The Gift of Love

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.

When HE Whispers

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!

Only Believe

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 is All 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.   

When Do You Want To Give?

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 your neighbor, "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!"

God Answers In Mysterious Ways

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.

Watering My Mustard Seed

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.

In the Palm of His hand!

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.