There are times when we are home for the Christmas holiday that I walk into the trailer and think to myself, "I surely do miss living in here." I know, it seems like such a crazy thing to say, given the fact that God has given us such a wonderful house to live in. Still, the trailer means that we are out in ministry rubbing shoulders with people and preaching the Gospel from place to place.
We are in the trailer now, and in the round of meetings that God has provided for us. Last week, as I preached a men's meeting in Shelby, North Carolina, a man came in having been asked to take care of some younger boys who were in attendance. (They were his younger brother, I think.) He never gave his name, but the more I preached, the less he looked at his phone and listened to what was being said. He declined to give his name to anyone there, but needs to be saved. God knows exactly who he is.
I just finished preaching another men's meeting in Georgia. We finish here tomorrow. Next week, we begin a meeting in Beaufort, South Carolina, just down the road from Parris Island Marine Corps base. Please pray that many would be saved in this meeting. The need is great, but God is able.
Family Update
The trailer had a lot of things that had to be fixed as we entered the holidays, and we were thrilled when the repairman came and finally got the back slide-out working again in the first part of February. We packed up our belongings and dutifully made the requisite 367 trips from the house to the trailer and back, with a sense of excitement. Some of us even had a sense of urgency, having waited until the last minute to begin packing, perhaps due in part to a lack of confidence that the trailer would actually be fixed in time to make the trip, but I digress.
The important fact is that by the time we were ready to leave, everything necessary was in the trailer, and even a few things not so necessary. We will not talk about the chronic optimism of the resident crafter and her compulsion to make sure that she has enough yarn, fabric, and accompanying tools and totes to last through an apocalyptic event, let alone eight weeks on the road. There seems to be a slight disconnect between the amount of supplies taken and the actual amount of time needed to complete the projects that would require that amount of supplies. The good news is that if there is a blizzard that suddenly overtakes us and we are snowed in for six months, we will have plenty of time and material to make all the hats, sweaters, gloves, and scarves we would need.
We stopped in Georgia overnight on our way to North Carolina, and set up the trailer. Everyone has specific tasks to complete when setting things up, and we work like a machine - not always a well-oiled one, but it gets done. I (Sarah) came down the steps into the kitchen to see water spraying all over the place from the faucet. I hurried over to see what was going on, and realized that there was also water pouring out from under the island cabinet and ponding on the floor. This is generally not a good sign. I screeched for someone to turn off the water, while running to the cupboard to grab some spare towels. As I mopped up what seemed like ten gallons of water, Paul came in to see what was happening.
He stared forlornly at the still dribbling faucet, and we both realized that we wouldn't be able to turn on the water until the faucet was replaced. It was already late, and after a long day's drive, I decided that fixing dinner was probably the better part of valor. Sometimes the best thing you can do in a time like this is to eat, rest, and deal with it in the morning, and that's exactly what we did.
The next morning, sans showers, we headed to the nearest Home Depot with our defective faucet in hand. Thankfully, they had a comparable unit that only cost an arm, so we were able to walk back to the truck with no problem, our legs intact. Skip forward a few hours and another trip to Home Depot for special fittings (RV life), the faucet was fixed to everyone's satisfaction, and we hurriedly packed up and hit the road again.
Perhaps we packed up a bit too quickly. The first thing I noticed when I opened the trailer door in the church parking lot in North Carolina was a weird smell. While not entirely uncommon, it was different than the usual strange smells that are associated with RV life. As I gazed into the dim recesses of the trailer kitchen, it became immediately apparent that I had forgotten to close and store my fledgling sourdough starter in a safe place. Most of my hard work was spilled in a great, gluey puddle on the the floor and carpet. As I assessed the situation, I realized that not all of it had spilled out, and the glass jar had, miraculously, remained intact when it took the flying leap off of the counter. I figured as long as I had a little bit left, I could keep it going. You know -- a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump! So I scrubbed up the mess and proceeded to open the slides.
It was at this point, we realized that all was not well. The newly repaired back slide-out has two motors which propel it back and forth. We had just replaced the defective one two days before we started the trip. The other motor decided to call it quits on this dark night. Unfortunately, the way that the trailer is designed makes it impossible to access the back room if that particular slide is not operating. We were able to get it open about eight inches, but since all of our family members are slightly wider than that, we could only peer into the room. We called the pastor and asked if we could borrow one of his children. He kindly loaned us the smallest one, and she was able to squeeze in through the tiny space and open the emergency window. Once the window was open, we got a ladder and squeezed two of our children through the opening, where they worked to push the slide-out out a little more.
I won't bore you with all the details, but suffice it to say, we had a weekend that would rival any episode of Tim the Tool Man, and my husband came out looking like a champ. As of this minute, all slides are operational, there are no leaking faucets, and everyone is very happy about it.
We had the opportunity to see Josiah while we were in the vicinity of Ambassador Baptist College, and even were able to be there for his debut as the main accompanist for Thursday's chapel service. This is a position not lightly bestowed, and takes a great deal of work and practice on the part of the student to be considered for the task. This mama was so incredibly proud! His hard work is paying off in so many ways, and it is wonderful to see how the Lord is using and preparing him for ministry.
The rest of the family is well, and day-to-day life hasn't changed a whole lot. Esther and Daniel are plugging away at school. Abigail has finished all her classes at home for the rest of the year and is taking some classes online through Ambassador's Step Up dual high school/college credit program. We are trying to plan for her graduation and all the accompanying details of finishing high school and getting ready for college. (How can this even be possible?)
This has been a rather long and detailed update, but it will give you a good idea of what has been going on behind the scenes, and hopefully, help you to more knowledgably pray for our family. We appreciate your prayers and words of encouragement more than you will ever know.
Until the next time!
