A year ago, we were in the final push to get moved out of our 2800 square foot house and into our 400 square foot RV. Although I had it planned perfectly, going through a room each week, the house seemed to grow, life got in the way, and we came upon the last week before our planned departure for a new life as a full-time RVing family with a lot of work still to do. It was all hands on deck as we sorted and organized and resorted and made trip after trip to the RV to try to fit all of our most important stuff into the RV.
It was a lot harder than I expected to decide what stuff was really essential. It seemed even harder for us adults than for the children, probably because we thought more about long term consequences – what if we need that someday? The children worked harder that week than I had ever asked them to, as I kept giving them new projects, although I did try to give them some final play time with their friends.
Finally, our planned departure date arrived and we woke up to a thick layer of ice over everything. This, in addition to the bitter cold that just wouldn’t quit, made me want to head south quickly. But after pouring hot water over the RV steps to make it safe to walk up and down them, we decided to stay put another day. We wouldn’t have been able to pull the slides in anyway due to the ice.
The next day, after a farewell visit from family and asking my cousin to store some last minute items, we hit the road. We only knew for sure what our first two stops were. We chose a KOA about a day’s drive from Columbus so that we had full hookups while we adjusted to life on the road. Then onto Tallequah, Oklahoma to check out the western band of Cherokee Indians. Beyond that, we didn’t know where we were going, how long we would be there or even how long we would be on the road.
A year later, we still live in the RV full-time. But we are settled again in Muskogee, Oklahoma. We ended up here instead of Tallequah last year, and have since realized it was all part of God’s plan to get us to move here. We are fully involved with the awesome Church of the Nazarene down here, where I am the Children’s Director. I am loving working with the children and the adults here. The family here is exactly that, and there are lots of great ideas for fun stuff to do with the children as we show them how much Jesus loves them and wants them.
Meanwhile, I am staying busy with Scouts. I have started a multi-level Girl Scout Troop which involves 16 girls and is still growing. Did I mention it’s cookie time? I am the committee chair for Cub Scouts, and am helping to start a Boy Scout Troop.
Although we would appreciate a little more space, we like it here at Crossroads RV Park. Also, we are finally pretty stable financially, and are completely debt free! We’re not looking to change that by buying a house right now, and renting isn’t very affordable yet. Besides, it’s unlikely we’ll find a place that will rent to a family of 9. For now, we’ll stay right here. That is, until God tells us to move.
In retrospect, a year hasn’t made a lot of difference, since we started out excited and busy following God’s leading, and, although our circumstances are different, we are still excited and busy following God’s leading.