Touring Stirling Castle and Our First Concert in Scotland

Hi everyone!  It’s a beautiful sunny day here in Scotland.  Feels like its close to 60°  and we are heading out for our 3 hour drive to Northeastern Scotland to the town of Peterhead.  We are having a great time, and making new friends all the while!  Yesterday was a fun, adventurous day for us!  We had several hours to go to the Stirling Castle… where we learned about the legendary William Wallace “Braveheart” from the Scottish insiders!  The castle was built in the 1500s and has been preserved and restored to allow tourists to enjoy its history.  We were fascinated to learn about King James V  and also visited the Regimental Museum inside the castle where we learned about the history of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.  There were 1000nds of  pictures, stories and remains from the Scottish soldiers gear, and we saw uniforms and machinery that had been used during wartime!  We saw our first KILT yesterday!!  I cant imagine these men having to go to war wearing them… wasn’t it hard to fight in a skirt? Didn’t their legs get cold? However difficult it may have been for them to battle in (and that is just my speculation) , the kilts were absolutely beautiful and the tradition of the Scottish uniform is marvelous to see!

After lunch in the town of Stirling, we headed to the Dobbie Hall for our concert that night in Larbert, Scotland.  This was an older, smaller venue, seating about 400 people, but it allowed for more of an intimate atmosphere with the audience.  Most of the people there, as was the case in N. Ireland are HUGE Gaither fans (they all pronounce it “Gether” lol), so they were familiar with us through the DVDs.  They seemed excited from the get-go, and by the end of the night they stood and clapped for more.. J  There was another family performing last night. The Gardiners.  They are from Peterhead Scotland, and are a mother, father and 2 children.. They were fantastic!  Beautiful tight family harmony performed southern gospel style! We are singing with them again tomorrow night.

When we were in the Faroe Islands last year, we were booked at a festival with a well-known Christian rock band in the UK called Superhero. We had a little time to get to know them and then on the way home from the Faroes ran into them again in Copenhagen airport…  Long story short, we became good friends and have kept in touch with them via email.  Well, two of the guys came to see us sing last night! Johnny and Tim, some super sweet guys surprised us at the concert and even stayed to eat.  They are coming to Eastern America in May, so check out their website (www.superhero.org.uk or www.myspace.com/superherouk) and if you like Christian rock, go see them!  They are very passionate about Jesus and are fun to know!

We finally wrapped up the concert about 11:00 last night (started at 8 and had an intermission) and headed over to the Pastor’s house for … you guessed it, Chinese take out (they say take away here)… Yummy!  Pastor Michael Rollo and his wife Diane along with their kids were an absolute joy to meet and wonderful people!  We had time to eat supper with them the night we got into town and we laughed and laughed for hours!  Then they took us to the shortest street in the UK… “Tollbooth Street’..  it was only                                 

 58 feet long! We’d call it an alley in the USA..lol…  But quite a cool experience!! 

We are nearing Peterhead now… and are looking forward to another fresh fish and chips supper tonight! MMMMM!!!  I will talk to you soon.. Thanks for reading, and keep us in your prayers!

Sonya and the I’s.  

        

Sightseeing and Mum's Day!

We have had a few days this week that we used to go explore the countryside of Northern Ireland… and let me tell you, it is breathtaking!  On Saturday before our concert we headed to Port Rush for some delicious fish and chips and enjoyed the peaceful shoreline scenery !  Then we headed up to Bush Mills and to the Causeway Coast,  where we visited the legendary “Giant’s Causeway”.  It was so amazing.. Stacks of hardened lava have formed pillars of stepping stones out into the ocean and up high above sea level.  We carefully climbed as high as we could and took some great pictures! We will try to get you some pics as soon as we can.  We had to head back to Belfast for load in later that day.

Our other adventure day was Sunday,… Our hosts for the day, Leslie and Carol Ann Brown (sweet people!)  wouldn’t tell us where we were going  so they could surprise us! We drove about 2 hours and got  onto a wee ferry for a wee ride across Strangford Lough (Lake)… we saw miles of yellow flowers blooming from bushes (Carol Ann said they traditionally used the dye from them  to color Easter eggs!) and then after about 40 minutes we arrived at our surprise destination:  a place called Down Patrick in the southeast part of the country.  We were at the St. Patrick’s Cathedral and next to it was the cemetery where St. Patrick was buried in the 12th century!!  Did you know that Saint Patrick (his name was Patrick Brennan) is from Britain, the son of a wealthy landowner?  When he was 16 years old, he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland where he was sold into slavery.  He escaped to France, but one night in a dream he heard the voice of the Irish calling him back and felt called to go back and witness to those who had mistreated him.  How Patrick answered that call and brought Christianity to Ireland is one of the most splendid stories in history!

We weren’t able to go into the church because it was closed due to the holiday.  Yesterday was “Mothers Day” in Ireland!  And its so adorable how they all say “Mum” instead of Mom.  Even the cards all say Mum on them!!   So, when you see our Mom next time, say “Hello Mum Isaacs”!  

We drove around in the tourist- loved town of  Newcastle and viewed the grand Mourne Mountains off in the distance.  Then we stopped briefly at the majestic Slieve Donard Resort.  Behind it lies the greens of the famous Royal County Down Golf Club where famous Americans such as Tiger Woods, and Bill Clinton have been spotted.  That reminds me, Ben, Nathan and Thomas got to spend the first day here golfing in Portadine with Gary (the Browns son) and had a good “guy bonding” time Irish style J .  Thanks for a great day Gary!! The girls and some of the guys opted to go shopping, and found some great British deals!! 

 

After Newcastle on Sunday  we drove to the Glassdrumman House, a quaint lodge nestled in the mountains, for lunch.  The owner, Joan was at our concert the night before and fed us a delicious authentic meal consisting of  ham, lamb, roast, potatoes (they eat A LOT of potatoes aka “spuds” here too!), cabbage, broccoli, carrots, soup and dessert.  We pigged out and said goodbye to our new friend and headed back to the hotel to freshen up for church.. 

There is so much to see here, so much that we will have to return for!  Lord willing we will come back again and again.  You HAVE to come see beautiful Northern Ireland for yourself!

BTW: The wearin green or you’ll get pinched fad is American made, they don’t do that in Ireland : > )  Oh, and we managed to stay out of the pubs too…lol.

The Titanic and a Scottish Rainbow!!

Today we left N. Ireland at around 11 this morning and headed for Scotland.  We drove onto a ferry leaving from Belfast and rode for 2 hours across the Irish Sea… a rocky, but gorgeous ride. We were told that the Titanic was built right there in Belfast and sailed the same sea as we did!!  Boy, Im glad we weren’t on it today.. Lol.  

When we reached the other side, we drove off the ferry into Scotland.  Our 2 hour trip began alongside the ocean at the bottom of  tall green mountains and was breathtaking.. THEN we saw the most beautiful huge rainbow... Both ends touching down on the rolling emerald acres of Scottish fields!!  God reminds us all the time How Great He really is.  We just have to keep our eyes open!  We are pinching ourselves every day because we just cant believe we are here!!  We loved our time in N. Ireland, and certainly hope we can return soon, and are excited about the next 5 days in Scotland!!  More to come…!!

Great concerts in Ballymena, Craigavon and Belfast!!

It never ceases to amaze me how the Spirit of God unites perfect strangers!  Here we are in a foreign land, learning the habits and dialects of a people we’ve only heard about, and meeting individuals we’ve never even seen… and yet we feel like family!  Only God and the shared passion we have for His kingdom can unite us in such a quick heartfelt way!  We are having some amazing concerts here in N. Ireland.. 

Our first concert was on Thursday night in Craigavon at the beautiful  Civic Center.  Start time, 8pm…  Seats lined the aisles of the overcrowded auditorium and anxious Irish folk filled them with great anticipation!  We were shocked to see such a large crowd at our first ever North Ireland performance!  Our promoter Ronnie Dawson plays with a group called the “Drop Inn Country Band” and they started the evening off with about 30 minutes of great music each night! The guys in the band were so kind and tirelessly helped out with sound equipment every night… They were so much fun to watch and did a great job, and we enjoyed their humor and hearing the different accents on some popular songs we all know… “Because He Lives“, “I’ll Fly Away“, “Try A Little Kindness”, to name a few, and the crowd sang along and had a great time with them!  By the time we got up, they were already warmed up and ready for more!  We sang 45 minutes, then took an intermission where we invited the audience to meet us and give us song requests.  We were overwhelmed by the songs that they knew and sang another 45 minutes to accommodate them.  Here are some of the most requested:

“Stand Still, He Understands My Tears, Yours and Mine, Sweet Holy Spirit, Heroes, He Never Failed Me, If That Don’t Make You Wanna Go, Walk On“…  to name a few… 

We sang what seemed to us a long time and at the end of the night, with pictures and autographs and visiting, we were,, to say the least , a “wee bit tired”!  J  But it was a great night, and we were so happy to be singing to an audience who seemed anxious to listen! The former mayor of Craighaven was there and gave us a tour of the Mayors Chambers after the show.  (He) Councilor Robert Smith has become a friend of the Isaacs for life!! 

Friday night’s concert was in a town called Ballymena (they would pronounce town like “tine”- all the words with the “ow” sound - sound like long “I“- (now=nie, how=hi, down=dine)… .. Its so cute, and a little hard to get used to!  Anyway, it was in the Seven Towers Leisure Center and the crowd was nearly full!   It was a wonderful evening and seemed the most spiritual of all 3 shows. The anointing fell on Sweet Holy Spirit, and before the concert ended, we were praying together and worshiping with tears abundantly flowing everywhere.  It was a fantastic night!

Our last performance in N. Ireland was in the  capital, Belfast, at the Spires Centre.  This was a large auditorium and was beautifully colored with careful architectural design.  It was our biggest crowd yet.. 800 excited fans, most coming for the first time ever to hear us, and around 100 who came back for seconds.   It was a spectacular night and seemed like the perfect finale for 3 amazing concerts. 

To wind up our time here, we were invited to worship at Pastor Dawson’s church last night.  He asked us to sing a few songs and Mom gave her testimony.  Then he gave a wonderful message and impressed on the people to come to the Lord.  One sweet 13 year old boy came up and prayed with him and hugged us all after the service telling us with teary eyes that he got saved J !!! That was worth all the hassle at immigrations in itself!! Thank God the Spirit is the same everywhere we go!  After church we headed over to the Dawson’s home (where we also ate a delicious home cooked meal of lasagna, chicken pot pie and 5 different desserts the first night we came!) Then last night we had, believe it or not, Chinese food!  Oh, and we also had KFC, Subway, and Dominos pizza this week..  Some things are just to good to stay in one country! LOL..  We fell in love with the entire Drop Inn Church and the precious Dawson family (especially  2 month old Caleb and 4 month old Daniel) !!  Thank you all for all your hospitality.  Come see us in the good ole USA any ole time!

Dixie Stampede then Ireland !?!

The story of how our  trip to Northern Ireland came about is so cool!  We were visiting the Dixie Stampede in Pigeon Forge TN last summer…  after the amazing show (our friend Jay Teter is one of the great hosts of the show, so we go quite often), we were leaving and heard some full Irish accented voices calling from the gift shop.. “Are you the Isaacs?”….  A group of gospel music fans from N. Ireland was visiting and recognized us as we were leaving. “ We love your music in Ireland and we want you to come sing for us next year!”  So….  We exchanged contact info, feeling grateful that we were recognized, and not really expecting it to lead to an actual tour here…  Sure enough, they followed through and arranged 3 concerts here, and 2 in Scotland (next weeks concerts)!  Ronnie Dawson, our promoter and his wife Carolyn are hosting us this week, and are doing a fantastic job. Once we got over the jet lag, and the initial detention at immigration, we have had a brilliant time!  The country side is so green, and beautiful!  Cant wait to see more, and share pics with you all… 

More soon…  Sonya

All's Well that Doesn't End

Greetings from Northern Ireland!!!  Boy do we have a story for you!  We have had quite a memorable adventure thus far and have finally caught a moment to fill you in!  

We left Nashville TN at 2:40pm on St. Patricks Day (Mar 17th) to begin our  long anticipated 10 day tour in Great Britain! How cool to be going to Ireland, where this holiday was started..  on St. Patty’s Day!!  

We have always dreamed of coming to Ireland, and the UK, and were so excited that we might have gone a little overboard clothed in our “I love Ireland” tee-shirts and flashing pins! Lol…. We planned to surprise our hosts with this patriotic attire, and were, as cheesy as it was, green to the max.. nobody was getting pinched on our plane!  After a 3 ½ hr layover in Newark, we left at

 9:30pm that night for our direct flight to Belfast, N.Ireland.   The flight was 6 hours long but smooth.. And with our 5 hour time change, we landed safely in Belfast around 8 the next morning.  This is where the story begins:

We got our carry ons and headed toward the customs/ immigration to flash our passports and proceed to get our luggage and meet our promoter Ronnie and the pick-up crew…  Ben was first in line.. He flashed his passport and began to answer the string of questions the immigration officer had for him.. She soon learned that we are a band here to play some concerts and quickly asked for the proper documentation to enter the country under the working clause.  Oopsy…  we didn’t have any papers to show her!!  She asked us to sit in the corner and wait till the end of the line so she could deal with us together.  After waiting for about 45 minutes, she finally finished checking the other passengers through and came to talk to us…  We were starting to get concerned, but none of us knew the seriousness of what she was unveiling.  After speaking to our promoter, and her chief officer, she returned to tell us that this is not a good situation and we would most likely be denied entry into N. Ireland!  What? Are you kidding me??  We just flew half way around the world, we are exhausted, and there are thousands of ticket holders expecting to see 6 concerts within the next 10 days!  Denied entry?  There MUST be some mistake!  We waited longer as she left to draw up some papers.  We were then taken to wait in another room downstairs.  So, security searched our bags and padded us down, then took us to a freeeezing room where a few officers stayed with us.. FOR THE NEXT 6 HOURS!!! Wow..  We were so exhausted,  no sleep in 24 hours, hungry, cold and worried.  After about 4 hours, they sent a lady with papers and a finger printing machine.  We ALL had to get fingerprinted, and had a mug shot taken!!  How did we become criminals all of a sudden??!! (least that’s how it felt!) This less than nice immigration officer certainly was taking her time in getting anything done.  I guess in hind sight it was good because it allowed our promoter to get in touch with some powerful people who started working immediately to fix the problem.  We did have some extra nice security officers guarding us though, and they got us water, tea and cappuccinos and some sandwiches to hush our growling tummies…  Thanks Amanda and Adam, and the other nice guards whose names I cant recall… A few of them even watched our live from Norway DVD on Becky’s computer while we waited…  

About an hour after our fingerprinting, the officer came back in with a handful of documents, which she proceeded to pass out to each of us.  “These are your papers saying that you have been DENIED entry to the country. We have rebooked your flights and you will be flying home in  30 hours.  We are keeping your passports and you must report at 7:30 Friday morning to collect them and fly home or you will be arrested.  You also will be arrested if you perform during your temporary stay.”  Whoa !!!  That was verrrrry disappointing news! Then the part that sent Becky through the roof… She continued “Only the 7 onstage have to leave.  The children (Levi and Jakobi, Becky’s kids are with us) and Steve (also traveling with us to help out) will be keeping their original flights home on the 28th…”  Seriously?  They expect the kids to stay in Ireland without their family?  That part was ridiculous and when Becky lividly stated that she would NOT leave her kids , the officer suggested we talk to the airline to change their flights too.  WOW… That was shocking! 

When they finally released us to go to the hotel for the night, we tried to stop at the airline desk to change the kids flights, but they were closed for the night.  We called everyone we could think of to start a prayer chain to help get this ruling reversed… and we crashed that night, trusting that God would take care of it!

We slept until 11:30 the next morning, just exhausted, and woke up to a phone call… Ronnie called Moms room to tell us that his friends (and Gospel Music Fans) in government and the Parliament had convinced the immigration control to allow us to stay, and to perform!!!!  Praise the Lord!  Thank you Ronnie, and all the invisible heroes who worked so hard to help reverse this decision, it is not a frequent happening here!   Jakobi answered the phone when Levi called our room to tell us the news, and  it was the cutest thing ever!  Her eyes got as big as saucers and with happiest, most excited voice I’ve ever heard, she shouted out to us “Don’t pack your bags! We’re staying!!!”    AHHHH!!  What a relief… What a BIG GOD!!  

Yes, what a BIG GOD!!  He is our Comforter and our Provider.  Prayer is so powerful!!  It not only brings peace when your back is to the wall, but it moves mountains too!!!  We know that He has called us to be here and only time will tell the reason the enemy fought us so hard to keep us away.  The Lord is triumphant and we Praise His Holy Name for seeing us through!  

Thankfully, we got our passports back and have been able to enjoy the rest of our trip so far.   I will try to blog more this week.. So stay tuned for more from Northern Ireland!!!

Sonya & the gang

Current Ireland Time

The Isaacs are touring Ireland and Scotland. They have 5 concerts planned over the next few days. Join us in praying for their safety as they travel.

To read some responses from concert attendees the last two nights.....click on comments at the bottom of this post. Emails are coming in and also some photos from concerts. Nathan's mom Peggy has been keeping us updated and it sounds like they are having a great time. Ben, Nathan and Thomas played a little golf yesterday with the promoter and really enjoyed it. Hopefully we'll hear from some of the Isaacs sometime this weekend.

Blessings!

Photos from Craigavon Civic Center 3-19-09

Photos from Belfast 3-21-09

A few photos from Hoofers Gospel Barn in Lagrange, GA

Saturday March 14th, 2009

by Peggy Fauscett

The Isaacs in Fork Union, VA March 6th, 2009

A GREAT WEEK END WITH THE ISAACS.............by Carl Bagby

 

               THE ISAACS GOT INTO FORK UNION ON FRIDAY ABOUT 10 AM AFTER DRIVING MOST OF THE NIGHT FROM NASHVILLE. FORK UNION IS A MILITARY ACADEMY LOCATED IN THE FOOTHILLS OF THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS OF VIRGINIA. THE SCHOOL THRIVES ON DISCIPLINE AND SCHOLASTICS. MANY ATHLETES PREP FOR COLLEGE HERE. THEY PRESENTLY HAVE 13 GRADUATES PLAYING FOOTBALL IN THE NFL. COLONEL FRED HARDY HAS HAD 5 FUTURE OLYMPIANS RUN THROUGH HIS TRACK AND FIELD PROGRAM.

               LILY ASKED COLONEL FRED, " WHY US,?" MEANING WHY DID FUMA CHOOSE THE ISAACS TO COME AND PERFORM AT THE SCHOOL. FRED AND I HAD SEEN THE ISAACS FOR THE FIRST TIME AT GRAVES MOUNTAIN IN '03 AND WE WERE SMITTEN WITH THEIR MUSIC. HE WAS THE MAIN IMPETUS BEHIND BRINGING THE ISAACS TO FORK UNION LAST YEAR WITH FUNDS A PARENT HAD GIVEN THE SCHOOL TO DO SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR THE CADETS AND FACULTY. THAT SOMETHING SPECIAL WAS THE ISAACS. IT’S NO WONDER THE ISAACS WERE BACK FOR A SECOND YEAR.

               THE TEMPERATURE WAS IN THE 70S, WITH A WARM GENTLE WIND BLOWING ACROSS CAMPUS AS FRED ESCORTED THE ISAACS TO THE MESS HALL: A FAR CRY FROM THE SINGLE DIGIT TEMPERATURES AND A 9-INCH SNOWSTORM A FEW DAYS EARLIER THAT HAD KNOCKED OUT POWER, PHONES, AND THE HEAT. IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT AT MANY TOUR STOPS, THE LOCAL FOLKS GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO PROVIDE WONDERFUL MEALS FOR THE ISAACS. BUT THEY DO HAVE TO BE PREPARED TO EAT WHAT IS PLACED BEFORE THEM AND SMILE. THE BILL OF FARE AT A MILITARY SCHOOL IS, SHALL WE SAY, SPARTAN.

               AFTER LUNCH, COLONEL FRED HAD ARRANGED TO HAVE CADETS HELP THE ISAACS UNLOAD AND SET UP. THEY DO HAVE IT DOWN TO A SCIENCE, WITH MIKES, SPEAKERS, SOUND BOARDS- INSTRUMENTS ALL NEATLY PACKED AWAY IN CRATES THAT THEY WHEEL ABOUT ON DOLLIES. THEN THEY HAVE TO SET IT ALL UP AND DO A SOUND CHECK. THE GIRLS HELP ON THEIR END BY PUTTING UP THE PRODUCTS TABLE. THE WHOLE PROCESS TAKES A COUPLE HOURS. AND AFTER MAKING SPECIAL MUSIC........ALL THIS HAS TO GO BACK INTO THE BOXES AND BE CAREFULLY LOADED BACK ONTO THE TRAILER BEFORE THEY LEAVE FOR THE NEXT STOP.

               DINNER AGAIN IN THE MESS HALL BROUGHT COMMANDANT AL. HE, SONYA AND BEN BANTERED BACK AND FORTH WITH PLAYFUL TEASING. THEN THE ARTISTS WENT BACK TO THE BUS TO GET READY FOR THE BIG SHOW. THE ISAACS PLAYED BEFORE A PACKED HOUSE OF 6OO+- ALL THEY COULD FIT INTO THE CHAPEL. WITH COLONEL FRED, AS WITH THE ISAACS, IT'S ALL ABOUT FAMILY. (SEE PIC) FRED'S WIFE JO, TWO SONS AND A GIRLFRIEND, HIS OLDEST SON, WIFE AND TWO GRANDCHILDREN, AND HIS IN-LAWS WERE ALL THERE. FRIENDS ANDY AND ELLEN CAME IN FROM WARRENTON, AND KIT AND RUSTY FROM VIRGINIA BEACH. THEY WERE PART OF THE ROLLICKING, FOOT-STOMPING FRONT ROW CROWD THAT REALLY GOT INTO THE MUSIC. A FEW BARS INTO THE FIRST SONG, IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THIS AUDIENCE WAS GOING TO BE INTO THE SHOW ALL NIGHT. IT WAS THE MOST ENTHUSIASTIC AND PARTICIPATORY ISAACS AUDIENCE I’D EVER SEEN.

               LILY TOLD ALL ABOUT HER PERSONAL JOURNEY FROM THE DEATH CAMPS OF EASTERN EUROPE TO A JEWISH GIRL SINGING GOSPEL MUSIC. SHE RELATED HOW DIFFICULT IT WAS FOR A JEWISH GIRL RAISED IN THE JEWISH TRADITION TO FIND JESUS IN A SMALL COUNTRY CHURCH AND FORSAKE ALL FOR HER BELIEFS. SHE TOLD THE STORY OF THE AMERICAN SOLDIERS LIBERATING HER MOTHER AND FATHER AND THE IMPORTANCE TO OUR WONDERFUL COUNTRY OF THOSE WHO SERVE IN UNIFORM. SHE RELATED HOW, HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THESE SOLDIERS LIBERATING HER PARENTS SHE WOULD NOT BE STANDING HERE TODAY. THIS WAS AN ESPECIALLY POWERFUL MESSAGE HEAR AT FUMA, A MILITARY SCHOOL WITH A LONGSTANDING MILITARY TRADITION. THEN SONYA STEPPED ONE STEP DOWN OFF THE STAGE AND BEGAN THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER. BECKY STEPPED DOWN BEHIND HER AND BEGAN HER HARMONY, AND THEN BEN FOLLOWED. WHAT AN AWESOME, POWERFUL MOMENT! THIS AUDIENCE, WITH MANY CADETS AND RETIRED MILITARY, STOOD WITH HAND -OVER -CHEST AT RAPPED ATTENTION, IN DEEP REVERENCE. THERE WAS MANY A MOIST CHEEK. I DO KNOW THAT SINGING THIS PATRIOTIC SONG IS DIFFICULT. NO ONE - - NO ONE BRINGS THIS NATIONAL ANTHEM OFF LIKE THE ISAACS.

               COMMANDANT AL WOULD GET HIS TURN. SONYA INVITED HIM UP ON STAGE TO DO THE BROTHER /SISTER PART SOLO OF "IF THAT DON'T MAKE YA. WANT TO." I CAN TELL YOU THE ISAACS GREATLY ENJOYED THIS PART. CHECK OUT THE PICS. THE AUDIENCE..........THE CADETS WERE RAUCOUS.

               FUEL FOR THE TANK: I DIDN'T GET TO RELATE THIS TO THE ISAACS. A GOOD FRIEND OF OURS, WHO IS A FINANCIAL ADVISOR, HAS NATURALLY HAD A TOUGH YEAR EMOTIONALLY IN THIS CURRENT MARKET. YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE SHEER JOY ON HIS AND HIS WIFE'S FACES. FOR THIS MAGICAL EVENING, THE DEPRESSION MELTED AWAY. I ALSO MET HEATH AND ALICE FROM BUCKINGHAM COUNTY. HEATH HAD BEEN INJURED RECENTLY AND WAS IN A WHEELCHAIR. THEY HAD NEVER SEEN THE ISAACS BEFORE BUT HAD BEEN LISTENING TO THEIR CDS. THEY HAD COME EARLY TO GET A GOOD SEAT. LILY HAD INSISTED I TAKE AN EXTRA DVD WHEN I TRIED TO MAKE A DIESEL DONATION. I MARCHED RIGHT BACK DOWN TO MY SEAT AND GAVE THEM THE DVD. THE ISAACS TOUCHED THESE PEOPLE VERY DEEPLY THIS NIGHT. I KNOW TOO THAT THE MESSAGE THE ISAACS HAD FOR THESE YOUNG IMPRESSIONABLE CADETS WAS REAL AND WELL-RECEIVED.

               EVEN THOUGH THE ISAACS HAD MANY MILES TO GO TO BE READY FOR THEIR NEXT STOP IN GRANITE FALLS, NC, THEY BACKED THE BUS DOWN THE ROAD AND SHARED SOME QUALITY TIME WITH COLONEL FRED AND HIS FAMILY. FRED'S FOUR-YEAR-OLD GRANDSON WAS STARSTRUCK, AND SONYA, YOU HAVE A NEW ADMIRER.

               LISA HILDRETH TOLD US ABOUT THE ISAACS IN GRANITE FALLS, NC ON SATURDAY. SONYA ASKED LISA AND WADE TO STAND AND ACKNOWLEDGED THEM FOR THEIR TIME AND CONTRIBUTIONS WITH THE WEBSITE AND OTHER MATTERS. SHE RECOGNIZED GINA BLACK AND DAVID CARMACK AND HIS FAMILY FOR THE SUPPORT THEY LEND THE ISAACS ON THE ROAD. ALL THESE GOOD FOLKS PLAY A ROLE IN PERPETUATING AND EXPANDING THE ISAACS MINISTRY.

 

               GOD BLESS THE ISAACS, THEIR MUSIC, MESSAGE, THEIR MINISTRY, THEIR HEART AND SOUL. 

The Isaacs in North Carolina

by Lisa Hildreth

The Isaacs made an appearance in North Carolina on Saturday night.  Granite Falls was the place. A nice little town in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  The day was warm, almost hot as the temperature was up around 75 degrees.  The stage was set and 6:00pm sharp The Isaacs entered the auditorium.  The rest is history........

When we arrived at the church around 4:00 The Isaacs were just finishing up their sound check. They had gotten a late start with set up as there was some confusion on the bus about what time the concert started.  Some thought 7:00pm but it was actually scheduled for 6:00pm.  They finished up and I went to the bus to catch up with Lily.  I got to listen to some rough recordings of their new acapella project.  I say rough because the songs haven't been mastered yet, but it didn't sound too rough to me.  It's gonna be amazing! I can't wait to have a copy in my hands and for each of you to have one also.  

Soon the bus got crowded as everyone came in to start getting dressed.  I made my way back to the auditorium to find my hubby who was chatting with my friend Gina and my other friend Carl Bagby.  The auditorium was filling up.  Final count for the night was over 900 people in attendance.  The concert was awesome.  One of the sweetest parts is when Lily came forward and shared her testimony.  I've said this before, but it always brings me to tears.  She is indeed a very special lady and her story is so special.  She is still working on her book about her life story and believe me it will be worth the wait.  

The Isaacs are gearing up for a trip to Ireland in a couple of weeks.  We'll be sure to have some blogging and photos from their trip.

Speaking of photos, Tracy Pyle shared these photos from Granite Falls last night.

2009 National Quartet Convention

The Isaacs will be appearing at the National Quartet Convention again this year. Their schedule has recently changed and they will now appear on the main stage on Tuesday night September 15th and Saturday night September 19th.

For more information visit natqc.com

Cruise with The Isaacs in 2010

The Isaacs recently returned from a fabulous cruise with Templeton Tours. Plans are already in the works for the "Singing at Sea" cruise 2010.

Visit this link to read all the cruise information.  You can read all about the cruise ship, scheduled entertainers, etc.  The Isaacs would like to encourage you to make your reservation online right away.  Some cabin selections are already sold out and the rest won't last long.  All you need is a $200.00 deposit to reserve your reservation.  

If you would like me to email you a brochure just email me at Lisa@theisaacs.com and be sure to put Cruise 2010 in the subject line of your email.  I can also mail you a brochure.  Be sure to list The Isaacs as your host on your application!!

Make your plans now to join The Isaacs on this wonderful trip.   

Templeton Tour cruise 2010