On June 15th 2017, we were excited to put on our fifth travel supper! Although we left each practice feeling like there was NO WAY anything halfway decent could come from our practicing, in the end, we somehow pulled it all off thanks to God, of course, and our committed partners. It takes a lot of working together!
We did an all day rehearsal the Saturday before the real event which included a run through with our grandparents in attendance. Thursday evening we were excited to relive the journey with a group of ladies who purchased the adventure on the Fairview Haven auction!
This year, we put together an orphan train adventure. One thing that was especially different was the fact that instead of using our own homes as we have in the past, we used different places in our area that displayed the time period nicely. We also performed this supper in June which is different than other years... we were thankful that besides some crazy wind during our dress rehearsal, we had lovely weather!
Join me now, as I document our orphan train adventure.
"An Orphan Train Adventure is a true-to-life, historical drama. Join us as we meet several orphans arriving on an orphan train to the rural Midwest. Hotel owners, Paul and Kate, along with Paul’s sister, Widow Maria, joyfully welcome the orphans as their own. But not everyone’s story is a happy one. What will be the plight of Kenneth as he is taken in by a farmer and his wife? We hope you not only enjoy our story as we catch glimpses of these orphans’ new lives, but are inspired personally to consider the priceless gift of being adopted into God’s family through Jesus Christ."
we began by meeting up with the train that brought several orphans ...
orphans Anna, Kenneth, Kurtis, Lillianne, Ellen, Rachel and their matron.
heading over to the depot to place the orphans into families... (totally a common sight along Route 24 here...)
"the sun will come out tomorrow.... I love ya tomorrow, you're only a day away!"
introducing the children... Jared, or Joseph, made a great pastor/spokesman :)
Lillianne, Anna, and Rachel were all placed in the loving homes of Paul and Kate - the hotel owners- and Widow Maria who also lives in the hotel. Kenneth was taken in by a rough and financially struggling farmer and his wife (ahem, Marcus and yours truly). Ellen and Kurtis were taken in by the kind guests of ours and rode around with them for the rest of the journey.
lemonade and oatmeal cookies while enjoying some music on the front porch! (again, along route 24 - this time facing it)
Next stop was Matthew and Francis' farmhouse where Kenneth now lived.
Here the guests saw how Kenneth wasn't being treated the best, but also how the farmers were really up against the wall and trying to figure out what to do next...
"Oh give me a home,
where I'll never more roam
where there is food and some time to play.
When never is heard
a discouraging word,
and my heart is not crying all day."
Never know what happens in between stops...
Ellen and Kurtis sang on the bus between one of the stops:
"I have a castle on a cloud,
I like to go there in my dreams,
Nobody shouts or talks too loud,
not in my castle on a cloud..."
Next Stop: a one room schoolhouse where the children attend school together!
Lovely... a softball game at the park right next to the school :)
Just in case we didn't have everyone's attention already, Joseph - the school teacher now - rang the bell to let the children know it was time for school.
"I pledge allegiance to the flag..."
"Today is Thursday, June 15th, 1895..."
Here Kenneth passed Lillianne a note... that he was hungry. She promises to find some way to help.
she also shares some of her lunch with him.
Last Stop:
back to the hotel...
At this point, Matthew, Francis and the boy walk past the hotel on their way to the train station. Because the farm was working out so badly, it was time to head west.
"But no, Mama, no! You can't let them take him! He's my BROTHER!"
(This was supposed to be the climax :))
Paul ended up negotiating with Matthew and Kenneth was able to stay in the hotel and live with his sister while Matthew and Francis headed west alone. The guests then went into the hotel to enjoy a nice hot meal and several music pieces! Later in the evening, Kenneth received a letter from Matthew and Francis that apologized about how things went when he lived when them, and also reassured him that things were going much better.
our very own barbershop music! They did great :)
and it's a wrap!
all of the parents actually rented the hotel for that night and enjoyed spending more time together plus breakfast in the morning! It's such a great place!
It was great to do it again with these families! We're so thankful for how God provided for this travel supper as well as all of the others we have done. We have such fun memories from these times!
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