Greetings Folks,
It is now May 16, 2023....nearly 5 months since our last post. We are on the road and so much has happened since last December. This will not be a heavily detailed or long blog, but rather focusing on two big resets in our lives. "Our vehicles" and "People and Places". Many have prayed with us during this time, The Lord has clearly shown us the pathway for now.
Our Vehicles
The Lord provided the perfect combination for our next phase. The 25ft Rockwood Mini Lite travel trailer is highly functional, high quality and more than meets our needs while on the road, not to mention much easier to handle. The vehicle will serve us well for as long as we spend 4-8 weeks at a time on the road. There are many details and stories behind this "Vehicle Reset" but please know that we see how the Lord is always providing for us. The eyes of the Lord roam to and fro through the whole earth looking for ways to show Himself strong to those who are fully devoted to Him (Proverbs 16:9). We praise God!
We left Leander TX on April 11 and expected to return the first week of June, God willing.
On April 12, this beauty shot was taken at the Flordia Visitors Center in I-10 just east of the FL/AL line
7 Weeks of People and Places!
People- Linda's brother, Gary Sheets, his friend Nancy Kauses;
- John's brother Mike and his wife Marna on the beautiful emerald coast of NW Florida;
- A young Romainian couple Danny and Diana Blindu, in Ft Myers, that we meet while serving as Chaplain Couple on the Logos Hope Ship in 2014. They are now married and have 4 wonderful kids;
- Also while in Ft Myers, we had a great renuion with 2 of John's High School classmates, Gary Ciaramitaro and Mark Solomon his wife Anita.
- Tom and Karen Mason. In Alpharetta, GA, Tom was Linda's boss at Chevrolet before we got married. They were guests at our wedding. We gave our testimonies at our wedding and they had never heard of that before. Unbeknownst to us, they became storng Christians later. After retiring from GM, Tom got a seminary degree from Dallas Theological Seminary, worked as EVP for Focus on the Family and still today serves on Roght-To-Life and other boards. Whenever we pass through the Atlanta area we stop at the Mason's and have a glorious time!
- Campers For Christ Rally in North Carolina, near Myrtle Beach. 4 days of worship, singing, devotions and encouraging stories were very energizing.
- Next, Harrisonburg, VA for granddaughter Layla's birthday and grandson Jacob's graduation from James Madison University.
Places
Gettysburg National Park and Civil War Battlefield, PA - Bloodiest 3 days of Civil War.
Gettysburg was intense and sobering. We visted a "HO" scale model of the 6000 acre area encompassing the 3 days of intense battle between the Union and the Confederate States. it was very good to see the overall picture of 3 days of battle.
Next there is the National Park Visitor Center that has a 42ft high 360 degree panorama oil painting of entire battlefield with great narration of the battles.
If that is not enough, we road our bikes through the actual battlefield with hundreds of statues, memorials, monuments.
Underlying all of this saddness was the honoring of President Abraham Lincoln and recitation of his Gettysburg Address. On that day, someone gave a 2 hour speech and Lincoln followed him. The 2 hour speech is not well remebered or memorialized but Lincoln's 3 minute Gettysburg Address is internationally famous and still taught to school children today. This stop was very informative and educational for us.
Hershey, PA - "The Sweet Tooth's Heaven and the Diabetics Nightmare"
A highlight of Hershey was a one hour narrated trolley tour of the history of Mr Hershey and the beautiful town. Mr Hershey was a strong philanthropist and started orphanges and schools.
Flight 93 Memorial, Shanksville, PA - Tear jerking phone calls from passengers to loved ones voice mails before the plane crashed.
Taken just after the crash from a neighboring porch
A model of the crash site. The wings and fuslage made holes on the earth. The fireball burned a Hemlock forest. The plane was momentarily flipped upside down due to struggles in the cockpit. Seconds later, hit the ground at a steep angle.
Anteitam, MD Civil War Battlefield - Griping, Sobering. Bloodiest single day in American history.
The Museum of the Bible, Washington DC. Finally, some lighter stuff. A visit to the Scripture and Science Exhibit. Great survey and explanations of scientific discoveries that corraborate the God's design and purpose in creation.
Now the most important reason for this trip. Our kids organized a 50th Anniversary party and family reunion over Memorial weekend. 25 relatives from 6 states in Harrisonburg, VA for activities on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We were very blessed! It's over the top for us.
We would be remiss by not mentioning our mission of offering a Gideon New Testaments to everyday people we meet in our travels. The vast majority receive it gladly. This is a great blessing for us.
Returning to Leander, TX today, June 2.
Blessings,
John and Linda
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