Category Archives: Uncategorized

Uncategorized

50-ish Things I’ve Learned in 50 Years

  1. God created everything. The evidence is overwhelming. Magnificent designs require a Magnificent Designer.
  2. The Bible is God’s word…inspired and authoritative. Basic-Instructions-Before-Leaving-Earth. It should be read, studied, and lived. I can’t pick and choose the parts I want to follow. There’s a huge difference in just believing in God and actually doing what He says.
  3. God loved us enough to send His only Son to this earth to die for our sins. Let that sink in a little more every day.
  4. Christ rose again and reigns in heaven. He’s coming back one day to take Christians home.  Instructions on becoming a Christian…joining his team…are clearly laid out in the Bible.
  5. The more you realize how much God loves you, the more you’ll want to follow the Bible. You won’t do that perfectly (not even close), but you’ll want to try to do your best…because God gave his best.
  6. If you miss out on the above 5 things, you’ve missed out on everything. Nothing is more important in life. Eventually, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Figure that out while you’re still alive, and preferably while you’re young.
  7. Choose the right spouse. Someone who has already figured out #1-5. You’ll be spending a lot of time with this person. Make sure she is someone who will help you get to heaven, and do the same for her. If she is cute, funny, and a good cook…that’s icing on the cake.
  8. Stay married. Be in it for the long haul. As much as it depends on you…one life, one wife.
  9. Get/Be good at something. Whether its plumbing, PowerPoint, or playing the violin, be the expert people go to for something. Then keep getting better at it and find new ways to apply that knowledge.
  10. Learn how to drive a stick shift, administer CPR, use TurboTax, and cook a good omelette.
  11. If you wait until age 50 to grow out your beard, don’t be surprised when it comes out looking like Spanish moss.
  12. Have at least one person in your life who will give you honest criticism and tell it like it is.
  13. Try to make a living doing something where the following 3 “circles” intersect: what you’re good at, what you’re passionate about, and where there’s a societal need.
  14. Make people feel important. That starts by realizing that all people are loved and important. All lives matter.
  15. Be a person of unquestionable integrity. If there’s a rumor that you lied or cheated, the people who know you best should be certain it’s not true.
  16. If called to lead, don’t be timid.  Lead like a lion.  The pride will be comforted, encouraged, and inspired by that.
  17. Have a vision for the future—for yourself, your family, your business, your church, etc. Sell your vision every day.
  18. Be cheerful, upbeat, and optimistic. It’s okay to be joyful. In fact, we’re supposed to be.
  19. Take initiative. Don’t stand around waiting for others to act. Be the change agent.
  20. Invest in your kids…family time, youth group activities, etc. You won’t get those years back. Teach your kids to know and love God. Make sure they (and you) are in Sunday school every week. That’s more important than their grades, travel sports teams, scouts, etc.
  21. Appreciate the little things–the Moe’s workers who welcome you when you come in, the parking spot that opens up near the mall, midgets, etc.
  22. It’s okay to support a certain political party/candidate (especially pro-life ones!). But as Christians, keep in mind that our citizenship is in heaven and our leader is Christ. What goes on in your house is far more important than what goes on in the White House.
  23. Concentrate on fixing things. Enough people are already focused on pointing out problems.
  24. People who don’t smoke, drink, or gamble are generally going to end up better off than those who do. Rarely on a deathbed will someone say, “I wish I had smoked/drank/gambled more.”
  25. Give blood regularly.  When they ask where in Honduras you visited, it’s best just to say, “near Tegucigalpa”.
  26. Figure out what pleases your spouse.  A rigorous foot massage and doing the laundry may be appreciated more than flowers.
  27. Take chances, recognizing you won’t always succeed. The most successful people have failed a bunch. You’re more likely to regret the things you didn’t try than the things you tried and failed at.
  28. All things being equal, choose a dog over a cat.
  29. Read Crazy Love by Francis Chan. Then re-read it.
  30. Find a way to take your kids on a mission trip to a third-world country before they graduate. It will change their lives and yours. I’ve heard many young people say that it was on a mission trip where their faith started to become real to them…not just something they inherited from their parents.
  31. Don’t get too cocky about your winning pro/college sports team. You had little to do with it. Fantasy teams that you selected?  Well, that’s a different story.
  32. Dream big dreams. You might just hit on a few of them.
  33. You can learn a lot about life from your children. If you’ve done your job, you might even start looking at them as role models.
  34. Tell your family you love them. Then tell them that over and over again. You never know when it will be the last time you speak to them. Go ahead and do that now…then come back to the blog.
  35. Double-check your hose before opening the valve on your RV black tank.  Trust me on this.
  36. Stick with low-cost term life insurance and diversified no load mutual funds. Don’t mix insurance and investments.
  37. Never give up. Never, ever give up. Others will give up. You stick it out.
  38. Thank the custodial staff at your school/place of business.
  39. Get a will (or trust), Power of Attorney, Medical Power of Attorney, Living Will, and Declaration of Guardian (if you have kids).  Make sure your parents have done the same, and that you know where these documents are located.
  40. Work hard…but also take time to re-charge, take vacations, etc. Sharpen the saw.
  41. Choose your friends carefully and cultivate those friendships. You tend to become like the people you hang with.
  42. Think carefully before getting tattoos. The large skull and crossbones on your forearm may not be quite as cool down the road when applying for a job, holding your grandchild, etc.
  43. Apologize when you mess up. And sometimes even when you don’t.
  44. Open a Roth IRA by age 22 and begin contributing the max amount to it by automatic payroll deduction (about $15/day, or as much as you can). When you hit 72, thank me.
  45. Champion a cause larger than yourself. Open an orphanage. Plant a church. Adopt a child or donate to help someone else trying to adopt. Teach/mentor someone. Don’t have too much of your life be just about you.
  46. Be patriotic. Pick up a meal for a young service member and his/her family. Stand up straight and put your hand over your heart during the playing of the National Anthem. For all of our country’s problems, it’s still our country…and millions of people around the world would give anything to live here.
  47. Don’t be dull and boring at what you do.  Be creative.  Break out from the herd.  Have a compelling story.
  48. Don’t leave visiting the sick, helping the elderly, etc., to the elders/deacons/paid church staff. We should all be involved in those ministries.
  49. The two most important skills, at least in the military: 1) the ability to get along with and relate to other people; and 2) the ability to communicate (talking, writing, briefing) to sell your ideas.  Master these two skills.
  50. Keep dental floss in your car’s driver’s side storage compartment. You’re more likely to use it at red lights than at home.
  51. Focus on your circle of influence (feeding a homeless person) rather than your circle of concern (hunger).
  52. Nowhere does the Bible tell us to be “tolerant” of sin. We should avoid doing things that are wrong and, in a loving way, teach/encourage others who are caught up in sinful lifestyles. Hate (be intolerant of) the sin…but always love and be kind to the sinner. Pretty sure that’s what God does.
  53. Don’t worry when you go over 50 items on a 50-item list.  It’s your list.  It’s your blog.  It’s your birthday.  Say what’s on your mind.
  54. Worrying accomplishes nothing. In fact, it’s counter-productive. Spend that energy working the problem, if there’s something about the problem you can work on.
  55. Back up your home movies to DVD before they get brittle.
  56. “Do everything without complaining or arguing.” (Philippians 2:14).  But what about _________________?  It says “everything”.  No one wants to hear your griping or mine.
  57. Go on a vacation to the Holy Lands…it’ll change the way you understand the Bible. Also, visit Rothenburg, Germany in winter and do the Night watchman Tour while it’s snowing. Walk the ruins of Pompeii and tell your young sons this is what can happen “if you are bad”. Ride camels in Petra, Jordan and pink jeeps in Sedona, Arizona. Just get out and see and do stuff outside of your home state/country.
  58. Don’t over-spend on clothes. Do over-spend on high quality running/hiking shoes.  You’ll be putting a lot of miles on those feet.
  59. Make “Random Acts of Kindness” part of your DNA. Just do stuff for people and don’t tell anyone.
  60. A lot of what happens to you in life won’t make sense at the time.  However, you’ll be amazed at how many times you can look back on things that happened and see how God was connecting dots and bringing about good from the situation.
  61. If you make it to 50 years old, drop to your knees and thank God. Not everyone makes it that far. Then get off your knees and go on a really long hike.

 Big Steve, Age: 50

Loading

2016 AT Thru-Hike, Uncategorized

AT Thru-Hike #3 – Julio and “Amber Alert”

5 Comments

“We should not be asking who this child belongs to, but who belongs to this child.”  – Jim Gritter

“Adopting one child won’t change the world, but for that child, the world will change.”  – Unknown

Amber and Julio Colon are two very special people that we’ve known for about 7 years who want to adopt a child.  They have huge hearts for God, each other, and kids.  They are one day going to be AWESOME parents.  Only one significant hurdle remains…raising the remaining funds.  $6645 to be exact.  That’s where you and I come in.  Among my 10 previously blogged about reasons for thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, I want to try to help Amber and Julio close the financial gap so they can bring this adoption to fruition.

Before you consider investing in the future of this child, I’d like for you to get to know Amber and Julio a little better…

Q: So tell us about yourselves?

Julio:
My childhood was a blessed one. I was born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico and moved to Cranston, Rhode Island when I was 6 years old. I have one older brother (Ricky) and two younger sisters (Rosa and Gretchen). My father and mother, who met in New York City, provided the best they could for their four children. My dad was the sole provider for the family as my mom was a homemaker. My parents always provided a safe, loving, and God-fearing home. Growing up in my home, we knew that every Sunday and Wednesday we would be going to church. As a young teen, I remember some really great weekends at church youth rallies held throughout the state (and sometimes in other nearby states). My mother made the most amazing food! (recipes and methods that I am happy that she shared with Amber). As I entered my high school years my parents were also very supportive of any extracurricular activities. Friday nights meant that they would come see me play football, or they would try to catch a track meet whenever possible. Deciding to go to a Christian University really impacted my future as it was where I met my wife, Amber. Harding University was truly a blessing for me in many ways. While at Harding, I traveled to Australia and Venezuela on mission trips supporting local churches. Those experiences really opened my eyes to the happenings of this world at a relatively young age (19-­21 years old). While at Harding, I also had the priviledge to meet Christians from all parts of the U.S. and even the world. To this day, my time spent at Harding allows me to have connections with brothers and sisters in Christ all over the country. I am now into my fourth year as a teacher at Foundation Christian Academy and just this year also became the Dean of Students. The school has truly been a blessing and has allowed me to grow as a person, a leader, a manager, a role model, a mentor, and a Christian.

Amber:
My childhood was a happy one. I was blessed beyond measure with a second chance at family via adoption by my mom at age two and my dad at age ten. My Dad and Mom both worked really hard to support us. My dad is a full-time Hospital Pharmacist and unofficial part-time hospital comedian (one of the funniest men I know). He was a huge encourager at my track meets and Show Choir performances. He also encouraged me to join the youth group and introduced me to Church Camp (Highlight of my childhood). My mom is a Respiratory Therapist who spent her time making sure that my 3 other siblings and I had everything we needed. She hosted sleepovers, planned birthday parties, cleaned up after us and made sure we learned tidiness and manners. She would quite literally do anything for any of her children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
I am the oldest in my family of four children that I grew up with, (three girls and one very lucky well mothered little brother.) I also have four sisters from my biological parents that I have enjoyed reconnecting with over the past few years. I grew up in Northwest Ohio in a pretty small town. My graduating class only had 62 people in it. We lived out in the country for most of my childhood. I have fond memories of running around in our woods with my siblings and cousins, building teepees, hunting for crawfish, and celebrating every holiday with both sides of our families. I graduated from Van Buren High School in 2001 and went to college at Harding University where I met the love of my life, Julio Colon, and graduated with my MRS. Degree. In all seriousness I left college about a semester short of my Bachelors in Business to pursue a career with The Buckle. Which as it turns out, worked out really well for us. (Sorry parent readers, kids stay in school as it might not work out as well for you!)

Getting Ready
Getting Ready

Q: When did you become a Christian? Who was the most influential person in you becoming a Christian?

Julio: I was raised in the church and do not remember a time when we did not go to church growing up. When I was sixteen years old I decided to be baptized. The most influential people in my walk with Christ have been my parents. My father and my mother have both set an amazing example of what daily Christian living looks like.

Amber:
I was also raised in the church and have quite a few people who were instrumental to my faith in so many ways. Dauri Shank ,who taught me the basics of the Old and New Testament and showed me unconditional love during a tough transition when my biological dad left. Kathryn Kelly, who humbly demonstrated to me how women and their redeeming stories can be used to lead in the church. Ed and Claudia Beeson, who demonstrated transparency and boldness and showed me what God’s grace looks like in the way they were transparent while living their lives as a “Real” family in full display of the church as Minister and Minister’s Wife. Also, my Grandma Evelyn who embodied what it meant to be a Proverbs 31 wife and who helped me fall in love with singing and acapella music. Last but not least my father, Steve, who showed up, stepped up, and stayed. Without his influence and time and attention he gave me, I wouldn’t be who I am today. I also wouldn’t have known what to look for in a spouse. He baptized me on Sunday, August 18th, 1996.

Q: How did you meet? Was it love at first sight? When did you get married?

We met at Harding University during Julio’s Freshman year and my Sophomore year. With a group of mutual friends, we spent our spring break in Daytona Florida. It was there that Julio and I first began to see each other as more than just friends. We spent the next several weeks speaking to each other for hours on the phone. One Wednesday night at a church service  we held hands for a prayer (we still hold hands for every prayer). We spent time going to Social Club events, visiting our friend’s family homes and hometown congregations, and hanging out at Heber Lake. After about a year and a half, it became clear to both of us that we were better together than on our own and we were ready to get married. Actually, I came from our first date gushing to my roommate that Julio would be who I would marry!  🙂  In the summer of 2004, Julio hiked me all the way to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain and proposed under a beautiful pink sunset.

Q: Where do you work?

Julio: I am a Middle/High School teacher and the Dean of Students at Foundation Christian Academy in Valrico, Florida.

Amber:
I am a Customer Service loss Reporter at Progressive Insurance in Riverview, Florida.

Q: What do you do for fun? Any hobbies?

Julio: I enjoy exercising and being out in nature. I enjoy working on vehicles and, in fact, do many of the repairs on our vehicles myself. Along with vehicles, I truly enjoy fixing almost anything. I will try to fix things that break in our home before replacing them. Recently, I have also taken to woodworking and have built three different types of tables for Amber as gifts. I also have a deep interest in stocks, investing and financial topics in general.

Amber: I also enjoy nature and being outside, exploring parks and hunting for shark teeth on the beach with Julio. I like to metal detect when I get a chance. I love to hike, canoe, and adventure out with my sister. We recently swam with manatees and it was insanely fun and intimidating. I have also recently began to learn how to fish. I’ve only caught a sunburn so far, but I still have fun. I have a little homemade sign/craft business called “The Polished Anchor”. Last year I did four local craft shows to help raise funds for our adoption. I love to cook and love to try new recipes.

Q: When did you decide you wanted to adopt a child? Was there a particular moment or was it a gradual process?

Amber and I have always wanted children, but deciding to adopt was a gradual process for us. Early in our marriage, Amber wanted to adopt before having any biological children because of the impact adoption had on her own life.  After a couple of years of attempting to start a family, we began to pray and seek advice on the matter. In December of 2014, we announced to our parents that we were hoping to adopt and began making plans to make it possible. Amber stepped down as a store manager with her company and found a position that would make the transition into motherhood possible. We knew that if adoption was within God’s plan that He would make a way for us financially. In August of 2015, with the support of our family, friends, and colleagues we began to raise funds for an adoption.

Q: Take us through the adoption process. What agency are you using? What hurdles have you cleared? What steps remain?

The adoption process can be described as a long journey. The process has its emotional ups and downs but in the end it will all be worth it. We are blessed and overjoyed to be using Christian Family Services as our agency. They are truly a Godsend and are a strong Christian support for both the birth mother and the adopting family. We have cleared several hurdles so far including: having our application accepted, having so many kind people write in reference letters, filling out all kinds of forms, meeting for the first half of our home study, and being on track to raise enough money to make this adoption possible. We still have several steps to go including: filling out many more forms, continuing to raise money, completing the second part of our home study, creating a book that birth mothers will view to get to know us, having a birth mom choose us, and filing legal paperwork for the adoption. There are also many little things that need to get done by the time we complete the adoption. Throughout this adoption journey, Amber and I continue to pray and hope in a God that has this adoption and all things under His control.

Q: What are the costs involved in adopting a child? How much have you raised so far and how much remains? Is there a deadline involved to raise the money?

Infant adoptions can range anywhere from 30k – ­45k.

Thankfully, some friends from church led us to Christian Family Services where we were so excited to find out that our adoption will be around 20K.

We set a goal back in September to raise $12,000. As of Feb 1st we have raised $5,355.

We still need to raise an additional $6,645.

As for a deadline, once we publish our family profile book it will be shown to potential birth mothers. We need to have the rest of the funds to match and then finalize. We are fully trusting God and His timing.

Q: You’ve done some crazy things to try and raise the money. Tell us about some of them. What’s the weirdest or craziest suggestion you’ve gotten so far?

Oh my Goodness… did ya’ll know Mr. Colón can do the Stanky leg? Video link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vXV4I6K7Ffg

Also, he can sculpt a flawless #cheekline
Video link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=psVjD4sjeKM

We have been asked to make more dancing videos!! Including songs like “Hit the Quan”.

Q: Why do you want to be parents? Do you see yourselves adopting a second child further down the road?

We have been married going on 12 years and we have had so many adventures with college life, careers, reaching goals and enjoying every moment together. Now we are excited to become a loving family for a child and share life with them.

I see us adopting another and, Lord willing, perhaps even a biological baby someday (after all Abraham and Sarah were around 100 years old!).

Q: What type of family environment do you hope to have? Is there a particular aspect of your own upbringing that you hope to incorporate into your family life with this child?

Amber and I are both in clear agreement that this child (and God willing future children) will be raised in the nurture and admonition of The Lord. As children of parents that raised us in the knowledge of the truth of God, we believe in giving our child a firm foundation in Christ. We hope to instill in our child a love for nature and the beautiful things that God created. We also want our child to pursue their dreams. We hope to nurture both by exposing them to many adventures such as exploring state parks, canoeing, camping, enrolling them in athletic teams, Bible Camps, youth group, and taking them on mission trips (local and international), etc.

Q: Are you wanting to adopt a baby or an older child? Why? Will you have a choice in which child you adopt?

Lord willing, we are adopting an infant. Yes, we do get a choice in age.

We have given much thought to this matter. To be honest, we thought about foster care and that might be something we do the second time around. Many kudos to Foster Mommas and Daddies. It takes an immensely strong faith, thick skin and strong heart to wear both of those hats.

As for me, I am not sure I could face giving a child back. We are so excited to become a family and we couldn’t enter down the foster care road until we are certain that we are doing it with the right hearts and motives.

Future Parents…Let’s Help Them Get There!

Q: Will you get to choose the name? If so, any ideas for a boy’s name or girl’s name?

We are deciding the name together, although Amber has a pretty long list of names that she adds to daily with both boy and girl names. What are your ideas, we would love to hear them!?!

Q: Will you know the birth mother? Will the child have an opportunity to know or visit its birth mother down the road? What are the pros and cons of that?

We hope to have an open adoption. This would mean that we will support and nurture a loving relationship with our birth mother. As an adoptee myself (Amber) I feel that each child is so different when it comes to how they process their family story. So ultimately our child will make those choices.

The PROs of open adoption are so many. For the child, a sense of knowing your complete story and not having any secrets or shame to your story. Often times secrets breed feelings of shame.

For the birth mother, she has a chance to learn to trust her decision and heal. For the adoptive parents, they get a chance to convey their gratitude and understanding of the gift that the birth mother entrusted them with. We also get a chance to shine our lights for Jesus and love her the way that He does. There is so much negative stigma about birth mothers. We are excited for a chance to love ours.

The only CONs in open adoption are the risks of hurts and disappointments but at the end of the day openness, transparency, and love always wins.

Q: If Big Steve breaks his leg or gets eaten by a bear on the Trail and thus the pledges don’t materialize, will you forgive him?

Amber: Of course, but Lil Jan might not, so you had better play it safe.

Julio: Amen to Amber’s response! Also, remember that extra hold hair gel mixed with leaves and large sticks makes a great splint for serious injuries.  🙂

Big Steve:  Amber and Julio told me they are already “blessed beyond measure” to have your prayers and emotional support.  For those who are in a position to help financially, here are some options for you…

 1. Pledge a certain amount per mile that Big Steve hikes on the AT.  One cent per mile (@2189.2 miles) would come to $21.89, if I complete the entire hike.  A nickel per mile would come to $109.46.  A dime per mile would come to $218.92.  etc.  You can pledge by commenting on this blog, commenting on the Facebook post, private message, email (janetandboys@yahoo.com), or text (703-403-8492).  Lil Jan will keep track of all that, and once I’m finished , we’ll notify you of miles completed and amount pledged.  Then, assuming you’re able to fulfill the pledge, you can go to the website below to donate.

2. Donate a certain amount now, regardless of how far I make it on the trail.  Donations can be made at:            www.gofundme.com/babycolontobe

Either option is greatly appreciated, but Option 1 will certainly give me added incentive to finish this massively long hike.  Thank you for whatever help you are able to provide.  Your prayers are especially appreciated.  And a huge thanks to Amber and Julio for their willingness to adopt…and allowing us to help them reach that goal.

Big Steve

Questions for Miss Walsh/Mrs. Wilkinson’s and Mr. Reeve’s 5th & 6th Grade FCA Classes:

1. Assuming Big Steve hikes all 2189.2 miles (a big assumption), what total amount would have to be pledged per mile to raise all $6645?
2. Come up with 3 recommended girl names and 3 recommended boy names for Amber and Julio’s adopted baby.  Compile them as a class and give them to Mr. Colon.
3. What dance would you most like to see Mr. Colon do to raise money?  Would it mean more if he did it in front of the whole student body?
4. What are some reasons you think Amber and Julio will make good parents?
5. Do you know anyone who is adopted?  If you are comfortable doing so, please share his/her/your story with your class.

 

Loading

Uncategorized

Landing Hard

1 Comment

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”    ― Nelson Mandela

“Scared is what you’re feeling. Brave is what you’re doing.”
― Emma Donoghue, Room

Landing Hard – Vietnam, 1967

The mission was simple—and dangerous. Ten soldiers were holed up, under enemy fire, on a small base northwest of Saigon. Captain Carl Bradford Johnson, an Air Force pilot, and his C-123 crew were assigned to get them out.

“The best time to do it was at night,” he recalls, “so we had to do it with a blackout landing, no lights on the field. We flew what we thought was the downwind, and the airplane would shake every once in a while from the war going on under us.”

The men below had set up two jeeps, each at one end of the runway, and on a signal, they would flash the headlights very quickly so Johnson could get his bearings. “It was a dirt runway, and it was wet,” remembers Johnson. “It was terrible weather. It was not comfortable.”

C-123 Provider
C-123 Provider

That was an understatement. Johnson gave the signal and saw the lightning-fast flash of the headlights below. “We knew that as short as the runway was, and being wet, that we were going to have to go in reverse before we landed,” he says. “You know, in the air, we were going to have to put these propellers in reverse. And we were going to land standing on the brakes.”

And that’s pretty much how it happened. They came down low and fast, touched down, put the engines in reverse, and stood on the brakes. When the plane touched down, it hit a hole in the runway, knocking the [wheel] gear doors completely off the plane. “We skidded around, and finally, we saw a flashlight waving to us. We taxied down, turned in, and we lined back up again [on the runway] because we knew we just might get a second’s warning to get out of there.”

T-38 Pilot Training
Johnson in Pilot Training

The plane’s engines remained on as the soldiers on the ground loaded valuable supplies and artillery (including a 105 Howitzer) onto the plane as quickly as they could. Johnson helped, then heard a voice demanding to know “who the blankety-blank” was flying the plane. Johnson looked around and saw an Army sergeant, covered with mud. “All you could see were his white eyeballs and white teeth,” Johnson recalls.

He grabbed Johnson and hugged him, saying, “I love you. I never thought I’d say that to an Air Force officer in my life, but I love you.” The sergeant had been in one of the jeeps, and when Johnson landed, he thought the plane was going to hit him. He dove out of the vehicle, into the mud, then he lay in the mud and laughed because he was alive— and help had arrived.

They finished loading up the plane. “Then we lined up and released the brake,” Johnson says. “And there wasn’t a soul on that base when we left. It was empty.”

Captain Johnson, who eventually would retire as a colonel, received a Distinguished Flying Cross for this mission, along with his co-pilot.  After flying 1003 combat missions during his 1-year tour in Vietnam, he returned home to a very thankful family.

Big Steve gets his dad back
Big Steve & sisters get their dad back

Note:  The above story was mostly written by the fine folks at Remember My Service Productions, based on an interview with my dad.  It will appear in an upcoming book entitled, A Time to Honor: Stories of Service, Duty, and Sacrifice.

Loading

Uncategorized

Full-Time RVing – Reflections on Our First Eight Months

5 Comments

Today is our 8-month anniversary of being full-time RVers. We thought it might be a good time to reflect on our experiences so far, and answer some of the questions we’ve been asked.

What do you like best about being full-time RVers?

Lil Jan: All the different places we’ve seen and people we’ve met. I’ve learned so much about our country…its history and people. I’ve gotten to see places I have never been and re-connect with family and friends around the country.

Big Steve: After many years of having the Air Force tell me where to live, what to do, and what to wear, it’s been great being able to go where I want to go, do what I want to do, and wear what I want to wear. (Although Lil Jan still tries to tell me what to wear.) I’ve also enjoyed having time to write…and not having to weed around the yard.

What do you like least about being full-time RVers?

Lil Jan: The traffic is occasionally a pain. It’s sometimes hard for me to relax and enjoy the ride. I also miss taking baths on a regular basis. (I mean in a bathtub…I do still shower!)

Big Steve: Travelling through narrow construction zones…in cities…in traffic. I also miss teaching my Bible classes at FCA. Having to manage 18GB of monthly Internet data via a Jetpack (for 4 people) versus previously unlimited data at home has been tricky a few times.

Lil Jan: We’ve frequently taken advantage of the free Wi-Fi at McDonald’s, especially for heavy data items, like uploading pictures for the blog for Steve and watching movies and updating my Candy Crush game.

Big Steve: Suprisingly, I don’t miss cable. We had already weaned ourselves off of most TV. We have a Roku or get a Redbox to watch the occasional movie, and catch some sporting events on local channels or at a restaurant.

RV3

So are you retired?

Lil Jan: Yes, in a sense…at least temporarily. We may go back to work when the money runs out…or at least Steve will! We’ve read blogs of full-time RVers in their 70s and 80s. One of their biggest regrets is that they didn’t start sooner. Some of them can drive to the Grand Canyon and look at it, but their health doesn’t allow them to hike it. We want to do this while we can still hike it and really enjoy being there.

Big Steve: Yes, in that we’re not being paid to work and we don’t have a place of employment to report to every day. However, we’ll be doing a fair amount of unpaid, self-supporting mission/volunteer work in the next few years. That’s still working…or serving…just not getting paid. So I guess it depends on what you mean by retired. We’re certainly not sitting around twiddling our thumbs.  The recent Habitat work was physically more challenging than any of the paid work we’ve done over the past 2+ decades.

Chillin'
Chillin’

How many miles have you traveled so far?

Big Steve: Hmmm…close to 6000 in the RV, 2000 in the Fit, plus a few thousand on plane trips. We’ve also been on boats, trains, trolley cars, and dozens of hikes. So I really have no clue.

How do you make it work financially?

Lil Jan: We live frugally most of the time. We’ve had friends and family put us up occasionally, which helps…thank you Grandpa, Jas & Rach, Hamms, Butlers, DeBoefs, Madduxes, Wallaces, Fields, Diamonds and Stumnes! Staying at Wal-Mart parking lots occasionally and at less expensive state parks and military campgrounds also helps.  We don’t really have expensive hobbies, like golfing. Of course, we do LOVE to eat out, especially to enjoy whatever the local cuisine may be. So that can get a little pricey, but we just try to be smart about it and don’t eat out every day.

Big Steve: A government pension certainly helps…the reward, I suppose, for serving our great nation and being uprooted about every 2-3 years for the first 45 years of my life. Without the pension, it would still be doable, but I would need to find a way to work and make money while RVing, which many people do.

Lil Jan: We also are empty nesters, and our two sons’ projected college costs came in way under budget.  Without that, we wouldn’t be doing this…at least not yet.

Big Steve: Also, aside from gas and eating out a bit more, our living expenses are less than before…no lawn care, pest control, pool maintenance, cable bills, pet bills (Mandy’s dead), HOA fees, property taxes, etc. We store our few possessions at my dad’s condo and Janet’s sister graciously handles our mail…so no fees there. We have a loan payment for the RV, but it’s much less than our mortgage payment was. Our lone utility bill, propane gas, has run us about $11/month so far.

Lil Jan: We don’t spend much on “stuff”…because there’s no place to put it. The same goes for clothes, which for me is kind of a bummer.

Big Steve: If you look closely at our blog photos, you’ll notice I go through about the same 10 shirts. My plan is to give blood quarterly, get the free t-shirt, and thus upgrade 40% of my wardrobe annually!

H2O Time
H2O Time

How many nights have you spent in Wal-Mart parking lots, state parks, etc?

Big Steve:  Our 238 nights as full-timers can be broken down as follows:

Nights with family members (including my parents while my mom was sick):  50

Nights in friends’ homes/guest houses:  46

Nights boon-docking (free, with no hookups), including Wal-Mart parking lots:  34

Nights at military RV campgrounds:  30

Nights at non-military RV campgrounds:  29

Nights at state parks:  27

Nights at dad’s condo:  14

Nights in a hotel/resort:  8

That means that we’ve only had to pay for lodging about 40% of the time.  Even then, the lodging is reasonable…around $20-$25 for state parks, a little less than that for military campgrounds, and even less than that when camping at sojourns and Habitat projects.

You’re in a 32’ RV. Don’t you get sick of each other?

Lil Jan: All the time

Big Steve: What?!

Lil Jan: Just kidding! Actually, this hasn’t been a problem at all. It helps when your spouse is your best friend and you get along. If I need some alone time, I go lie in the bed and close the sliding door. If he tries to enter, I dial 911.

Big Steve: It also helps that we stay active. We are rarely in the RV all day. And it’s just big enough that we can have separate living areas if needed, or sit out under the awning…or go fishing.

Lil Jan: Or go hike in the woods for six months.

Big Steve: Yea, that too.

Our Next RV
Our Next RV

Are you happy with your Thor Windsport 31S? Any problems with it?

Lil Jan: We’ve been really happy with it. There have been a few issues, but nothing too major. And it’s still under warranty so that helps. Any time you drive a house with thousands of parts and systems down an interstate at 65 mph, there will be some problems. They had to replace my side window because it whistled. And the wardrobe bar has broken twice…because the circle hook that holds it up is plastic…and Steve says I have too many clothes! We replaced it with a metal circle hook and that seems to be working so far.

Big Steve: I love the size and layout of the RV. It’s big enough to be comfortable, but small enough to be relatively nimble and fit into most campgrounds. We can sleep 7, even though I don’t think I’d want to do that often. I also like the tow package and towing the Fit. When we get somewhere, it’s easy to disconnect the Fit and get much better mileage in it around town and on side trips. The biggest problem occurred when we tried to plug the RV into a friend’s house’s electrical system…don’t do that unless it’s wired correctly. That fried some gadgets…fortunately under warranty…but that was on us. My biggest complaint is the locks on the side storage bins. I wish they were higher quality and more reliable. I may upgrade them. First world problem.

Funniest moment, so far?

Big Steve: When we left Florida, we spent our very first night in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Perry, Georgia. This was the first time we had spent the night at a Wal-Mart and we were a little anxious about it. We pulled into the mostly vacant side of the parking lot, with just a couple of truckers nearby. I awoke the next morning and went outside and discovered that we were part of the outer perimeter of a flea market! That’s right, some non-profit group apparently has a monthly flea market on Saturday mornings, and decided to use us to finish off their rectangular alignment. I started laughing and went inside and asked Lil Jan if she wanted to go to a flea market. She said, “Sure.” So I had her step outside and there it was and we were part of it. Good times!

Lil Jan: That same night, at the Wal-Mart parking, we had an incident involving a frog. It was quite hilarious. One of Steve’s earliest blogs was about that. You just never know what’s going to happen when you’re out on the road.

Big Steve: Recently, I asked a friend of ours, Caroline Diamond, to sew a mannequin torso for me, then add a Frankenstein head. We place it in the driver’s seat of the Fit while we’re towing it, with its hands attached to the steering wheel. That gets some good laughs and thumbs up from people as they drive by.

Franky in Tow
Franky in Tow
Tailgate Da Johnsons at your own risk
Tailgate Da Johnsons at your own risk

Worst moment, so far?

Lil Jan: We got lost while hiking at Maquoketah Caves State Park in Iowa. We were out of water, it was hot, there were no signs and I was about to enter my 5- mile complaint zone. That got a little dicey. The iPhone compass came in handy that day and my sweet husband became my hero as he led us out of the woods.

Big Steve: Obviously, the time we spent caring for my dying mother was very special, but very difficult. Had we not been full-time RVers, we wouldn’t have been able to help her and my dad for so long. God orchestrated all that.

Best moment, so far?

Lil Jan: A difficult question, as there have been many great moments. But I’d have to say our son Kyle’s engagement to Laci. That was an amazing day and an amazing moment. We were so pleased that he decided to include us in that special day!

Big Steve: Agree. It was special, and not just because of Lil Jan’s spandex pants.

Considering this Mod
Considering this Mod

That brings us to your blog. How’s that working out?

Lil Jan: It’s been a lot of fun. Steve writes most of them. He loves writing as much as I love reading. But I help him with suggestions and editing and write a few myself. He works really hard on them and I hope that people take the time to read and enjoy them. It’s interesting to read the comments on them and see how many “hits” they get.

Big Steve: It’s probably my favorite hobby, along with hiking. I love researching places, talking to people, and trying to capture our experiences in a funny or engaging way. I don’t measure success by number of “hits”. However, I’ll admit it was really cool, and unexpected, to see the blog on racial harmony get over 5000 views. Apparently, someone announced it at my father-in-law’s church, and it went mini-viral from there. I don’t even know that many people. And the one on Kyle and Laci’s engagement got 1000 hits in less than 24 hours. That one was the most fun to write. Others, like the campground reviews, are more for us…just to document and score campgrounds we’ve stayed at for future reference or use by others considering visiting those places.  I wish so much that I had a “blog” or diaries of my great-grandparents or other ancestors.  So maybe our future generations will find some of our experiences somewhat interesting.

So will you turn the blogs into a book?

Lil Jan: He should. Several people have told him that. Most recently Damon Daniels, a friend of ours from Brandon, looked him in the eye after church and said, “You need to write a book.” He’s talked about writing a book for a long time even before he started blogging. The thought intrigues him…who knows maybe one day you’ll see his picture on a book at the bookstore!

Big Steve: Actually…I probably won’t. First off, I’m not sure the material is strong enough, and my grammar ain’t the best. English was my least favorite subject in school. While I love writing stories, I would hate the process of trying to get a book published. The editing, marketing, copyrighting processes…ugh! No thanks. I blog because I love writing, and hopefully can inform or encourage someone, or at least make them laugh. I’m not in it to make money, which is why you won’t see ads on our web page. So, while I won’t rule it out, I doubt seriously I’ll attempt to write a book.

IMG_2386

You recently traveled the entire length of the Mississippi River along the Great River Road. What’s next?

Lil Jan: Our first two months in the RV were mostly about caring for Steve’s mom and dad. The next phase was mostly about us…enjoying the sights and sounds along the Mississippi River. On December 6th, we entered a third phase, and our focus shifted more toward helping other people. We did some disaster relief with Habitat for Humanity in Tuscaloosa.

Big Steve: We are members of 3 groups: (1) the Sojourners, a mission of the churches of Christ. This is a group of mostly retired Christian RVers who travel the country and do mission work for small churches, Christian schools, children’s homes and church camps. I wrote a blog about that mission. (2) The RV Care-a-Vanners…a group of RVers who do Habitat for Humanity projects around the country. I’ve also written a blog about that. And (3) The church of Christ Disaster Assistance mission…a group of Christians who respond to natural disasters by compiling, boxing, shipping, and delivering relief supplies to disaster areas.

 Lil Jan: So we’ll be working on at least 3 missions with the Sojourners next year…2 in Florida in January and February, and 1 in Arkansas in September. Not sure when we’ll do our next Habitat project or if we’ll get in on helping the 3rd group with disaster relief next year…it kind of depends on when and where the disaster happens, and whether we’re available. Stay tuned.

 Big Steve: So between these three groups, occasionally checking in on our aging parents, and some overseas mission trips, we should stay pretty busy. If that’s being “retired”, so be it. But we’re going to be working pretty hard. We’re more like unpaid, working gypsies.

Anything else?

Big Steve: Oh yea! I’m going to attempt to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail next year, starting in mid-March. It’s been a major life-long dream and bucket list item. I’m excited and a bit anxious. Please pray for Janet and me as I take this on. More on that in a future blog.

Lil Jan: Yes, and while he’s out rummaging through the forest and trying to not get attacked by bears, I’ll be visiting family and friends around the country. Steve will come off the trail for a week in May for Kyle and Laci’s wedding and I plan to meet up with him a couple of times during his hike when he enters a trail town.

Big Steve: Just for conversation…purely platonic in nature.

Lil Jan: Right.

Will you shave when you come off the trail for the wedding?

Lil Jan: He better. He’ll be in wedding photos. Those photos will be forever!

Big Steve: There’s some debate over that. Kyle has suggested the photos would be more memorable if I have bushy hair; my sad, white, prickly mangy beard; and maybe even my backpack on. Lil Jan would like me to shave and clean up. I’ll probably ask Jason to cast the deciding vote.

Final question: how long will you live like gypsies?

Lil Jan: Good question. It’s difficult to say. Probably when it stops being fun. That could be a few years or several years.

Big Steve: I’ve given up trying to predict what path God will direct us to next. I suspect at some point we’ll re-establish ourselves in a community somewhere and go back to living like normal people…or as normal as Johnsons can get. That may take the form of a cabin on a pond or with a view of the Smoky Mountains. I also like the idea of having 4 seasons, but with winters that are not too long or brutal.  It also might be interesting to live among the Amish and churn butter and learn how to grow a beard.

 Lil Jan: It will also depend on where our sons end up living, and when the grandbabies come along. It will be tough going back to a normal 9 to 5 job.

Big Steve: And tough having the same view out the same back window every day, regardless of how nice the view is. But we’ll make it work.

Lil Jan: We never thought we’d be called to do this. So who knows what God might call us to do next? That is what makes life interesting.

Big Steve & Lil Jan

 

 

 

 

Loading

Uncategorized

Merry Christmas 2015!

8 Comments

Johnson Newsletter, Volume 28

It has been an exciting, sad, crazy, and adventurous year! But what else would you expect from the Johnsons? In lieu of mailing our regular Christmas letter, we decided to just write an “End of Year” blog with a few highlights from the year.

Spring Breakers
Spring Breakers

The first big highlight was in March when Kyle rolled into town on his final college Spring Break with 10 friends…a conglomeration of roommates, girlfriends, ex-girlfriends, and people who sunburn easily. It reminded me of a shortened season of Big Brother, minus the in-house cameras and weekly evictions. They packed a lot into the week, including deep-sea fishing and a day at Universal Studios. They are a super group of youngsters…the kind you’d want your child to bring home from college.

Catching Supper
Catching Supper
Living Near the Butlers
Living Near the Butlers

In April we sold our house, unloaded most of our belongings, and took possession of our new RV. Yes, it was time to move full-speed ahead on our dream to travel the country as full-timers. We are nomadic by nature, a by-product of being a tad adventurous and a second-generation military family. So, after 7 quite wonderful years in Florida, it was time to continue exploring that great big world out there. Ken and Syndi Butler, our friends, were kind enough to let us park the RV on their property for the remainder of the school year. They also let us stay with them for several nights as we had some work done on the RV. We learned that Ken is quite the prankster, as we were regularly met with golf balls in the bed, monsters outside windows and around corners, and other shenanigans. Just when we thought we had successfully navigated the house without being pranked, there was a bleeding, severed foot in the shower. Syndi would then comfort us and calm our nerves with a tub of buttered popcorn and a cheesy Hallmark movie (spoiler alert: they always kiss at the end).  After finishing up the school year, saying goodbye to our friends and enjoying a wonderful final send-off party, we set off on our journey.

Peggy Johnson, 1937-2015
Peggy “MeMe” Johnson, 1937-2015

Sadly, our first mission was to head to Tennessee to help my dad, sisters, and others care for my dying mom, who had been diagnosed with advanced bile duct cancer in January. We are thankful we were in a position to help and encourage them after all that they have done for us. It was also a blessing to be able to say all those things you want to say to a loved one who is nearing the end of their journey. Her love for her family, and many years of taking in people with physical and mental disabilities, has left a legacy that will long be remembered. After my mom’s funeral, we headed north for Minnesota, in order to begin an incredible journey down the Great River Road. To read more about our experiences with my mom, along the Great River Road, and since then, be sure to check out our blog at bigsteveandliljan.com. We have appreciated the 24K+ views and positive comments the blog has gotten, and based on that feedback…I guess we’ll keep telling our story.

Our New Home
Our New Home

As for Jason and Rachel, they are enjoying life in Dallas, Texas, where Jason is pursuing a graduate degree in Prosthetics-Orthotics at UT Southwestern Medical Center’s School of Health Professions. Kyle and I regularly encourage Jason in his studies with really bad and inappropriate puns about artificial limbs. Seriously, though, we’ve got to hand it to him for getting a foot in the door in his new profession. Meanwhile, Rachel is a Speech Pathologist Assistant and has several students that she works with. For more on their marriage, experiences in Dallas, and raising cats, check out the blog we did on them…A Leg Up in Big D.

Jas & Rach
Jas & Rach

Kyle is in his senior year at Harding University, where he has kept busy finishing up his Bible degree and serving as the Student Association President. The highlight of his year was taking young Miss Laci Genry of Helena, Alabama, to the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain and asking her to be his wife. To learn about her response and other partially accurate details of their courtship and engagement, be sure to check out our blog, The Great River Road, Part 17, Kyle-Laci Engagement, An Oral History. (Spoiler alert: their wedding is May 14th!) Needless to say, we are so excited to be adding another awesome daughter to our family!

She Said Yes!
She Said Yes!

Without a doubt, the best part about being full-time RVers is being able to re-connect with family and friends around the country, and we’ve done a lot of that this year. This Thanksgiving was especially nice spending time with our sons, their wife/fiancé, their in-laws/future in-laws, and the amazing Brad and Jenny Diamond family. The Diamonds are one of those joyous, loving, giving families that really epitomize the Christmas spirit, even when it’s not Christmas. Spend a week with them and you’ll not only hear the sound of world-class singing and the hum of the blender (at almost every meal), you’ll be reminded of the good in the world…despite all the negativity on the news.

Thanksgiving at the Diamonds
Thanksgiving at the Diamonds

As for our upcoming plans, we’ll spend next week in South Carolina with Janet’s family…and then spend the week after Christmas in Destin, Florida with Steve’s family. We’ll spend most of January and February in central Florida on sojourns. What’s a sojourn? Check out our blog…Mission Possible: The Sojourners. Then, on March 12, at about 9 o’clock in the morning, Steve plans to depart Springer Mountain, Georgia on a 2190-mile thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. As you might expect, there will be blogs related to that…at least until he’s eaten by a bear. Stay tuned.

Hiking with the Genrys, Oak Mountain State Park
Hiking with the Genrys, Oak Mountain State Park
Hiking with the Diamond ladies
Hiking with the Diamond ladies

This year, we’ve experienced some heartache, as we’ve said goodbye to Steve’s mom, learned of terrorist attacks, and seen a divided nation and world become seemingly less dependent on God and farther away from Him. At the same time, we’ve also been reminded of the good out there…friends and family who have shown hospitality to us and strangers we’ve gotten to know at campsites, on hikes, at Habitat builds, and elsewhere. Despite the tough times, heartaches, and endless cycles of bad news, we’re reminded that this world is not our home and is temporary. A much, much better place awaits us and draws closer every day. That hope of something bigger and better, a place of happiness and peace, is a result of the saving work of a loving God, and the selfless sacrifice of his son, Jesus. He’s not just the reason for this season, but for every season. Our prayer for 2016 is that we will draw closer to Him, and in doing so encourage others to do the same.

So, from a van down by the river, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

We Da Johnsons

FullSizeRender

Loading

Uncategorized

Gypsies of the Caribbean

Leave a comment

“Mark well what ye saw here today, mateys, and always remember this as the day you sail with Captain Jack Sparrow.”   – Talking Skull

October 29 – November 7, 2015

Sometimes an unexpected surprise can drop right into your lap. After my mom passed away, my dad decided that he no longer wanted to pay for the Bahamas time-share that the two of them had enjoyed for many years. While calling to cancel his membership, I learned that they were already paid-in-full for 2015 and so he had one more trip coming. He decided he would make the trip so we helped him book a flight and make all the arrangements. A few weeks later he said he’d only go if we went with him, so we agreed to join him. A few weeks after booking our own flight, he decided he really didn’t feel up to going at all without my mom. Thus, we were left holding tickets for a week at a Bahamian resort. Darn the luck!

Ranchhand
Ranchhand

But first, we had some business to take care of back at our old Florida stomping grounds. Our friends, Clare and Kelley DeBoef, were kind enough to let us stay at their guesthouse, where I got to haul some wood, feed horses, and help build a porch. The guesthouse came with nice furnishings, a hot shower, free Wi-Fi, bagels and coffee, and a wild boar’s head above the commode. First item on the itinerary was to return to Foundation Christian Academy and visit our friends and my former students. We received a couple hundred hugs and toured the campus, which is undergoing major renovations and improvements. They were also kind enough to let me speak in chapel. Love that place! Next up, we resumed our 4-year long weekly hand-n-foot card night with John and Laurie Walsh…one of the traditions we miss most from our time in Florida.

What God Has Joined Together
What God Has Joined Together

Our primary reason for coming to Florida, though, was to officiate the wedding for Kristen Walsh, a family friend and former youth group member, and her fiancée, Louis. I’ve done one other wedding and three funerals…just infrequently enough to not really know what I’m doing. Fortunately, it all came together, people cried, and it was a beautiful ceremony. The following weekend, just prior to departing for the Bahamas, we had the added bonus of being invited to the surprise engagement of Brittni Walsh (Kristen’s sister) to her boyfriend, Bobby Wilkinson. He proposed in a hot air balloon over Orlando, at the same time Mike Rowe (of Dirty Jobs fame) was filming an episode of his show Somebody’s Got to Do It. So apparently Rowe may somehow incorporate them into an episode. It was a really special day and we were glad to be there to celebrate with them at the landing zone. I can only hope the video shows that when Bobby asked Brittni to be his wife, she shrugged and answered, “Somebody’s got to do it!”

Somebody's Got To Do It
Somebody’s Got To Do It

November 8-15, 2015

Our Bahamas trip got off to a rough start.   We boarded a small plane in Fort Lauderdale and sat on the very last row. Just in front of us sat a tall man of European origin with unbelievably bad body odor. I think it was the worse thing I’ve ever smelled. Worse than Boys Cabin 9 at Florida Bible Camp on day 6 after two days of rain. Worse than the bucket of spittoon juice and Limburger cheese I had to bob apples from during pledge week in college. It was so bad that I took out Janet’s scented Chap Stick and applied it to both inner-nostrils, and then we both buried our heads in her jacket for the thankfully short flight. At one point she observed, “I think he might have a problem.” I replied, “His problem is that he smells like raw sewage full of dead, rotting fish.”

Island Seas Resort
Island Seas Resort

After safely landing, my next big challenge was driving the Bahamian rental car. It seems everyone in the country drives on the wrong side of the road…an unfortunate practice established by their former colonial master, Great Britain. Apparently the islanders never got word that the right-side-of-the-road driving United States won the Revolutionary War. For me, that meant thirty-two years of driving reflexes were suddenly rendered useless. It was a terrifying 20-minute drive in the dark to the resort, with cars zooming towards us at high speeds in the “wrong” lane. I grabbed the wheel at 10 and 2, applied more Chap Stick to both nostrils, and kept reminding myself, “Stay left…stay left…stay left.”

Pool, Hot Tub, & Swim-Up Bar
Pool, Hot Tub, & Swim-Up Bar

Fortunately, we pulled into Island Seas Resort without incident and began a fun and interesting week on Grand Bahama Island. The island is one of 700 that comprise The Bahamas. The Siboney Indians originally settled it some 7000 years ago, and the Lucayan Indians superseded them between 5 and 7,000 years ago. There were about 4,000 Lucayans on the island when Christopher Columbus arrived, at which point they were enslaved and transported to work the gold and silver mines of Hispaniola and Cuba. After claiming the island, the Spanish largely ignored it, perhaps due to the treacherous shallow reefs that made landfall dangerous. The British claimed the Islands of the Bahamas in 1670 and eventually took control of it from Blackbeard and other pirates who used the reefs to run vessels aground. The pace began to pick up on the sleepy island when the American Civil War broke out. With a Union blockade and embargo in place, The Confederacy received smuggled goods from the West End of Grand Bahama. The next smuggling boon, during the Prohibition era, involved West Enders smuggling alcohol 56 miles to the coast of Florida. In the mid-1950s, a concerted effort was made to turn the island into a tropical Caribbean playground…no easy feat considering the country is technically not in the Caribbean.

Now after that history lesson, here are our Top 10 share-able memories from our time in this tropical Caribbean playground…

  1. Once again feeling the need to take a road all the way to the end, we decided to head east until the road and the island ran out. Our first stop was beautiful Lucayan National Park, home to one of the largest underwater cave systems in the world. We hiked the park and looked in the mouth of the caves, but decided not to underwater spelunk them because we didn’t want to die.
Gold Rock Beach
Gold Rock Beach
  1. One scenic Lucayan National Park trail took us to Gold Rock Beach, considered the best beach on Grand Bahama. It was stunning, incredibly scenic, and mostly deserted. We learned that it was one of the filming locations used in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean. As we walked along the beach, I began channeling my inner-Johnny Depp. I soon realized it’s nearly impossible to have deep, meaningful, borderline romantic conversation while talking like a pirate… “I love ya, matey! I’ve sailed the seven seas, and you’re the sleekest schooner I’ve ever sighted! Aaaaargh!”
Gypsies on Gold Rock
Gypsies on Gold Rock
  1. At the East End, we ate at Bishop’s Beach Bar, which came highly recommended by the locals. They were correct! The grouper fingers were delicious and turned out to be the single best meal of the week. After lunch, I saw the nearby beach hammock and yelled, “Blimey! Let’s dance the hempen jig!”
Is It Still a Hammock if Your Butts Touch the Ground?
Is It Still a Hammock if Your Butts Touch the Ground?
  1. We travelled to the Port Lucaya Marketplace, which is full of souvenir stands and restaurants, and home to UNEXSO (Underwater Explorer Society). After walking around in the sun for several hours, we stopped for some ice cream. Unfortunately, Lil Jan over-heated, turned pale, and vomited the ice cream in the Port Lucaya Marketplace ladies restroom. I wasn’t in there, but could hear a very piratey “Aaaaaargh!” I yelled back, “Aye! You’ve got chum in ye timbers, matey!”
  1. Among many possible touristy excursions, we decided to spend one day doing a Glass Bottom Boat Tour. While we looked down through the glass bottom, the captain positioned us over several reefs, thousands of tropical fish, and two shipwrecks. Apparently, the ships’ poor lads were hornswaggled and ended up in Davy Jones’ Locker.
Coral & Fish, Through the Boat's Bottom
Coral & Fish, Through the Boat’s Bottom
  1. Wednesday nights on Grand Bahama feature the popular Fish Fry at Smith Point. This beach eatery has the perfect combination of music, fun, and fish that stare at you while you eat them. For an appetizer, we had conch fritters and they were amazingly delicious! It’s hard to imagine how something that looks like an embryo from the Alien movie inside a shell can end up tasting so good.
Fish Fry, Bahamian-Style
Fish Fry, Bahamian-Style
  1. We took several long beach hikes throughout the week. One of the neatest things about Grand Bahama is that there are miles and miles of beautiful, deserted beaches. Take Siesta Key beach in Florida, add clear turquoise-blue water, remove all the people, and you have a typical beach on Grand Bahama. One of the locals told us most locals don’t go to the beach unless they’re fishing, and most tourists stay near the resort beaches. While hiking, we searched for and found several conch shells, watched some horseback riders in the ocean, and used seaweed to make chest hair. Good times.

IMG_2184

  1. Once again, it was time to explore the outer reaches of the island, so we headed to West End. Along the way we stopped by the Xanadu Beach Resort and Marina. Millionaire Howard Hughes purchased the resort in 1972 and lived in its penthouse floors for a few years prior to his death. It was also known as a gathering place for celebrities such as Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Cary Grant, and Lucille Ball. Next stop was the Pier One Restaurant where, for $10, you can feed sharks off their dock at 7, 8, and 9 p.m. A little later, as the road began to narrow with water on both sides, we began to see massive piles of conch shells. Apparently the fishermen pull the conch out to sell and then toss the shells away into piles. I rolled down the window to get a picture and immediately breathed in a brutally awful smell. As I reached for the scented Chap Stick to line my nostrils, I couldn’t tell if the smell originated from the conch shells baking in the sun or the European gentleman who was on our plane.
Howard Hughes' Xanadu Resort
Howard Hughes’ Xanadu Resort
Giant Conch Shell Pile
Giant Conch Shell Pile
  1. Our last 24 hours in the Bahamas was a combination of sad and bizarre. The sad part was learning, on our last night in town, that terrorists had killed several people in Paris. The bizarre part occurred during our final long beach hike on our final morning. While heading west about a mile from our resort on yet another stretch of deserted beach, we spotted what appeared to be a large seal in the distance along the water’s edge. As we got closer, we realized it was a local Bahamian man lying on his stomach in about a foot of water, with the tide going out. As we walked along the beach near him, he hollered, “Hey, mon, can you help me?” Apparently, he had no idea we were pirates. Sadly, my first thought was that he might be up to something. Perhaps he was concealing a knife or had some buddies in the nearby bushes waiting to jump us. We cautiously approached him and asked what was going on. It turns out the man, probably in his early 60s, had a stroke a year earlier, and likes to occasionally swim in the water for therapy. On this particular day, he went too long, got weak, collapsed, and couldn’t get up. Had the tide been coming in, he would have been in a world of hurt. We got on either side of him and turned him over, got him to sit up, and eventually helped him to stand. When Lil Jan realized he was in his boxer shorts, she muttered, “Arrrrgh! I’ve sailed the seven seas, and you’re the sleekest schooner I’ve ever sighted!” Not really. Well, he was in his boxers but she didn’t say that. Anyway, we slowly walked him over to his clothes and offered to call someone on his behalf. He declined and said he’d be fine after sitting there awhile. A half hour later, as we approached that stretch of beach on our return, he and his truck were gone.
Island Seas Resort barely visible through trees
Island Seas Resort barely visible through trees
  1. The final memory of our trip happened after landing back in Fort Lauderdale. As we descended an escalator with our luggage, an elderly couple was in front of us. As the man got to the bottom of the escalator, he tripped over his large suitcase and fell. Blimey! Two seconds later, as we scrambled towards them, his wife fell on top of him at the bottom of the escalator. Arrrgh! With the help of several people, we managed to get them and their luggage un-scrambled and upright again. They were embarrassed and she suffered a leg scrape, but nothing too serious.
Hiking with My Best Friend
Hiking with My Best Friend

We regretted that Grandpa was not up to joining us on this vacation because he is such fun to hang with. Still, it was a great week of interesting food, sights, water rescues, and other experiences. We had a delightful smelling return flight to Dallas and were happy to be back in our home on wheels. Thanksgiving was fast approaching, and that meant time to go searching for some Diamonds. Aye, matey!

Big Steve

Loading

Uncategorized

A Leg Up in Big D

Leave a comment

From the lakes of Minnesota

To the hills of Tennessee

Across the plains of Texas

From sea to shining sea.

– Lee Greenwood, God Bless the USA

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”               

– John F. Kennedy

October 15-18, 2015

One of the coolest things most parents get to do is watch their children grow up, and hopefully leave the nest, find a soul mate, and decide on a profession about which they are passionate. As full-time RVers, one of the coolest things we get to do is stalk our children at will, rolling into their towns to get caught up on their lives and make sure they are showering. While there is something to be said for extended families that all live in the same town, there is also something special about the time spent with family and friends that we don’t see every day. We tend to really appreciate those moments and not take them for granted.

It was time to visit our eldest son, Jason, and his lovely wife, Rachel, and that meant a trip to the Big D…Dallas, Texas. This year we literally have gone from the lakes of Minnesota to the hills of Tennessee. It seemed inevitable that we’d eventually cross the plains of Texas. Texas has a bit of an attitude that I love. We were stationed in San Antonio for a few years in the mid-90s and came to appreciate Texans’ fiercely independent nature and love of guns, their state flag, rodeos, and beef barbecue. They also love their 5-time Super Bowl winning Dallas Cowboys, as do I. Things are bigger in Texas and you certainly don’t want to mess with them. We tend to see and do things in Texas that we haven’t seen or done in other states. For example, you can go to Austin, sit on the banks near the Congress Avenue Bridge, and watch 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats come out every night. It’s the largest urban bat colony in North America and cool doesn’t begin to describe their nightly exodus. Just as impressive…you can pull into a gas station and order Sonic while pumping gas. Leave it to Texas to solve the age-old problem of having to pump gas and then go inside to eat.

Seriously? It's come to this?
Seriously? It’s come to this?

These days, our favorite thing about Texas is the people, starting with Jason and Rachel. Visiting family or friends with cats is always a bit unpredictable for us, as Lil Jan is highly allergic to them. Sometimes her eyes water, her face gets puffy, and she begins scratching at furniture. Throw in menopausal hot flashes and she becomes, well, a carnival attraction. Fortunately, the cats weren’t too much of a problem and we were thrilled to be able to visit Jason and Rachel and see them fully nested in their cute east-Dallas apartment.

Love the Headsets!
Love the Headsets!

They took us to downtown Dallas for a tour of the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. As a high school student, I wrote a book report on a book highly critical of the Warren Commission and its findings on Kennedy’s assassination. Ever since then, I have been fascinated with the subject, and have visited the sites where Lincoln, Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr., were assassinated. I’m not necessarily a conspiracy theorist, but I do enjoy studying the history, motives, weaponry, logistics, and contexts for these tragic events. We did a lot of historical tours and museums during our journey down the Great River Road. Some are better than others and each has its strengths. The Sixth Floor Museum’s strength was in the amount of information and insights presented via an audio tour. We took an elevator to the 6th floor of the former Texas School Book Depository and began the self-guided tour using nifty audio headsets. Even with a big crowd, the headsets allow you to go at your own pace and not have to strain to hear a tour guide. We learned about JFK’s life, the major challenges and achievements of his presidency, Cold War history, and the events surrounding that fateful day in Dallas.

A Killer's Point of View
A Killer’s Point of View
Dealey Plaza
Dealey Plaza

The tour winds its way around the floor and eventually takes you to the stack of boxes where Lee Harvey Oswald positioned himself near the window and fired the fatal bullets at the presidential motorcade as it passed by. I looked out the window and tried to imagine the throngs of people lining Dealey Plaza, so excited to see their young energetic president and his wife pass by. In an instant, in an act of cowardice and evil, he was gone. He once challenged the nation to “ask now what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” With today’s emphasis on self over service and handouts over hard work, his words still ring true.

IMG_2990

Our next stop was Klyde Warren Park, the 5.2-acre downtown park which is a gathering place for residents and visitors. As we ate lunch from a food truck, we watched the children play and dogs being walked in the park. We then boarded a train and headed to UT Southwestern Medical Center, where Jason is pursuing a graduate degree in Prosthetics-Orthotics at their School of Health Professions. Those of you who know Jason know that he has a big brain and an even bigger heart. It’s not surprising, then, that he would pursue a career designing, constructing, and fitting artificial limbs to help people literally get back on their feet again. I’ve been in some places where people have lost limbs. At the Egyptian field hospital at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, I’ve stood at the bedside and prayed for children who have lost legs and arms from landmine explosions. I always walked away sad that I couldn’t do more for them and actually make them whole again. So, you could say I’m more than a little proud of Jason for choosing a career focused on helping and healing others. He also knows how to give a good tour, as he actually has a part-time job giving tours at his school. He showed us around the campus, pointed out some of his classrooms and labs, and answered our many questions.

Mario & Koop Troopa
Mario & Koopa Troopa
Hangin' with the Gentrys!
Hangin’ with the Gentrys!

That night we were invited to dinner at the home of Lonnie & Lynne Gentry, long-time friends from our assignments in Georgia and Texas…along with their daughter, Megan, and her husband and daughter. Lonnie is a former preacher who is now pursuing a doctorate in Philosophy and Medical Ethics. He is a deep thinker, and it didn’t take us long to get into a good discussion about the nature of the soul and the afterlife. Lynne, among many talents and interests, is a published author and a great friend and mentor to Lil Jan. It was great catching up with them and learning about their latest projects and pursuits in Dallas. The next morning, we enjoyed worship at Jason & Rachel’s congregation, the Prestoncrest Church of Christ. After lunch, they took us to a nearby, drought-stricken Par 3 nine-hole golf course for an afternoon of fun and exercise.

IMG_2998

Jason and Rachel are off to a great start in their marriage and careers. Here are some of their initial impressions on married life and other topics…

What do you like least and best about living in Dallas?

J: Least- It seems like it takes at least 30 minutes to get anywhere, assuming there are no wrecks. Best- The variety of things to do… I’ve never lived in a big city where they have almost anything I could want to do.

R: Least- Everyone is so spread out, it’s hard to feel like a part of a community. Even our church friends all live super far away from each other. Best- Living so close to my parents. It’s awesome to be able to meet up for dinner or see each other on weekends so easily.

2. Jas, why did you chose a Prosthetics/Orthotics career and how is school going so far? Do you want to specialize?

J: I didn’t choose PO school, PO school chose me. But actually, I’d say I’ve always wanted to help people, and I really love learning about the body and anatomy and all the science-y stuff. Honestly I’d say that when PT didn’t work out, I felt like God just kinda dumped this in my lap. I didn’t know much about it before that, but it allows me to combine the enjoyment of science with really impacting people’s lives for the better, and being able to be creative as well with building prosthetics. I really love school, and I actually enjoy learning the information that I have to learn which makes the long days much more bearable. I don’t plan on specializing because the only real specialty you can do is with breasts and, well, I’m not about that life. I might like to work in pediatrics but I’m not sure where God will lead us.

Best Tour Guide Ever!
Best Tour Guide Ever!

3. Having done the married thing for 15 months, what have you learned? Advice for others?

R: I’d say that a big thing for me is that we can’t create a healthy marriage, we need God to do that. When we have a problem come up, we can’t expect to resolve it on our own… When we try it always seems to fail, and sometimes even make things worse. Praying for our marriage and each other is huge in having a successful relationship.

J: I was sort of going to say something along the same lines. Basically, the example of marriage that we have is of Jesus and the church. For me as the male, to be the perfect husband I basically have to be Jesus… I don’t come anywhere close to that, but I try to keep that as a reminder when I’m upset or frustrated or tired, and also in the good times too because Jesus celebrates joy with his church as well. For advice, I would say that honesty is super important, not just with your spouse but with yourself as well. It’s the only way to have a healthy relationship because when you’re honest with yourself and then with each other you can really trust one another. I would also say to spend as much time together as you can, whether you’re doing stuff together or just sitting and reading or doing two totally different things. Just being together helps make you more like a unit, a pair, not just two individuals who live together.

R: I definitely agree with what Jason said, those are huge. Another one I would say is to consciously make sure that love is your goal in all of your interactions with your spouse. When I started asking myself what my goal was in my interactions with Jason, oftentimes I would catch myself being more concerned with being understood, communicating effectively, being happy, etc., and acting unloving in the process. Even though communication, being understood, happiness, and more are fine, when they come before love they don’t mean much, especially in a marriage.

4. Rach, how are you using your Speech Pathology degree?

R: I am working as an independent contractor Speech Pathology Assistant for a home health speech company called Preferred Therapy Services. Basically, I go home to home to provide speech therapy for all the kiddos in my caseload. I see kids from ages 3-16 with a variety of speech-language disorders. It’s a cool opportunity to get to know not only the kids but also the families, and to make a lasting impact in their lives. Working in homes makes my job much more personal and allows me to have an impact in more areas than just speech. It also helps me care more deeply for my kids and their families because I see into their lives and really get to know them.

5. How will your experience raising cats help you to be better parents?

R: Seeing as we don’t have any children, I’d say that raising cats has had absolutely no impact on how good of a parent I am.

J: I agree with Rachel, I think I’m just as good of a parent as I was before we had cats. But someday when we have kids, it’s purrfectly acceptable to let them drink out of the toilet when they’re thirsty. It’s not my fault if they choose that over their water bowl.

R: I need to teach them to bury their poop at a young age, before bad habits form.

J: No need for baths, they can lick themselves clean.

R: Wet food is technically better for them, but kibbles are so much easier. Not sure if that makes me a better parent or not but it sure is gonna make my life simpler.

J: I’ve learned that they’ll sleep better in a cardboard box lined with tissue paper than any nice bed you provide.

R: Always raise the blinds before you leave for work so that they can sit on the windowsill. They like that.

J: We’ve learned a lot about proper punishment techniques. No yelling, no smacks, just pick them up by the scruff of their neck and throw them in the bathroom for a while. Make sure you leave the light off. It works every time.

6. Do you have any future plans after school?

J: I will have to do two residencies, one for prosthetics and one for orthotics. We want to have children and are especially interested in adopting. We are interested in moving somewhere in the northern U.S. but are open to living wherever God wants us to go, including overseas. We can make all the plans we want but we know they will likely change many more times so we are trying not to get too set on anything.

7. Funniest or most memorable thing that’s happened in Dallas?

R: One day while I was home alone, just relaxing in a recliner next to the window, I heard “I’m gonna –beep-ing kill you!!” from outside. I looked out the window and saw two cops running across our courtyard, guns drawn, yelling, “Drop to your knees! You better hit your knees!” A few minutes later (when clearly whoever it was had not hit his knees), a search helicopter starting flying over our apartment complex. Jason was on his way home from school at this time, and said that there were police cars lining the roads around our complex. Later, when telling this story to a friend from church who was a Dallas police officer, we found out that our apartment complex is its own police patrol zone. Good news is, our monthly rent is way cheaper than all of our friends.

J: I decided to take Rachel on a hike for her birthday. I found a list of top hikes in Dallas online, and number 2 was right down the road from us and looked really pretty, so we went for it. The hike was supposed to be four miles long, winding through the woods and ending up at the dart station where my car was parked. Unfortunately, the blog I read was from 2010, which we decided was probably the last time the trail had been used. After roughing it for most of the hike, but being determined to finish, we found that the last half-mile of the trail was completely under water, and had to backtrack and take a different route. Four and a half hours after we began the hike, we emerged in our matching rain jackets, wet from the rain, covered in scrapes, leaves, and mud, still unsure of whether or not we had ever found the trail. To top it all off, once we got my car to a gas station, it wouldn’t start again… We spent about an hour sitting there, finally got the car started, and then had to drive it around for half an hour to charge up the battery. We were starving, so we drove home and Rachel ran inside to make us food, then we sat in the parking lot and ate our hotdogs with the car running. Rachel said it was her favorite birthday hike ever.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in the Big D and are happy to see Jas and Rach off to a great start in their marriage.  As for us, it was almost time to pack our bags for the Bahamas!  More on that next time.

Big Steve

Loading

Sojourners, Uncategorized

Mission Possible: The Sojourners

Leave a comment

“Give me Your eyes for just one second

Give me Your eyes so I can see

Everything that I keep missing

Give me Your love for humanity

Give me Your arms for the broken-hearted

The ones that are far beyond my reach

Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten

Give me Your eyes so I can see.”

– Brandon Heath, Give Me Your Eyes

About forty years ago Paul and Peggie Scott had a brilliant idea. Paul was a career Navy man who had travelled the globe. He and his wife frequently observed small struggling churches that needed help. They felt a calling to do mission work but weren’t exactly sure what form that would take.  They met another couple with an RV and together their dreams began to take shape. They decided they would travel the country by RV, ministering to small churches and others along the way.  In 1978 the two couples held their first planning workshop and a year later they named their mission the National Evangelism with Sojourners. They began to bring together other mostly retired Christians who owned RVs and had a desire to continue serving others. They were aware of many small churches, Christian schools, and Bible camps that needed help, but often don’t have the necessary resources. So this new churches of Christ-affiliated mission, the Sojourners, began to unite servant-hearted, RV-based Christians with churches, schools, camps, and children’s homes that needed a helping hand. Paul and Peggy’s dream had come to fruition, a new mission work had begun, and the Sojourners have been making a difference ever since.

Worship time!
Worship time!

Fast forward to 2015 and the Sojourners mission has grown to 520+ active members all around the country. It is sponsored by the eldership at the Burleson Church of Christ in Burleson, Texas. Each year more than 120 requests come in and are vetted by the Sojourners’ leadership. There are usually enough Sojourners to fill about 90-100 of them.  Some of the projects, called sojourns, are physical in nature…building a cabin, painting a church building, fixing the plumbing or electricity at a school, remodeling classrooms, trimming weeds, landscaping, fixing what’s broken, etc. Other sojourns are more spiritually-oriented…conducting Gospel meetings, door knocking, leading parenting seminars, organizing Vacation Bible Schools, teaching, preaching, conducting family counseling, visiting the sick and shut-ins, etc. Some sojourns are a combination of meeting both physical and spiritual needs. Either way, the Sojourners are self-supporting, and even make a contribution at the conclusion of each sojourn to cover their utility expenses. Among the hundreds of places the Sojourners have made a difference is Pennsylvania’s Camp Manatawny, where I attended as a teen, and Florida Bible Camp, where Lil Jan and I counseled and taught Bible classes.

Making new friends...the McLartys
Making new friends…the McLartys

As a couple who loves to travel, but also wants to continue to serve others, the Sojourners seemed like a perfect match for us. So we joined them! (Special thanks to Rex Dutton, Todd Mikula, and Jonathan Smith for emphasizing the positive on their letters of recommendation on us!)  We are so excited to be Sojourners! They, or I suppose I should now say “we”, have a number of workshops around the country throughout the year. The biggest is in October at the Sojourners headquarters, Camp Bee, in Marshall, Texas. I’ve heard Camp Bee described as “sort of like an RV-based Bible camp for old people.” So we rolled into Camp Bee in October for two weeks of orientation, training, fellowship, mission planning, and edification. This was also the opportunity to sign-up for whatever sojourns we want to volunteer for in the coming year. As rookies on the team, we are known as “Green Dots” because on the various sojourn sign-up sheets, there are designated spots for rookies with green dots next to them. This helps ensure you don’t have a team consisting of all rookies.

More new friends...the Williams
More new friends…the Williams

Our fellow Sojourners are, in a word, awesome!   They could not have been kinder or more welcoming to us. With some exceptions, they (we) are mostly from working class backgrounds.  There are retired farmers, business men or women, teachers, policemen, engineers, chemists, hair dressers, college professors, military, electricians, secretaries and homemakers. Most are retired although some continue to work and do sojourns on their vacation time. Of the 267 or so in attendance at Camp Bee, we were the youngest. In fact, the average age is about 70, but that didn’t make a difference to them or us. They seemed excited to have some new, younger blood on the team and we were excited to join such a loving, giving group of people.

I’ve heard two descriptions of Sojourners that seem to fit. One guest speaker, who is not a Sojourner, said that in every congregation, you tend to have about 10% of the people who do most of the work. He said that among those 10%, you’ll find the Sojourners.  That was evident when it was time to clean up after a banquet or stack chairs or whatever, and everyone pitched in. Another guy privately told me, “Steve, we are past the stage of trying to achieve career goals, make rank, and impress people. You could say our testosterone levels are low. We just want to serve others, and travel while we’re at it.” After spending 23 years of my life trying (at least subconsciously) to impress some general to make rank, his words were like music to my ears. Just serve. Two thousand years ago, Jesus captured his mission, and ours, pretty succinctly: “But I am among you as one who serves.” (Luke 22:27b) I think the Sojourners may be on to something.

Sojourners hold hands during EVERY SINGLE prayer...something all churches should do
Sojourners hold hands during EVERY SINGLE prayer…something all churches should do

In addition to worshipping together and hearing some motivating keynote speakers and Bible class teachers, we attended several classes on topics ranging from RV maintenance to Electricity 101. I could have used that class prior to taking possession of our RV. We also attended a Green Dot Orientation session and a Green Dot banquet, complete with a 1960s theme. By the end of that night, Lil Jan had somehow managed to volunteer us to head up next year’s Green Dot banquet.

We played lots of cards at night and learned several new variations on how to play “hand ‘n foot”. Jabs and trash talking by 70-year-old winning teams can be quite hilarious. So can the stories of exploding toilets and other “RV fails” on the road. In my spare time, I caught (and released) 14 catfish at the Camp Bee pond and went on some nice runs out in the east Texas countryside. We also went out to eat with and got to know several couples who have been Sojourners and full-time RVers for a number of years. We even ran into Cliff and Sharan David, who we worshipped with years ago back in San Antonio (had no idea they were Sojourners). It’s funny how when we first told people we were planning to unload most of our possessions and go RVing around the country, many looked at us like we had a third eyeball. Well amongst the Sojourners, that is considered a quite normal thing to do. In fact, some of them have been full-time RVing and Sojourning for more than a decade. We fit right in here.

Our "Host Mom & Dad", the Northens
Our “Host Mom & Dad”, the Northens…full-timers for 9 years!  I call him “Dad” now.
Green Dots Live Here
Green Dots Big Steve & Lil Jan Live Here

We, along with the other couple of dozen Green Dots, got first dibs to sign up for 2016 sojourns. This is a privilege you only get your first year as a Green Dot. In subsequent years, we’ll have to stand in line and “battle it out” (in a loving, Christian way, of course) to sign up for desired sojourns. 2016 will be a highly unusual year for us in that I will spend about six months of it attempting to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. Thus, our Sojourning windows of opportunity are in the winter and fall. After looking at all the opportunities out there, we settled on two workshops and three sojourns. We’ll spend most of January and February back in Florida, doing sojourns at Mount Dora Christian Home and Bible School (where we brought our former Youth Group for 7 consecutive years) and Central Florida Bible Camp. We’ll also attend the Sojourners winter workshop at that same camp. Then, after I get off the trail, we’ll head to Paragould, Arkansas in late September to do a sojourn at Paragould Children’s Home. We’ll then head back to Camp Bee in October for the annual workshop. We are thrilled to have these opportunities to serve while still fulfilling a desire to travel and live like gypsies. Lord willing, at the next Camp Bee workshop, we will be able to sign up for some 2017 sojourns in the southwest and/or northwest parts of the country.

RV Storage? You betcha!
RV Storage? You betcha!
Groovy, baby!
Groovy, baby!

As for the Sojourners, we couldn’t be happier serving alongside these wonderful Christian people. As a guy who played lots of sports growing up, I never had the honor to be on a “travel team”. I was a “good” and occasionally a “very good” athlete…but never an all-star that was selected for a travel team. So now, at age 49, I finally made my first travel team!  Lil Jan did too! We love these folks. They are great examples to us of not “throttling down” as you get older, but actually shifting into high gear and continuing to serve with abandon. We learned of one Sojourner who, at 89 years of age, was still climbing ladders, hauling bricks, and basically out-working all the “young 70 year olds” on the team. What a stud! I’m adding him to my short list of role models.

Why? So Steve doesn't fry the planet
Why? So Steve doesn’t fry the planet

If you are affiliated with a Christian school, Bible camp, children’s home or small congregation (less than 150 members) that could use a sojourn, please let me know and I’ll get you the request form. If you are potentially interested in joining the Sojourners, let me know and I’ll get you an application. You can also get these forms by contacting the Sojourner’s Camp Bee office at  office@sojourning.org or check out the web page at www.sojourning.org  for more information.

We ask that you keep this mission in your prayers, and that God will help us to plug into these sojourns and make a difference in the churches, camps, schools, and children’s homes where we’ll be serving. In some ways the various ministries we’ve been involved in throughout our lives have prepared us for this new opportunity. The mission we’re undertaking is exciting, challenging and most certainly a “mission possible”. If it’s anything like our experiences in Honduras and Costa Rica, I suspect we will be changed and blessed by these upcoming sojourns. You are never too old to take on a new challenge and a new mission. Really it’s not a new mission but an old one, going back to the challenge given to us by Jesus. Just serve. We thank God for this opportunity, and give him all the glory, honor, and praise! May he open our eyes, and your eyes, to the needs of those around us.

Big Steve

Not Just Fishers of Men
Not Just Fishers of Men
Hunter Gatherer
Fisher Gatherer
Our first sign-up as Green Dots!
Our first sign-up as Green Dots!

Loading

Uncategorized

Steel Magnolias

Leave a comment

“Honey, time marches on and eventually you realize it is marchin’ across your face.”       – Truvy, from Steel Magnolias

October 9-10, 2015

On our way to Texas we decided to overnight in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Natchitoches, pronounced “nack-uh-tish”, should not be confused with Nacogdoches, a Texas town, or with Natchoswitchees, a high calorie snack food.  The town, established in 1714 near a village of Indians of the same name, is the oldest permanent settlement in the region and has Cane River Lake running through its downtown. For a number of universities, it serves as the spring break training location for their crew teams. For Civil War fans, it’s known as the town set on fire by Union solders as they retreated after failing to capture Shreveport. Music fans may know it as the site of the 1973 plane crash that claimed the life of singer Jim Croce, who was unable to save time in a bottle. For shoppers, it’s the place to visit Kaffie-Frederick, Inc., which was founded in 1863, has been featured on Duck Dynasty and Cajun Pawn, and is the oldest general store in Louisiana. For Louisiana sports fans, it offers the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Tourists may know it for its Christmas Festival lights and Bayou Pierre Alligator Park. Food fans will head to Lasoyne’s Meat Pie Restaurant, home of the famous meat pie, one of the official state foods of Louisiana. For history buffs, it offers the Cane River National Heritage Area, a 116,000-acre area that includes sites such as the Oakland Plantation, Melrose Plantation, Magnolia Plantation, and several more. Put all that together, and you get a town named one of the top six places to retire in the United States by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine.

Steel Magnolia House
Steel Magnolia House
General Store... General Nerd
General Store, est. 1863… Specific Nerd, est. 1966

What drew us to Natchitoches, however, had nothing to do with any of those things. Instead, we chose it primarily based on a popular and award-winning movie that was filmed there: Steel Magnolias. This 1989 comedy-drama is about the bond between a group of women in a small southern community, and how they cope with the death of one of their own. The film is based on a play by Richard Harling, which is based on Starling’s real life and death of his sister due to early diabetes. Dolly Parton, Daryl Hannah, Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Olympia Dukakis, and Shirley MacLaine star in the movie, which grossed over $135 million.

My Lil Pumpkin
My Lil Pumpkin
Nacog Riverfront Garden
Natchitoches Riverfront Garden

We did a combination driving/walking tour to several homes featured in the movie, including the Steel Magnolia. We shopped along Main Street, which lines the beautiful Cane River Lake. We had lunch at Lasoyne’s Meat Pie Restaurant and ordered, of course, their signature food, meat pie. It lived up to the hype. While there, we got a picture of a picture of Daryl Hannah visiting the restaurant during the filming of Steel Magnolias. We walked through the gardens along the riverfront where a wedding had just taken place, and enjoyed the various Halloween and Thanksgiving scenes throughout the downtown. Kaffie-Frederick General Store lived up to its billing, “You can find ANYTHING here!” We had an excellent lake-side fish and burger dinner at Cane River Bar and Grill.   Needing our free WiFi fix, we finished off the night chillin’ at McD’s, where I blogged and tried to salvage my Fantasy football team and Lil Jan watched (drum roll)… Steel Magnolias on Amazon.

Lasoyne's Meat Pie
Lasoyne’s Meat Pie
Miss Hannah Loves 'Em Too
Miss Hannah Loves ‘Em Too

That brings us back to the movie, Steel Magnolias. Why that title? It is supposed to reflect the idea that the film’s female characters can be both as delicate as the magnolia flower, yet as tough as steel. Trading in three man-cards, I did a little more research on the magnolia, and found that there’s more to its story. Magnolias are multi-faceted with the potential to become trees, shrubs, evergreens or deciduous plants. They produce magnificent flowers in different colors, which have been popular around the world for centuries. The Japanese use the magnolia tree for its medicine and also grow ornamental shrubs. The bark is believed to reinvigorate a person’s chi, the life energy that breathes through all. (In America, that’s called mojo.) In China the magnolia denudate, or “jade orchid” is associated with China’s mighty imperial past, and was often used in Chinese art. During Victorian times, the magnolia flowers symbolized dignity, nobility, poise, and pride. Elsewhere, the flower has symbolized endurance, eternity, and long life, perhaps fitting since there are magnolia fossils dating back 20 million years.

The Cast
The Cast

In the United States, and especially the South, the magnolia grandiflora blooms with foot-long, scented white flowers, and symbolizes magnificence and splendid beauty. For some, the flower means the South. In fact, its been called the Southern emblem, and both Louisiana and Mississippi have the magnolia as their state flower. Even the magnolia’s colors have significance and have served as coded messages. White means purity and perfection; pink recalls youth, innocence and joy; yellow means joy and the coming of spring; green is associated with health and luck; and purple means power, sort of an explanation point that you would use with the other flowers…like a Pokemon Energy card. So, if you want a sick person to get well in an amazing or powerful way, you might send them green and purple magnolias.

flowers 2

So it is an amazing flower. It’s strikingly beautiful, yet very tough, unlike other delicate flowers. When you add “steel” to it as a modifier, it suggests something of amazing strength and beauty…a flower tough enough to survive even with changing climactic and geological conditions. Steel Magnolias, then, becomes a rather brilliant title for a movie about strong Southern women.

“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”                 – 1 Peter 5:10

We have been blessed to know and be inspired by some real-life Steel Magnolias. We’ve known some women who have faced adversity, overcome obstacles, and kept their faith. These women are as strong as steel and courageous as lions. They are beautiful inside and out. Their lives and examples are better than any Hollywood movie. So we thought we’d close by recognizing a few of our favorite Steel Magnolias.

Our first Steel Magnolia is Jaye Trovillion. Jaye lost her husband, Allan, to cancer several years ago. By all accounts, he was a loving husband, father, and friend and his death was an incredible blow. Although we moved to Florida shortly after his death and never got to meet him, we feel like we know him through the testimony of others. We can’t pretend to know the level of pain and sadness Jaye has endured. But we know this…Jaye got back on her feet. Jaye loves the Lord and held on to her faith. In the years since his death, she has taught Bible classes, inspired and served on multiple mission trips, and been an example to young and old of what it means to walk with the Lord. Wanting to help others deal with similar losses, she established and leads a grief support group. The loss of a loved one is not something you get over and put behind you. And yet, it is possible for healing to occur and to begin functioning again. For a steely few, women like Jaye, it’s even possible to continue to live lives of joy and passion, encouraging others along the way.

Jaye in Honduras
Jaye in Honduras
Jaye in Paris
Jaye in Paris

Becky Beggs is our second Steel Magnolia. Becky was diagnosed with advanced cancer a couple of years ago. The news was devastating, knocking Becky, husband Todd, the entire family and their friends off their feet. There seemed to be a lot more questions than answers. Why her? Why now? She is a faithful Christian, wife, and mother to two teenage boys. She’s in her 40s, full of life and has so much to offer to so many people. In the midst of disappointment and frustration, she too regained a foothold and began to fight back. She started an intense regime of chemotherapy and surgery. Our church prayed for her individually and collectively, and continues to do so. Even with her hair falling out and at times feeling sick all over, she returned to her Guidance Counselor position at the local Christian school whenever she was able. The Guidance Counselor title doesn’t do her justice, as she is also a life coach, mentor, friend, and Christian example to hundreds of young people…and more than a few adults. We don’t know the precise outcome of the cancer battle for Becky, or anyone else for that matter. But her steely resolve to fight cancer while keeping and professing her faith is such an encouragement to those who know her and those who are going through similar fights.

Becky & Todd
Becky & Todd
Foundation Christian Academy in Becky's Corner
Foundation Christian Academy takes the court for Becky

Our third Steel Magnolia is Hayley Waldron. We don’t know Hayley as well as the other two. We went to college with her parents, Tim and Lisa Smith, and remain friends.  We’ve gotten to know her through her friends, including our son, Kyle. We have also gotten great insight into her character and faith through her Facebook posts. Hayley’s husband, Harrison, was in a serious 4-wheeler accident a few months ago while they were in New York for a wedding. He sustained a life-threatening traumatic brain injury, and the doctors weren’t sure if he would survive. As a young, immensely talented newlywed couple, they were living for God and making a difference in the world around them. And then this happened. More questions. Why him? Why them? Why now? Why God? While I suspect Hayley has asked her fair share of questions, she hasn’t lost her faith. She hasn’t given up on Harrison or on God. Rather than withdrawing into a shell, which would be understandable, she has kept her family and friends updated on his status, and has continued to proclaim the awesomeness of God. She has inspired thousands of people across the country and around the world to go to their war rooms, drop to their knees, and pray for God’s healing of Harrison. That’s faith, folks! It’s trusting in God even when you don’t have all the answers. It is knowing, even in the darkest storm, who is piloting the ship.

Hayley and Harrison
Hayley and Harrison
Fighting the Good Fight
On the road to recovery

Earlier this year, we had the opportunity to hear Dr. Kent Brantly, an Ebola survivor, speak at Lipscomb University. Kent said that faith isn’t believing that everything will be good and pleasant for Christians in the here and now. In fact, the Bible tells us to expect difficulty, suffering, and even some persecution. Rather, Kent’s definition of faith is “believing that God is who he said he is, and will do what he said he will do.” Wow! Let that sink in for a moment. That’s a game changer. Because if God is who he says he is and will do what he says he will do (spoiler alert: He is and will), then that changes everything. It means that things end really, really well for Jaye and Allan, Becky and Todd, Hayley and Harrison, and all who put their faith in God. God has written the final chapter in their stories (and ours) and they end amazingly well, regardless of when or how our earthly stories end. Jesus once said, in John 16:33, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take hear; I have overcome the world.”

Thank you, Hayley and Jaye and Becky, for being Steel Magnolias, living examples of holding on to faith in even the most trying of circumstances. Please know that your lives and your faith have encouraged and strengthened many people.  If God ever decided to write a sequel to the Bible set in the 21st Century, and wanted a Job-like book on faith in times of trial, I suspect he might include the Book of Jaye, the Book of Becky, or the Book of Hayley.  Thank you for putting your faith in a Savior who loves you and has overcome this world. We count ourselves among the many who have been blessed and inspired by you.

Big Steve and Lil Jan

Note 1:  To learn more about Harrison and Hayley’s story, check out Hayley’s Facebook page or this excellent article:  http://www.christianchronicle.org/article/he-s-with-me-and-he-s-fighting

If you’d like to donate funds to help with Harrison’s medical care, you can send a check (w/ “Harrison or Hayley Waldron” in the memo line) to their home congregation which is serving as a collection and distribution point for donated funds.  The address is:

Tusculum Church of Christ
6117 Nolensville Pike
Nashville, TN 37211

Note 2:  To learn more about Becky’s journey, check out her blog at:  http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/beckybeggs

If you’d like to donate funds to help with Becky’s cancer treatment, use this link:  https://www.gofundme.com/dp7odg

 

Loading

Campground Reviews, Uncategorized

Campground Review: Aviation Arbor RV Park, Belle Chase, LA

Leave a comment

Aviation Arbor RV Park, Naval Air Station (NAS) Joint Reserve Base (JRB) New Orleans, Belle Chase, LA

Dates: October 6-9, 2015

Campsite: 27

Overall Score: 4.46 (out of 5)

Summary: The strength of this military campground is being close to New Orleans and having full hookups.

Recreation/Amenities: 4 – Aside from billiards and Ping-Pong, there is not much to do at the actual campground. However, its location on a military base puts a movie theater, bowling alley, gymnasium, golf course and other recreational opportunities in easy driving distance.

Hookups & Connectivity: 4.8 – electric, water, and sewer. Laundry facilities. Free Wi-Fi. Aside from Cable TV, it has everything you’d want in a campground.

Pavillion, Laundry, Bathrooms
Pavillion, Laundry, Bathrooms

Local Vicinity Things to Do: 4.7 – A high score due to its proximity to New Orleans which has a ton of things to do (see our blog on New Orleans). There’s also the Audubon Aquarium, Insectarium, IMAX, and Audubon Zoo.

Cleanliness: 4.5 – Solid. No major issues. Even the laundry facilities were nice.

Simple, but full hook-ups!
Simple, but full hook-ups!

Intangibles: 4.3 –

Pros – Quiet, clean, and safe. Very affordable at $20/night. There’s decent spacing between RVs. Upon arrival, we were given a welcome packet with maps and information on the local area. That’s a first. I always love being back on a military installation and hearing the National Anthem played over loud speakers each day. Merica!

Cons – The campground is not what you would consider beautiful…no lakes, mountain vistas, forests, etc. There are just rows of RVs surrounded by some trees and bushes. The campground is close to the a flight line which can get loud at times, although that wasn’t a problem for us.

Big Steve

Loading