connection will be available. Also, I apologize for any misspellings or typos, since I am often typing this quickly on a jittering bus. So thank you for your consideration and your readership. Now with the photos, the news, and the updates from the singers themselves!

Yesterday, we went to the Columbia Ice fields and saw a glacier, but were unable to walk on it due to safety concerns by the park rangers. From there, we went onto Golden, BC for an evening performance at a local church. We had a great time with the congregation, performing numbers from our informal section.

This morning, we went back to the church to perform the Sermon and song. The church congregation might have been small, but it was a great service. The pastor and the congregation were very moved, and he promised to have us back the next time we are in the area (hopefully sooner than later!)

We then headed south to the US/Canadian border, where one of our Canadian members had this encounter with a US border patrol agent:

US Border Patrol Agent, to Michele T. While handing back her passport – (AS he did a double take while looking at her passport, he said) "Oh, ok, I understand. Good luck, have fun. Everyone here is a Us Citizen, except her, but she is a legal resident, so she can move about as she pleases. Good luck. "

We are still wondering what she needs luck for….

Tonight, we are in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and are leaving for Caldwell, Idaho for a performance tomorrow night.

Now here are the updates from the singers in Their Word from Tour.

• Well, even though we have decided that the Colorado Rockies may be great for skiing, I think it is unanimously decided that the "Northern" Rockies win hands down for sheer beauty and "ooh-ah" moments! We love Canada! We are also excited to perform on the 8^th in our hometown church in Utica KS! – Ralph and Cheryl H.
  

  
  

• Chuck Norris Rocks! – Ben T. (Blogmaster Brandt says: this comment came after a long stream of Chuck Norris Jokes told during a long, rainy bus ride through Canada)
  

  
  

• Dear {Lake} Louise: You are beautiful. I cannot wait to see you again. You have such a calming presence about you. When I come back we will spend all day together. You are so photogenic… I will see you soon! I love you, -Michele T. (Blogmaster Brandt say: This is an ode to the beautiful Lake Louise, as seen in the previous post's pictures, written by one of our resident Canadians on tour.)
  

  
  

  
  

• Being back in good ol' Canada – What can I say? Well, it is still as cold as the previous times. Also, Canadians are very nice. I wish our New G Canadians, Michele and Jill were as nice… I'm kidding! Michele and Jill really are nice and I am glad to be on tour with them. Without them, I would be lost. O Canada! – Chris A.
  

  
  

• Canada is so awesome. I love it so much, the mountains are so beautiful! – Eric P.
  

  
  

  
  

• Hello! Mount Rushmore was great. Canada is extremely beautiful. I can wait to get home, see you at home- Jake P.
  

  
  

• Still alive in Canada- I want to move here! – Tyler V.
  

  
  

  
  

• Canada is beautifully weird. – Uriah Y.
  

  
  

• Hey family! Wow, Canada is so pretty. I wish you were here! We have had some interesting times, with everything from pillow fights, to cards, to even leaky toilets. Well, the mountains and glaciers are gorgeous. I love you guys and miss you! – Shelby F.
  

  
  

  
  

• (To his family) Love you guys, it's been a blast, I don't like the "no service" because then I can't talk to you. I was mad because you called and I couldn't answer it, and then went out of service (My luck!). I miss you, can't wait to see you. Love you! – Jace D.
  

  
  

• Hey family- I kinda miss you. I am having too much fun to remember if I miss you. I am taking pictures. I am in Canada and just saw a caribou. I will write later maybe, and Mom, don't expect a call! Bye. – Brian W.
  

  
  

  
  

• Hello everyone!!! Tour has been going amazingly so far. Last night we stayed at a really nice hotel, and Melissa and I ordered in Pizza that was really great. Today, we are going to the Ice fields, which should be really beautiful. We are having a lot of fun on the busses playing cards! All in all so far, tour has been AMAZING!!! – Bethany B.
  

  
  

• Dear St. Joseph. We are coming, like Mosquitoes on a stagnant pond: large in numbers, looking for food. – Yours truly, Slammin Sammy P.
  

Well, that's about it for this edition of the "Written" Word

Signing off and God Bless,

Your Blogmaster,

Brandt S.

Day 7- Lake Louise and such – AKA More Canada

Hello there readers! Today will be a shorter post, but still plenty of pictures to keep all of those at home happy!

Today we traveled into Banff Nat'l Park in Canada, and saw some great sights. WE stopped at Lake Louise, which is ranked as one of the top 10 most beautiful places in the world. After a long photo-op, we loaded the busses and headed northward to our hotel. But before we stopped for the evening, we saw a beautiful waterfall (and of course took more photos!) On the bus, we celebrated International Inventor Day by playing so invention trivia, and then making our own "inventions" sing what we had on hand and at least on singer. Some examples on Hope Bus were the "craftbot" and the "surveillance bot."

Well, that's about all for now, enjoy the pictures, and please feel free to comment on the blog or email me at newgsingers@gmail.com

Signing Off and God Bless,

Your Blogmaster,

Brandt S.

Days 3-6: Rushmore Camping, Billings, Kalispell, and The Going to the Sun Road

Hello readers! I apologize for the delay in the posting, I have been caught in a dry spell of Internet Access, but hopefully these postings will resume. To make up for it, there are plenty of pictures (Note: they are not in any particular order, sorry.)

So now for the day by day breakdown:

Day 3: Mount Rushmore and the Methodist Camp

We left Mitchell SD, stooped by the world famous Wall Drug Store for lunch, and headed for Mount Rushmore by way of our lodging for the evening, Storm Mountain Methodist church camp. Upon arriving, we learned that the men were staying in the "rustic" cabins about a half mile back into the woods. The men came to learn that the definition of "rustic" means no electricity, no AC, and the only "running water" was a creek next to the cabins, which means that our amenities were summed up by two outhouses. It was certainly a bonding experience and a New G first. The girls, on the other hand, weren't exactly "roughing it." Chelsey B. describes the women's lodgings like this:

"The lodging was comfortable enough, better than the guys because we had electricity, plumbing, everything. It actually was pretty nice"

But before we could settle in for the evening, we had an important performance to take care of first. We sang a great performance in front of the mountain to a fairly large audience. W then stayed around for a very patriotic and moving lighting ceremony, which was a really neat experience.

The performance in Billings went on without a hitch, and then after arriving late in the church in Kalispell, we had a quick setup and a great performance.

When we arrived this morning at Glacier Nat'l Park, we loaded up 15 at a time in 1930 fire-truck red Ford Carriages and journeyed on a 36 mile trip on the "Going to the Sun Road." It was an amazing trip with awesome scenery, but I believe the story is best told from the words of the singers below and the amazing pictures.

Now time for a special segment I like to call "YOUR Word from Tour!" This is where the singers are able to tell little tidbits of their tour, and I post them here to the blog. So, here are the stories

• Ok, so I realized that you shouldn't stand on the bus in sock feet when it is stopping, lol (that is teen-speak for "laugh out loud") Anyway, I'm truly missing home and all the people I've stayed with make me think of home. Also, BATS ARE SCARY! - Hanna L.
  

  
  

• Rooming with Shelby F. has proved to be very interesting. In our first host home she successfully tripped four times in one spot, couldn't get the lighter to work when she shot off a cannon, discovered that 2 + 2=4, and modeled a unicorn hairstyle. In our second host home, she thought a moth was going to eat her, and turned some of our laundry pink. In our latest Host home, she fell in love with a cat that kept trying to maul her. Needless to say, Shelby F. entertains me. – Denae N.
  

  
  

• Tour 2008 has been amazing. Everything from the mountains and the beautiful blue sky to the random sleeping pictures on the bus. Mt. Rushmore was breathtaking. It has been amazing, and I am glad that I can help spread God's work. J -Sami S.
  

  
  

• This year Raelynn didn't get to go on tour, but her parents postponed their vacation so that they could be at Mt. Rushmore the same day that we were performing. When we got there, Raelynn and her family were already there!!! So that night, Bemo let her perform with us. It was a great performance, and I am glad that she got to come. J - Kaitlin J.
  

  
  

• On our first night, in Yankton SD, Trevor, Brad and myself (Chris) sang in a barbershop trio to our host family – Trevor on Bass, Brad on Bari, and myself on lead. We sang the intro and chorus to "When that Great Day Comes." Our host family really enjoyed it! – Chris A.
  

  
  

• Singing at Mt. Rushmore was an amazing, once in a lifetime chance. The Montana Mountains are huge – Montana is a huge state. – Eric P.
  

  
  

• Tour so far has been great. I've had some run-ins with big dogs, thanks to some of my host families. My patience with the kids was running short at first, but some prayer and meditation quickly put me back on the track God is calling me for. To be an inspiration to fellow members and let my love of Christ show through my singing. God has truly blessed me by giving me this opportunity to explore the world and grow in God. – Brad D.
  

  
  

• This year is my first tour for New G Singers! At first I was super nervous… especially about host homes and crossing a border out of the United States for the first time, but my first night at a host home I had so much fun! I am really looking forward to Canada. – Brett M.
  

  
  

• So we stopped at a rest stop and my new friend Halley and I were so hyper that we started doing cartwheels around the grass. Well, also I made a new friend and it was a cat, but our friendship ended when he scratched me. Just kidding. Well, I am having lots of fun and making lots of friends. – Shelby F.
  

  
  

• I love tour, meeting new people is great. There was this one time when Shelby and I and I had so much energy that we started doing cartwheels at a rest stop, laughing and screaming all the way! – Halley K.
  

  
  

• It is so cool to go into a restaurant for breakfast of lunch and other people come up and ask about the group because the kids are acting so great! I am not doing so well as far as keeping track of things - I left my pillow during the first night at a motel, and left my jacket at the first church! Oh well L - Cheryl H.
  

  
  

• Tour has been great. Our second host home with Melissa and I(Bethany B.), I made a good first impression. Reason being I was sitting in the back seat and somehow I managed to roll my hair in the window! – Bethany B.
  

  
  

• To the Gang: we are approaching the Motherland! Today Glacier Park was amazing. I am having fun, getting a little stuffy but will survive. I am so uberly(sic) excited to room with my Paigey-poo (sic)! Just about time for PMS (That is the Paige and Michele Show for all of you back home.) Stay tuned for more info. J Bonne nuit, Je Taime. Dis bonjur a tout le monde. Au revoir, XOXO – (Blogmaster Brandt says: that was French. I got another Canadian to translate into English:" Good Night, I love you. Until tomorrow, Good Bye, Hugs and Kisses") – Michele T.
  

  
  

• MOM! No service in Canada, No cell phone for days. I hope I can make it. Hope you aren't missing me too much! Tour is good so far, I can't wait to room with Michele next week. My memory card is full! Guess I will have to buy another. See you soon, talk to you when we get back to the States. Love you, -Paige L.
  

  
  

• (Blogmaster Brandt Says: This is a quote from our Going to the Sun Road trip, where Zack L. Was given the microphone, and was fed lines by the tour guide. This is rated as the best quote of the day by many, so we will put it up here.) "And on your right, coming up, is the honey lodge, founded in 1914. I don't exactly know what it was for, but it sounds "mmmm" delicious. Oh, and they have mounted heads of, like, animals all over the walls. Hmm, what? Oh, the HUNTING lodge?!?!? Oh, ok…." -Zack L., A little lost in translation.
  

  
  

• On my trip to Glacier Nat'l Park, I saw many amazing things. My favorite things were the waterfalls. Tehre were many and they were amazing and beautiful. There was one huge waterfall that if you drove to close to it, you got a little wet. It got ME a little wet! That has been my favorite part of the trip! – Becca H.
  

  
  

• Wow! I can't believe it is only day 6! Tour has been amazing so far. Getting to be able to sing God's word at a Nat'l Monument was absolutely a blessing. Then, Glacier Nat'l Park today was beautiful. All day I was thinking of Romans 1:20. We got to experience God's beauty in one of its purest forms. How can we not know God? Well, I hope all is well in St. Joseph, and God Bless! – Melissa S.
  

  
  

• Every time someone comes to Glacier Nat'l Park, they are bound to see the aftermath of the wildfires. To most people, the scenes are sad and devastating, but to me, it is not. To me, the beauty of the wildfire is the aftermath. All you see is tree barks standing bare. The trees have been stripped of their colors and outer beauty. What remains is what I call "true beauty." The true beauty is the strength and durability that the trunks have shown. The fact that the trees have survived is in my eyes God's true beauty. – Jill T.
  

  
  

• On tour, you become like a family with many people, so here is one of our "family lines" J
  

Uncles/Brothers-Andy Z., Rylan Sw.

Mothers Lanae W., Kelly L., Kelsey S.

Daughter- Jill T.

Grandkids- Becca H., Kira W.

(Note from Blogmaster Brandt - I have NO idea what this means. I just write what they give me.)

Family Tree by Lanae W. and Jill T.

Well, that seems to about wrap it up for this edition of the "Written" Word

NOTE: If you have not seen your child in any of the pictures, and want to make sure that he or she is still alive, please email me at newgsingers@gmail.com and I will hopefully get it soon. I will make sure that we get pictures of them in the next edition – I promise! Also note, I only got one bus's set of pictures, so that could also be why you might notice some people show up more often than others.

Signing off and God Bless,

Your Blogmaster,

Brandt S.