Oh my yes, the rains did stop as we had hoped (for one day,
anyway) and we were able to pull out of Camp David on Tuesday (5/2) as planned. But (a big but), it took us four hours to go what should
have taken us two (and then we were still less than half way to our
destination). Our first route on I44 to St Louis was closed due to flooding for
a 23 mile stretch; our second choice, going north on Hwy 63 out of Rolla was
flooded and closed. So we took, what turned out to be a lovely scenic, yet curvy
and hilly, Hwy 8 eventually getting to I55. We did see a lot of water standing
in fields; and water levels were higher than normal as we crossed over rivers
and creeks, but we were good, and for that we are very grateful. I am also very
grateful as you all must have been praying for me…no sweaty palms on this trip
and my nervous stomach wasn’t so nervous. HalleluJAH!!! Praise the Lord!
I truly love this life. I find it comical and comforting as
we move from place to place. On one hand, I so love the beauty of the Ozark
foothills but, on the other hand, I was so happy to see the straight and flat
roadways as we travelled north. No matter where God takes us, I’m happy to be
there. That is so very coooooool! And that is just one example of finding joy
in the present. It is such a great place to be!!! Thank you, Lord!
So, we arrived at Little Galilee Christian Camp safely,
however, we initially parked in a temporary spot. New RV spots were being
installed with more AMPs and sewer hookups. However, the new area wasn’t quite
ready when we arrived so we parked alongside the pool area where we were able
to hookup to electric and water. I meant to take a picture of our poolside
view, but forgot; oh well. We were hoping to move from our temporary location on
(Fri. 5/5) but heavy no-let-up rains continued Wed and Thurs. with more flash
flood warnings in our area. We, however, continue to be in a safe spot. Once
again, HalleluJAH & PTL! So we stayed put. Two other couples have arrived
and are on the new sites but they have 5th-wheels and are much
lighter. Besides, after looking at how they tore up and sunk in the grassy area
after they maneuvered their rigs in place, we definitely want to let the area
settle and dry up a bit. No worries. We’re good where we are, for now.
After double checking for safe driving conditions, and what
appeared to be a break in the pouring rain, we had to get out of our rig, so we
took the car to The Bullet Trap (an indoor gun range with gun rental) about 40
miles away. So excited, as I actually got to shoot a Ruger SR22PB; that’s the
gun we found in Missouri that fit my hand so well. It was meant to be. Great
place! We had to watch a seven minute safety video before going onto the range
which was really good for me. I’m still learning and need to hear this stuff
over and over again. I’m grateful to say that I am getting more comfortable
holding and shooting a gun, but that’s not to say, I’m looking forward to using
it. Bill said I did real well once I
relaxed a bit and adjusted to the Ruger. It was a great way to spend a rainy
afternoon. Good idea Bill! Thanks for calling around and actually finding an
indoor place that had the very gun I wanted to try. PTL again. (Seems there’s a
theme going on here.) God is faithful, even in the little things. J
So the rains have stopped, but the wind has picked up quite
a bit. Bill even chose to pull in the bedroom slide so we wouldn’t be kept
awake by the flapping awning. When the wind hits it just right it’s pretty
noisy. For those of you who read my first blogs, you’ll remember that the winds
and the noise really freaked me out, at first; kept me awake at night and
nervous during the day. But not anymore; Hallelujah & PTL, He is delivering
me from these fears.
Friday morning the sun was shining brightly and the roads
completely dry. We haven’t seen that for quite awhile. It was a perfect day for checking out the
local area which we did in spite of the fact that Bill felt miserable. He had
such a bad cold with horrible pressure behind the eyes. He’s a trouper though
and we still managed to enjoy the day. Saturday we travelled to Springfield IL
(about an hour’s drive) to meet some of Bill’s cousins that he hadn’t seen in
twenty years. Had a great reunion in a private room at Pizza Ranch for about
three and half hours. Thanks Wayne & Donna for getting everyone
together! We took a little side trip home; past Bill’s grandfather’s old house.
He says it looks pretty much the same.
So Sunday dawned with me feeling miserable. Thanks for
sharing your cold, honey! Now it was my turn to want to lay low. We attended
services with our fellow project volunteers at First Christian Church in
Clinton IL. Very welcoming and great worship in singing and teaching. Thank you
Lord! We’ll be back. As is generally the
case, following church the whole group went out to lunch together. This time we
went to Ted’s Garage. Good food, great theme. Love themed restaurants that hold
true in the menu as well. I had a
Classic Thunderbird for lunch. Very tasty (chicken with sautéed onions, peppers
& mushrooms). Prior to eating lunch (and I’m hoping that was the
contributing factor), I had a strange experience. Sitting at the table
listening to the various conversations, I felt the entire room start to tip
over; I grabbed the table as I thought I was going to fall off my chair. Of
course, the room wasn’t tipping over and I didn’t fall off my chair, but it
sure scared me and my new friends. My hands weren’t clamming, my pulse was
normal (we had a nurse at the table), and I eventually felt normal again.
(Normal, for me that is; cut the wisecracksJ.)
As I said, I hope it was a hunger thing although it may have had something to
do with the horrible cold that was overtaking me. Anyway, the day continued
without further incident of this kind.
The sunny skies also continued and for this we were very
thankful as both the winds and the sun had dried the ground enough that Bill
felt comfortable moving our rig to the new RV parking area. He does such a
wonderful job. We still had to pack, probably 75% of our stuff for the short
trip through the camp, but I don’t mind it at all as it keeps things neat and
tidy. As I said, Bill is pretty amazing when it comes to driving our home.
There were two ways to get to the new RV park and both had very tight turns,
neither one Bill felt he could make without incident. So we pulled out the camp
at the far (RV) entrance, pulled back into camp at the main entrance, did a 360
in the main parking lot, and went in the far (RV) entrance at a much better
angle. Whew…that wasn’t so bad, was it? Didn’t take long to get re-setup and
with that…I’m down for a much needed nap. I have found that the more you rest
at the onset of a head cold, the quicker it leaves you. (I’m writing this on
Wednesday afternoon and I’m almost 100% better. I took more naps and went to
bed earlier than I normally do these past four days and I’m so glad I had that
option as I’m feeling almost like new again.) One other thing that helped was satisfying
a craving I’d been having for the past week. Obviously, I didn’t feel much like
cooking and we had no leftovers in the house; so what to do? Grateful we’re not
out in the boonies for once and could make a quick ten minute drive to
MacDonald’s. I got my annual Big Mac and it was gooooood! Thanks, honey for
suggesting it!!!
Monday morning our work project officially got underway. The
women have some very timely work that needs to be done. Two of our guys (one
being, Bill), are tearing off rotting cedar siding on one of the cabins in
preparation for the new siding that the women were asked to stain (two coats).
[two pictures] We’re actually making really good time and having a blast doing
it. Staining and talking are two things that can easily be done simultaneously.
We’ve got a real good group here, the camp is beautiful, we’re thoroughly
enjoying the work, I’m getting to ride my bike, and life is so very good.
Hope this finds you well! Be blessed & be a blessing!
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