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!"
