FLORIDA HERE WE COME!

Well, another project successfully completed.  Thank you Lord! It’s Friday, Feb 24^th. We got on the road about an hour ago…make that 11:15. Would have been on the road by 10, but our home wouldn’t start. Unfortunately, that sounds way too familiar. What the stink? (As a favorite youth pastor we worked with would often say.) The good news is that the one remaining ViMMer couple still at the camp just happened to be an RV mechanic. Hallelujah! Glad they were there to help us out. He with his knowledge and she keeping me out of Bill’s way. It was hard saying good bye to this particular couple as we became fast good friends. Anyway, back to getting on the road. Bill knew the chassis battery was dead AGAIN and when charging it didn’t help we were very grateful our friend was able to give us a jump. We also decided to call the manufacturer and find out why this keeps happening; got some good info which may cost us some bucks but will be worth it if keeps our battery charged. Our friend also had some recommendations that we will try first. All in all, although it delayed our departure, it turned out to be a valuable experience. Florida, here we come!

I was warned and the warning was accurate. Driving through Houston… is terrible. Traffic and road construction; more traffic and more road construction. What is this spring/summer in Wisconsin?  Three lanes so tight we watched a truck scrap the side of his vehicle. Speed up, slow down, and barely move. Y’all know the drill. The good news is I didn’t freak out (too much). Thanks to those of you who are still praying  for the anxiety that often comes upon me when there’s lots of lanes and lots of traffic.

We finally made it to Beaumont TX where we stayed overnight at a really nice RV park...Gulf Coast.  Nice to park on a concrete pad for a change.  Not much doing in Beaumont  but we managed to find a winery and get a little tasting in. The resort had a really nice self serve breakfast which we happily partook of before heading off to the Johnson Space Museum near  Houston. Yes, call us crazy but the whole point of coming this way was Bill really wanted to go to the space museum.  We took the car BACK towards Houston (yikes) leaving our motorhome parked at a Walmart near the campground.  Whoops! We were hoping to leave our home at the campgrounds  but  they  had  others coming  in and didn’t  have  any  space for us to pull off  to the  side and park.

The Johnson Space Center was awesome. (Thankfully we didn’t get close enough to Houston to suffer any horrible traffic conditions.)  I’ve always been enthralled with the space program, Bill even more so. So many things I could mention, but the size of the Saturn V rocket was quite amazing.We could have stayed (well, Bill for sure) another couple hours but we needed to get back to our motorhome and start getting a bit closer to Florida. After spending four hours at the Space Center, I couldn’t believe Bill went another five hours driving our home to another Walmart, this one in Slidell LA.

We had amazingly good weather and no hiccups (Praise the Lord) as we continued on our journey the next morning, travelling through: Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and finally FLORIDA. Along the way we saw some beautiful scenery. God’s creation is amazing and the ability he gave man to create this is a true picture of His creativity. 

 We arrived at River’s Edge Campground in Holt FL in plenty of time to walk around the beautiful campground and take a drive along the Gulf Coast.

Yes, we got back on the road (in the car this time) and drove to Fort Walton Beach. There was quite the breeze which felt cold to me so I’m walking the beach with a jacket while others are running around in bikinis. I felt a little justified when I noticed what appeared to be “sunbathers” wrapped in blankets. It was a great first day in Florida and a good start to a great month “off.”

First airplane to cross Atlantic --
eight years before Lindbergh.

Okay, our second day in Florida was even better. The whole point of staying at River’s Edge was to be within driving distance to Pensacola, most particularly, the Naval Air Station. This was another one of Bill’s must sees. Once again, we drove back the way we had come in the motorhome the day before but, again, this time with the car. We spent six hours at the National Naval Aviation Museum. It was phenomenal!  I loved the guided walking tour and the explanation of the early planes. The tour was lead by a former Korean and Viet Nam era fighter pilot who also commanded a squadron of planes. He had some great stories to tell. I really liked the authenticity of the displays and all the seaplanes. When I asked Bill what was most memorable to him, he said “it made the stories about the personal sacrifices of those who served our country and fought for our freedom, real.” I couldn’t agree more.  We thank God often for this country and our freedom!

Needless to say, our first few days in Florida have been most enjoyable and memorable. Until next time, be blessed and be a blessing!

We made it to Rosebud!

Forest Glen Springs in Rosebud TX – new home of Wilderness Ridge Camp

Hopefully, y’all have read about our delayed departure from French Camp and eventual arrival at Forest Glen Springs. For those of you who may be a bit confused as to what camp we are at, we were scheduled to be at Wilderness Ridge, formerly located in Smithville TX. Because they were burnt out three times within seven years they decided it was time to find a different location. I believe both, Forest Glen and Wilderness were birthed out of the same church many years ago so they had some connection. Don’t know all the details, but Forest Glen was expanding and Wilderness needed a place to host their summer camp (a Christ-centered summer camp for young men with a focus on biblical manhood) where boys and their fathers experience God in a wilderness setting.

Anyway, we’re here at Forest Glen Springs just outside the great metropolis (NOT) of Rosebud TX where the last three miles before arriving at the camp where the bumpiest roads we’ve ever been on. I thought for sure I was going to lose more dishes. Thankfully, we did not. We’re really enjoying our new surroundings and our new friends. Love our location. We’re at the end of the line for RV parking so a lovely view of trees in three directions. It is also so very very quiet except the continual beautiful chirping of the birds.

We arrived two days after the project started, so Bill jumped in first thing Wednesday morning (Feb 8) to help with the building of a 10x12ish shed to store water recreation equipment. They had a couple walls up by the time he arrived, but he got right into it and worked well with the other guys. They finished up the shed the following week and then started on remodeling (both inside and out) a former screened in building that they are transforming into a standalone conference room fully enclosed with windows. A few of the ladies did some painting on the inside; while I and another one of the ladies washed windows on the guest house, three cabins, and dining hall. FYI: When you’re washing windows, it’s a whole lot more fun when you do it with a friend.

Our first Friday here, we were blessed to have the VMM workers from Camp Tejas (about an hour and a half away) meet our group for lunch and then visit our camp for a tour. The really special thing about this was that three out of the four couples that came, were couples we had previously worked with at French Camp. We had a bit of a reunion and it was so fun. Bill and I also enjoyed getting a tour of the camp along with the others and a better understanding of its mission and future plans.

We got a little bit spoiled at French Camp having lunch and dinner provided (if we wanted to partake and we often did, at least, for lunch) so we desperately needed to get some groceries. Nothing is close by so our best choices were either Waco or Temple, both about an hour from camp. Pretty much a no brainer in picking Waco as it gave us the opportunity to go see Chip & Joanna (well known for their HGTV show FixerUpper). Okay, so we really didn’t see Chip & Joanna but we did go to their Magnolia Market at the Silos. It was an experience, that’s for sure. A bit too busy and too costly for my taste but still very fun.  And, now I can say that I’ve been there. J  

Not too far from Magnolia’s was the Cameron Park Zoo. Did you know I love zoos! So that was our next stop. If you can imagine it, I’m like a little kid at a zoo. Some exhibits (like the wild cats & active monkeys) I have to be pulled away from. Can’t tell you how long we spent watching a baby (more like a toddler) White Handed Gibbon swing from branch to branch going from his mom to his dad looking for attention. It was too cute. If I can get it to work, I’m going to include a video here, otherwise you’ll just have to use your imagination. 

With only one other weekend to do stuff, we jam packed it. We took a drive down to Camp Tejas to visit our good friends and fellow ViMMers, the Schnarsky’s who we met on our first project (Oct) in Louisiana and worked with them again on our second project (Nov) in Mississippi. Susan talked so much about Camp Tejas that it had become a big joke…as I asked her once if there was life outside of Tejas. So, we made the one and a half hour drive to see what all the fuss was about.  Very nice camp. There’s lots to like about it; the various cabins and lodging areas all have cool themes and fun decor. Wouldn’t mind going back a staying awhile. Now I get what Susan is talking about. We also managed to visit a couple wineries in the area and then return to their motorhome at Camp Tejas for some games. That was Friday. Saturday we jumped back in the car for another hour and half drive. This time to Sun City Texas in Georgetown to visit Bill’s cousin that he hadn’t seen in more than twenty years. It was fun to hear all the reminiscing and visit their city within a city. Definitely always something to do in those big retirement communities. We also went in to the city center of Georgetown and walked around the square. I love that kind of downtown. So many quaint shops and restaurants. We had a delicious lunch at Gumbos. Guess what we had to eat??? Oh my, but aren’t you smart…yep, we had (seafood or crawfish) gumbo and it was delicious.

Sunday’s we were always back at camp and enjoyed worshipping with our project group. We had wonderful warm welcomes when we all attended the Old West Cowboy Church (about 45 minutes from camp). Casual family like atmosphere with powerful practical livin’ like Jesus teaching. I still miss my home church & family very much, but thoroughly enjoy going to different churches. One evening we went to a local Baptist church that was having their annual church sing. I’m not sure what the event was officially called but there were several churches represented and each church sang one or two songs. Some churches brought choirs, others just an individual or a couple and then they had an all church choir sing a few songs to close the program.  We were all invited to stay for a meal of homemade sandwiches and other goodies; too bad we didn’t know about the light supper as we had already eaten. Of course, that didn’t stop us from having some dessert.

So, have I mentioned the cows? You would think that a girl from Wisconsin wouldn’t get excited about seeing cows but I do; Texas cows anyway. (Bill says they aren’t cows…they’re cattle. They’re cows to me.) I don’t know what it is, but as we drove from place to place over these past two weeks, I’ve been fascinated by the cows. Maybe it’s because there are so many of them. Maybe it’s because there is such a wide variety. Maybe it

’s because they cover such a huge area. Maybe it’s because they appear to be in the wild as it’s not just open space, but they roam among trees and bushes.  Or maybe it’s all of the above. Don’t know what it is, but they make me smile and I love looking at them. Bill often says, I’m easily entertained.

Speaking of entertainment, our bags game (which I refuse to call cornhole as there is no corn here.), was a popular past time in the early evening.  It was couples against couples. Lots of fun and more opportunity to get to know our fellow ViMMers.

We’re winding down here at Forest Glen and starting to plan for our month “off.” We’re heading to Florida for the month of March to spend time with our granddaughter. The plan is to leave here on Friday, February 24^th, travel about three hours to the Houston Space Center, do an overnight near there, and then travel the Gulf Coast on Saturday and Sunday, arriving at the River’s Edge Campground in Holt FL. It’s close to Pensacola which is another place Bill wants to visit. I think there’s some military bases there or something along those lines. After that we will be making our way to the Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City where we have tickets to a Scotty McCreery concert (this one’s for me). We have a week to get there and a few ideas on how and where to spend our time, but nothing has been firmed up yet. Will keep y’all posted. In the meantime, be blessed & be a blessing!

Departure Day Feb 6 (a/k/a Smashing Dishes Day)

We did it…we finally did it. We were able to pull out of French Camp, MS around 5:30 p.m. on Monday, February 6^th. We had hoped to leave in the early afternoon but the repair mechanic didn’t arrive until 10:30 or so.  Bill stayed close to the rig in case he was needed; I tried to keep myself busy so as not to get over-anxious. (Yes, I know, some of you find that hard to believe.J)  Around 2:30, as I and a fellow ViMMer were walking back towards the RV parking area, she asked excitedly, “do you here that?” I’m like “hear what???” “The motor’s running.” Hallelujah! Sure enough, it was our motorhome  that was running.  PTL!!! Shortly after, the mechanic finished up and after he was sure it would keep running, he took off. Bill wasn’t too far behind him as he had to sign paperwork back at the shop (a bit over a half hour away) so that our Extended Warranty would cover the repairs. Not sure why they couldn’t send the paperwork with the mechanic but we happily complied to ensure coverage. While he did that I took care of “buttoning up” the place one more time and said a few more good-byes for the umpteenth time.  Not complaining, really, I’m not. As I keep saying, our friends at FC (staff & students) have become so very dear to us; we were just beyond-ready to be gone. After saying good bye to our ViMMer friends and being “prayed off” by one special couple, we pulled out of the RV parking lot about 5 p.m. Thank you, Lord!

We were making good time, the roads weren’t too busy (which I was very grateful for), and it was time to stop for fuel around 8:30/9 p.m. in Tallulah LA. Bill did a walk around and everything looked good, except one car tire strap needed to be tightened up. (Always the same one. Don’t know why but grateful to have the opportunity to make it right.) As we drove out of the lot (which seemed particularly dark), the front left tire of the motorhome hit a huge pothole or something and scared the breath right out of us. It also caused the cabinet holding our daily Corel dishes to come flying out…crashing and smashing in every direction. What a mess. Bill immediately pulled over so that we could assess the damage and clean up as much as possible. The good news: we still have service for four (now, instead of eight) and one large and one shallow serving bowl broke and one didn’t. In other words, none of the Corel that broke will be missed much. PTL! However, the sad news was that the only two dishes (small shallow bowls) I had kept from my mom’s china set broke. Now I’ll have something to look for when the ViMM ladies have a day out visiting thrift stores.  Actually, the worst part of all this was I figured we’d be unexpectantly finding pieces of broken dishes for days to come. No barefootin’ tonight. The bathroom cabinet also popped open flinging most of the bottom shelf into sink or on floor. The good news there is nothing broke. Quick clean up, thank you very much.

We got back on the road still feeling a bit little shook up, but that was nothing. Bill had turned our rear view camera off as the light bothers his eyes at night. After traveling several miles, I turned it back on (I always like to know that our car is still back there) it wasn’t!!! No, Lord no! I was totally freakin’ out, Bill was frantically (as frantic as he gets) playing with the buttons on the camera, and I was begging him to just pull over…grateful we were at a spot where he could. And I, shaking and praying diligently, went to investigate. Thank you Lord, Thank you! Everything was in its place; the car was on the dolly and all was well. By the time I climbed back in the rig, Bill had determined that we must have bumped the side view button which showed nothing because there was nothing alongside us to see. I shook for quite awhile longer as I continued to praise the Lord. We managed to continue on (not sure how Bill did it) for a while longer; he really wanted to make Texas before we stopped but we got as far as the Pilot Truck Stop in Haughton LA at 11:30p.m. This is the first time we boondocked at a truck stop. They tend to be a bit noisier than a Walmart parking lot and I found that to be true; however, Bill wanted to try it and it didn’t seem to bother him at all. He watched me clean up more of the broken glass for a few minutes when I told him to just go to bed; I was still a bit too wound up to sleep. Not so much with Bill, he conked out right away and I climbed into bed around 12:30. Not sure when I fell asleep. It didn’t come easy.    

The next morning I found out that every truck that came into the truck stop had to drive past our motor home.  I was awake, on and off, starting at 3:30 a.m. We both got up before 6 and decided why not just grab a quick breakfast and hit the road. We did have to tighten up that car tire strap again.  Lord, thank you for keeping it secure enough as we travel! Thirty minutes later, we were finally in Texas. Sometime, mid-afternoon we made it to Forest Glen Springs Camp--new home to Wilderness Ridge Camp. I’m not even going to attempt to write about some of the challenges we had getting to our destination once we got to Texas. Let’s just say, county roads in Texas are not well maintained and its best to stay off them if at all possible. Unfortunately, the last three miles to the camp were on narrow, curvy, bumpy county roads. There were times I thought the cabinets might pop open again, it was that rough. But, praise the Lord again and again, we made it safely and the motor home seems to have survived without any problem.

We received a very warm welcome from the staff as well as fellow ViMMers and other volunteers at Forest Glen Springs/Wilderness Ridge. Apparently, the anticipation of our “long awaited” arrival made them eager to greet us. We were all set up and relaxing in our new surroundings by early evening. Whew!!! Hardly covers what we are both feeling. So grateful to finally be on a new project, where we’re meeting and making new friends, exploring another camp, and serving our Lord & Savior anew.

Still Here!!!

Yes, it's true...we're still at French Camp MS. Yes, we had all intentions of pulling out last Monday (30^th). But it is a little bit difficult to do when your home doesn't start!!! Bill and our fellow ViMMers (nickname for our Volunteer Mobile Missionaries group -- VMM) spent a good chunk of Monday trying to figure it out. Finally decided to call in a local mechanic who changed the fuel filters as everyone was pretty sure it had to do with fuel not getting to the engine. We got that taken care of on Tuesday (31^st) but it still didn’t start. So we called another shop a bit further away (thanks to all our friends at French Camp for all the great suggestions and referrals). Of course, another day would pass, and now it’s Wednesday and it was determined that we needed our high pressure fuel pump replaced. First, they had to find one (which took most of Wednesday), then they had to get the okay from our Good Sam Insurance, then they had to order it (from Texas…hey that’s where we’re supposed to be heading) and the expected delivery time would be late Friday. Of course, mechanics don’t work on Saturday’s, so the earliest they can get here is Monday (Feb 6). Hopefully, we’ll be able to leave French Camp Monday afternoon; just a mere week late.

It was a bit odd those first few days of uncertainty. I had no doubts, each time someone came to help, that they would be able to get our home running. So, there was no need to undo all those things we need to do before heading out on the highways and byways. For example, our kitchen cart slides in on one side of our dining table, our glider chair slides in on the other side, all our double door cabinets are Velcro tied to ensure no accidental door openings, one dining room chair and our wall hangings (a total of three…not much wall space in our home) are stored on the bed, all three laptops and printer are tucked safely away, file cabinet door is locked and doubly secured, as well as the shower door and closet doors. Hopefully, you get the picture. Oh, and I stuff plastic bags or towels in between the glasses and other dishes to prevent breaking or clanging. So I said all that to say this: The first few extra days and nights that we were here, we didn’t undo much -- thinking that we were going to be on the road real soon. Well, by Thursday we realized we weren’t going anywhere for awhile and slowly but surely started to unlock, unhook, pull stuff out, and settle back in. It’s been good; real good. French Camp is a great place to be stuck!

In fact, the blessings have been many. First, thank you Lord, that the failed fuel pump didn’t happen on some unknown highway between French Camp MS and Rosebud TX. Second, we do believe our extended warranty service will pay for this repair (thank you Lord for the example of the previous home owners who transferred it to us with our purchase and then we renewed it just last month). Third, being in a safe and welcoming place to wait out the repair is such a blessing! As I keep saying, French Camp is a great place to be. We were blessed to have many people say, that maybe God is telling us we need to stay indefinitely. They (students and staff) don’t want us to leave; how sweet. Fourth, although there is a new project starting at French Camp, with additional ViMMers coming in, we aren’t taking up any one’s space, (in another week this parking spot will be needed by another couple coming in late as well – we most definitely better be gone by then). Fifth, we had the opportunity in the extra days of being here to explore some more of the French Camp area and check out Choctaw Lake and the Tombigbee National Forest. Wonderful hiking and beautiful scenery showing off God’s creativity. I’m sure there are even more blessings but these are the ones that come to mind now.  Oh yeah, one more blessing is the fact that I have this extra time to write a quick blog. According to my oldest sister, she would prefer I do them more often and not so long…I’m going to try. We’ll all just have to wait and see if that happens. Happy trails, everyone.

By the way, we sure would appreciate your prayers that all is fixed on Monday and that we are settled into our new project at Wilderness Ridge in Rosebud TX safely on Tuesday.

The Journey Continues...French Camp MS

This has been such an incredible month, I just had to put it in writing. Not even sure where to begin. After the holidays back in Wisconsin with family & friends, we returned to French Camp, Mississippi, where our motor home was parked in our absence. As great as our first experience at French Camp was in November; this second time around has been even better.

Jan French Camp VMM Work Crew

We begin each work day (Mon-Thur) with a group devotional with each couple rotating turns. However, this month one of the couples showed a powerful video for their devotion and the group voted to watch the remaining nine dvds (one each morning) which would fill all our devotional times. The name of the series is “From DREAM to DESTINY” and presented by Robert Morris of Gateway Church out of Dallas TX. The series is based on the life of Joseph and how he had to go through ten character tests to take him from his dream to his destiny. Here are the ten: The Pride Test, Pit Test, Palace Test, Purity Test, Prison Test, Prophetic Test, Power Test, Prosperity Test, Pardon Test, & Purpose Test. Overall, really good teaching. Challenging and convicting. Encouraging and enlightening. Loved it!

This time there wasn’t as much work to do for the ladies as there was in November; unless you like hand stitching Bible verses on placemats. I’m sorry but that is something I’m really not very fond of doing; it’s hard on my hands, my eyes, and my back side. The good news is, the ladies are never required to do any of the work available to us. So, I helped with the few mailings they had and spent a lot of time getting quarterly and yearend payroll forms and other reports completed for both His House & The Greenway House. I am so very happy that these payroll forms were my last bit of work for The Greenway House. I enjoyed the work, but it was time to let that one go. Really has taken a load off already!

This left more time for some lady outings. We had three tea parties. That’s right…three tea parties. I can’t tell you the last time (if ever) I went to a grownup tea party. One of the ladies on this project doesn’t have any particular hobby (so she says), she just likes having ladies in for tea & popovers or tea & scones. We did one of each. The third tea party took us to Starkville (home of Mississippi State) to Three Generations Tea Room. We each got to pick out the tea cup we wanted to use. I loved the house tea, but don’t ask me what it was as I can’t remember. We also had a delicious lunch; mine was chicken salad and (lots of) fresh fruit. 

  
 A few of the couples travelled one Sunday to Sweet Canaan Church of God in Christ in Lexington, MS. A few years ago, one of the couples that went on Sunday, was part of a team that helped build this church. It was quite the experience. It was quite apparent that we were visitors to this church but we were welcomed and greeted as old friends. I must say it was a service very different than what most of us are used to but we were very much aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit and the power of God in that service.

Another outing took us to the Greater Pentecostal Church of God in Christ in Greenwood MS for a conference “Conducting Ourselves as Godly Women.” Powerful praise and worship, good teaching, followed by a delicious lunch of fried & baked chicken, meatballs, potato salad, pasta salad, lettuce salad, green beans, pound cake, caramel cake, and sweet potato pie. They sure know how to serve up some good food. But be assured, the food was not the highlight…the conference and ladies present were the highlight. One of the talk themes was “I am a woman of distinction destined to make a difference.” Good stuff!

Our first Sunday morning in French Camp we attended the church on campus, French Camp Presbyterian Church, where we also attended Sunday School. During the class, and I can’t remember what precipitated the invitation, but Bill & I were invited by the house mother to drop by and visit the Griffin House and the girls who live there. For those of you who don’t know, French Camp is a Christian Academy for 7^th to 12^th graders who primarily come from difficult family or life situations. Students (as many as 16) live in “individual” homes with house parents. We were delighted to have the opportunity to engage in the lives of some of the students. Up until this point, there were mainly two girls and one boy that we have gotten acquainted with during our time here. How that happened is a story for another time. I’m happy to say that one of the girls we had already befriended, lives in the Griffin House. We ate dinner with them one evening in the cafeteria (each house has a designated area to sit together for dinner; lunch time they can sit anywhere) and then walked over to their house to hang out for the evening. There are twelve girls in this house ranging in age from seven to eighteen. Some of the girls are new (been there two weeks) and others have been there four, five, even, seven years. It was a Wednesday evening which is the evening designated for a home Bible study hour and so we participated in that as well. We couldn’t help but notice the many many many crosses hanging on the walls in the family room and when asked about them we were told that they started out with a few crosses and the numbers just grew as people came to visit they brought crosses. From time to time, one of those crosses would be given to a visitor or guest. Needless to say, the following Sunday the house mother, brought me one of the crosses that I had admired. She even had each of the girls sign the back of the cross. This really touched my heart. Thank you, Jesus. Since then we’ve been invited by some of the girls themselves to sit with them at dinner and at the event in the following paragraph.

Another huge blessing of our being at French Camp during January is that we were able to see the Horse Whisperer in action. His name is Lee Sterrett and he does an amazing job of using the breaking in and training of horses as an analogy from a Biblical perspective that the students can relate to. He showed a young colt that was extremely stubborn and rebellious; one who didn’t want to listen and submit to authority. He talked along those lines quite a bit and the colt did an excellent job of making the point. Then because the colt wouldn’t consistently listen and follow, he used a “peer,” an older and wiser horse, to show the colt the way. The analogy and Scripture that this man used while riding and training a very stubborn horse was powerful. We continue to pray that God moved and will continue to move mightily in the hearts of the  students. This truly is a remarkable place.

So much to be thankful for and for the first time since being on the road, I actually had (made) time to make some cards. The first one I made, was for my good friend Roy and his wife, Rosemary. Roy is the kind man who has been helping me with my dulcimer playing. He and his wife also host a cookout each month for our organization (Volunteer Mobile Missionaries) volunteers. This month was no exception. They are such dear sweet hospitable giving people. The second card was to thank the Griffin House girls for the cross and for sharing their time with us. Another card went to our crew ladies for this project. At the end of every project, all the couples gather together to reflect on our time together and to pray. Love this!

Another ladies outing was a trip to Ackerman. A small town less than a half hour away. It has a fabric store (that so many of the ladies love) that goes on forever. I’ve never seen so much fabric in one place. Even if you’re not looking to buy anything, it’s still fun to be amazed at what’s all there. I particularly wanted to go and show a boutique to one of the ladies. A store with hip clothes and lots of fringe…I love fringe. Check out the outfit I found, but didn’t buy, but sure had fun trying it on. Brought back some fun memories.  (I'd include a picture but I can't get it to come out right side up.)

One more ladies outing was a luncheon held at French Camp Academy’s President’s home. His wife loves to entertain and she was hosting a luncheon for the ladies of the church to come, meet, and hear Lauren speak on her experience as a missionary and pastor’s wife now serving in Wales. We have made so many friends and have been taken in by the residents of French Camp that they consider us part of their family. We are so blessed.

Before

Enough about the ladies; some of you are probably asking, if the men do anything? Well, yes, as a matter of fact they do quite a bit. Bill really enjoys working with the guys. They have been working very hard (in all sorts of varying weather conditions) replacing old and building new shutters for cabins at the Camp of the Rising Sun (which is another ministry of French Camp Academy). Bill has come home most nights very tired but very satisfied and pleased with the amount of work that was accomplished and the camaraderie of his co-workers. (I asked Bill to tell me more so I could report things from his perspective but he had nothing to add. I tried!)  

During

After

Bill also had a golf day with two of the four guys on this project. Their first attempt to go golfing was squashed because it had rained so much the two days before that it would have been way to wet to enjoy a day on the golf course. Their second attempt, although dry, was a bit cold and windy but they braved it anyway as it was the last Saturday before we were planning to pull out. Bill was okay with not going but the other two guys persuaded him to go.  According to Bill, they did have a good time,in spite of the cold windy weather.

We also had a lot of fun doing things with one or more of the couples; we went canoeing on the beautiful lake at Camp of the Rising Sun, had a bags (cornhole, to some of you) tournament among all five couples, enjoyed the monthly steak night at the French Camp Historic District Café followed by a night-time presentation at the Rainwater Observatory (also a ministry of French Camp Academy), and tried out a Mexican and an Italian restaurant in nearby towns. I even went horseback riding in the arena (for 15 minutes) with some of the young girls from Griffin House. I think horses are so beautiful and so desperately want to ride, if only, I wasn’t so scared. Hopefully, when we’re back here in the fall, I’ll have more opportunities to ride so I can get more experience and gather some confidence.

Our final fun time was Sunday afternoon…today actually. We had invited the girls from the Griffin House to “our” place for some botchie ball and bags; but first they asked us to join them on a walk “up the mountain.” It was a beautiful hike, about a mile and a quarter each way through the woods and hills of French Camp. Love being able to interact with these girls and their house parents. We’ve all become good friends. They were all excited to see our home and I was delighted to show it to them. After lots of hugs, we said our good byes, for tomorrow we leave this beautiful place. 

It’s going to be very difficult to leave but we are so very excited to head to Rosebud TX for our next project at Wilderness Ridge. Can’t wait to see and experience what God has for us next. Blessings everyone!!!

CRAZY OSHKOSH

Yup, we’re definitely back in Oshkosh as our calendar is filling up fast (too fast, as far as I’m concerned). I was getting used to and rather liking the less hectic schedule. However, it is so VERY good to see family and friends that we miss so much. I’m thinking, once everyone sees our new home, we won’t be quite as popular. J Please, feel free to give us a call and if we’re available, we’d love to have you see our place.

Life on the EAA grounds is sweet. Bill has settled in to his volunteering in the fabrication shop (part of EAA maintenance department) which is located less than a city block from our home lot. He already knew some of the guys there; in fact, when he owned his own business, he did some work for the fab shop. He pretty much works the paid staff hours, so his nights and weekends are free. (Free but so full!) We love seeing the emptiness of the EAA grounds, compared to what it looks like when AirVenture is in full swing. (For those of you not familiar with EAA or AirVenture, let me take a moment and enlighten you.)

The Experimental Aircraft Association is an international organization of aviation enthusiasts who promote and support recreational flying. Since its inception it has grown internationally with over 180,000 members and nearly 1,000 chapters worldwide. EAA is headquartered in Oshkosh and hosts the annual AirVenture Fly-In & Convention for one week in July. AirVenture is why we are here on the EAA grounds. To help prepare before, serve during, and tear down after. It is where EAA members and aviation enthusiasts totaling more than 500,000 from more than 60 countries descend on Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh and also includes an estimated 36,000 campers.  (For more info on EAA, check out their website…which is where I got these stats from as you probably have already guessed.)

When we first arrived I had fun exploring a small part of the 1600 acres of EAA land.  And we thought our yard was big on Ohio Street. J I found places I didn’t know existed…beautiful places. Come, walk with me and I’ll show you! Soon, I’ll figure out how to include pictures and I’ll show you some of the beauty God has created for our enjoyment here on the grounds of EAA. Thanks, Brooke, for showing me how to finally do this. 

I can’t believe we’ve been back in Oshkosh two weeks already. We’ve celebrated a dear friends 40^th birthday, had dinner at my oldest sister’s, celebrated a grandson’s 7^th birthday, my little buddy’s 4^th birthday, been to a six year olds baseball game, a ten year olds soccer game, showed our place to several friends, moved more stuff from my sister’s place to our motorhome including all my card making stuff (thanks, Jessica, for your help), sorted through all our stuff that’s left at my sister’s(thanks, Nina), attended our Viet Nam Vets meeting,  had a cookout with our Life Group, and, of course, I’m still doing bookwork for His House and the Greenway House several hours a week… just to name a few of the things we’ve been doing.

To be honest, it’s been a bit overwhelming. In fact, I was a bit sad one day last week thinking about the simplicity of life “on the road” versus being back in Oshkosh and the flurry of activity that I, again, have to keep track of. Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing all our friends and family, but I miss the simplicity of not having to think beyond, what to do TODAY. When life gets so busy, it is easy for me to get caught up with what’s next and miss enjoying the moment.  I’ve been praying a lot on that lately. Join me, will you?

But God (love those words) continues to bless us in small and big ways and for that I am very grateful! We now have a real chair, instead of the lawn chair, in our “living room.” We also found a kitchen cart that provides that extra counter space so desperately needed and it matches the décor beautifully.  We still love the motorhome living and all the nuances. Don’t miss the big house at all. Except, of course, when the threatening weather comes, I do miss having an underground basement to go to. But God is helping me with that also. I’ve learned to see those fears as taunts of the enemy, stealing my joy, and I claim victory over those fears in Jesus name. Speaking of our old house, we’ve been blessed to see on Facebook that the new owners are thoroughly enjoying the house and yard. That makes us both so very happy.  So much to be thankful for all day, every day.

One main project left to complete in our transition to this new lifestyle is clearing out my sister’s condo, moving the last of what’s needed into the motorhome, having another sale, and putting a few cherished belongings into storage. Anyone have a garage we could “borrow” in mid-July to set up a household sale? My sister’s condo association doesn’t allow sales and we’re trying to figure out what the best course of action would be. We’re also considering Craigslist sales and/or donating to those who could use a helping hand. Trusting and waiting on God to guide us.

Being that we’ll be parked in Oshkosh throughout the summer, I doubt very much that we’ll be making any road trips in the motorhome during this time, so there may not be much to tell. I’m hoping I’ll have some exciting God stories or new adventures to share as we continue our journey, for now, here in Oshkosh, but like us, you’ll just have to wait and see what God has in store. I’ll write again, just not sure when; only God knows. You all have a great summer!!!

We're Baaaaaaaaaack!

Hard to believe. We left Oshkosh on February 27^th, and returned just two days shy of three months, on May 25^th. The places we have been, the people we have met, the things we have done, the roads we have travelled…thank you Lord for guiding, directing, prompting, challenging, convicting, leading, teaching, strengthening, and blessing us  every step of the way. It has been truly wonderful. We love our life and are so very grateful.

Getting back to Oshkosh was a bit of a challenge. Hoping to leave Richmond, IN by 8 a.m. (Oshkosh time) we were all packed up and ready to go in plenty of time. That is, until Bill tried starting the motorhome. Tried is the key word. Nothing at all from the engine; not a sound and the dash didn’t light up at all. Not good. Fortunately, one of the men Bill had been working with at New Creations used to manage a service department for Camping World, his name is Matt. Immediately, I went looking for him as Bill began to check batteries, fuses, and whatever else he could think of. The two of them brainstormed and checked and double checked. All the while they worked, I sat calmly (yes, that is true) on the sofa and prayed that it was nothing serious and we’d be on the road soon. (My calmness surprised me and I thanked and praised the Lord for the increase in my trust level in these types of circumstances thus allowing me to remain calm.) Matt made a few phone calls to some of his known service workers and I got on the phone to the former owner to see if they had any previous problems. Apparently, not like this. He, the former owner, suggested we call the motorhome manufacturer. Great idea. They were very helpful and gave some great information. However, the motorhome still didn’t start. Finally, it came back to the batteries. Matt was able to give the batteries a jump, but that didn’t help. So we took them (there were two for the engine) in to a local place, had them tested and found out that there were cells within the battery that were completely dead. So (thankfully) four hours later and over $300 poorer, we were on the road heading to Oshkosh.  

Wish that was the end of our challenges on this leg of our journey. Not the case. We went through several different storm cells. The one closest to Oshkosh, between Lomira and Fond du Lac, was the worst. Bill could barely see and had to slow down to about 35 mph. I am, once again very grateful, for his calm demeanor as I had no idea of the difficulty he was having in driving the motorhome through these cells. Such a great guy!

Okay, one more challenge before we were able to settle in for the night. Because we were arriving so late (the intended time for our arrival was around 4 p.m.) there was no one to meet us and show us where to park our RIG (Rich in Grace). It was very dark (no street lights on the roads through the EAA camping area) and it was still raining (not pouring, thank you, Lord). All we knew was that our spot was near 35^th Street (there really aren’t any actual streets, just markers along the road), and off to the left; Spot 52. So, around 30^th Street, I told Bill to stop the motorhome so I could jump out with a flashlight and look for our spot. I giggle every time I think about this. It must have been an interesting sight. I had really hoped we would be parking in Audrey’s Park which I was familiar with and not in the big open camping area that is primarily grass. Audrey’s Park is where the long term RV’s park; many of them are there year round. Apparently, the guy who was giving us directions didn’t realize we were familiar with the location of Audrey’s Park or he could have saved me from running around in the rain. I was grateful to see a light on in an RV right inside Audrey’s Park. So I ran in that direction and found out that they were in Spot 54 and we were directly across from them. Hallelujah, we found it and it was just inside Audrey’s Park. So happy! God came through again, providing us with another great location, more on that later. Our challenge for the night is not over. At least, not for me. Bill had pulled past the entrance to the park so he had to make a rather large turn around in the grassy camping area being careful to avoid sewer and water hookups and electric boxes. His driving amazes me and I should be able to trust his driving skills by now, however, it still freaks me out. My depth perception is horrible and my night vision isn’t much better.

Needless to say, we weren’t going to try to take the car off the dolly nor the dolly off the motorhome in the dark. There was plenty of room to just pull through a couple empty spots and set up for the night. Once again, I was freaking out because of the tight spaces, but it all worked out just fine. (of course, it did. Daaaah!) We were close enough to water and electric hookups that we were quite comfortable for the remainder of the night. Bill was a bit wet, actually soaked, by the time he got us hooked up but he did it and he did it well. Love arriving at our destination and still being able to sleep in my own bed. So cool.

Thursday morning, the 26^th, Bill got everything disconnected and moved the motorhome into our official spot. We’re along a main road that comes off the frontage road at the west gate (for those of you who are familiar with the EAA grounds). It’s a great spot. Good location on the grounds. Easy to find (in the daylight). Lots of possibilities to meet new folks. It may be a bit noisy during the actual AirVenture in late July but it gives us a bit more outside space as the parking spots are fairly narrow. When you think of the number of volunteers and campers that come each year, it’s no surprise that we’ll get packed in a bit tightly as the event approaches. It's still a great spot.

I was so happy that God brought us back to Oshkosh in time to attend our grandkids spring concert at their school in Hartland which was Thursday night. It’s a good thing we left Indiana on Wednesday or we wouldn’t have made it to the concert in time. I haven’t mentioned it before this but I had another reason for wanting to be in Oshkosh sooner rather than later. A dear friend of mine suffered a great loss while we were gone and I so desperately wanted to be there for her. She was anxious to have me home as well and we were able to spend a good chunk of Thursday together. I love how God’s timing is so perfect even with all the challenges; God is good…all the time!!! And on that note, I’ll call it a night! Blessings to all who read this!