(A Recap)
Alrighty. Back to sharing testimonies! If you’ve been reading our blog, you know we already spent a little bit of time introducing ourselves. We recapped 2018’s Facebook & Instagram posts: stories that inspire & encourage, not great…yet stories, tales that make you chuckle, and a final hodgepodge post. So, 2018 recaps are done! 🙌🏼 Now. On to 2019. Who’s ready for January?! 👍🏻
We’re going to cover this year’s recaps a little differently. We’ll take it month by month. Start off in January, and compile all our social media posts into blog posts…until we catch up. (Our format will stay the same, however. Posts in italics = our words) Deep breath. And…go!
The year started off…well, pretty much like the rest of our life. 😂
The scene, yesterday:
“Alright, kids! What’s our family motto?”
“What’s the plan?”
“Change of plans!”
“We can do hard things!!!”
😬😂 Yes. Yes. And yes. We say all of those things. Often. Especially now.
We wanted to leave yesterday. Really, we did. But, it just did not happen. Nor did we leave today. Probably not tomorrow, either. You’d think this would really bother us. Honestly? It does. But. That’s our completely, 100%, control-loving human reaction. The truth is, our January 2 leaving date was always OUR goal. We know where we’re supposed to go. We know when we’re supposed to be there. But we wanted to throw in a few little extras along the way.
More specifically, we wanted to make a few stops at a few National Park Service sites. Educational! Fun! Beautiful! And…closed. Turns out, our government is currently shut down. Most National Park sites do not have open visitor centers. Or restrooms. Or campsites. It’s a good thing we serve an all-knowing God. 🙏🏻🙌🏼 We’d have been cold right about now.
So. We opted, once again, to give up. Give in. Trust His timing better than our own. We’re still going. Soon. We’ll keep you updated. But, feel free to use our experience as a reminder that we all only have one Life Planner that matters – and that we really are better off leaving all the details up to Him.
(Arkansas)
Since we weren’t going anywhere (yet), we started sharing about our faith in God’s timing:
“You’re an answer to a prayer. You don’t even know. Oh man, this is so cool! I love it when God works like this! You’re an answer to a prayer. You don’t even know. You don’t even know…”
(Maine)
We were supposed to leave June 11. Our daughter had her final dance recital on June 9. Nothing else was holding us back. We were leaving June 11. Except…we didn’t. For the life of us, we could. Not. Leave. It was so frustrating, because it didn’t make any sense. It was like an invisible hand was holding us back.
We rolled out of Arkansas like a herd of turtles stampeding through peanut butter on July 6. Here we go, God! You are lucky to have us. 😑 It took forever to get to Maine. No real reason in particular for the holdup. Our pace was maddeningly slow. We finally gave up. Opted for sanity. “When will we get there?” “It is not for us to know. Only God knows the date and time.” Please, Lord, help us get there. Let us work for You! Help us help You!!! 🙄
We arrived in Maine on a beautiful Wednesday afternoon. July 15th. Almost a month after our original “We’re leaving!” date. Okay, God…what now? We’re here. We left. Just as You asked. Where do we go now? We prayed. We decided to look for a Wednesday service in the area. We googled a list of churches in the area. A list of about 40 churches popped up. Great! One problem: none of them had a Wednesday service. None.
There was one church that had a Wednesday night prayer meeting. Not a service – a prayer meeting. We’d take it. We show up, not really knowing what to expect. “You’re an answer to a prayer. You don’t even know.”
We don’t. We don’t know. We don’t know what God is up to – what He’s orchestrating. We don’t know how He’ll use us. Apparently, we needed to show up at a specific church in Maine on Wednesday, July 15. Why? We don’t even know. We were introduced to a wonderful congregation that day. We met people who influenced us in so many ways. We love them so much. They’re always in our prayers. We’re so grateful our paths crossed. They don’t even know.
Maybe you know the exact details of when, where & how God wants to use you. Maybe you have absolutely no idea what He wants from you. Maybe you have a few of the details, but not the total picture. Just. Keep. Moving. Keep moving & trust in His timing. He has a plan. It is good. You can relax & know that He does know what He’s doing. He’s up to something amazing. It’s going to be so great. You don’t even know. ❤️
So. What have we gained by staying a week longer than we’d planned?
❤️ We had more time with some of our best friends.
❤️ Our kids were able to have a bonus “Grandma Night.”
❤️ We were able to meet with up with a wonderful couple – we thought we were going to miss out on getting to know them better.
😬 God was kind enough to show us several planks in our eyes. We didn’t know they were there. Surprise! We do now.
😍 We caught this amazing sunset. What a perfect way to end our time in the Natural State.
Goodnight, Arkansas. We love you. We leave tomorrow. That’s the plan. 😏🙏🏻
We didn’t leave the next day. 😂 But, we did eventually make it out of Arkansas! 🙌🏼
On the road!!! 🙏🏻🙌🏻 Current mood: 🎶 “I Will Follow”
Today:
📍Tennessee
📍Mississippi
📍Alabama
📍Georgia
It’s been a good day. 😄
We stopped in Atlanta, GA, for a day to do some sightseeing. Then, it was on to Florida!
Operation Gypsies for Jesus: Day 3. 😎 Hello, Sunshine State!!! It’s cloudy. 😂 But warm! 🙌🏻
🚗 1,138 miles so far.
Current mood: 🎶 “Control”
By the following day, we were settled on Amelia Island – the only place in the US that’s lived under eight different flags – and we were at work, collecting testimonies:
“God’s storehouse is always full. And the things He wants to give you are always good!
When He gives you a gift, He gives it – you don’t have to beg for it or work for it. He just gives it. And it’s good.”
(Florida)
We stopped here to let our kids play at a “cool park.”
We’ve been in Florida for less than 48 hours. We’ve seen a gorgeous sunset & a stunning sunrise. Praised God with a local congregation. But, we haven’t had time to #GatherRound & #ShareTheStories here yet.
We stopped here to let the kids play. We wandered around, enjoying the beautiful weather & the beautiful scenery. A fisherman strikes up a conversation with us. He’s friendly. Born in Cambodia. Immigrated to the U.S. as a child. He was a refugee. Loves America. Served in our military for 26 years.
We talked for about 45 minutes. As we were leaving, he gave us some encouragement. Said he “felt inspired” to talk to us. ❤️
We were just there for the park. He was just there for the fishing. “Did you catch me…or did I catch you?”
Doesn’t matter, brother. God’s got us both.
(Florida)
It didn’t take us long to discover that Amelia Island’s Fernandina Beach has absolutely stunning sunrises! 😍 You know, I’m not a morning person. At all. But some things are worth waking up for.
His mercies are new every morning. ❤️🙌🏻 
🎶Today is the day You have made. I will rejoice and be glad in it…🎶 
“You know, those East Coast sunrises are really ugly.”
– No one. Ever. 😉
We spent the rest of January fully immersing ourselves in the community. We lived at a local church & served in their homeless ministry. Miss Alyssa celebrated her 11th birthday on the beach – a dream come true for any January baby! We visited the local library. Walked up & down the streets of the historical part of town, visiting with the locals. And, of course, we gathered testimonies & shared snippets of what we saw & heard:
‘Wow! He has bright blue eyes!!!’
That was my first thought when I opened the door of our camper. He knocked. I opened. He had beautiful blue eyes. “Hello, ma’am. I’m going to get right to the point. I’m homeless, and I need a ride…”
Well. I wasn’t expecting that. The man was kind. Polite. Obviously uncomfortable to be asking anything of me. He wanted to talk to my husband. Brian gave him a ride. Oh, anxiety…there you are! I didn’t realize how quickly my pulse could skyrocket.
Why? Because this man was different. Out of my comfort zone. Not like us…except he was. He is. We are not homeless. Not in the sense that this man is. But we are now completely, 100% dependent on the kindness & generosity of God through…people. Strangers who have absolutely no reason to trust us. Or help us. How could we possibly turn our backs on a man when we, ourselves, have so often simply needed a place to stay?
“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.” – Matthew 7:12
The essence – of ALL that is taught – is to simply be kind. Do to others whatever you would like done to you. Love God. Love people. That’s it. And that’s always, always enough.
I can’t forget those blue eyes. I knew I was going on mission. I knew my job was to share stories. It shouldn’t be such a shock that some of the stories would be my own. But, I have a feeling that I’m about to have some life-altering, heart-shattering, gut-wrenching lessons. These stories are not “their” stories. They’re OUR stories. Yours. Mine. Humanity’s. And God’s intertwined throughout all of them. Hallelujah.
(Florida)
“I’ve got a ministry for you – Muslims. I love ministering to Muslims…and I can’t drag anyone to the mosque with me.”
“I chose [to preach at] this church, largely due to their homeless ministry.”
“I’m trying to go back overseas [as a missionary]. And I’m 85.”
Good evening, Church! How’s your weekend going? Are you gearing up for church tomorrow? Thinking of plausible reasons to get out of going? 😉🤐 Well. We just wanted to drop by & offer you a little encouragement. We see you. We see you in every city. In every state. And you’re absolutely beautiful, Church. You’re so beautiful.
We spotted this sign at a church this past week, and it really stood out to us. The Church is so much more than what takes place in any building. We see you. We see your passion. We can tell when your face lights up. You care so deeply. About the homeless. About Muslims. About victims of human trafficking. About foster children. About the poor, and neglected, and overlooked. You care about the marginalized. You care about those who seem to have it all together – but are silently suffocating. We see you. 💗
Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing tonight…you’re needed. Don’t ever forget that. You may not be teaching a Sunday school class, or working in a Pregnancy Resource Center, or preaching, or leading worship…or doing any number of things that absolutely need doing. But – great news! – you only need to do what you were created to do. You don’t have to look like anyone else. Just look like Jesus. As you.
(Florida)
“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
“We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.”
“The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: ‘If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’ But… the good Samaritan reversed the question: ‘If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?'”
“Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.”
“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
(Martin Luther King, Jr)
#WordsOfWisdom #MLKDay #IHaveADream
(1/2) “I’ve got a story for you. You see, I was one of seven. I had three brothers and three sisters. When I was five, my dad ran out on us. Just left in the middle of the night. Left my mom to raise us seven kids. It was horrible back then. But my mom was strong. Then, the next year my brother fell down in the street with spinal meningitis. He was the brother closest to me. I took that [death] real hard. The next year, my oldest brother was up working on the Blue Ridge Parkway–Skyline Drive. He got in a fight with a guy over his woman. Ran the guy off – but didn’t watch his back. The guy came back with a gun and shot and killed him.”
(Georgia)
(2/2) “My mom cried over my dad for a year. She cried over my closest brother another year. She cried over my oldest brother a year. That was three years. It was tough, but she was strong. One day she came out of her room smiling. Of course, I was hanging on her coattails – I’d lost my dad, my closest brother, and my oldest brother. So, I was following her around that day, and I was wondering what she was smiling about. I finally asked her. She said, “Last night, I got down on my knees and got right with God.” She smiled every day after that. She raised us kids. I put her in the ground last year at 97. She was the oldest coronary patient they had. She was still smiling.”
(Georgia)
Spotted. ❤️ 
Spotted. 😳 Umm…it doesn’t snow here, y’all. 😂
She used to thank God for the pink & purple clouds. She was completely, 100% convinced He created them just for her. 💖 And, today, she is 11 years old.
Meet Alyssa, the youngest member of the Campfire Ministries crew. She still loves pink & purple. She is sweet & sassy. She can often be found singing, dancing, or striking some kind of strange, yoga-ish pose. She dreams big. Loves bigger. Feels all the feels. Has a great giggle. Her faith in her Father is breathtaking. When our faith wavers, when doubts creep in, her voice remains steady. God’s got us. We can trust Him. She is truly the child that can lead us all.
Januarys in northern Arkansas are cold. To quote a friend (who also has a January birthday): “You’re just lucky if the heat stays on & the power doesn’t go out!” 😂 For years, Alyssa has begged for a birthday on the beach. Today, she got one. Thank You, God, for this precious one. Happy birthday, Alyssa. We are so blessed to have you!
(Florida)
We’ve been in Florida for a little over two weeks. And we’ve done more than go to the beach. Promise. 😏 But, this morning, we want to give a shoutout to the little people that are coming along for this journey.
Our kids are incredible. They’re kind and compassionate. Their faith puts ours to shame. They’re fearless – willing to step out into the murky waters of humanity with us. They’ve attended various new churches, met & prayed with new people, made new friends. They’ve spoken in front of large groups of people about their experiences. Answered questions from the curious. They’ve sat patiently & listened while we’ve gathered testimonies. They’ve literally fed the hungry. Helped the homeless. AND kept up with their Spanish lessons. 😉
It is our constant prayer that we don’t lose our children in our quest to answer God’s call. We’ve been entrusted with three precious arrows. And it is our job to – not be perfect – but to constantly point them toward their Father. He is perfect. We just have to aim them towards Him.
(Florida)
“I dare you to go out today & change [the name on] the sign. Oh, but you’re not a denomination?”
(Florida)
And, it was in Florida that we started making some of my favorite posts – the #SightsAndSounds posts. Every Sunday, we choose a song from worship & a sight from a church to share. There’s such beauty in the thought of all the people who gather to worship God across this nation. I can just see it…starting at the east coast & traveling across the country. Wave after wave. 💗 (In full disclosure, I haven’t been great about sharing these posts. But. It’s on my list. I’m going to start sharing them again, soon.) So, if you have no idea what I’m talking about, keep reading:
🎶Never once did we ever walk alone. Never once did You leave us on our own. You are faithful. God, You are faithful…🎶
#SightsAndSounds from today’s worship service. ❤️ I found this link on YouTube to let you hear it: 🎶 “Never Once”. Okay, so it’s not the EXACT song we sang in church this morning. You’ll get the gist. We pretty much sounded just like those people. 😉
(Florida)
So. I kind of like the idea of sharing #SightsAndSounds posts from the various congregations we get to worship with around the country. I didn’t get around to making such a post on Sunday, but here’s this week’s pick. You can find the link on YouTube: 🎶 “Endless Alleluia”
🎶In the morning, when I rise to meet You…In the morning, when I lift my eyes…You’re the only One I want to cling to…You’re the first thought on my mind. So, let our voices rise…all creation cries…singing out an endless Alleluia…🎶
(Florida)
Finally, it was time to hit the road again. We weren’t ready to leave. But, it was time to go. So, on January 31st, we woke up early to catch one more sunrise on the east coast, we said our goodbyes, and we drove across the state to watch sunset on the gulf.
We were able to catch one last beautiful sunrise before hitting the road this morning. ❤️
We’re going to miss this place. The sunrises & sunsets. The community. The people. Oh, the people… 💗
It was hard to leave, but we’re back on the road. Current mood: 🎶 “Oceans”
“…And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. And God saw that the light was good.” – Genesis 1:2-4
I mean…He’s not wrong. 😍
We really are doing more than just hanging out at the beach! But. We catch every sunrise & sunset we possibly can. We can see the light is good, too. We’ve entered a new life, one that is constantly changing. New places, new churches, new people, new customs. It’s good for us to slow down, breathe, and connect with something that has literally existed since the beginning. God + water + light = good.
(Florida)
Well. That pretty much sums up our January. 😄 Of course, there’s more. We gathered several testimonies, that still need to be shared. We experienced more than just sunrises & spotted sights. 😉 But, that can wait. The next blog post will cover February. We started off in Florida, on the gulf coast, and ended the month in New Mexico: with stops in Alabama, Arkansas & Texas. It was a busy month!
We hope you enjoy reading about our journey. After we finish recapping the year, we’ll get back to sharing all the testimonies we’ve gathered. They’re incredible. God is good, y’all. All the time. And we can’t wait to #GatherRound, #ShareTheStories, & #SeeWhatGodHasDone. With you.
Interested in sharing your story? Like what we’re doing, and want to help keep the campfires burning? Want to offer a word of encouragement? We’d love to hear from you!
