Josiah Jost's Blog

Link to Tour Update

noreply@blogger.com (Josiah J.) — Mon, 24 May 2010 10:28:33 PDT

Hey all,

The last few weeks we have been touring eastern Canada. We've posted the latest blog entry on our josties.com site which now has a blog.

Here is a link the latest entry:

http://www.josties.com/2010/05/midway-eastern-tour-update/

We are currently enjoying Prince Edward Island. It's so beautiful and peaceful here. Meeting new friends and connecting with old friends, too. God is so faithful.

Blessings in Christ,

Josiah

Spring Update

noreply@blogger.com (Josiah J.) — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 09:01:25 PDT

Hello all,

It's been far too long since my last post on here so I thought it was time to give a brief update. God's faithfulness continues to shine through so strong to all of us. Some days I am overwhelmed at His goodness and mercy to us. He is so worthy to be trusted!

Precious family

We are planning another spring tour that will Lord willing include going to the east coast again. We are leaving around April 18th and need to be home around June. 16th. Would really covet your prayers for the trip. We just want to be so used by God and that we would surrender ourselves to Him so that He would shine through. It's all about Him.

Our family is also about to release a new CD titled, "Story of My Life". Mom has once again written all the songs and we pray the CD will bless you and draw you closer to our Savior. I'm excited about sharing it with you all. We are scheduled to receive the CDs from the manufacturer next week. (Around April. 1st).

You can listen to sound clips and order the CD on the revamped www.josties.com website. You can also keep up with our travels with the blog there.

Jesse and Heidi are doing well and blessed to have two children in John-Michael and Sophia. Jon and Sharla are blessed with two as well in Lucy and Nathan. They also have one on the way! It's so cool having adorable little nieces and nephews around. We love them all to pieces. :)

Aunt Amy-Joy with her four nieces and nephews.

Entire Jost Clan

Joel recently started the goal of releasing one short film a week on YouTube via the JostieFlicks channel. If you have any interest you can watch some them here. :)

Have a lot of great fun times and conversations with Joel and Emz

I continue to stay really busy with Siah Design. It's sometimes a challenge though to keep a balanced work week and not let my work become too much of the focus. As with any career, there is the temptation to make it the center instead of making God the center and letting all that you do glorify Him. Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Cor. 10:31
Eventually I hope to only need to work a few days a week to provide and then the other part of the week I could devote to wherever else God would have me serving.

On another note, a few weeks ago I had a little scare with my upright bass. It fell off it's stand and broke into a few pieces. I had JUST put on brand new strings so it was a bit hard to see it happen. We weren't 100% sure we would be able to fix it but after some phone calls/research with some Luthiers and Dad's help we were able to get it fixed. It's now back to fine working order with the new strings back on. Phew... :) The bass was given to me back in 2007 as a gift. I continue to be so grateful for it.

Before being fixed

After. :)

That's a brief update. Not sure how long it will be till my next post but I'll try to keep posts more regular.

Keep your eyes on the Savior and continue to serve Him and your family wherever you are.

In Christ,

Josiah

Western Fall Tour '09

noreply@blogger.com (Josiah J.) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:27:26 PDT

It's been way too long since my last post. My life has been so packed I really haven't made any time for keeping up any type of blog. I will however have a quick update.

Had a really busy summer. We were able to sing at a few Jamborees, do a lot of yard work and keep up with everyday life.

On Sept. 15th we left for the a fall tour. It will be about 4 weeks long.

At the moment we are on Vancouver Island. We've already done 7 or 8 concerts this tour. It's been a really blessed trip thus far. We were able to sing in Aidrie, Kelowna, Salmon Arm, Tappen, Victoria, Courtney and Nanoose Bay. It's been really good. Fellowshipped with a lot of precious people.

Tomorrow (Oct. 1st) we will be heading back to the mainland. We'll do a few more concerts in the area and then head into the states to do a couple there and then head home again.

I think I'll need to delegate this blog posting job to one of my younger siblings soon. :) Anyone want to nominate one of them? :)

God bless!

Josiah

Final Leg of Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Josiah J.) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:11:36 PDT

As I type this I am back at home. It's hard to believe all the amazing people and places we saw on the trip now that we are home.

Last post we had just arrived at the Brown family's home in St. Andrews, New Brunswick. We had a fun time with them. We arrived at their home on June 1st (Tuesday) night. They have 6 children. We had a great time together. The next morning they took us to the Bay of Fundy and walked out while the tide was low.

Our family with the Brown Family by the Bay of Fundy:

Clam diggers at Bay of Fundy:

That evening we did a concert in the Bayside Baptist Church.

At the Bayside Baptist Church. It was the only concert we did without a sound system this tour as it was a pretty small church with good acoustics.

The following day we left the Browns and traveled to Oromocto, NB to do a concert with the Oromocto Baptist Church. We stayed with our great new friend, James Carr. We both have a love for antiques and history so we hit it off really well. He took the little ones fishing in the afternoon by the stream near his place and after we had untangled all the lines and pulled out all the hooks ;) we headed over to the church to set up for the concert. It was really neat how God arranged this concert so fast. James had invited our family to do a concert in his church after being at our Geary concert and it worked out to do it the very next week! We were blown away at the turn out for a Wednesday night with such little notice. The church was packed. Several of them were new friends from Geary. :D They were a very responsive crowd. Right at the end of the concert Mr. Carr presented everyone in our family with a New Brunswick flag and pin. A really cool way to remember all the awesome people there.

After the concert a couple ladies took our whole family out for ice cream:

We left our great New Brunswick friends Thursday morning. Before we left, James and his parents served us the most amazing breakfast. I haven't really gone into detail much this tour on food but I really want to share what we had: :)

-Biscuits
-Hashbrown Cassorole
-Hashbrown Patties
-Yogurt
-Appe Sauce
-Cinnamon Rolls
-Baked Beans
-Toast and Jam
-Rhubarb Sauce
-Scrambled Eggs
-Eggs Omelet
-Strawberry Strudels
-Strawberry Shortcake
-Pumpkin Pie
-Juices
-Coffee
-Chocolate Fudge
-Several kinds of cold cereal

Shot of some of the breakfast:

I don't think I had ever been so full after a breakfast! Bless the Carr fam and all the neighbors that contributed. :D

James with our family:

We left Canada that day with our hearts (and bellies) very full. We traveled across the border and stayed near Boston on Thursday night. The following day we spent quite a while exploring the historic locations near Boston. It was fascinating to see so many important historic point in US History. We were able to get a tour of the Battle Greens in Lexington (where the shot heard round the world was fired) and other really interesting places.

Standing where the colonials stood when the british met them and the war started. There was a guy there that gave our family the a tour whole history on it. It was very interesting.

Monument on the Battle Greens in Lexington:

Judah re-enacting :)

Hannah in an ancient tree near that important, famous bridge in the revolutionary war that I forget the name of (lol):

While near Boston a friend of Joel and mine, Jean-Marc came down from New Hampshire to spend the day with us. It was really great to hang out with him again.

Joel, Jean-Marc and I:

Friday night we stayed in Schenectady, NY. Saturday was Judah's 6th birthday! He's such a gift to our family and we love him to pieces.

Judah having breakfast in bed:

Later that day we traveled to the McMichael family. They have 5 children. We had a really edifying stay with them. Sunday afternoon we did a concert in their backyard. It was mostly homeschool families in attendance.

It was fun to do an outside concert.

After the concert we had a BBQ and visited late into the evening with everyone.

The young people there really enjoyed old english/folk dancing:

Monday morning we said our good-byes to the McMichael family after a blessed stay there.

Breakfast at the McMichaels: (MMmmm.. )

The McMichael family sans Mr. McMichael who wasn't around for the pic:

Over the next few days we did a lot of sitting in the van (duh?) as we traveled and stayed in hotels across the states. The following nights we stayed in:

Toledo, PE
Des Moines, IA
Sioux Falls, SD
Rapid City, SD
Sheridan, WY

BTW, on the road I pulled Judahs first loose tooth: :D

On Saturday we traveled from Sheridan, WY to the King family near Billings, MT. Once again had a great visit with them. We played some whiffle ball with the kids. Also played some intense ping pong with Mr. (Jeff) King. I won't share the scores...

Judah with Will King:

Cup stacking tournament:

The King and Jost kids:

We left the King home Sunday morning and heading to Great Falls, MT to stock up for groceries for when we get home. Sunday evening we pulled into our yard here in southen Alberta extremely grateful to the Lord for His amazing goodness, mercy and grace. The tour really went awesome at all the glory goes to the Lord. There were some tough moments on tour but it was so worth it.

Glad to be home:

We were so excited to see Jon, Sharla and Lucy the day after we got home. Lucy is just adorable. She's walking like crazy now.

Lucy walking from Hannah to Amy :D :

Since arriving home we've been doing yard work and catching up on a ton of other things.

Until later!

In Christ,

Josiah

Quebec and Maritimes!

noreply@blogger.com (Josiah J.) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 07:23:03 PDT

Wow, so much has happened since last post.

Last post we had just left the Hounsome home. On May. 15th we traveled to the Peters home near Aylmer. They have 9 kids and live on a farm. We did a concert in Aylmer on Friday night, May 15th. We were thrilled to see Elizabeth Heikoop (our cousin) at the concert! There was such a great spirit that night and we really appreciated the opportunity to minister in that area.

Visiting with Elizabeth and Nellie Heikoop after the concert:

The Peters showed us around the area the following day. It was neat to meet some Amish and see how they lived. We observed and participated in the busy asparagus harvest at the Peter's farm, too. They still make the most amazing whole wheat, organic tortilla's ever.

Grading asparagus with the Peters:

Eating some hot tamales :)

An Amish furniture store.. Really cool:

Sunday (May 17th) afternoon we traveled to Virgil, Ont. The place where the concert was held was filled with so many young families. We met some really neat people there. One of the families there were from Pennsylvania, the McMichaels, and they invited us to come to their area and do a concert there on our way home through the states.

Monday (May. 18th) we were able to travel around the Niagara area. It was awesome to explore Niagara-On-The-Lake and see the Niagara falls again. We also enjoyed the opportunity to get a lot of walking in that day...over 7 miles..

Mom and Dad by Niagara Falls:
The fam:

In the evening we traveled to the Mansfield home near Niagara. They have 3 children, 2 of which were adopted. It was really neat to hear their testimonies of how they were able to adopt their kids and how God has worked in the children.

Campfire with the Mansfields:
Johnny-Mike with a hat a little too heavy for his head:
The Mansfield family:

Tuesday (19th) we traveled all the way to Deux Montagnes (Two Montains) in the suburbs of Montreal to an AGC Church there. We stayed the night in the church and did a concert there the next day. The folks there were so warm and appreciative as they said they rarely get to hear English groups. Mom also loved the opportunity to connect and visit with Christine, a dear friend. It really felt like a foreign country with french exclusively on every sign. :)
Thursday (21st) we traveled from Montreal to Quebec City. It was so fascinating to walk through old Quebec along the St. Lawrence and see all the amazing history. In the evening we stayed at a People's Church near Quebec City.

In old Quebec City:

A lot of cool old shops around...

Friday (22nd) We traveled from Quebec City to Grand Falls, New Brunswick where we stayed in a hotel. It was so nice to see English again!
Saturday (23rd) we traveled to Geary, NB. We arrived there in the afternoon and set up our equipment for the morning service concert. We were billeted out that night. Jeremiah and I were billeted out to the Smith family and had a great time with them. All the rumors about how friendly the maritimers are is definitely true!
Sunday 24th we did a concert in the morning at the Geary Baptist Church. Wow, incredibly responsive folks! So much energy. The pastor and his wife there are really genuine, funny people. We attended their grad banquet late afternoon, singing a couple of songs, and Jesse spoke and I shared my testimony. At 7 pm we were back at the church for a full house and another very energetic crowd. A great new friend, James, from another church who was at that concert invited us back for a concert in their church later in June.

Singing in Geary (photo courtest of Ashley Smith):

Monday (25th) morning we left Geary and all our new friends to travel to the Marlowe and Rosalind Wood family on Prince Edward Island. We crossed over the Confederation Bridge from New Brunswick over to Prince Edward Island that afternoon. PEI is one of the most beautiful places in the world. So amazing. That evening we had a great time of fellowship with the Wood family and stayed at their home that night. They recently moved from B.C. and have a beautiful home and acreage! They are sure creative and industrious.

The Wood Family:

Eating with the Wood family :D :

Tuesday (26th) morning we left the Wood family and spent most of the day exploring the Island. We found a really cool secluded beach with the red rocks and cliffs. In the evening we headed to a cottage that the Robinson family had offered for our family to use. The Robinsons live about 1/4 mile from the cottage. They were really giving people. We had a turkey supper with them that night.

Wednesday we were able to explore more of the island. We visited Lucy Maud Montgomery's museum which was in her uncles home where she lived part time. I was able to sit in the same chair she did when she wrote, "Anne Of Green Gables"..Yea, pretty cool, I know. :)

Amy, Hannah and Emz by "Green Gables":

We also visited "Green Gables" and another really cool beach. Jeremiah, Joseph and Josh were even crazy enough to do some swimming. I pretty much freaked out from the cold water when it hit my ankles.

Some beach shots by the Atlantic Ocean on PEI:

Playing Frisbee:
Crazy kid (Jer) in the ice waters:

Joel filming for documentary:

We had a concert in Charlottetown that night at the Christian Reform Church. After the concert we were able to meet the Petroffsky ("Sky") family. They have a really neat music ministry and it was really refreshing to fellowship with them.

Thursday, in the morning we went to a wharf with the Robinsons and bought several (about 25) lobster directly from the fishermen. It's so much cheaper that way. It was really cool to see them bring the lobsters in.

Seeing the lobsters come in on the wharf:

Afterwards we headed out to visit some new friends, the Goehrings, that we had met at the concert the night before.

Visiting with the Goehrings:

Following that visit we went to the Sky home. They have an amazing home. They played some music for us there and did some Irish dancing. It was really cool! They really have a heart for the Lord and it we left really refreshed.

The Sky family doing us some music!

With the Sky's on top of their amazing home/bed and breakfast:

They have an awesome view of PEI:

That evening we headed over to the Robinson home again to have a huge lobster meal. It was the first time I had ever had lobster and I actually really enjoyed it. The Robinsons had a birthday cake for mom, too. :) Dad took Mom out for a special birthday dinner later that evening in Charlottetown while we continued to fellowship with the Robinsons.

Boiling lobster at the Robinsons:

They gave mom a birthday cake :) :

Friday was Mom's birthday! We had to leave first thing in the morning as we needed to reach the Ferry on time. It was hard to leave PEI. We had such an amazing time there! We took a ferry ride from PEI to Nova Scotia. That was a really cool experience for all of us!

On the ferry:

Once over to Nova Scotia we went to the Habermehl home. We did a concert in Dartmouth, NS that night at the Northbrook Bible Chapel. Jesse gave a talk on purity before the concert. It was a small church but it was full and at least half were young people. It is so great to hear how God is working in people's lives and hearing Dwight and Kristen's (our hosts) story was no exception.

Mrs. Habermehl giving mom a birthday cake that she made:

The Habermehl family:

Saturday we left the Habermahl home and traveled to the Halifax, NS where mom and dad reunited with their old Bible school friends, Larry and Karen Levy. Larry pastors a Vineyard church there. We set up our equipment that night in their church and were billeted out. Joel, Jer, Joseph and I were billeted out to Glen and Peggy Lucas' home. We stayed up with them that night and watched, "Faith Like Potatoes" for the first time.

Emily with Chelsea Nisbett, a talented musician from Halifax:

Glen and Peggy Lucas with their grand kids:

Visiting in the Levy home. The guy closest to the camera (Daniel) giving Joel some djembe tips. He also gave us a really nice roadie case!:

Sunday morning we did a concert at the Vineyard church. They were a very responsive crowd.

Concert in Halifax at the Vineyard church:

In the afternoon, Levy, Karen and their daughter Michelle took us to Peggy's Cove. It's a really awesome place.

Pictures from Peggy's Cove:

Judah with his new sailor hat!:

Amy and Hannah with their new friend, Michelle Levy:

Larry and Karen Levy:

Amy and Emz in the souvenir shop:

Monday morning we left our respective billets and headed to downtown Halifax to see the "Atlantic Maritime Museum". It was a fabulous experience. We were able to see several artifacts and historic notes about the Halifax Explosion, the Titanic and several other notable historic happenings.

In the Maritime Museum:

Hannah and Emily in a parking lot in St. John, NB.

We are staying with a family in St. Stephen, NB right now and have a concert tonight in Bayside, NB. Thanks AGAIN to all those who are praying!

In Christ,

Josiah

Because He Lives...

noreply@blogger.com (Josiah J.) — Fri, 15 May 2009 11:19:02 PDT

OK, I waited way too long since my last post and I have a ton to update. :)

God continues to show His faithfulness.

Last post was right before our stay in Winnipeg. We had an amazing time there with our Judy Ford ("Aunt Judy"). We all love her so much. She is so amazing to have our whole family stay there. We had a concert at the Braeside EMC church Sunday evening and had such a great time with the folks there. On Monday morning (April. 27th) Judy surprised mom and dad by having a couple, Steve and Jackie Masterson from their college days come for breakfast. They had a big influence on my parents in college as Steve was a professor in Counselling. He now heads up Promise Keepers in Canada. We had a really special time with them and we were really blessed to have Steve pray a blessing over our family.

Our family with Steve and Jackie Masterson and Judy Ford:

We left Winnipeg later that morning and over the next two days with a stop in Thunder Bay we traveled to Timmins, Ont. where the Morrissette family had us. We have stopped there the last three years and we have been so blessed by their hospitality. Mrs. Morrissette always makes the most amazing feasts for us all. One of the meals included three different types of mouth watering lasagna. :)

On Wednesday (April. 29th) night we had a concert in the Renaissance Public Secondary School in Timmins. It always amazes us how God brings just the right people who really seem to need to hear the Lord speak to them through the music or testimonies. We love the opportunities to pray with people or encourage them somehow. It was neat that a lady who was a caretaker at the school had bought our cd's last year. She told us that she played them almost everyday for two months! She said they still listen to them in the school while they work. She didn't even know that our concert was scheduled that night, and so she was so happy to be there while we were singing.

Thursday morning (30th), while we were still with the Morrissettes, we had the pleasure of meeting up with our friends the Hemmerlings (Double Portion) who are a family band from Saskatchewan. We had a great time visiting with them for a couple hours. Its really encouraging to see God working through their ministry.

Visiting with Morrissettes and Hemmerlings:

With the Hemmerlings (Double Portion) at the Morrissettes:

Later that day we left Timmins to go to Charlton which was a couple hours south. We stayed with the Minnett family there. We had a concert in Charlton at the public school on Friday night.
Friday morning the Minnetts took us to a fish hatchery to do a tour. It was really interesting.

At the hatchery:

Eating at the Minnetts:

Saturday (May. 2nd) we left the Minnetts and traveled to the Hounsome family.

We were with the Hounsomes for 12 days and had such a spiritually refreshing time with them. They have 14 kids with 12 still at home.Throughout our time there we studied James 1 together in our devotional time.

Our first concert with them was at the Church on the Hill in Orillia on Sunday night. It was great to have some non-Christians there that night that received the message.

Tuesday we all went to the blue jays game. It was an edge of your seat game that had the blue jays have a dramatic comeback that included two big home runs.

Lining up at the gate:

Some of us made the jumbotron again this year. :) (photo courtesy of Shayne Hounsome)

After the game all the younger kids (12 yrs. and under) were allowed to run around the bases on the field. My little buddy Judah insisted that I hold his hand while he ran around the bases. The jays staff said I was allowed to go with him if he wanted me to. I was happy to oblige :). It was a little awkward though as the moment he hit first base he let go of my hand and started running as fast as he could leaving me chasing him with all these little kids around me. :)

Trying to catch up to Judah. :D

Emz and I in front of the dugout:

Wednesday we had a concert in Barrie. It was really encouraging to see so many families at that concert. Thanks to the Kiezebrinks for all their work and preparations!

The ladies singing, "Daddies Love Your Little Girls" in Barrie:

"Come Ye Children":

Amy singing, "What Happy Is".

Friday we had a concert at the Above Rubies retreat at camp crossroads where Nancy Campbell was speaking. Mrs. Hounsome coordinated the weekend and apparently they had a great time. All the guys stayed at the Hounsome place over the weekend and did guy stuff. Like dodge ball with tennis balls, hamburgers with only ketchup and mustard, etc. :)

Sunday we picked up our girls and headed over to Huntsville to do a concert there. The Strongman family hosted. Sunday was also Mother's Day and I am so grateful for my mom. She has invested so much into all of our lives and I couldn't ask for a more genuine, loving mom.

Having dinner with the Strongmans on Mother's Day:

In the afternoon we played some intense ball hockey with them. In the evening we had a concert in the their baptist church which was packed out. It was so great to see our dear friends Jim and Marilyn McDonald there.

Back at the Hounsomes on Monday night we had a special steak supper.

Our friend Joe Jesseau (left) giving me a guitar lesson. :)

Amy and Hannah with Bonna and Nina Hounsome:

Tuesday (12th) evening we had a concert in Newmarket. Our friends that gave me my upright bass two years ago were there and it was awesome to connect with them again.

Singing "More Alive" in Newmarket:

Wednesday evening the Hounsomes invited over the McDonald family, Andrew Hiebert and Rachel Seilern. We had a really great visit with them all. Andrew is the camp director of Camp Crossroads. He shared a slideshow of his recent mission trip to Ecuador. It was really interesting.

Nekoda Hounsome cracking eggs for breakfast. When almost 30 people are living in the same home you have to do a lot of eggs. :D

The day before we left the little girls decorated "good bye" cakes.

Our last night at the Hounsomes several of us gathered under the stars and sang some worship songs together. It is so awesome to admire God's creation and worship with friends. The last song we sang was, "Because He Lives" and it really impacted me. Zack shared that it was Mark McDonald's favorite song. It's so awesome to have meaning and purpose every day because our Savior is living and reigning right now.

This morning (Friday) we said our goodbyes to the Hounsome family. We had a really blessed time of fellowship with all of them!

Joel, Emz and I with Zack, Gabe and Zoe

At the moment we are traveling to Aylmer to have a concert there tonight.

On a side note, I've been able to keep up with my graphic design business (www.siahdesign.com) on the road thus far and I'm grateful for that. I got a rogers rocket stick so I can have internet access while we are on the road. Like right now. :)

Once again, thank you all SOOO much for your prayers. God has been so good and we really sense His working and direction. Our pure desire for this tour is to be to be used by God and be His servants.

Tour Underway

noreply@blogger.com (Josiah J.) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 12:53:57 PDT

If you are like me, you will quickly scan this post to see if there is anything of interest. I'll do my best to keep it concise.

As I'm writing this we are staying at our good friend Judy Ford's in Winnipeg.

God has been so good.

Shortly after my last post we participated in the Alberta Home Educators Association Conference in Red Deer, Alberta (April. 17th-19th). It was a really blessed weekend. Dad, Mom, Jesse and Heidi were some of the speakers at there.

Our family did a concert on the Friday night.

Pictures from AHEA Concert:
Photos courtesy of Rueben Kopp and Phillip Payne

Introducing Everyone:
Mom, Emz and Amy singing "Daddies Love Your Little Girls"

Amy on her Ukulele with Dad and Hannah:

Judah singing :)
On Saturday night we went out for Chinese with the Lipp family. Good times.

We came back home for Sunday night and Monday (21st) we left for Regina. We stayed at our good friends, the Durstons, for Monday and Tuesday night. We always have an awesome time fellowshipping with them. We had a concert in Strasbourg, SK on Tuesday night. For some reason it was a really hard concert where it seemed so many things went wrong. Cables popping, etc. But God was working despite our downfalls.

After the concert, a lady approached mom and said she felt the Lord wanted her to give our family her amazing Larivee guitar! We were blown away at her generosity. God is so good.

Mom with Colleen and the amazing guitar she gave us!

We left the Durstons on Wednesday morning and left for Langenburg, SK where we had a concert there that evening. We had it at the Langenburg community hall and it went really well. Afterwards we were all billeted out separate ways. Joel and myself stayed with a young man by the name of Dwight Mehrer. It was a real blessing to hang out with him. He really has a heart for the Lord and we really enjoyed visiting with him. We stayed an extra day in the Langenburg area so we had lots of time to visit. On Thursday, our family went bowling with Dwight and some other friends in the area (Yankes).

Joel and his trademark bowling trip/fall/slide. :)

Judah trying to give the ball enough momentum to make it to the pins:

Thursday evening, Darwin and Cathy MacKenzie took us out for Chinese, which was a real treat.

We left Langenburg on Friday morning and went to Carberry for a concert that evening. We stayed at our good friends place, Will and Carol Feldbusch. Some of us were billeted out to a couple from their church.

Saturday morning we left Carberry and got to Winkler in the afternoon to set up for our concert that evening in Winkler, Manitoba. We had sung there before. Its such a nice place to sing, its a beautiful concert hall that has perfect acoustics. The place was packed out and we really felt the Lord's spirit working in the concert.

Shot from our concert in the Winkler Enns Concert hall:

Well there's a quick run down of the tour thus far!

We have a concert tonight in Winnipeg. As always, your prayers are so appreciated!

In Christ,

Josiah

Leaving For Tour Tomorrow

noreply@blogger.com (Josiah J.) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:25:54 PDT

Hey all,

We are leaving for our approximately 8 weeks tour tomorrow. We'll start by going to the AHEA conference and then coming home for Sunday night. Monday morning we'll leave for Saskatchewan.

We are mapped out to go all the way to PEI.

You can see our schedule here:

http://josties.com/schedule.html

I'll plan on updating my blog here fairly regularily. I purchased a wireless rocket stick so that I can have Internet while we are traveling so I can keep up with my business and my blogs.

Once again, we really appreciate all your prayers! It's not always easy being on the road but we know this is what God wants us to be doing now.

Jesse, Heidi and John-Michael are also coming with us. Jon and Sharla will be staying home as they have a lot of other things on the go at home.

March Madness

noreply@blogger.com (Josiah J.) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 18:43:25 PDT

Hey All,

I've been insanely busy since my last post.

In January Joel, myself and two friends (Stephen Casson and Luke Collin) drove down to San Antonio for the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Makers Academy and Festival. We had an awesome time down there and we were able to network with a lot of Christian filmmakers.

Joel and Kirk Cameron

Nathanial Bluedorn, Stephen Casson, Jeff and Audrey King and Joel at the Academy

Tucker MacDonald, myself, Joel and Luke Collin

February and thus far in March I've been really busy with my graphic design business. I've really gone in the direction of logo design and I've had a hard time keeping up with all the work. It's been amazing to see God's blessing on the business. He is an amazing, faithful provider. Most of my clients are International. You can see some of my business work on my website: www.siahdesign.com

Random thoughts:
I was reading 'USA Today' a couple days ago and came across an article titled, "Psychics make a fortune during uncertain economic times" and it was explaining how soothsayers and fortune tellers have been making a fortune during the recession as they were worried about their financial future. I thought of the story of Saul and how he consulted a soothsayer to inquire about his future and how much that grieved God. Reading the article really made me grateful that we have an all faithful Lord that we know holds the future and that we don't have anything to fret about.

Upcoming:
We are planning another eastern tour starting in April. You can see our schedule here. If you out in the area please feel free to contact us if you would like to set up a concert! We are really excited about it but we would appreciate your prayers. Sometimes it seems our family is really under attack right before a tour.

Once we start touring I'll be updating my blog much more often.

In Christ,

Josiah

2008 In Review

noreply@blogger.com (Josiah J.) — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 14:13:53 PST

Hey all,

Hope you all are doing well and had a special Christmas with your families. We really enjoyed our Christmas and have so much to be thankful for.

I'm attaching our family newsletter below. Emily wrote it this year.

Hello Everybody!

Emily here. For some reason my family asked me to write our Christmas letter this year - I have no idea why, since I can’t write worth beans, but I’ll give it a shot.

I guess I’ll start in January. On January 17, Lucy Elizabeth Jost was born to Jonathan and Sharla. She was born 7 weeks premature, so she had to stay in the Lethbridge hospital for about 4 weeks. We are so thankful to the Lord that she is perfectly healthy! She is the most beautiful bright eyed thing you will ever see and we all adore her to pieces! We also recorded our new CD “Trust in the Lord” in February. The Roby family came up and set up their equipment at Jesse and Heidi’s. We did it in two weeks, it was a really great learning experience and once again we are very grateful for Roby’s being willing to come and sacrifice that time to help us out!
April\May we went on a six week tour through SK, MB, Ontario and Michigan, doing 21 concerts. Once again, God was so faithful to protect and provide for us. We met a lot of really neat people and it was so cool to see God working in the lives of other fellow human beings. Jesse and Heidi also came with us.

In June, after being home for 2 weddings and the planting of our garden, we went on a three week tour down to Colorado. Made a lot of new friends and were always being reminded of Gods love and mercy...such as the time after one of our concerts (in Nebraska) when dad and some of the men from the church went out to look at the tire on our trailer. Dad had noticed something was wrong with it after we got there. They jacked up the trailer to take a look at it and when they lifted up the trailer the tire fell right off! There was no way we should have made it safely to that church. The tire technically should have fallen off long before that. God is so worthy to be trusted!
July we were able to have some of our good friends the Hounsomes out for a couple of weeks and they helped with the huge task of picking up all the bales that my brother Jonathan cut/baled.

Our summer was very full with filming Joel’s movie “Little Jake and Harry”. A lot of fun and a lot of work! We were very grateful to have the help of Luke Collin, JD and Audrey King and Shayne Hounsome. I won’t bore you with details...however if you would like to watch the movie you can find it at: www.littlejakeandharry.com :)

In September, we were able to go to a family camp in B.C. which my dad and Jesse spoke, and our family sang. It was a lot of fun and awesome to get together with some other big families and fellow believers! It was a hard time for Hannah-Grace as she fell out of her top bunk bed at 3 am. onto a cement floor! She suffered a broken collar-bone and concussion. This was the first broken bone in our family, if you can believe it!

Fall was busy with school, music and other home finishing/renovation projects.

Dad continues to be an awesome leader for our family. He is such a servant and an amazing example to us kids of trusting the Lord. I couldn’t ask for a better dad! I am so grateful for a loving dad who will listen to me when I need to talk. He is an incredible and loving husband to Mom. He is still driving school bus and busy working in the shop and around our acreage, is getting pretty good on the dobro and is pretty much amazing on the guitar.

Mom is amazing. She is such an incredible mom and wife and serves her family no matter how she is feeling. She is such an encouragement to anyone she comes in contact with! She is still writing fantastic songs. In fact, she has been on a bit of a roll lately and has written about five in a month’s time. I don’t know how she does it. Mom is one of my best friends and is such a godly role model for me to follow. I am so thankful to be able to talk with her about anything and she always has words of wisdom for me.

It’s been awesome to see God open doors for Jesse and Heidi for ministry. I have so much respect for them and their commitment to seeking God’s kingdom first. Jesse has also been leading an Apologetics Bible study at their place every week that we all really enjoy attending. He does an excellent job of leading it. Heidi also wrote a very powerful book this last year and it been great to see God use that. John-Michael is almost two and is a very adorable little guy. We always love it when we get to babysit him.

Jonathan and Sharla have such servants’ hearts. Jonathan has a handyman business which God has really been blessing. I really admire his and Sharla’s generosity and diligence. They are both incredibly hard workers. Sharla is a really super mom to Lucy. She is such a gorgeous, happy little doll! Jonathan and Sharla also make beautiful music together!

Josiah (21) is still quite single. He is busy with his graphic design business, “Siah Design”. God has really blessed it. He has even had to turn down work he has been so busy. He does logos and websites but mostly logos. He is very creative and wants to honor God with all his work. Josiah is incredibly patient with all his siblings. I think I should get a lot of the credit for that though... I build a lot of character in my family. All of us really look up to him and we couldn’t ask for a more loving and godly older brother. He has also gotten very good on the electric bass and stand up bass. Yeah, all in all Josiah is pretty cool, and whoever gets him is getting one cherry pie of a guy. I am most definitely not advertising though. I don’t want him to leave anytime soon.

Joel (19) has been very busy with his film this year. He has been doing a lot of studying on the art of film making and is passionate about making films that will honor and glorify God. He still has dark wavy hair and a charming sense of humour. Joel is constantly making me laugh. He has become our group’s soundman and I must say he does a pretty good job of it. He has really good ear for it. So you are probably wondering why he isn’t up front with the rest of the family? Joel’s response to that is that he has way too many other talents to pursue. Ha...ha...

Well, the only drawback to writing the family’s Christmas letter is that you don’t really get to brag about yourself. Well, I suppose I could....but I won’t. I am in my last year of high school (Whoopie!) and really enjoy singing and doing music with my family. I also really enjoyed getting to act in “Little Jake and Harry”. It was difficult acting someone so very, very far from my character, but was a lot of fun. :)

Jeremiah (15) keeps busy with school, music and woodworking. He plays the guitar and is getting pretty decent on it. He is also really maturing and growing into quite the young man. He is getting pretty tall, loves any kind of sport and is very athletic.

Joseph(13) is a little book worm! I guess I shouldn’t call him little though since he is now taller than me.... which really isn’t that hard. He is a very loving and responsible older brother and uncle and really has a desire to please God. He is John-Michael’s favorite. Joey also continues to be a little smarty pants and has the most abstract sense of humor....Bless his heart.

Joshua(11) is a very hard worker and is a huge help to dad. He is always generous and thoughtful.
Amy-Joy (9) is such a spunky girl. She loves reading, sports and has a beautiful singing voice. She also just started knitting and crocheting. She loves being an aunt and helping mom in the kitchen. Hannah-Grace (7) is our little drama queen. But has such a sweet and gentle spirit and is so loving. She keeps us all laughing with her great sense of humor. Hannah is also an amazing little artist...I wish I could draw like her...even my stick men are pathetic.
Judah (5) is very mature for his age (most of the time) and is Josiah’s little buddy. He loves being an uncle and does a great job of it. He is constantly asking questions and is very smart.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and God bless you all as you continue to seek after Him! He is so trustworthy and faithful!

In Christ,
Emily Hope

Teaser Trailer for Little Jake and Harry

noreply@blogger.com (Josiah J.) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 07:08:50 PDT

After much hard work, Joel and the team were able to finish and submit the film, "Little Jake & Harry" to the 2009 San Antonio Independent Film Festival. It came right down to the wire, but we were able to get it sent postmarked Oct. 1st.

Joel just finished making the trailer yesterday:

Feel free to share with your friends!

Home Life and Poll Results for How Many Siblings You Have

noreply@blogger.com (Josiah J.) — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 19:34:10 PDT

Hey all,

Been really busy the last while. Especially with Joel's film project Little Jake and Hairy. It is a comedy based on the story of Jacob and Esau set in the wild west. Joel's hoping to have it finished in time to submit it to the San Antonio Independant Christian Film Festival.

Here are some pics:

Emily with the writer of the script (Jesse):

I've also been really busy with my graphic and web design business. Recently relaunched my website: www.siahdesign.com

Poll Results for How Many Siblings You Have

OK, so for the last several months I've been conducting a poll regarding the size of your family.

Here are the final results:

How many siblings do you have?

0-3	26 (24%)
4-7	39 (36%)
8-10	26 (24%)
11+	15 (14%

--------------------------
Total votes: 106

It appears that the minority of readers to my blog have between 4-7 siblings. 0-3 and 8-10 came in tied at 26. And there were 15 votes for 11+ siblings. I was really surprised to see that large of a number for that column. It's encouraging to see a lot of other large families are out there. :)

The next poll I'm conducting is:

"If you could meet one of these Bible characters for one hour today, which one would you choose?"

David, Paul, Esther, Noah, Adam, Jonah, Ruth, Daniel

Please put in your vote!

God bless!

Safely home again - Baling - Friends visit

noreply@blogger.com (Josiah J.) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:31:58 PST

We arrived safely home from our tour on July, 7th. We had another amazing trip!

On Thursday, (July 3rd) we drove by Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse sculptures. We weren't able to come in close to Mt. Rushmore though as it was totally packed with people. There were cars parked over 2-3 miles back in both directions. Pretty popular place these days!

Friday, (July 4th) we arrived at the Jeff and Laura King family home. We had such a blessed time with their family. They have 7 kids aged 3-19 and live near Billings, MT. Mr. King played Major League Baseball for 12 years with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Kansas City Royals. It was neat to talk to him about that. We played a lotof whiffle ball and Speed Stacking with them. It was such a blast!

Speed Stacking with the Kings:

Sunday (July 6th) we had a good time of fellowship with the King family in the morning. In the afternoon we did a concert in Billings at the Yellowstone Baptist College. We always enjoy meeting new people and sharing with them afterwards.

Early Monday morning we left the King family and headed home. We stopped in Great Falls, MT to do a load of grocery shopping and then we came home. We also had the axle replaced on our trailer.

After getting home, we had a TON of weeding and yardwork to catch up on as well as 2,000-2,500 bales to pick up.

We were very blessed to have three of the Hounsome kids (Zack, Gabriel and Zoe) visiting from Ontario for 10 days (from July 10th to 21st) and they were a huge help picking up all the bales and are all really hard workers! We also had help from two of Sharla's friends visiting from Washington (Lucy Endicott and Anja Martenson). It made the job way more enjoyable doing it with friends! One morning, we picked up 500 bales before breakfast! Mom always had a great breakfast waiting. :)

The bale picking crew:

We had a boat load of fun with the Hounsome kids during their visit which included hiking West Butte (Sweet Grass Hills), tubing down the river, music, baseball, eating ;), talking, etc. It was hard to say goodbye to them yesterday!

Gabriel, Joel, Myself and Zack posing as water fountains at Writing On Stone park. (A little photoshop help) :)

It is Mom and Dad's 27th wedding anniversary on the 25th of July! They will be going down to Whitefish, MT for about 10 days for a little vacation together. Mom's parents own a home there and it is a super cool place to relax and have fun. Mom and Dad are such awesome parents and are a great example of a loving couple. :) Hope they have a great time together in Whitefish! Pray that they have a super and edifying time and that all the kids here at home behave. ;)

Have a super day in the Lord!

Time in Colorado!

noreply@blogger.com (Josiah J.) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:31:59 PST

Ahh... we had such a super time at the GospelGrass Festival in Calhan, CO! Met so many great people and heard tons of great music.

We arrived in Calhan on Thursday afternoon where Mom and Dad checked into a hotel for the weekend (room courtesy of the event organizer). Joel, Jeremiah, Joseph, Joshua and I were able to set up a couple of tents and spend the weekend right at the same location as the festival. Thursday night, we did some music along with High Prairie (the Gregg family) and Grandpa's Neighbors (the Neal family). It was a really neat night. There was a great turnout for the evening.

The festival was such a blast. Here are some of the highlights:

- There were about 20-30 bands there. Almost all the family bands were homeschooled. There were bands from North Carolina, Oklahoma, New Mexico, etc., as well as quite a few from Colorado.
- There was a band scramble Saturday night. (Emily helped judge.) Everyone did really well. The band I participated in came in 2nd. :)
- We used our sound system for the indoor concerts and Joel did approximately 18 hours for the festival and everyone really appreciated it.
- Lot's of really good workshops were going on....like dobro, mandolin, guitar, etc.. Mom helped lead a couple of song-writing workshops.
- We played 5-10 hrs. of Ultimate Frisbee in Whittemore hall. It was awesome! Played 'till 1:00 AM some nights. :)

Overall, the festival was really edifying and had a really sweet spirit. Would love to go back again next year! I'd say that meeting new people is one of the best parts about traveling to these events and being able to sing and play together for the Lord.

Unfortunately I've misplaced my Canon camera so I don't have most of the pics from the weekend. But, hear are a few pics from my smaller camera:

The Hartman family band:
Desert Skies:
The Foley band:

Sunday morning we said goodbye to all our new friends and left for the Ernie and Julie Gilbert home. We did an outdoor concert in their yard that night. There was a really great group there, in an incredible setting. Beautiful country! Sunday night we stayed with Ernie Gilbert's parents home, Dick and Sharon. They were very hospitable and loving people. Very interesting and talented, too!

Monday morning, we were able to have a really good visit with Ernie and Julie Gilbert's family. They have 5 kids and are such a God honoring young family that I know God has great plans for. Monday evening we left their home and stayed with the Langemann family in their beautiful home in Lakewood, CO. We've known them for years, but it was really good to visit them and get to know them on a deeper level.

The Ernie and Julie Gilbert family:

Tuesday (July 1st - CANADA DAY!) morning, the Langemanns served us a delicious special waffle breakfast with whipped cream, strawberries and raspberries. We left their home around noon and went to the Red Rock Amphitheatre. Wow, that place is huge. Really cool to see it.It is the top spot for outdoor concerts in the U.S., and almost every famous group has performed there at some time or other. Tuesday evening we traveled to Erie, CO to do a concert at the Life Song Church where the Boardwell family was hosting us. They have 7 children. It was a really encouraging evening with some unique opportunities to minister afterwards.

Wednesday morning we left the Boardwell home and traveled to New Castle, Wyoming. We plan on going to Mt. Rushmore tomorrow as we make our way to Billings, MT.

Until later! In Christ,

Josiah

On The Road Again (And grateful for God's Protection!)

noreply@blogger.com (Josiah J.) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:28:26 PDT

Last Thursday we left on the road again. We traveled to Regina the first day and stayed with some good friends, the Durstons, for Thursday night. We always have an awesome time with them! Friday we left for the Thousand Oaks Gospel Camp jamboree. It was a really awesome weekend with really nice weather. There was a really good turnout as well. There were over 1500 people in attendance for most of the weekend. We had a lot of fun hanging out with one of the other family music groups - the Waddington family - from North Dakota. We also got to spend a few hours with our friend, Judy Ford, who came out to spend Saturday at the Jamboree.

We left for Mandan, North Dakota Monday morning. We got held up at the border for almost two hours, which was totally unexpected. The complication was with getting our CD's into the States. But they eventually let us through, thanks to the fact mom is American. :) One of the border inspectors that inspected our van was a Christian and he said he had been praying that we would be able to get through the whole time. That was really encouraging, and it was soo relieving to FINALLY get through. We raced to Mandan for our 7:00 PM concert. We got there at about 6:45. We totally RACED the set-up and were able to do set-up in about 20 minutes.

After the concert (the smallest audience I think we've ever had...only 35 people!), we stayed in the church that night. Oh yeah, we also started having problems with the charging system on our van, but made it to Mandan. After the service, Dad found a GM dealership open until Midnight, and they agreed to look at our van that night. They had to replace our alternator, and were able to get it done by Tuesday morning. When it was ready, we left for Springview, Nebraska to do a concert at the New Hope Community church. The concert that night went really well as the people really seemed to connect with the music. A really neat group of people there. We also had to set up in record time that night, too! The group of believers there really refreshed us in many ways.

After the concert, Dad went out to our van and noticed that one of the hub covers on one of the trailer wheels had been worn off. A closer look showed that the entire bolt and wheel bearing had been totally worn off! Some men from the church helped jack up that side of the trailer. And lo and behold, when they lifted it up, the wheel fell off! Nothing had been holding it on! We were all a bit dumbfounded to say the least. We were SOOO grateful that God had kept the wheel on. There is no explanation for why it stayed on. If the wheel had fallen off while we were on the freeway, the results could have been devastating. It was such a reminder of God's protection and care for us. It can only be explained as a miracle. Praise the Lord!

Another huge blessing is that one of the men from the church was very experienced with fixing that type of thing (he actually builds trailers) and he was able to fix the axle and rebolt the tire on by 10:00 AM the next morning and he didn't charge anything. Such giving people there!

Today (Wednesday, June. 25th) we left Springview, NE and traveled to Ogallala, NE. Tomorrow we will go to Calhan, CO for the GospelGrass festivel for the weekend, and our concert tomorrow night.

I may not be able to do another update for a while. Thanks AGAIN to all of those who are praying! It means so much!

Back Home, Wedding, Birthday, etc. :)

noreply@blogger.com (Josiah J.) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:32:00 PST

Sorry it's been so long since my last post! Once we got home I got totally wrapped up in everyday life again.

We safely made it home on May. 16th. On the last two days of our trip our van started having issues though. But thankfully we made it home without breaking down. God showed Himself so strong through the whole trip answering all our prayers. The motor has been fixed since then. We had to replace both heads.

Once home we had a lot of yard work to do. :) We prepared and put in the garden and did lots of mowing and such. The younger kids all getting back to their school, etc. I've also had a fair bit of graphic design to catch up on for clients and such.

On June. 6th it was Judah's birthday. He turned 5 yrs. old. He is my little roommate and I love him to pieces. He has one of the sweetest personalities I know of. He has such a sensitive spirit.

Judah with his birthday cake:

This last Saturday (June. 7th) we had the privilege of witnessing my cousin Elizabeth Fehr marry James Heikoop. It was such a blessed wedding with lots of beautiful music. The whole day definitely brought glory to God. There were so many great friends there to catch up with as well. They will be living near Mt. Pleasant, Ont. It will be strange to have cousin Lizzy living on the other side of Canada now. We'll miss her a lot.

The signing of the registry:

Lizzy and James singing at the reception:

Later on this month we will be heading out for a mini to Manitoba for a jamboree and then down to Colorado. We'll be leaving around June. 17th and most likely getting back early July.

Until later!

Josiah

On The Way Home!

noreply@blogger.com (Josiah J.) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:32:00 PST

I'm long overdue for an update! A ton has happened since my last post.

Thank you all soooo much for your prayers! We need them so much. God has been really working. Monday morning (April. 28th) After the concerts in Fenelon Falls and Lindsey, we headed back to Hounsomes for the day. We had some really good prayer times with them that evening. Tuesday (April. 29th) we left the Hounsome home and traveled to near King City to the same group of people (Forget Me Nots band) that gave me the stand-up bass last year. They have done music together for years. They treated us like kings and fed us fantastic food. Wednesday, we set-up and did a concert in the evening at a small hall nearby. Apparently there were a lot of non-Christians at that concert. We pray that the seeds planted will be fruitful.

With a few of our friends from the "Forget Me Not" group in front of their home:

Thursday morning we left our dear "Forget Me Not" friends and headed to Aylmer, Ont. It was a very full day as we had to travel 8 hours and set-up and do a concert in the East Elgin Community Complex. But God gave us enough energy to do it all. We were able to talk with James Heikoop a bit (my cousin's fiance) after the concert. We stayed at the Peters family's home that night. They have 9 kids and are homeschooled as well. They were a very hospitable family and even did research on our websites to find out what food we liked. :) They served us some delicious whole wheat tortillas that they made for supper. They even had some dark chocolate out for us. :)

Friday morning, we had another fairly long driving day as we traveled to Cobden, Ont. do to a concert at the Whitewater Wesleyan Community Church. They had an incredible supper ready for us at the church. The church was quite new. We did the concert at 7:00 PM. After the concert, me, Joel, Emily, Jeremiah and Jesse and Heidi stayed at the Garfat home. We had a really good stay with them.

Saturday we traveled to Ottawa. We stayed at my dad's cousin's home, Randy and Evelyn Jost. We had such a refreshing time there. Sunday morning, we did a concert at the Community Bible Church on the other side of Ottawa (Stittsville). It was probably one of the hardest concerts for me to do as we were really tired and felt rather empty. But, there were several comments from people stating how there were very ministered to and encouraged. Which proves that God can work no matter how you are feeling. :) Saturday evening, we did a concert at The MET. It went really well and the people reallly seemed to be receptive. Afterwards, for the first time, we met another Jost boy. Randy's son Nathan Jost. :) That was a treat. Really nice guy.

Monday morning, we left Ottawa and traveled all the way back to the Hounsomes home. They had one of the most amazing Turkey dinners ready for supper! So delicious! With strawberry rhubarb pies with ice cream for dessert :)

Tuesday, the Hounsomes and us all headed to Toronto for a Blue Jays game on 'Toonie Tuesday' again. It was so fun to take two huge families to the game again. :) We were able to walk around Blue Jays way for a while before the game. It was a great game even though they lost 5-4, but it was so much fun to hang out there. We all wore orange and the Hounsomes and us made in onto the Jumbotron screen twice. :)

If you look close, you can see us on the big screen:

Wednesday and Thursday, we stayed at the Hounsomes and recharged. We spent quite a while in devotions and prayer with the Hounsomes. It is so refreshing to get together with young people and be able have no wall between regular talk and spiritual conversations. Derek, Jim and Marilyn McDonald came by for a visit, too. It was so great to be with them, and share memories of Mark. On Thursday, Zack drove me, Gabe and Joel into Orillia to donate blood. It was my first time donating. An interesting experience. :)

Friday, Hounsomes and us headed to Huntsville and had supper with the Strongman family and they served us a BBQ and had a great time with them, playing volleyball after we set up. Afterwards, we did a concert in the Fairview Baptist Church which was right next to the Strongman home.

Saturday morning, after an awesome and spiritually refreshing time with the Hounsomes, we had to say goodbye. The Hounsomes have been such a blessing to us this tour with all their prayers and support. We appreciate their friendship so much and it was very hard to say goodbye.

The Hounsomes and Josts:

Saturday evening we stayed in the Galilean Bible Camp which is near Blind River, Ont. It was so nice to just have the place to ourselves.

Sunday morning, May 11th, was Mother's day. Dad served mom some yogurt in bed. :) I am so grateful for my mom. She has been such an awesome example to all us kids of being spiritually aware and being sensitive to others needs. I love her so much! Afterwards, we did a concert in the Gospel Fellowship Church in Iron Bridge for the morning service. And in the evening we headed over to Echo Bay and did a concert. We had a concert there last year as well. There is a really nice group of people there that are very receptive. Following the concert, me, Joel and Jeremiah were billeted out to the pastor Bill McLeans home.

Monday morning, we left Sault Ste. Marie and crossed the border into Michigan. Monday evening, we did a concert in the Mikado Baptist Church. God's presence really seemed to be there. Afterwards, the Jamieson family had us over and served us some delicious food and had us overnight. Tuesday morning they served us a huge breakfast. We then hit the road and made it to Ironwood, MI. Tomorrow we continue to speed home. We have to get home for our friends wedding that is happening on Sunday.

This tour has been a fair bit more hectic. Did a lot of concerts in a short amount of time. But, God has given us the energy and strength to do them all. We really feel that God is calling us to be doing this, so even when we don't feel like setting up and tearing down before and after concerts, we know this is what God wants, and so that is what we need to do. It really is worth it when people share with us after concerts how they have been affected by the messages in our songs and testimonies. We have so much to pray for.

We can't thank everyone enough for all their prayers. Without God's working hand, our music is just a skeleton.

In Lindsay, Ontario

noreply@blogger.com (Josiah J.) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:32:01 PST

Wow, been having an awesome tour thus far!!

Sunday (April. 20th)
We left the Minnett home Sunday morning after a very blessed time with their family in Charlton. We traveled from their home to near Orilia, Ont. to the Hounsome family. We were all so excited to get there and reunite with them! They have 14 kids (12 still at home) and we always have a blast with them! Once we unpacked we met with some of their church at a near by hall and fellowshipped together.

Monday (April. 21st) We chilled out with the Hounsomes which included a lot of jamming together in music and Ultimate Frisbee. In the evening, the Hounsomes sang several songs for us which was a real treat. I love to hear other families do music together.

The Hounsome family singing:

Tuesday (April. 22nd) Zack, Shayne and Gabriel Hounsome took Joel and I out to Orillia to play some squash. That was a blast! A new favorite sport for me. :) Afterwards, they took us out to a really nice restaurant for lunch. Later we met up with our family and set up for that night's concert at 'The Church On The Hill' in Orillia. It went really well. We got to spend time with Jim and Marilyn McDonald. We haven't seen them since their son, Mark, had died. They are sure dear people.

Eating out with Zack, Shayne and Gabriel Hounsome:

Wednesday (April. 23rd) We had a bunch fun more with the Hounsomes. :) Zack (who is about my age) and I, love to eat ice cream together. He bought a bunch of ice cream prior to our arrival. Our special 'emoticon' for wanting ice cream is: :)__ It's a guy smiling and drooling for ice cream. :)__ lol. In the evening, Joe Jesseau came over and jammed for a couple hours and had a really good talk.

Thursday (April. 24th) Thursday evening we did a concert at the Tollendale Village in Barrie.Great turnout, and we really appreciate the work that the Kiezebrinks went to for the concert. Afterwards, we had pizza at the Hounsome home. :)

Friday (April. 25th) We left the Hounsomes in the morning and headed to Hamilton to sing at the OCHEC convention. We arrived there around 2:00 PM. At 5:15 there was a break for supper. We set up for the concert then. Shortly after 7:00 we sang our package of music. We very blessed by their response. It was so cool to be there! There was another speaker after us and once she was done we took our part of the equipment and packed up. We then went to a really cool pita place with the Wulff family. Following the pitas, we went to the Wulff family who had us overnight. We arrived at there home at about 12:30 AM and hit the hay. :)

Singing at OCHEC:

Finding something to eat afterwards in Hamilton, Ont.

Saturday (April. 26th) We had a really nice time with the Wulffs. They took us canoing and showed us their property. They have a beautiful place! They served us some delicious tacos for lunch. We then left for Fenelon Falls and set up for the Sunday morning concert.

Sunday (April. 27th) We did a concert at the Fenelon Falls Fellowship Baptist church. They have a really neat church there. After singing, they served us dinner at the church. Afterwards, we took down our equipment and headed to Lindsay, Ont to set up at the Fairview Baptist church. After setting up, we were able to head over to our great aunt and uncle Don and Esther Jost and spend some time with them. They are such a sweet couple. We did the concert at 6:30. Right now, Emily, Joel and I have been billeted out to a couple here in Lindsay. They just ordered us pizza and they have wireless internet. :) I better get off my laptop now.

Thanks again to all those who have been praying for us! God has been so good!

Tour Update (2008-4-19)

noreply@blogger.com (Josiah J.) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:32:02 PST

We arrived in Winnipeg Saturday (April. 12th) evening to set up for the Sunday morning concert. After setting up, we headed over to Judy Ford's home where we were staying. She is known as our "Aunty Judy" and she is one of the sweetest ladies you would ever meet. She has such a super attitude on life despite the fact she is paraplegic. We stayed at her place from Saturday to Monday morning and had a super time with her. She was did such a great job hosting us.

Picture of Emily with Judy Ford:

On Sunday morning (April. 13th) we had a concert in the Maranatha Free Church in Winnipeg. We were able to meet up with Walter and Chris Martens. It was so cool meet up with them again. Sunday evening, we went over to the Bethel Baptist Church in Winnipeg to do a concert there. It was a great time with Pastor Arden and Judy Boville. God really intervened and gave us energy to sing in spite of some flu.

Monday morning (April. 14), we left Judy Ford's and headed towards Ontario. We stayed overnight in a hotel Monday night in Kenora. Then traveled to Thunder Bay on Tuesday (April. 15th) and stayed in a hotel there Tuesday night. (April. 16th) we traveled to Timmins and arrived at the Morrisette home in the evening. They had some really good tacos waiting. :) Gary and Claudette are incredibly energetic and giving hosts. We enjoyed some amazing meals and great conversation.

Thursday morning (April. 17th) and afternoon we visited with the Morrisettes which included some more great food! :) Thursday evening, we had a concert in Timmins that was held in a school that went very well.

Friday morning (April. 18th), we left Timmins and traveled to the Jim and Judy Minnett home in Charlton. We arrived for for lunch. Afterwards, we unpacked and set up for the concert. That evening, we did a concert in Charlton that was held at another school. It is so neat to see God at work.

Picture from the Charlton concert:

Today (April. 19th) we are chilling out with the Minnetts. They really have a love for people and are being awesome hosts. It is a beautiful, hot sunny day here. Jesse will be leading a youth gathering on a talk about purity this evening.

Judah, Emily, Jesse, Jeremiah all had some sickness in the past week. It looks like everyone is just about back to 100% health wise now though.

Once again, thank you so much to everyone for their prayers!

Now In Winnipeg!

noreply@blogger.com (Josiah J.) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:32:02 PST

After a very blessed time in Regina with the Durstons and friends, we are on the road again today after 2 days in the town of Langenburg, SK. We had a very blessed time there. We did a concert in the Langengurg theatre on Thursday night. There was a really good turn out. The concert was held in a renovated theatre that seated 300 and it was pretty much packed. It is truly the Lord who brings people out. We really sensed the Spirit and pray that God was able to speak through us.

In the Langenburg Theatre:

Picture of the 'Junior Josties' performing their song:

Friday afternoon, mom spoke at a ladies tea. She really enjoyed that. Friday evening we did a mini-concert for a youth event followed by a really good talk on purity from Jesse and Heidi. Saturday morning, Dad spoke at a men's prayer breakfast. It really seemed that God's spirit was in all the events there. It is so neat to see Him work. We met some really great new friends. Many thanks to the MacKenzies, Munds and Elhards for boarding us!

Emily has been feeling sick the last two days but is starting to feel better now. She still managed to sing in the concerts and still sounded great. :) Please pray that she will completely recover soon and that the sickness won't spread. We just arrived in Winnipeg tonight and set-up for the concert tomorrow morning. We have two concerts tomorrow.

Update and Tour Underway!

noreply@blogger.com (Josiah J.) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:32:03 PST

It's been crazy busy the last two weeks. We participated in Weekend In The Word this past weekend. It's focus was on studying your Bible. The teacher was Andy Jamieson and I found the teaching very beneficial and feel like I can really dig deeper in my Bible study. Overall, it was really an awesome weekend. Met and re-connected with some really great people.

(pictured is Ben Shonwise with me and Joel!)

Yesterday morning, we left for the 6 week eastern tour. There are currently 20 concerts scheduled. It's so great to have Jesse and Heidi and John-Michael with us again. Jon and Sharla and Lucy are staying home as Lucy is still quite small this time. We'll miss them. Our first stop is here in Regina to do a concert at the Heritage Alliance Church tonight. We are staying with some really great friends, the Durston Family. They really have a heart for the Lord and people around them. I really appreciate their friendship. Havin' a really great time! Today, we are heading out to Langenburg to do a concert there tonight. Your prayers are GREATLY appreciated.

(left to right: Joel, Shea Durston, myself and Tyler. Great buddies!

On another note, on my blog awhile back I shared a Mozilla Firefox ad-blocker. Since then, a friend has informed me that there is an ad-blocker add-on for Internet Explorer.

Here is the link for it:

http://www.ie7pro.com/

Hope you all have a super day in the Lord!

New Album, "Trust In The Lord" Coming Soon

noreply@blogger.com (Josiah J.) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:32:03 PST

Earlier this month with the help of the Roby Family we were able to finish recording the new CD, "Trust In The Lord". It was rather hectic to get it all done within the time frame, but it was fun.

The new CD will have 11 new songs.

Here is the the track listing:

1	Trust In The Lord
2	Joseph
3	Keep My Heart
4	More Alive
5	Cryin' The Blues
6	Children Are A Heritage
7	Ballad Of The Bridge
8	Daddies Love Your Little Girls
9	If You Only Knew
10	Come To The Cross
11	Mighty Men

Here's Emz recording a vocal.

And here are the ladies recording some bg vocals for the song "More Alive".
The mastered CD and the graphics were sent off the the replicating company last week. CDs should be available by late Mar/early April. We are going on another tour to Ontario from early April to mid May, so we really need to get them before then.

Oh, and here is an updated pic of sweet little lucy:

TTYAL!

Update on 'Lil Lucy!

noreply@blogger.com (Josiah J.) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:32:04 PST

Thank you so much to everyone that has been praying for Jon and Sharla's precious new baby!
They were finally able to take her home today after being in NICU for one month. They are so excited to be able to bring her home! Lucy has been doing very well and is now over 5lbs. Please pray that there will be no more complications.
We got to see them on their way home today. She is so cute and tiny!

Here are a couple pics:

'Lil Lucy:

And the happy family:

Precious New Niece!

noreply@blogger.com (Josiah J.) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 21:23:19 PST

On Thursday Jan. 17th Jon and Sharla had a sweet little baby girl. They named her Lucy Elizabeth Jost.

We are so grateful she is doing so well considering she was born about 7 weeks premature. She will have to stay in the hospital in NICU for a while.

We got the chance to see her today! She is so precious.

And here is the proud papa:

She is already quite active:

Please keep praying that baby will continue in health.

Thank you!

Happy New Year!! (And Merry Christmas Pt. 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Josiah J.) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 15:38:03 PST

Well, on the last day of opening the 12 days of Christmas in gifts, we found out who had blessed us with them !! It was from a dear family that lives that lives in Coaldale. We have never met the whole family, but we have met some of them and they are such incredible people!!

We opened 12th gift right before Christmas. ALL the gifts were amazing! The tenth day had 10 misc. items including an extremely deluxe scrabble game and monopoly game!!! The eleventh day was 11 different bathroom accesories with fancy lotions, rasors and such. And the 12th day was 12 pairs of really nice pajamas for all of us! I received a pair of 'Pierre Cardin' PJs... Whoa, those things are comfortable!

Pictured is us in modeling in our new PJs.... Kinda different...

On the 23rd of Dec. we enjoyed a great 'Christmas program' with our fellowship. There was lots of great music! Afterwards we had a super potluck, (our church has thee best potlucks!

In the evening we joined the Fehrs and did some caroling for a few of the nearby neighbors. Afterwards, we came back to Fehrs and had some food and played some games.

On Christmas eve we had my older brothers' families over for an awesome fingerfood dinner! Man, that was good! Home made Spanokopita, spring rolls, pot stickers, cheese roll, veggies, antipasto, tortellini, shrimp, chicken! Hmmm.... I love food....

Pictured is the Christmas eve feast:

Christmas morning we opened the gifts. And then we had Christmas dinner with my older bros' families and a older couple that live near here. Such a great day!!

Boxing day we went to Lethbridge to spend some time with Mom's family. It is always so fun to spend time with Uncle Jeff, Gma & Gpa and all the Frantzes! They all a really fun.

(Pictured is our dear Grandpa and Grandma Frantz)

And here is a couple of us with a couple of the cousins:

We had a super new year's eve party with some fellow Christians from our fellowship. We had an awesome time!

We eagerly await to see what God has in store for us in 2008!

God bless and HAPPY NEW YEAR!