Newsletter – August-October 2020
Featured Image: Four-year-old twins, Isaiah and Evelyne on the outside, two-year-old Solomon (“Solo”) in the middle, welcoming home twin-boys Aaron and Noah (now 3 months!) from the hospital!
Dear treasured friends, precious family and valued ministry partners:
Once again, Tammy and I hope this finds you and yours staying safe and keeping healthy. Needless to say, like so many, this season is particularly challenging — we SO miss our families, especially when they live SO far away. We can’t wait to hug our new twin boy grand-babies, and the other five as well! For now, we must settle with regular FaceTime calls and almost daily video exchanges. It’s not quite like being there, but so very much appreciated for the time being!
For the second time in 23 years, I am not including a schedule with this quarterly newsletter! Needless to say, all planned ministry trips have been canceled or postponed for the foreseeable future. We are surely hoping that changes soon. I WAS able to give a concert at a local nursing home/assisted living on America’s Independence Day, July 4th. I was outside in the courtyard and most of the residents were inside, socially distancing, and able to hear through open doors. The welcoming response was enthusiastic as so many residents enjoyed the first live entertainment in almost 4 months. I am looking forward to many other opportunities like this.
Also, since our last newsletter, I have given 12 Saturday evening “Driveway Concerts” for our friends and neighbors. The last one had about 75 in attendance, spread out in small groups up and down our street. It has been a great way to reach out to our neighbors and develop closer relationships. I usually field many requests during the 90-minute programs and even include some hymns and inspirational songs. We are taking a little break right now due to the very warm summer temperatures, but plan to resume in a few weeks as soon as it is a little cooler. (Most of the audience are seated in the shade but the logistics put Tammy and me in full sun!)
If I have your e-mail address, some of you will have received the daily “musical offerings” of videos of my original compositions, so far 27 of them, accompanied by short messages of the biblical passages on which the songs are based. There has been a lot of wonderful feedback to this project as well. If you have not received these via e-mail, please drop me a note and I will gladly add you to the list, and send you some or all of these “offerings!”
One other exciting project recently completed is a recording of piano arrangements of 100 Best-Loved Hymns and another recording of piano arrangements of A Variety of 100 Popular Songs (including Broadway songs, jazz, folk, classical and more!) Just like the “musical offering” project, I am making these available through a Dropbox link and can e-mail that to you as well. Needless to say, these two recording projects cost quite a bit to produce — I am offering them each at a reduced price of $45. (Each of the 2 sets is the equivalent of 7-8 CDs of music.) You can order via e-mail or, if you prefer, call me on my cell phone with your credit card information.
Last, but by no means least, please keep Tammy and me, Lisa and Heidi and their wonderful families in your prayers. Please pray for their ongoing safety and God’s promise of protection and blessing. The twin baby boys are doing great! Thank you so very much for your heartfelt prayers and your kind and generous support. Tammy and I are praying for you and yours. God’s word tells “all things work TOGETHER for good.” (Not ALL things – especially this pandemic – ARE good!) Our loving God is always FOR us, WITH us and IN us (“Christ in you, the Hope of Glory!”)
With love and prayers and blessings,
Ross and Tammy