- Computer: If you have been following my blog for any length of time you know that our laptop doesn't work more than it does. I think it might have officially died. It has not turned on since the last time I blogged( hence why I haven't blogged in so long). Please pray we find a good used one for really cheap or that God provides us with extra funds to buy a new one. It is essential to have a new one as it has many essential programs and documents on it such as the Mountain Directory we'll desperately need as we head into the Rockies.
- Wood:I forgot to budget for wood. Oops. We certainly can't afford $5 a bundle most places sell it for. I like to cook over the fire as much as I can because it allows me to cook multiple things over the fire where as inside the trailer I can only use one appliance at a time( otherwise we trip breaker). So pray that we can find someone who has chopped wood that they would like to rid of.
- Van Seats: My sister in law had a house fire on Halloween last year and she lost everything. Included in the loss were our 3rd and 4th row van seats that we were storing in her shed. We contacted Ford to get the amount to replace the seats which was $5000. Unfortunately insurance would only give us about $400.00. We have been searching for replacement seats while we have been home these past 2 months to no avail. We need them to be from a Ford E350 15 passenger van 1998-2008. Other seats won't anchor into our van properly. Please be in prayer that we find them for the $400 we were allotted,
- Finances: When we accepted the sellers offer on our home, it was for less than we needed to sustain us on the road. We prayed about it and felt led to accept the offer and trust that God would provide the difference via our tax return and donations. We stayed on budget for the 1st part of our trip and had just enough from our equity to cover the expenses thus far ( we also just had $600 in van repairs). Now as we head out again for the 2nd leg we pray for the best tax return we have ever gotten and also for the Holy Spirit to move in people that they will want to partner with us on this ministry. We have $1000 in our bank account as we head out next week. Our monthly budget ranges from 2400-2900 depending on the area we are in. It is a little nerve-racking but we are trusting God that the money will come through. If just 100 people give a $100 we will be all set! Of course donations of any amount are appreciated since they all add up! We are also open to gift cards to places like gas stations,chain grocery stores, and CVS.
- Wisdom:Always pray for tons of wisdom and discernment for us in knowing what God wants us to do. We aren't sure exactly what the next 8 months will look like. Our first part of the trip we moved around about every week. This time around we aren't sure what God wants us to do.
- Our Family:Prayers for all of us and the extended family as we face the range of emotions of leaving again. As it stand now we will be out for twice as long as the 1st time. That is tough.
- Trip Back: Please pray we don't have another fiasco like the one we had coming here! We decided to get a couple hotel rooms at the midpoint which would be about 7 hours away. I hate to spend money on it but with little ones we just can't make a 13 hour trip all at once. Pray that Little Miss and Baby Girl do great(meaning no screaming, crying, throwing things, etc).
Other happenings are that we are being commissioned by our church as an official ministry! We are considered a short terms mission trip. We are praying that the backing of the church will lend more validity to what we are doing and help raise prayer and support for our ministry. We will be sending out letters and we also have a gofundme page along with using the paypal button to the right of this post to raise funds for our missions trip.
We have also started a facebook page specifically for the ministry which we have officially dubbed
Camping for Christ Ministries
These are the photos we had done up to hand out to people here at home and those we meet on the road. Everyone at campgrounds are always asking if we have a business card and I end up just having to scrawl my blog on a piece of paper to give them.
Thanks to the Mata family (who do missionary work in Mexico) for giving us this idea, Gary Welling who did our photography and Gran who put all the graphic designs on the picture!!
It will be easier for us to use the facebook page to make quick, frequent updates and post a few pictures on there via the Hubby's phone and then blog more in depth when I get the chance(and a working computer). So feel free to go like it and follow it!
We are so excited to see what God has in store for this next part of our journey! Thanks to all of you for your continued prayers and support. We are so humbled.
Many Blessings
The Mama
