The time is going soooo fast! One year on the road and 2400+ miles. The last three weeks have been busy with speaking engagements and people stopping on the side of the road to talk with Nick.
So many times I have wondered, what my part is in all of this. The answer is simple but at times I don't give it much value. My part is to........simply support my husband!
God had said in Scripture that Adam needed a helpmate. Now I know that every man needs a helper, whether they realize it or not. I am thankful that Nick realizes this and accepts my help.
The wonderful thing about this journey is that God increases the love we have for each other when we serve each other, help each other, support each other and listen to each other.
Communication has been one of the most important elements in our life together. Not only in speaking with love and truth...but how we hear what is being said. We're constantly reminding ourselves we need to be careful with our own interpretation of what the other person is saying.
So many times we try to finish a sentence in our minds before the other person is finished speaking and we miss their main point! When we do that we hear our own thoughts, not the words from the other person. It all happens sooo fast! It's hard to stop ourselves from doing it unless, we are paying attention, and what others have to say is important so we don't want to miss the message.
Nick and I talk about this subject quite often, because we have seen it in ourselves and others.
As he walks down the road, Nick has to really listen to what the people who stop to talk to him are saying... and most importantly he needs to hear from God before he speaks to them. Many times Nick has said, "I heard my self say...." realizing that God was speaking through him.
It is sooo exciting to hear him talk and describe the word God used through him to reach others. God is always there every step of the way meeting every need. I really love the life God has given me. I love doing His work. I love living this life I live. Just like the apostle Paul said.... I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do everything through HIM who gives me strength.
Everything started two Sundays ago. We went to a church in Farmville, VA. At the end of the service one of the members of the church came to me and he was crying. He touched my hand and said to me, "God really, really loves you and He values you very much. You are His precious jewel. People may live in mansions, but one small jewel is more valuable that those mansions. God wanted me to share that with you. Please do not forget. You are God's jewel."
As he was wiping away his tears, he was trembling, just like if he had just seen God. I too started to wipe away my tears as I received the message of love. All I could say was "Thank you." God was sending me a kiss from heaven.
Last Wednesday, I was waiting for Nick and I was parked in the parking lot of an old gas station. Since I was in a safe place, I decided to listen to the radio for a while. I really do not remember what radio station it was, nor who was singing. The only thing that I remember is that the lyrics of the songs said:
"My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth."
All of a sudden I felt that something hit me in my heart. It was the realization that...Yes! God the maker of heaven and earth cares for me...He cares for you too!
I have read Psalm 121, many times. But when I heard it, I knew that it was God speaking directly to me. And for the first time in my life those words meant the truth of who God really is. A personal God; the One that delights in His children. Since then I have not been the same. I want more and more of His presence in my life. I began to think of the many times I have read Scripture; the many times I have gone to church, prayed and talked to God. But I had no idea of Who He really is and yet, day by day, He sends us kisses from heaven.
Last Sunday afternoon, Nick and I decided to go to take a walk around beautiful downtown South Boston, VA. As we walked around we spotted a small black and orange butterfly. She landed on the edge of a window and Nick tried to give her a minuscule piece of apple so she could taste its nectar. She did not get afraid, she just sat very still. As Nick finished placing the apple piece on the edge of the window, we continued with our walk.
Ten minutes later, we walked by the same place where we had seen the butterfly and to our surprise, she was still there. I got very excited, because she had not moved. I was trying to get close to her and touch her, when Nick said, "If you stand still and just put your had up near her, she will move over on your hand."
I did as he told me and I placed my had so close, but I was concerned that she might fly away. So I moved my hand very, very slowly and the butterfly walked to the tip of my index and then onto my middle finger. I was sooo excited I did not want to move at all. For few seconds I was able to be one with God's creation as she was resting on my hand. Once again, I was receiving a kiss from heaven. -- I cannot stop my praising my Lord. He is soo good and kind and loving.... He IS!
The more we move close to God, the more He gives of Himself. We just need to receive and relax in Him.
Do you remember those old bench seats? Do you also remember siting there and driving around with your honey. Oh, what a wonderful time. You could hold hands in a very comfortable way without having to worry about all that space in between. You could get close and even hold each other while driving along. As time goes by, the models or the seats change and we started to separate and we became more distant.
We are not as comfortable nor close. However, the person on the drivers seat has not move.... what happened? Well if we don't pay some attention to our relationships.... like those seats, little by little we start drifting apart. Because we go with what society designs and dictates.
The same things happens in our relationship with God. If we do not stay close to Him through the Word, church, and our family and friends. We soon will drift away from God. Even though He said to us, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." This was a promise from the Father's heart. God is always in the driver's seat. We are the ones that move away by the distractions of this world.
For awhile now, I have been feeling like I have moved away. I am beginning to re-focus and beginning to Praise Him and to acknowledge all the great things He does for us every single day...every single moment.
Lord, I love You with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind and all my strength.
Life has been unusual. I was raised by my grandmother (my dad's mom) and I grew up with my dad's brothers and sisters. I have a half-sister and a half-brother and for the last 22 1/2 years I was given the gift of being a step-mom. It seems like I've had half of everything and sometimes it seems like my life is all fragments. However, when I look at Chris and Frank my hearts leaps with happiness; they fill my whole heart!.
These two young men make me soo happy. They are good looking, smart, funny, well mannered; they have a good heart and they are the joy of my life. (For all of you ladies who may be interested..... yes they are single!!!)
Often times I share with my boys that if there was such a thing as re-incarnation.... I would ask God to let me have them again as my children. That's how much I love them and I am happy to share our lifes together.
You have heard is said, that we do not get to choose our family, but we get to choose our friends. However, I know God chose this family for me and I love it!
Last week Chris and Frank came to visit, and we celebrated Nick's and Chris' birthdays. We went to 2 baseball games to see the National play against the Florida Marlins and the Arizona Diamond Backs .
On our way to the Baseball stadium we had a chance to walk in the city and take this picture of Capitol Building. Both days we took the subway to go to the game. Parking in D.C. is as bad as in any city. Whether you are in San Francisco, Los Angeles or New York, parking is always a problem. So we had an adventure traveling with what seemed to be the whole world! Let me tell you, after being on the back roads of America.... being among all those people made me feel like fish out of the water. It was a bit nerve racking.
The last day Frank and Chris were with us, they took us to a fabulous crab fest and it was great. We ate, and ate and ate some more. I don't have to tell you Nick is a pro at this crab eating business, however, the boys and I were total rookies. However none of those babies got away! Memories, good times and blessings is what it's all about. Count your blessings and see the Gift of Love in your own family. Family and friends, are a beautiful gift from God.
Last Monday I was having a problem with my right hip. For some reason it was hurting and I was very uncomfortable.
Nick was walking through town and he called me to come and get him for his 2nd meal break. He mentioned that he was walking by a church with a big parking lot. Hurting, I got into the driver side and I said to God: "OK, You and me, Lord." So I drove to where Nick was;maybe about 4 miles from where we had met before.
When I got there Nick was talking to a man, so I pulled over the parking lot, made a U turn to position myself for a quick exit. Nick came over, had his meal and I was able to share with him about the pain I had on my hip. As we were getting ready for him to leave, a lady stopped by to check on us. She mentioned that she had met Nick a bit earlier while he was talking with the other guy.
We both stepped out of the RV and chatted with her for a while. We were talking about the goodness of God and she said: "Oh I know of His goodness, He healed me of cancer several years ago and I am doing better and better."
Then I heard Nick said, "My wife has been having a problem with her right hip, and since God healed you, could you pray for her so God can heal her too?" She replied "Sure" and with that, the three of us held hands and she started to pray.
We had just finished praying and I was still holding my hand up and a butterfly landed on my thumb. I did not want to move because I did not want her to go away. Nick said, "God really loves you, you do know that!" Then the butterfly went away and it returned to place herself on the edge of my shorts. Our lady friend said, "I have never seen anything like that!" Then Nick replied, "As I am walking down the road I always ask God for one of these to land on my hand, but it has not happened."
As the butterfly went away, our lady friend also left. Then Nick got on his walking attire and left me too. I was there just looking at all the yellow butterflies and the secretary from the church came to see if I was ok. I talked to her about our walk and I gave her one of our DVDs and a card. She said I could stay there and long as I needed to.
An hour and a half went by and Nick called me again. I went to get him and we were done for the day. By the way, God removed the pain from my hip....there was any doubt??? HE is soooo GOOOD.
The roads in Virginia had been very interesting. They do not have much shoulder and in between the road I travel on and the road Nick walks on, there is a medium and it's full of trees. So I have to drive for a while to be able to see him. The good part is that he always calls me and gives me some markers so I know how to look for the area that he is walking by.
A few days ago the heat index got very high very quickly. It was about 9:30 or so and it was already in the 90's. So I said to God, by now Nick should have walked about 4 miles, I guess I need to go get him so he is not out there in that heat. So I drove and I saw an opening on the side of the road.
I put my emergency lights on and I pulled over on the right hand side in a decent shoulder. I looked at the speedometer and I noticed that I was 3 tenths of a mile short of 4 miles. So I asked God, "Should I go ahead or should I wait." I do not know if Nick is behind me or a head of me. I do not know if he has been talking to anyone. I looked at the clock and it was 9:45. I heard God say: "Wait until 10:00 am."
I did reminded Him that I did not know if Nick had been talking to people, which it would mean that he was behind me. And I did not not know if Nick was ahead of me because I was short of 4 miles. Again He said:"Wait until 10:00 am." When I heard that, I just walked towards the kitchen and I got myself a water.
In the area that I was parked there was a cross over, ( a space which makes it easy for Nick to cross over toward me) and not too many trees. I was able to look at the traffic behind me on Nick's side of the road. So I could take a good look if Nick was coming.
I glanced at the clock and it was 5 minutes to 10. So I sat on the driver's side of the RV and as I looked behind me..... and there was Nick... walking towards me!! Yea God! He knew it all along; Nick was behind me and I needed to wait. I love His whispers of love and care.
As soon as Nick walked in the RV, I mentioned to him that the heat index was rising to 90% and I suggested that we needed to stop. He was ready. Then as he changed his clothes I told him my God experience. I was sooo excited and thankful. God cares all the time. No matter how small or big our concern is. If it is important to us.... it is important to HIM!
We go through life wondering how things are going to work out. Whether it is about school, jobs, finances or relationships... we always want to know what's ahead of us and how quickly it's coming to us.
However, as we look at the prayer that Jesus taught us; we read: "Give us each day our daily bread" (Luke 11:3). It does not say give us our life long stash of food, happiness, finances, etc. It talks about today.
Scripture is correct, every day we receive our blessings. "Be anxious for nothing"... (1st Peter 5:7)
We serve a good, wonderful, faithful, compassionate, loving, giving God. Our own response to that ought to be "Thank you, Lord. I receive it."
Just like everyone else, at times I forget to say those words. However, God is always there to love on us, and to give us the desires of our hearts. As Nick and I walk the back roads of this wonderful country we have experienced God's unfailing Love through His people.
Few days ago, we arrived in Lynchburg, VA. As always, when we get to a large town, we look for a Walmart, so we know where we are going to spend the night. Since it is Summer, the last few days have been humid. We went to the store to purchase some items we needed and hide from the heat.
I mentioned to Nick that I needed to get some deodorant, so we walked to the isle. I remembered that I had seen an advertisement on TV about some type of body mist. I began looking for it, and it never fails, every time I need something it is always on top shelf. A young woman was there standing near me, and I asked her if she could help me. Very friendly, she looked at me and said "Sure" and soon she started to hand me different little bottles of body mist.
We started to spray the air to try the different scents, and as we sprayed, we began to sniff the air. One was too sweet, others smelled like a bathroom cleaner, and yet other smelled like pure alcohol. Finally, we find the right fragrance and I said. "This is the one, thank you so very much." As I said that I could hear Nick saying.... "Where is a camera when you need it?" and a young man said, "I got one on my phone!"
This young man was the friend of my new friend... Carmen. Haniel (like Daniel with an H) had gone to get some other stuff and when he got back to where we were, he found us smelling the air, so he backed up to where Nick was standing in the middle of the aisle... I guess they did not want people to acknowledge that we were with them. Hahaha.
Soon Haniel, said to Nick: "Are you a pastor or something? I see the glory of God all over you." So as always, we shared about our walk. Haniel, quickly reached for his phone and said. "Let me call my pastor to see if you can come and share some of your biblical testimonies with our congregation on Wednesday night." and with that we made a date to go to lunch with them the next day after our walk.
We all continue our shopping and about 5 minutes later, Haniel and Carmen found us and said. "Our pastor already has someone scheduled, however, he would love for you guys to come and share about your walk for Christ. Our church isAll Peoples Church, so just come over on Wednesday and share about what the Lord is doing in your lives." We bid them good night and we all went on our merry way.
On Tuesday we had a wonderful lunch with our new friends. We chatted about ministry work (theirs and ours), and personal experiences.
Wednesday, quickly came, however on our way back to town we got a flat. We called Good Sam's Club for road assistance. Finally after 3 hours of waiting a police car parked behind us and wanted to know for how long we were going to be there. We told her that we did not know, that we had hope to be long gone but we were still waiting.
So I called Good Sams and I let the officer talk to them. Well, not long after we got a sight of the truck service... the calvary was finally on its way! However, when he removed the flat tire, we discover that we had two flats!! I guess it has been so hot that both tires got flat. By the time everything was set and done, we waited a total of 5 hours. We drove back into town, made ourselves at home at a near parking lot and got showered and ready to go to church.
The service was at 7:00, we made it there half an hour earlier so we could have enough time and room to park the RV. We walked in the church and everyone was genuinely happy to see us. You could feel the love coming from people we just met. And it did not matter if you were a visitor or have been going there for 100 years...the love was there.
We shared about the journey, we worshiped and learned. By the time the service was over, right before we were going to be dismissed. The pastor said.
"I would like us to pray for Nick and Lucy and for their travel. Also the Holy Spirit told me three times that we should take a love offering for them. I do not know what the deacons are going to say, however, lets do it."
As the pastor was saying those words, it really took me by surprise and tears started to stream down my face. When we go to churches, whether midweek or Sunday service, we never ask for anything, so when a pastor is moved by God act on our behalf when he doesn't even really know us...I know in my heart that it is a gift from my Father. He give us our daily bread and more ...only believe.
Nick walked 14 miles and he was so excited to be back on the road. We made it to beautiful downtown Chatham. The afternoon heat started to rise as well as the humidity, so decided to go to the local library and give our generator a little break. We were there until about 3:30, then we went back to the RV, because Nick was going to have his weekly call with our friend Paul.
Since the library was closing at 8:00 pm, we went back for a while; having our own computers to work on, makes it more enjoyable; this way we do not have to worry about a time limit while we are checking on emails or updating our blogs.
After the library closed, we drove around the town and we found that in town there was a big shopping center area where a Food Lion grocery store took must of the center. We were able to park in their parking lot for the night and we were very thankful to God. (Most of the time we stay at Wal Mart or at a local churches, it depends what's available).
Since the beginning of summer we have been waking up around 4:30 or so to get ready for our day. Sometimes we need to drive back several miles, and we need to get position on our route before 5:45 or as soon as there is daylight to avoid the heat of the day and get some mileage done. -- We usually go to bed by 9:00 or so.
So we made ourselves at home at the shopping center and we were ready to go to sleep by 8:30. Since it was our first day on the road, we were very tired, we were so tired we just said good night to each other, and we both felt asleep right away. For me it is kind of rare to do this, I usually toss and turn, make myself comfortable and talk to God for a while, before I finally fall asleep. This time I do not remember doing any of that.
All of the sudden I heard a knock on our door, I thought maybe it was a police officer and wanted us to move out of the parking lot... it would not be the first time that this happened.... so I tried to ignore it and once again, I heard a second knock. I tried to wake up Nick, but he was sound asleep. I did not want to get up by myself, so on the third knock, Nick heard it, got up and moved toward the door. I was right behind him.
As he opened the door, I heard a voice of a man on the outside of the RV. He said he needed gas and wanted to know if we had an extra container with gasoline that we could give him, or couple dollars so he could make it home to North Carolina. Nick said, "Wait for a moment." So he came back in and grabbed couple dollars, handed them to him and bid him good night.
As we were making our way back into bed, I looked at the clock and it was 4:00 am. I thought to myself. "How inconsiderate! It is 4:00 am in the morning! I cannot believe he was so selfish and self-centered and not to think about bothering people soo early in the morning." As all these words started to run in my head, I heard a still small voice.... "How inconsiderate and self-centered? Aren't you just thinking how he just bothered you and got you out of bed??? Aren't you being self-centered too?
I immediately recognized the voice and I said... "But Lord, it is four o'clock in the morning. "Yesss" He said. All of the sudden a couple bible passages came to mind:
Do not say to yourneighbor, "Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow"— when you now have it with you.
Proverbs 3:28
As well as:
Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.'
Luke 11:5 & 6
Then I said to God... "Lord, I do not mind helping, but it is soooo early in the moning." and He replied, "When do you want to give? Only when it is convenient for you or when you feel like it?" As I laid on bed I looked towards the ceiling of the RV and I reluctantly said, "I want to give when You want me to." After that, I went to sleep for another 45 minutes and then my personal alarm (Nick) woke me up and said "Sweetie, it is time to rise and shine."
We got ready for another day and Nick walked 12 miles. We made it all the way to Altavista, VA. Our routine was pretty much like the day before. We went to the local library and stay there until they closed at 5:30pm.
Once again we went to the local Food Lion, made ourselves at home in their parking lot and enjoyed the weather.... it rained couple of times (it was nice and refreshing). Nick was reading a book and I was working on writing 2nd Peter in my note book. (I have been copying the books of John, 1st John, 2nd John, 3rd John, 1st Peter and 2nd Peter in my notepad) and this has been a very enlightening experience.
I was standing by the door, with the door opened, feeling the breeze. I was soo into my writing that when a man came and knocked at our door, he really startled me. I opened the screen door and as I greeted him, he said to us... "I see that you are in Christian ministry." I said, "Yes", and I began to tell him about our journey.
As soon as Nick approached the door, Chad asked us: "Are you in need of laundry or need to take a shower? If so you can come to our house. My mother and I are in ministry too and we travel to the local railroad stations or bus stations and if anyone is stranded we offer them something to eat and drink. We give them a bible and share the gospel. The name of our ministry is Road of Hope Ministries.We survive by peoples donation and God's provision."
As he went to his car to get us his ministry card, Nick and I agreed in sharing the blessings that God has giving us, so we went to our piggy bank and got couple dollars and handed it to him. We wanted to be part of what God is doing. -- So the next time God asks me again, "When do you want to give?" I can freely say, "Whenever You want me to, Lord!"
Since last week we have been at a stand still. We have not walked at all. Even though we just purchased a new generator not too long ago, for the last week and a half it has been acting up. For some reason it does not stay on. According to the manual it says it has an overpower surge. On June 30th we made an appointment to see the mechanic on Thursday, July 8th.
Wednesday the 7th, the temperature was over 100 degrees and the humidity was very high as well. We went in a search of a campground because we needed electricity. We found an RV park, we drove there, paid our dues and connected to their power. Yea! Electricity = Air conditioning....what a blessing!
On Thursday morning, after our breakfast, we drove to the RV service company. They are Onan Generator certified... that means they can work on our generator. When we got there the owner told us that our generator did not have a power box. What that means to you and me.... and them is: Our generator does not have a box to test its power, therefore, they took the whole generator out of the RV to test and see what the problem might be.
Once the generator was out, they said we could drive back to the RV park to plug in to electricity so we could stay cool and as soon as they found the problem they would call us.
On Monday, July 12th, we were still at the campground. We expected a call and a report of what was wrong with the generator. It never came, however, the amazing thing is that Nick and I had prayed for the temperature to go down to about 80 degrees...(just like Elijah prayed for no rain), and God, instead of giving us low temperatures, He placed us at the RV park for almost 10 days! He always provides but hardly ever the way we think!
Tuesday, July 13, we got a the call! The RV service center said that our generator was ready. The electronic board that regulates the voltage was out and needed to be replaced. Well, few hours later, we got a generator that works and the warranty covered the cost! Woo-Hoo! Once again, God takes care of us and because of your financial support and your prayers, we were able to stay cool and collected.
There are two ways we get funding when we are on the road, one is through your generosity and the other is through sharing the Gospel through Biblical storytelling.
The Apostle Paul said to the Thessalonians"... On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you." We certainly do not want to be a burden to you, however, our way of making tents is by sharing our Biblical testimonies of Zacchaeus, The Boy, The Loaves and the Fish as well as The Innkeeper of Bethlehem.
If you know of any churches in the Lynchburg, Charlottesville & Culpeper areas or anywhere along our route (currently route 29 north in Virginia) who would be open to having us share these testimonies, we thank you in advance for putting us in contact with them and helping us make our tents.
Yesterday, Nick was walking on route NC 601. We crossed over to Virginia on route 103. We still have not had any shoulder on the road, so I have been staying behind waiting for Nick's call.
What can be worst than not having shoulders on the road, you may ask? Well, not having shoulder on the road and NO CELL PHONE access... is the answer.
As you know Nick has been calling me every time he finds a place for me to park. However, today I had to water my mustard seed and allow it to grow.
This morning Nick and I knew that we were not going to have phone access. We agreed that I would wait at the local gas station for about 2 hours and then I would catch up to him in the hopes to have a parking area for him to be able to have his first meal break.
Well about hour and a half had gone by and my stomach started to grumble with the feeling of going to the bathroom and I thought.... if I need to go to the bathroom, Nick may have to go as well. I talked to God about the possibility of me taking off to meet Nick and I thanked Him for his provision.
Nick had gone about 3.5 miles and as I drove close to him, we both saw a pull over"" on my side of the road. Yes, I did take advantage of it and parked in the area God provided. Nick had his meal break and we were both very thankful to God for His provision.
I waited another hour and forty minutes before I advanced again to go meet Nick and as I got on the driver's side, once again I thanked God for the parking area He was about to provide for us; exactly at the time Nick would be walking by.
I took off and I just kept talking with God and praising Him for His goodness. As I saw Nick, I saw on my side of the road a country church, just about 3 tenths of a mile, ahead of where Nick was about to walk. I drove over to the church's parking lot and made myself at home. In this segment Nick had walked 4.1 miles
Wow, God is soo good!! I was extremely happy. He does hear and answers our prayers as we trust in Him. (I have to let you know that He stretched me a lot today and it is not easy nor fun, however it is great to see Him work.)
Mind you, haven't had any cell phone access. Some one had said to us a while back that if there is an area where there is more animals than people.... the cell phone companies would not put towers in those areas. Well, I guess that's where we have been walking through.
Nick got his second meal break, some water and took off. I waited another hour and ten minutes, before I move forward to go meet him. This time I drove passed Nick, and as I was driving a saw what it looked to be a side road and when I got there I backed up into the road praying that no one would come out of that road. I was about a mile away from Nick.
I asked God for Nick's protection, and I prayed for God to allow him to get to me in less than 20 minutes, because the heat of the day and the humidity were rising.
In this segment Nick walked 3.4 miles. When Nick got to me, we both noticed that the road I was parked at, had been closed, so no one would be coming out of it. So once again God provided me with safety and a place where we were able to relax for a while.
Today, I have been pondering about how much we depend on what we see and what we have. Cell phones, computers, our own understanding ... and God is always there for us. We really need to water our mustard seed and allow it to grow. So that God becomes more real to us in every area of our lives.
Life is like the road we have been in today, you never know what's ahead, however, God always provides. We just need to rely on Him and His goodness. He is Jehovah Jireh our provider and He makes us lie down in green pastures! (Churches, pull overs, old buildings, gas stations).
Thank You, Father for caring for us; even in the smallest things that concern us. Thank You for being The Reality in my life.
We have been traveling many roads and still we do not have any shoulder. So I have been reading, studying, copying the book of John in my note path and I have been pondering on the things that are written in Scripture.
I came to the understanding that since our first journey, God has always taken care of us in all areas. Health, financial, spiritual; we have lack nothing. And as you have been able to travel with us on this, our third journey. You have tasted some of the wonderful things God has done in our lives and the lives of the people, He has brought our way.
This trip has been been filled with new friendships and marvelous loving people. Yes, we had our times of discouragement, because of our first RV and the mechanical problems, however, God has never let us down. He has provided for our every need.
This past week we had to put a new generator in the RV and that cost a lot of money (over 5K) because it is a brand new piece of equipment, shipping, labor and taxes. We had to use our credit card to pay for it and I have been wondering how we are going to complete this journey. God has said in His word for us to not get into debt but there was no way we could get that amount of money without using the credit card.
I do believe He is going to help us to pay off the credit card and we will complete this journey, the same way we finished the other two.... with His provision and His help. I know that Scripture tells us not to be in debt, however, this was beyond our control especially because it is very hot and humid. I believe what the Bible says, because God has proven Himself faithful to His Word in our lives and I know that He is going to do it once again, because He is good.The best part of it all is that He does not have favorites. If He is doing it for us, He will do it for you too. Trust in HIM!
I stand on His promises: Mt 6:25-34
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Last week we were walking through Union, Monarch Mill, and Lockhart, South Carolina. Just to name some of the areas we have been. Well, on Wednesday we had the wonderful experience to walk through Lockhart and unbeknownst to us.... they do not get cell phone reception for AT&T. My phone had no BARS!!
Nick has been walking ahead of me because of the lack of shoulder on the roads. So I have been waiting for periods of up to 2 hours, before I hear from him. It has been tough, however, I am relying more on God and less on myself.
As I was waiting, a pick-up truck stopped by me and a beautiful young woman and a man came over to the RV. He said, "We have seen Zacchaeus walking down the road. We talked with him and we just wanted to stop and give you these". And they handed me two CDs of The Riverside Boys Quartet. Monica was soo excited as she shared with me about her students at church and how the kids would love if we could come over and share about the walk. I asked her for the address of the church and then said, "Sure we will be there tonight at 7:00 pm."
As they left, my phone rang, I looked to see the number and it was a number with a different area code. So I answered and to my amazement, Nick was on the other side and I heard him say, "Come on over and there is a big area for you to park on your side of the road... it is a long story, I will tell you when you get here. You will see me by an old house."
I was soo excited about hearing from Nick, that I forgot to ask the lady for her name and her phone number. However, I had the church address on my GPS.
I drove over to where Nick was and he was talking with a man. Nick signaled me over and showed me where to park. As I pulled over, he stayed behind by the house talking with Eric. A few minutes later Nick and Chris came over. Nick mentioned to me that Chris is a Gideon. (The Gideons are responsible for placing Bibles in hotel rooms and creating small New Testaments and Psalms to give away to people.)
Nick also mentioned that he had met a very nice couple and that the guy had invited us to their church at 7:00 pm that night. I said, "Oh, no we cannot go! I promised this lady and a man that we would be at their church to talk to the kids about the walk." Chris, just looked at us and said, "Well, it looks like you guys are going to need to agree on something, I guess I better go." As he left, I helped Nick to get out of his walking clothes and we were talking about these two couples who invited us to their church. Nick asked me, "Where is the church you are talking about." I said, "Somewhere before the river, I got it on our GPS, it is the First Baptist Church of Lockhart." "Wow," Nick said, "that the same church my couple invited us to."
About 6:00 pm we drove over and as we parked across from the church, we heard a knock on our door. It was Monica! I opened the door and we started talking about what we were going to do. She had told me that she had left a message on my phone, but I did not get it for lack of AT&T coverage.
She wanted us to talk outside of the church in the grassy area and she said that as soon as she shared with the pastor that we were coming, he wanted the whole congregation to hear what we had to say. We walked to the fellowship area and we met her children. We started setting up chairs outside and she said that some people may bring blankets.
People started to arrive and we were getting excited. Pastor Ben, opened up with a prayer and we began to share. God always touches the hearts of the people and I often wonder what do people see. Everyone was attentive and very receptive. As Nick shared Christ and our mission with them.
The wonderful part of it all is that when we were done talking, Pastor Ben, asked the kids to get around us to pray for us and then the parents got around them and other members got around them we were all touching each other. They prayed for us and loved on us. As they finished their prayer, they sang "It Is Well With My Soul." Nick and I were amazed by the love we were given.
Arnold, Monica's dad & the gentleman that had given me the CDs earlier, came to us and said that on Sunday, his group would be performing in Gaffney, SC. and was wondering if we would like to come. We said, "Yes!"
As we were finishing we were invited to go in the fellowship building and they had pizza, soda and munchies.... and we did not know but Monica ordered a cake and had them write "3,300 miles for Christ" on it.
It was a great time! It was like a wedding feast.
Since we left Georgia, I have not been able to be near Nick. The roads have been narrow and there are no shoulders. So basically, we find a place for me to park the RV and then Nick goes ahead. As soon as he finds a place suitable for me to park he calls me to come and get him.
On May 15 we had an article on the local news paper in Anderson and from there on, several people have stopped on the side of the road to talk to Nick.
Well, this past week has been the most wonderful week in the month of May. Nick was walking near the town of Belton, SC. Nick called me and asked me to come by the Neal Creek Baptist Church, because they had a big parking lot. I drove over and there he was in the street corner waiting for me. As I pulled over, and parked the RV in the church parking lot, a van pulled in and Eric & Robert started to talk to Nick. These guys were on their way to do a job replacing carpets and they saw a "little guy blessing the traffic," so they had to stopped and see what was going on.
After they left, Nick said "Lets go into the church office. I though we were going in to ask for permission to spend the afternoon there; when Nick said, "Patti is going to interview us for the local paper." Well, little did I know! Nick had been talking with several people from the area and now we were having another interview another paper! Praise God!
I met Patti and we began the interview. After about hour and a half of sharing stories and information, we finally asked her if we could spend part of the afternoon in the parking lot, until evening, when Nick was going to walk again. She said, "It'ss OK. You can stay all night if you want to." We went back to the RV and tried to take a nap; it was very humid and hot. So after an hour or so, we heard a knocking and tapping on our door. It was Patti, Scott (her husband) and her mom, Jean. Jean had read the Article in "The Independent,"and she wanted to meet us. So we invited them into our cabin on the road and spent a very nice hour or so just talking and laughing. Patti also mentioned, that she had talked to her pastor and asked us if it would come to her church on Wednesday night and do our Zacchaeus presentation. We were delighted to say, "Yes!"
We were really excited. That night Nick walked another 3 miles or so, into the city of Belton. The next morning we did our routine and by noon we were on our way to Patti's church. (New Generation Worship Plaza) The people there were soooo gracious. Actually the pastor, told his people to give us all of their information (name, address, phone number) in case we had trouble on the road, they would come and help us out! He said, "Wherever you are we will come and help you.) We were in total awe! This is the first time something like this ever happened to us. God's power was moving in the church and in our hearts. They took up a love offering and included their contact information. Wow!
Patti is sooo talented! She is an author, a singer, speaker plus she had worked in the radio industry for several years. I guess they hired her when she was 3 years old!
She told us that on Thursday night, her family and other musicians would be performing in Honea Path (Honey-ah Path) at a street out reach. So we made it a point to go. Wow! They are soooo talented. Nick and I really loved listening to them and praising God on main street USA!
We were blessed beyond compare. That night, Patti gave me the name of a person we needed to contact as soon as we got to the outskirts of Laurens, SC. There was a possibility of another article!
So Friday afternoon, Nick called me and said he was getting close to Laurens, and he said to go ahead of him and find a place to park. I parked right outside of theLaurens Middle School. As Nick was approaching the RV, the principal Dr. Harris, came over and talked with him. He had seen "Christ" written on our RV and wanted to know what we were up to. As Nick was talking with the principal, I got on the phone, to contact Ms. Judith Brown. She is the reporter forThe Laurens County Advertiser and, yes, she was interested in running a piece on us.
Nick got in the RV, and was getting on his civilian clothes and I was on the phone with Judith, when someone was knocking at our door. It was Dr. Harris, I opened the door and he wanted to see if we would be open to come in the school and have lunch with the kids. As it is our custom, we said, "Yes!" I asked Judith if she would like to join us for lunch at the middle school and she agreed. We all went in and had a good time. While Judith was taking notes, listening and trying to eat all at the same time, (she has 6 kids so she is good at multitasking!) some of the kids were looking at us wondering, "Who are they and what are they doing here?" However, since we were sitting with the principal, no one dare to say anything out loud.
Judith spend between one and a half to two hours with us and later that afternoon we met with her again at a local coffee shop. This has been a week full of wonderful blessings making new friends.
I cannot wait to see what God does this week...... keep your ears and eyes open.
A couple days ago, we looked at our ministry bank account and we only had $57.00. We have gone 1400 miles of our 3,300 mile journey and as I looked back to the bank account I said to God, "What are we going to do we still have 1900 miles to go."
My first instinct was to grab my phone and send a text message to our goddaughter to see if she could go check our mail box for donations. As I grabbed the phone I sensed in my spirit a voice that said, "Are you believing what you see or you are going to believe in My provision?"
I thought to myself, "What? But there is only $57.00 in the account." So the voice said again, "Are you believing what you see or you are going to believe in My provision?" Nick and I did not talk about it but we both had the same feeling. We both wanted to call Jess.
What were we going to do? We knew we had couple checks out there and we did not want to bounce anything. Nick asked me to transfer $70.00 from our savings to the BOC(Breath of Christ Ministries) account. We know we're do not supposed to do this, but we thought it was an emergency and BOC could take it as a loan. So, I made the transfer.
The next day, we walked to McDonough, GA. In the middle of the day we took an afternoon break to stay away from the heat. As I was taking a nap, Nick's voice woke me up. He was talking with a Pastor from the First Baptist Church of Mc Donough. Pastor Tom, took us in the church office to meet Senior Pastor Charles.
As we talk to them, Pastor Charles invited us to come back on Wednesday night, and do the presentation of Zacchaeus. We were sooo excited! God was providing for us....again! That night after the presentation, we checked our email and we heard from Jess who said that we had received donations totaling over $700!
We were sooo amazed because God had kept his promise to us and had provided the means for us to buy ink for the printer, pay our phone bills & gasoline for the RV. God 's timing is perfect. Wednesday night came and God met our needs once again.
The next day Nick was walking towards Covington, GA. We have not had much shoulder on the road, so what we have been doing is: Nick goes ahead of me and as soon as we finds a place for me to park, he calls me and I drive over. He found a place by a Waffle House and when I got there, he was talking to a guy. His name was Matt. Well as they both approached the RV, we found out he is the pastor of Greater Love Church, and they invited us to come over and do the Zacchaeus presentation in his church Sunday night. Once again, God provided for our expenses and a wonderful time of fellowship. I love when God ministers to people through the presentation. It is good to see how His Spirit moves in the hearts of His children.
As we go in this journey, we want to be obedient and to trust in God. We know that He will take care of us in every area of our lives.
Well, last night, we stopped at the Trinity Baptist Church of Athens, for midweek service. Pastor Jim was very nice and he let us park at the church for the night.
After service, we went to the RV, turned the water heater on, expecting to have a wonderful shower. Well as I got in the shower and we had no water! Nick went out and we found out our water was all over the parking lot!
When I went to get my towel, I noticed that we had water on our bedroom carpet. Nick got our little wet-vac and started to suck up the water. As we were working on it. Pastor Jim came over to check on us and he and his wife invited us into their home so we could take a shower.
We were very thankful as it had been very hot and humid all day. I am glad I am a child of God because He even cares about providing a shower for us.
Well, this morning, Nick called the RV service center to see if they could take us in. A gentleman by the name of Dave said we could bring it in right away and they would take a look at it! We drove about twenty miles to Auburn, GA and Apalachee, RV took us right in. The problem was that one of our hoses got loose and about one hundred of our DVD's (in the basement of the RV) got wet. The good news was that the water pump worked fine.
They also fixed one of our turn signals as well as hose from the refrigerator that was clogged up. The total cost... $1.75!!! ....and a gentleman named Tracey paid for that!! They were soo gracious and in a little over an hour we were ready to go. We praise God because our barns are always filled with every kind of provision. God never leaves us nor forsakes us. We are grateful that God is merciful and faithful. We serve a great God. My Father is a Righteous Father....and....He loves us.
You never know where you are in someone else's life and heart. Early last April, we had a wonderful serendipity from Brian. He drove all the way from Baton Rouge, LA (500 miles) to meet us for the first time. We had a wonderful time, talking about God and sharing stories of God blessings in our lives.
A week later we found ourselves in Fort Valley, GA. Visiting Pastor Steve Sandoval and his congregation at Calvary Chapel Heartland. That same Sunday we met with Roger and Debbie Tiffany. They also drove about 500 miles from Daytona, FL to Fort Valley. We had met them on our first journey in 2001 (from St. Augustine, FL to Garden Grove, CA). On that particular day they drove all over the place looking for us, to deliver 40 bottles of water, God had told them we needed. As a tradition, this time too, they brought us a case of water.
Couple weeks went by and our friends Bob and Nancy Wallace, were traveling over the Chicago area and they called to meet with us. We were just north of Roberta, GA, were we met and actually Bob walked with Nick about 8 miles.
A few days ago, we met with Ralph and Cindy. We originally met them at IHOP (International House of Prayer) about 4 years ago. They live near Lawrence, GA; but we met them in Winder, GA.
Some times life get lonely on this side of the world, but now we feel recharged. We have been soo blessed with the greatest gift people can give you, TIME! I know most of you are behind the scenes praying for us and sending us waves of love and for that I am most grateful. Your time in prayer matters to us!
I think I trust God and I do know that He is always taking care of us. We have lacked for nothing, but when it comes to the road, my heart and my stomach start to acting up.
This past week has been a bit challenging, actually, I believe everything started when we left Montgomery, AL. The road which Nick has been walking on turned to a two lane Highway and we had not much shoulder, it drops off. Even though God always provides what we need, some times I feel a little bit apprehensive about not knowing where my next stop is going to be, and if I am going to have enough room to park the RV or what's going to happen if Nick needs me and I cannot park.
So Nick has been scouting the road and when he finds a good place for me, he calls me and says, "Lucy, about quarter of a mile from where I am, I see a steeple of a church on your side of the road, so come on over, go ahead of me. I will meet you there." and that's what I do.
While I await his call, I have been copying the book of John in my note book. It is very interesting the things I have been learning as I pay more attention to the written Word. It is fascinating, how God shows us new things in the stories we though we knew.
Last Thursday, we got a call from our friend Brian, he said that he was on his way over to visit us from Baton Rouge. We decided to have a short day, because we had to drive about 30 miles to Phenix City, AL. This was the first time we met Brian in person and we had a very pleasant time. Friday, early in the morning we drove back to where we had stopped the night before and continue to walk again. We completed 13.2 miles that day. Then we drove back to meet our friend once more.
Friday we had a very good time and Brian brought his laptop in the RV and we were able to watch the Awakening that is happening at IHOP.
When Saturday morning came we did the same thing, as the day before and drove back to where we stopped for the day. Nick began his walk, however, this day we had a short day, (only 5.9 miles), so we drove the rest of the way to Phenix City, and we met with Brian for lunch and we bid him goodbye. We drove to the RV Park, to do our weekly routine, (laundry, empty tanks, fill up tanks, etc). which was on the other side of the river, in Columbus, GA.
When we got to the campground I thought, I am going to ask Nick if we can just continue our journey, on this side of the river instead of going back to that two lane road, it makes me nervous! If we stay here, we can relax for 2 days and we do not to have to worry about anything. -- So when I approached the front desk, the man asked me, "How many night are you staying?" and I heard myself saying One...
You see, the week before as Nick was walking, I was copying the book of John in my notebook and on chapter 4:17 reads: Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working." As I read those words, I thought; Nick is working for God. This walk is not just an adventure or a pleasure journey, or a trip to see how God manifest in our lives. So I kept those words in my heart, and we stayed at the park for one night.
Sunday, we went to a local church in Columbus, GA and had the pleasure to meet a wonderful couple, Bobby and Virginia. They were a delight. When our time with them came to a close, we drove back to the other side of the river, back to Phenix City, AL. We drove to Walmart for the night.
As Monday morning came, wee did our routine and we drove back to where we had stopped the Saturday before to begin our day. I was a bit apprehensive, but I did not say a word. I kissed my husband goodbye and he began his walk.
It was about 11:00 o'clock and I got a call from Nick, he said: "Come and meet me at the Piggy Wiggly store, a man by the name of Bob is going to meet you there, he is driving a white van and is wearing a yellow shirt. He is going take a look at our computers and I will be there shortly." Well, to make the long story short....Bob worked on our computers and in a matter of three hours, they were working good. His wife called the local television station and they did a short story on Nick. We were blessed beyond our imagination. I was so glad that I did not ask Nick to start this week over the other side of the river. We would have missed the blessings of God. I trusted God's word that Nick is working for Him, as Jesus is working in our lives and God is working in our hearts.
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Thank you Lord for Your love and insight. Thank You for working in me.
