Where has the time gone? We’ve been back at New Creations in
Richmond, Indiana now for almost a month enjoying our motorhome volunteer
lifestyle. Bill has been so very hard at
work. He’s been ripping out bushes, digging out roots, cutting brush back from
roadways that wind through the 700 acre property, repaired/welded,
grinded/painted soccer goal posts, (what a dirty job), pick up, load, and unload
donated office furniture, and so on and so on and so on. He comes home pretty
darn tired most days, so we relax a lot in the evenings just watching old TV shows
(That’s one reason I haven’t been blogging as much, I can’t concentrate on
writing when the television is on, whether I like the show or not, it’s just
too distracting and besides, it’s nice to just relax with my honey).
I’ve done a bit of physical labor as well only not nearly as demanding. You see, there’s this storage building filled with donated office supplies (mostly a variety of paper and many many types of file folders) that has been piled up, looked through, and I don’t know what else. All I can say is that it is quite a big, I’ll just say it, it was quite a big mess. Boxes piled on boxes that were deteriorating and spilling out from dampness and who knows what else. The really good news is…I love sorting and organizing. This had my name all over it. However, the more I sorted, the bigger the job got. After a few afternoons on my own, I asked for some help in lifting and moving boxes. Thankfully, one of the students would come after school , move boxes, and take out the piles of garbage I created. What a Godsend. I worked three to four hours each afternoon, for a total of seven days to bring some order to all these supplies. It was overwhelming at various times throughout, but I loved doing it and feel really good about the end result. The IT staff person had to come and go through the printers that had been donated to let me know which ones were still good and which ones had been used and (literally) thrown in the storage barn that should, in fact, have been thrown out. He had seen the barn before I started working in there and marveled at the progress I had made…He asked if I’d come clean out his garage. That made my day!
I must say, that it’s been great, having our home parked in one location for more than a week. Oh, we haven’t stayed put, that’s for sure. We’ve been to Ohio, Kentucky, Wisconsin, and other parts of Indiana since my last report. We visited my nephew in Cincinnati, Ohio and ate at a wonderful German establishment Hofbrauhaus. We returned to Ohio another day to catch up with my nephew’s children and grandchild where we met at a delicious Mexican restaurant and then all went to Jungle Jim’s International Market. (Something you have to see to believe.)We went to the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky just over the Ohio state line where we saw a zorse and zonkey. (More about that another time.) We drove to Lafayette, Indiana to celebrate our niece’s graduation from Purdue. We took a “quick” car trip to Wisconsin over Mother’s Day weekend to give our daughter and son-in-law a getaway weekend so we could spend some great times with three of our favorite grandchildren. Being able to do this was a total God thing. Although it was something we have done for the past few years we told them not to plan on it as we knew we’d still be on the road. We were so happy to tell our daughter (on their wedding anniversary in April), that we would like to give them their getaway after all; what’s a six hour drive for retired (and semi-retired) people. Just hearing the joy in her voice was worth the long drive. I still find it rather comical that our lifestyle is dependent on driving all over the country. We envy people who love to drive. That’s never been the case for either of us. But, that’s what we’ve been called to do and it’s a small thing when we look at the big picture of how God is working in our lives through this new season.
God has been doing some amazing things for us this past month. Orchestrating all the places we’ve been and people we’ve seen as well as the volunteer work assignments has truly been by His design. Working out the timing and details and safe travel are all credited to our Creator. We’ve been hearing some great messages via the internet (thank you Lord for technology and keeping us connected with our church family in Oshkosh at New City) as well as attending services here at New Creations. Oftentimes, the messages seem directed toward the students here at the boarding school, but the Lord always has a Word for those who are open to hear. Please pray for the students here at New Creations. Most of them are here because of troubled pasts (and present). I actually believe that is another reason the Lord led us to this place. There were many days I did not do physical volunteer work, but not a day went by that I didn’t pray for the ministry here and for the students. We never know for sure why the Lord has us where He does, we just need to follow His lead. That’s my prayer for Bill and I every day. Please join us!
We’ve only got a few more days here at New Creations…the weekend, then Monday and Tuesday as we are heading back to Oshkosh on Wednesday the 25th. We’ll be parking on the EAA grounds for the months of June, July, and August. Bill will be volunteering in the maintenance department or was it the machine shop. (I can’t remember and he’s sleeping at the moment as he had a particularly hard day. Another reason why I could write…the TV isn’t on.) Doesn’t matter where he’s volunteering at EAA, he’s just excited to be a part of it. Many of you probably don’t know that Bill has his private pilot’s license but hasn’t used it in many years. To be around planes and in the midst of the annual AirVenture coming up late July is something he is really looking forward to. I’ve got mixed emotions, as I’m not sure what to expect. I’ve lived in Oshkosh most of my life, but not in a motorhome. So, I’ve given it over to the Lord and just like all the other adventures we’ve been on, I’m trusting Him to make a way for us to live, love, serve, and enjoy the journey. Blessings to all who read this!
