Camp Horizon, March 2014

Whether sunrise, sunset, rain or shine what's not to love about the scenery here on Lake Harris in Florida (about 40 miles north of Orlando).

  

Half way through our first project – whew!  After many retirement parties/dinners and saying good bye to friends and family we were on our way to Florida on Thursday, March 6^th.  We had worn ourselves ragged packing, selling and giving “stuff” away from the house, organizing and cleaning out the existing house on Moss Lake and the RV of which we are now calling “home”.  Amazing that we accumulate in this lifetime regardless of how focused we try to be so as not to clutter our homes!  I now shop and watch advertisements with a new perspective!

A short stay in Savannah and off to our first project in Leesburg, Florida.  The men have been painting, wiring, lawn care, and general clean-up and organization of the camp in order to get it ready for the summer camp season.  As an added bonus, the director’s son is being wed this weekend and all the preparations will make the wedding very memorable.  The women have been cleaning cabins, dorm, lodge, and chapel, washing windows, and general cleaning and helping decorate for the wedding as well.  Next week they will be hosting a “Reactive Attachment Disorder” group of families, some by court order.  So sad to realize that there are people actually suffering from a resistive love/attachment disorder.  They have warned us that we may witness strange behaviors – if you have a “normal” family life, be thankful, hug/kiss your children often and remind them they are loved.

While working in Leesburg we have had the privilege to be within 1 hrs. drive of Wayne’s family so that we can visit his mother most especially since she is working through the last stages of cancer. It’s hard to sit back and watch and wait.

Within ½ mile of our RV is a huge eagle’s nest with 2 eaglets and we get to pass it every time we go somewhere in the car.  The last time we passed one of the eaglets was raised up spreading and flapping his wings…….will not be long till mom and dad boot them out!  It has been inspiring to watch – one of our devotionals was centered around the eagle.  God places many pictures in nature in our paths to remind us of His loving care, God still amazes me!

Philip, Amanda & Lily are coming this weekend for a visit…………..this is great as these g’parents are going thru g’baby withdrawal!  Be prepared for g’baby pics posting to soon appear!

Embarking on an Adventure

Today we embark on an Adventure.........one that we feel God has called us to.  Perfect timing would be to leave around Noon to avoid a mix that will fall from the sky this afternoon in the Piedmont area.  Final cleaning of the house in case it is shown by a realtor, pack last minute things in the RV, deliver Stormin' Norman to his new home and we should be off to "infinity and beyond".  We are exhausted - we have worked harder the last 5 days than any one job we have had in our lifetimes - so when do we get to enjoy "retirement"?  :)  I think when we "start our engine"!  RV crazy? Gail

It has been a busy last couple of weeks.  Retirement lunches from friends and co-workers have kept me off my diet.  The one thing that has kept me on the straight and narrow is dental work that I have had to have done.  Three root canals in the last 3 weeks and more things to come (crowns, extraction and implant).  Why did not this happen when we had insurance?

We have been selling a lot of our things out of the house, but have kept a good bit of the major furniture as we will be back if the house does not sell. This will still be our home base.  It has been interesting trying to fit all we need in an RV.  We will see how successful we were as we are on the road.  We look forward to actually getting busy on those projects and maybe we will actually be able to rest a bit instead of getting ready for the travels.

Timing on the retirement is good as it looks like my mom (Wayne's) may not be with us much longer.  The first project is within about 30 miles of her, so we will be able to spend a good bit of time with her.

Looking forward to our adventure. It is funny how many people say they don't know if they could be in that close of quarter with their spouse for that long.  I am looking forward to it. R V Crazy? Probably yes, but the Bible describes Christians are a peculiar people.  I guess that aptly describes us as well.  Wayne

T-Minus 2 weeks.........

With both retirement parties and many other dinners/parties under our belts and today much of our belongings from the house will vacate the premises we are most anxious to hit the road!  RVCrazy? Yes, we do have mixed feelings as some of this "stuff" walks out the door but God keeps presenting before us what we are about to embark on........TO INFINITY AND BEYOND to quote my fav - Toy Story!!!! We tell our children we are doing them a big favor by getting rid of all this "stuff" so they will not have to when we go home to be with the Lord.

Only 10 more trips down Oak Grove Rd. to work, only 1 more visit to Dunkin Donuts on Hwy. 321, only 5 more days to remember copious amounts of passwords, only 5 more times to turn off the alarm clock, chug, chug, chug, I think I can, I think I can.............we know we can!!!! On Wayne's side, no more calls in the middle of the night about process problems.  Actually that helps the wife as well since she is such a light sleeper, those calls always wake her as well.

If the snow will stay North of I-40 and March will come in like a lamb so we can "start our engines"..... in 12 short days we will be headed for Florida.  Someone has to do it!  If you have committed to pray for us....we are counting on you.  If you said you want to stay in touch we will be looking for your e-mail.  And if you said you would show up for game night we will have the fire pit going, even if it is a light outside the RV.

God gave us one beautiful going away present by sending 7.5 inches of snow one week ago.  This will probably be the last time our RV sees snow.  However God may surprise us somewhere else as well.  We are praying that God direct us to the next step with confidence in His plan.............

Wayne and Gail

FELLOWSHIP

FELLOWSHIP - God's children enjoying each other's company while engaging in eating, laughing and praying!  Last night our Sunday School class met for prayer to send us on our journey serving in the next capacity that God has called us to.  With only 14 days left of work, the light is definitely getting brighter at the end of the tunnel.  Excitement is in the air.  The RV is starting to get full with loads more to go in it....yikes, clutter already.  The house continues to be shown and we are dispersing contents at an enormous rate.  If you need it or want it, ask us, we might have it to get rid of!

Plans have changed slightly.  We are moving the Hope Children's Home to May so that we can enjoy a vacation with our daughter, son-in-law and g'baby in the Cayman Islands - gee, somebody's gotta do it!

We never dreamed so much preparation was going into this endeavor.  Mail service, on the road banking account, someone to check on house periodically and saying good-bye to friends.  But it is looking sweeter and sweeter on the other side.......join us soon from the RV! RVCrazy?

Kings Mountain National Park - Battlefield approx. 40 miles from Charlotte

 Saturday, Dec. 21, 2013.........Wayne & I eagerly approached this retirement milestone with great enthusiasm - our "lifetime senior passes" for National Parks!  For only $10 we can visit any or all of them in the United States for no additional costs except if we desire to camp at that location.  We are investigating the possibilities of volunteering at the campsites for free board and in turn we will become history buffs in our old age!  We can cross this off our bucket list!

A visit to this National Battlefield is very interesting while exercising!  We walked the 1.5 miles around the battleground and used our cell phone for a "walking tour" along with various reading informational markers.  We have lived within 7 miles of this historic battlefield for just over 24 years and this was Gail's first visit, Wayne's second.  Never realized what happened in Kings Mtn. changed the course of this nation's outcome.  If you get a chance visit and learn something worthwhile.

Strange that we would visit this place just 4 days before Christmas!  Our shopping done, parties over and the weather was in the 60's so why not!  We are fast approaching the big "R" day - 9 weeks and 5 days remaining to hear the alarm go off in the mornings.  The house is now in the hands of a real estate agent and we have already had one interested family.  Now we are waiting on the Lord to let us know his desire and timing for our house.  We continue to rid our place of "stuff" by either unloading on others or selling.  Big tools and furniture from the lower floor are disappearing quickly.  Until the house sells we need to leave the 2nd floor furniture in case we come back between Sower projects.

We continue to anticipate our first project at Camp Horizon in Leesburg, Florida where we will be joining 3 other couples, one is our mentors that sold us on "Sower's".  We really look forward to working with the Lee & Lib Bowling - we hope they will guide us in our first project to be hard working and hospitible to other Sowers.  We are depending on the Lord to lead us to either the same project for another month (to save on diesel fuel) or we may travel to Tampa to work at a children's home - either is fine with us.

Our motorhome is now equipped with a state of the art audio system for TV, radio, both inside and outside.  Now we have discovered that the airbags that lift the motorhome need to be either replaced or repaired - so glad to have learned this before going on our first project.  Wayne has replaced the slides in the desk drawers - now they will stay closed while we travel!

We are also considering Sower On Assignment at the camp that Steven & Heather Brackeen manage in Polkville, NC.  This would allow us to camp and work there while visiting our son's family in NC.  This is a camp that works closely with our home church in Shelby, NC - a good excuse to come back and visit with all our friends and family!

Hope you all experience God's marvelous grace during this special time of year - the celebrating of Jesus's birth, our Saviour and Redeemer.  Merry Christmas and hoping 2014 brings you all closer to Him as we anticipate RVing for Him!

Getting Closer

Whew!  Meeting with realtors and selling a house with all its contents can be grueling.  Currently interviewing 3 with t-minus 15 wks and 5 days of hearing the alarm clock resound!  Time is ticking and we continue to get excited about our first adventure.  Our first project will be at Camp Horizon located in Leesburg, Florida, pulling into our pad by March 8th to receive instructions for the 3 wk stint.  We tend to look at every endeavor in the next 3 1/2 months as "only one more of these", "check that off our list", "finished that commitment", "decorated that for the last time", "hauled that to the dump", "mowed, weeded, raked for the last time", we're beginning to get a faint glimpse of that light at the end of the tunnel!  We look forward to our first project in Florida as it will give us time with Wayne's family on weekends and in between projects - they are located in Ocala.  We have also begun to pack our essentials in the "new home" and learning quickly that we can only take "so" much!  Kids make room for "stuff" coming your way!

Our grand babies (Evangeline and Lily) are turning 1 year old - incredible - they have developed their own personalities so early.  God's creation of the human being and our development through external exposures is amazing.  We are to be responsible with these little ones he has entrusted us with and walk worthy in their observant eyes.  Evangeline is so dramatic with every part of her body to include always standing on her tip-toes, such a vibrant smile and a glisten in her eyes.  Lily is our thinker, eager to explore - already showing excitement in her books, beautiful, soft, happy blue eyes - no one will resist!

Hope to report great news about the house and belongings by the next post.  Only a few months - it's coming!

T minus 21 weeks, who's counting

October 6, 2013
   Wayne is now officially "62" our long arrived destined golden age.  With retirement from our jobs only 21 weeks away we are getting excited about the journey.  Excited and delirious - are we crazy or what?  We have so much to do to get ready to go on the road full-time.  Our belongings are walking out the door slowly but surely with God sending the right person at the right time to buy or "take off our hands" the right thing - His timing is perfect, just keep reminding ourselves! This week we sold our boat. Hopefully every week we will continue to get rid of more items.  I am even having to sell all my large woodworking tools.  Craigslist is becoming my friend and constant companion.  I may have to add ebay items as well for smaller things.
   Our last vacation (OBX) was perfect in every way including meeting new folks that are doing the same things we will be doing in the near future and meeting with a National Park Service Volunteer educating us in that direction to sprinkle our future with serving our country in a small but exciting way.
   Last night we met with our mentors from Sower Ministry of which we will be joining them for our first project assignment in March located in Leesburg, FL - Lee & Lib Bowling.  Just say'n......God even orchestrated that meeting of new friends to encourage us to let God do His work in us in our retirement years.  Right now we feel like our lives are in "roller coaster" mode.......getting fast and furious as start to come over the top of the climb!  Stay tuned...........it'll get better and better.
   Lots of decisions to make yet as we get ready to sell the house, furniture, motorcycle, etc.  We also have to decide where we will call home.  This will include registering vehicles, driver's license, mail service, voter registration, banking, etc.  Just what everyone needs to do as they go into retirement.  Are we crazy?
   We have finished the renovations on the motorhome.  The desk unit is complete after having a Corian countertop installed.  Surface Products did a great job and we would highly recommend them.  We figured we needed a place to use the computer, store files and print items we need.  We also installed LED lights throughout the coach and even had to replace a few fixtures.  The only thing left is to get new tires as we start the new year.  Having worked for Bridgestone Firestone, we are looking at what tires they have, but will probably get the best deal on the best tires that we can find.  This is especially true after hearing about the tire blowout on a church bus this past week that resulted in 8 deaths.
   Stay tuned for the continuing journey towards our retirement. Are we Crazy?  Don't tell us we are, just pray for us!