WHY?

That seems to be the big question right now

Why are we selling everything, packing up and traveling the country?

Usually when I tell people that God is leading us on this journey they assume it is a missions trip. If God calls us to something then it must be to evangelize, right?  Not necessarily.

Sometimes he calls us to something so that we can lift him up to others when we tell out story of how God came through big time. Sometimes it's just to bless our socks off.  And sometimes it is to be there for someone in the perfect moment when they need it.

So why are WE doing this?  What is God's purpose for US?

The truth is I am not completely sure.  See, God often doesn't show us the entire staircase and where it leads, rather just one step at a time.  Many will not set foot on the staircase if they can't see every step and where it goes.  But I ask you this-isn't that why it's called FAITH?  

The really simple answer is this though-

We are being obedient even though we don't have all the answers.  We often tell our children to not question us as parents and do as they are told("Because I said so, that's why!").  But how often do we extend the same courtesy to God as our Father as his children?  I suppose that is why the bible refers to it as 'child like faith'.

I personally think God is calling us to this for a mixture of reasons.  I think it is a wonderful blessing to be able to do this while the kids are still in the house. What amazing moments and memories we will have from this adventure. It will really make us focus on what's truly important( besides God of course)-each other. 

 I also think there is at least 1 person out there who we can be there for during a tough time.  If we can be a light for Jesus along the way, then we certainly will.  And what a testimony this will be to God's faithfulness and how he is going to bring this all together and make it happen! 

But what do I know?  So for now we are just being obedient and can't wait to see how it all unfolds!

"Trust God from the bottom of your heart;

    don’t try to figure out everything on your own.

Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;

    he’s the one who will keep you on track.

Don’t assume that you know it all."

Proverbs 3:5-6 The Message

Many Blessings,

The Mama

Big Changes are Coming for our Family

Wow, so much has happened in the past couple months.  My husband unexpectedly lost his job, he started pursuing police work more seriously, his former employer started some mud slinging and my husband was asked to resign his police position.  Crazy stuff.  But it gets crazier...

Right before the whole resigning as a police officer thing, God started whispering something to us.  But it seemed just absolutely ridiculous and I know I certainly did not see anyway possible it could even happen.

But funny how God works that way.  Because everything started falling into place.  Even though it was not at all what we wanted.  Notice that little word in there- 'we'.   What our little peon earthly brains wanted.  Sigh.  When will I ever learn.

We have been called by God to do some crazy things in life.  Like adopting a special needs daughter from 1/2 way around the world or adding a 5th child that we just KNEW would cause our adopted daughter to act out and it would be an awful mess.  But it wasn't an awful mess- it was one of the best things that could have ever happened to Princess.  We would have never guessed.

We would have missed out on SOOO many blessings in life had we relied only on ourselves and what we wanted and what we 'knew'.  I am sure there are some things we did miss out on before we started our closer walk with Christ.

But God has called us to do something even bigger this time.  Bigger as in more bizarre.  And something that affects more people in our lives.  Which makes it twice as hard to be obedient.

So here it is:

God has called us to sell our house 
and pretty much everything in it
( or give it away), 
buy a RV and spend about a year traveling the country.

 Did I mention there are SEVEN people in our family? 

There is definitely a freedom in just selling everything and hitting the road, but there is also the emotional stress of leaving loved ones behind.  We have shed many, many tears over that part.

And then we actually had to TELL our families about this ridiculous plan. I just wanted to hold up a sign that said,"Don't blame me, blame God!"

But as hard as it is to upset your family, it would be even worse to upset God.  We can only pray that God provides peace and understanding to our family in the weeks and months to come.

I pray that eventually they will see what an amazing opportunity this is and be happy for us. Also that they would be proud that we so boldly followed God's leading. That may be asking a lot, but a girl can pray.

Well that's enough for now.  In future posts I will be writing about what RVing full time involves, where we are in the process and everything else that goes with such a radical concept.

I leave you with a passage from the bible that kept coming to mind during all this.  I never want to be the person who hangs my head and turns around when Jesus asks me to follow because I am afraid of what I have to give up...

 Matthew 19: 17-22 

Another day, a man stopped Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

 Jesus said, “Why do you question me about what’s good? God is the One who is good. If you want to enter the life of God, just do what he tells you.”

The man asked, “What in particular?”

Jesus said, “Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as you do yourself.”

 The young man said, “I’ve done all that. What’s left?”

 “If you want to give it all you’ve got,” Jesus replied, “go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me.”

That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crestfallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn’t bear to let go.

Many Blessings,

The Mama