(A Recap)
What. A. Year. You know, I am nothing if not stubborn. Once again, I’m picking up where I left off. Trying again. Again. I have managed to blog a bit this year. Topics have included: us, recaps of 2018’s Facebook & Instagram posts (stories that inspire & encourage, not great…yet stories, tales that make you chuckle, and a final hodgepodge post), and summary posts for January and February. The goal was to compile all our monthly social media posts into blog posts. March was next. Then, April, May, June…you get the picture…until I was caught up. Then, onward! It was a brilliant plan.
Except…it didn’t happen. In my defense, it’s been a bit crazy. I’ve told you all how I tried to die. Multiple times. This infection has turned out to be life-altering. My health has taken a top priority, and I refuse to work at a pace I cannot handle. However. I also refuse to give up. I am convinced that He who began a good work in me will continue it until it’s completed. So, I press on. For those of you who are still reading, thanks for sticking with me. ❤️ I cannot express how grateful I am. Happy reading! (Reminder: Posts in italics = our words)
The first day of February found us in alien territory:
“So, are you a believer?”
Yes! Wait…am I a believer in what?
“Aliens!”
😂😂😂
Well. I’m not sure if I believe in aliens…but I believe in this sentiment I found yesterday. ❤️
(New Mexico)
We quickly moved on to Arizona. We needed a place to stay for a few days, while we had some dental work done. As always, we turned to the local churches:
Today was hard. Today, we had our hearts crushed. Today, we sat silently in a church, in a foreign land, blinking back tears. Today, we watched as good, kind people listened to a man preach one thing….while we knew his actions spoke a different message.
It was hard. So painful. So hard to keep quiet. So hard to push past that pain & fully worship a God whose followers are so flawed. But. Our merciful God still allowed the #SightsAndSounds of today’s worship to overpower our pain. 🙏🏻🙌🏻
Today was a good reminder to keep our eyes focused on Him. He’s the only one who’s perfect. The rest of us? Bless our hearts, we need grace.
(Arizona)
It was not a great experience. 😔 Even now, I can feel the pain from that day. I will probably blog about it in more detail later. Not now. It’s still too raw. But, as always, God provides exactly what we need.
Yesterday morning may have been painful…but last night’s campfire was the perfect salve for our battered spirits! A sky full of stars + a warm campfire + good company + stories of God’s faithfulness + s’mores = 😋❤️🙌🏻
Today, it’s back to work. Stay tuned. Great stories coming soon. 😁
(Arizona)
Our stay in Arizona turned out to be wonderful. A kind man named Jerry took us under his wing. He gave us a place to stay, and became our personal tour guide. Under his care, we were able to rest our battered hearts and get back to work.
When did you first become aware of God?
“I think since I was really young. In the back of my mind, I knew. I wasn’t ready to face it until I was older, but I always remember being a really deep, contemplative child. And just being like, ‘There’s no way that I just came from nothing.’”
(California)
What is the greatest thing God has orchestrated through you?
“Can I say [my daughter]? I like her. And I was a participant in that.”
💗
(Arkansas)
What do you wish people knew about the church?
“I would like them to stop seeing the church as a structure, and start seeing it as people. You don’t go to church. You are the church. Where two or more are gathered together, there He is, in their midst. Even when you’re alone, He’s there, too. The fact of the matter is, if you’ve died to Christ, then Jesus is there. In you. Demonstrating His love & His power through you. When the church comes together, when two or more agree, He’s even more dynamic. Can you meet in a building? Yes. Can you go to a structure? Yes. But never, never, never mistake that structure for the church. Because the church is the people. Jesus isn’t building structures. He’s building people. Every person is a building block in His church.”
(Florida)
Then, it happened…
Today’s looking bright! 😎 Our Youngins have looked forward to this day for a long time. Today, Campfire Ministries goes to Mexico! 🇲🇽
(Arizona)
We. Loved. Mexico!!!
Yesterday was amazing. We went to Mexico. We fell in love with the beautiful people & the delicious tacos. 😁❤️🇲🇽🌮 The kids were able to practice their Spanish with people who actually speak Spanish – and who seemed absolutely delighted to meet kids who were making an attempt to speak with them. I met one man who could speak a little German, and we excitedly held the equivalent of a toddler’s discussion. 😏
We were haggled by extremely polite street vendors. We prayed with a dentist who cried – because telling the story of his conversion still brings him to tears, even 30 years later. The kids helped another missionary hand out Spanish translations of the New Testament. “Look, mama! She’s reading it right now!” 💗 What a beautiful experience. We go back, today.
(Mexico)
Mexico turned out to be one of the highlights of our year. Our kids still ask when we can go back. #praying🙏 We would have loved to spend more time there, but we felt like God was calling us to move on. So, we tried to see the bright side of things.
Okay. This meme made us laugh. 😂 In all truthfulness…we never know what time it is anymore. 😬🤷♀️
(Arizona)
I have a confession to make: I’m never ready to leave any location. Ever. It always makes me sad. I always cry – and I’m not a crier. We really, truly do fall in love. With every place. With all the people. And we’re always a little bummed when we feel that familiar tug telling us it’s time to move on. We’re never ready. There’s always more work to be done.
But.
We’re slowly learning to accept that, while it always hurts to move on, it also feels great to move on. There’s always beautiful new scenery to enjoy. Wonderful new people to meet. If we stayed where we wanted to stay – which is everywhere – we’d never find the next people we can’t wait to know.
We’ve said it before…but we can’t say it enough. God really, truly does know what He’s doing. Yes. We can trust Him. His ways are better than ours. Always.
(California)
The next post was a video posted on Facebook. I’m including the link, and hoping you’ll be able to use it. If not…whoopsies. I’m tech-challenged. You can find it on our Facebook page!
Well. This morning got off to an exciting start. 😍🌵☔️
(California)
We pressed on…
They called them Joshua Trees. Mormon pioneers traveling from Utah to southern California saw them as a good sign – a sign to keep going. They saw the branches as Joshua’s arms, beckoning them toward the Promise Land.
These trees aren’t exactly located in a warm, hospitable environment. Joshua Tree National Park is where two deserts – the Mohave and the Sonora – meet. We were lucky enough to visit when the wildflowers were blooming. When “everything is green.” We visited in what could be considered the most welcoming environment a desert can offer – and it was still pretty barren. It’s hard to imagine that these trees were viewed as a sign of hope. A sign to keep going.
Can you relate? Anyone out there, wandering through a desert? No sign of hope? Of water? Of the end? Look for the Joshua Trees in your life. Look for the signs of life that – against all odds – manage to survive the harshest circumstances life can throw at you. Look for the signs that point toward Who you should always keep your focus on.
Keep going. You’re almost there.
(California)
“Part of what you’re doing is like the woman at the well. ‘Cause she has this encounter with Jesus. And, when she has this encounter with Jesus, she goes back into the town & she tells them – everyone – about this encounter. And, when that happens, Jesus stays and they get to know Him. And they have an encounter with Him. And, my favorite part about that is that it says, ‘I no longer needed her testimony, because now I have my own.’ Part of what’s going to happen is, through telling these testimonies and stories of people’s encounters with Jesus, people will have an encounter of their own, hopefully.”
(Missouri)
“Somewhere, I think we picked up a narrative that following Jesus was meant to be a solo affair. That this whole idea of a deeper life with God was meant to be done just in private, with a devotional book, somewhere in the closet. And I think what we may have missed along the way is that you are created for relationships.
The trinity, itself…the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…God is relational. And we are made in His image. I just believe that God desires to see you never do life alone.”
(Alabama)
…and we shared some good news. While we were resting in Arizona (thanks to Jerry!), we were able to add some graphics to our RV. 🥰 Brian was a sign & graphics guy in a former life, and we had some excess vinyl we’d been hauling with us. If you ever see us, please say hello! 👋
At Campfire Ministries, Saturdays are for working! 😅 Today has been filled with general maintenance. Laundry, a much-needed oil change, and processing another batch of testimonies to God’s goodness. 💗 We can’t complain.
We stumbled across these photos, though, and thought we’d share. A week ago, we were packing up & getting ready to leave Arizona. We’d been hauling around some graphics, and Brian decided it was time to put them on. 🥰 Don’t they look great?!
So. Keep your eyes peeled. If you spot us on our travels, please come say hello. We’d love to meet you!
By this time, we’d made it to California. Time to visit Gump. ❤️
“Are you recording your journey, somehow? With photos? Or a pen & a notebook?” Yes. We are. “Good. You should do that. We didn’t do that. We did all kinds of things – but we didn’t record them. Now, we can’t remember them!”
We gather a lot of stories. But, some of our most treasured tales come from this man. He’s 91 years young. He’s Irish (“You like my hat?” 💖). And he’s been a constant source of laughter, love, and support in our lives. What a blessing to spend #StPatricksDay with him. ☘️
(California)
Just so you know, this next post still brings up feelings of actual pain. #TooYoungForThis
I was so excited yesterday. The church was wonderful! And I had all kinds of ideas for a #SightsAndSounds post swirling in my head. (🎶 “All Who Are Thirsty”)
Then, this happened. 😳
It may have been totally innocent. I don’t know. She was a very sweet girl. My son swears he’s “not even thinking about relationships.”
Doesn’t matter. For the rest of the day, all I could do was sing one line of one song: 🎶Come, Lord Jesus, come…🎶 🤦♀️ #NotReadyForThis #FixItJesus
(California)
Fortunately, that scarring experience was followed up by one of the sweetest.
There’s a story I’ve seen circulate a few times. Supposedly about Mr. Rogers, whose mother told him that – when life is terrible – he should ‘look for the helpers.’ The helpers are always there. That story may or may not be true. But I absolutely do know that it has been true in our lives.
People often use the term ‘rollercoaster’ to describe life. Well. Some rollercoasters are more exciting than others. You want to live an exciting life? Try following Jesus. Really following Him. I can guarantee you that your life will be one of adventure, even if you never leave home. There’s adventure in simply following Him – because following Him means you never fit into this world. Not that you ever did.
These are thoughts that I’ve always had. That I’ve always known. That I’ve always heard stated. But, that I’ve never lived. I never really understood what it felt like to not fit in. Anywhere. We travel around like a band of gypsies. With three children. We go where God calls us, which means we move like the wind. Like the tides. In patterns – but not patterns that make sense to most people. It can be lonely. It’s easy to get discouraged.
But. We remember to look for the helpers. They’re there. Always. We find them in every state. In every community. They give us places to rest when we’re weary. Food when we’re hungry. Water when we’re thirsty. (Or when we’re really in need of showers. 😬🤷♀️) We find Jesus in His people. Across all denominations. He really does live through us, if we let Him. We can see it. You’re beautiful, Church.
Life can be hard. When it is, look for the helpers. It may take some searching, but they’re there. He’s there. Be encouraged. ❤️
(California)
We were encouraged. That was one of the sweetest, most encouraging notes we got this year. We would end up clinging to that message before the year was over. “Be encouraged.” 💗 We now see the value of encouragement, and include this very saying in many cards & messages of our own.
Spotted. 😂
Can anyone relate? We’re trying to get used to this new life. Trying to make sure we stay balanced. That we don’t lose our kids in our attempts to follow Jesus. It’s a challenge.
We work. All the time, it seems. And, yet, our work looks so different from what it used to look like. Does that count? Does it count as work if you’re not punching a clock? If you’re not bringing in a steady paycheck? When I saw this sign, I laughed – because I can relate.
We have a never-ending list of goals. We plan. We do our best. But, at the end of the day, we can only make an attempt. Men plan, but God prevails. I had all kinds of plans for this week. I wanted to process several of the testimonies we’ve gathered, make at least one post a day, and catch a nice sunset at the Golden Gate Bridge. And…we’re 0/3. 🤦♀️🤷♀️ Life happens. It’s okay.
So. We’re going to take a few days. Reboot. Reset. And try again. We’re actually going to enjoy a weekend. 🙌🏻 #StayTuned
Attempted hours coming at you next week! 😏
(California)
Spoiler Alert! We did not keep our attempted hours. 🤦♀️🤷♀️😂 This journey has been nothing if not a lesson in letting go & letting God. Pro tip: it’s better to let God. 😉 At any rate, we finally made it to Oregon!
All you ‘80s & ‘90s babies: I know you’ll understand my excitement about this milestone. ❤️ We’re living the dream!!!
Hello, everyone! Quick update: we’re in Oregon. It’s beautiful. We had the opportunity to take advantage of the one sunny day in the two weeks we’ll be in Oregon. One day. In two weeks. 😳 We took it. 😎 We drove up the entire coast. #WorthIt
Now, we’re outside Portland, looking for a place to stay. We had a place lined up, but plans fell through. 🤷♀️ Life happens. It’s okay. We’d like to stay in Oregon for a while. Gather some stories of what God is doing in this land we’ve never visited. But it really depends on if we’re able to find a church to connect with that is kind enough (and able!) to take us in. Prayers are very appreciated! Assuming we can find a place to plant for a while, our goals are to finish the website. Gather some testimonies. Share some testimonies. And see what God is up to in the Pacific Northwest. ❤️ We’ll keep you posted.
Side note: I spotted this scene of awesomeness yesterday. Does this count as training a child in the way he should go? Asking for a friend. 😏
(Oregon)
We had no idea what we were getting into. Oregon would turn out to be quite a surprise. Looking back, I firmly believe that God used the first three months of the year to prepare us for what was coming.
You know, the funny thing about recapping these posts is…there was so much more. So much that we did. So many people we met. Incredible testimonies gathered. But, we were traveling at such a whirlwind pace. I didn’t have time to process & share them all. That is what I planned on doing upon our return to Arkansas.
But God had other plans. To be honest? I still don’t understand them. But I trust Him. He is good. He has impeccable timing. I can’t wait to see what He works out for the good of all of us. I hope you enjoyed reading a summary of our March, and I hope you’ll join us for wherever it is that we’re headed. What an incredible storytelling God we serve! 🙌
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!
