RVing With a Purpose

Saturday, May 5, 2018

We apologize for not posting for the past three days. Briefly, we continued to do accounting and estate business for two of those days and then Friday was another LONG day, again visiting four banks, the assisted living and Aunt Helen and Aunt Jean. (We did take time to walk back down to Cookout for a milkshake last night.) For those that haven’t heard, Jean and Helen have been moved to long term care at the rehab center and are now sharing a room, 306. We don’t know how that will work and they are both on the wait list for private rooms. Please pass the word along about the room change.

While we were at the banks Friday, we struck up a conversation with the lady helping us. We told her about the work we do with NOMADS and RVing with a purpose. It was then that she told us that she and her husband had hoped to travel in their RV too. They had bought a brand new trailer and in December were loading it out for their first trip when he died suddenly of an aneurysm. Very sad story of a very sweet lady. She is now trying to sell the trailer because she never learned to tow it and doesn’t want to try to travel alone. If you know anyone in the market, we know where they can buy a 32 foot 2018 Keystone Springdale with one slideout for a good price.

Today we are on the road again! We left Tuscaloosa about 6:50 this morning in route back to Baton Rouge. We stopped at the Mississippi and Louisiana welcome centers for a breakfast and breaks and arrived early afternoon. It was a very cloudy drive with an occasional drizzle. We noticed that as soon as we crossed into Mississippi, the magnolia trees had beautiful blooms. So pretty.  Not so pretty – the love bugs are everywhere right now. We were hoping for a good rain before we arrived but it didn’t happen. Max had to wash the windshield and front cap this afternoon before the sun is back out tomorrow.

Our dear friends, Carol and Dave, our leaders for the next two weeks, greeted us on arrival. We went to a late lunch/early supper together and started getting caught up. Looking forward to working with them the next few weeks. Stel and Jodi are also still here in Baton Rouge and it was wonderful to see them as well. Jodi is still weak from her surgery but says she is getting stronger. She still needs our prayers but it was so good to see her out and about. Mark and Lisa who were also here when we were here a few weeks ago will arrive tomorrow afternoon. Dave and Carol think we will all be working back out at Richard’s house all week. Looking forward to seeing the progress that has been made while we were gone. Don’t forget to be in prayer for services tomorrow. We are looking forward to worshiping at Francis Asbury UMC again tomorrow.

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Today was another day of estate and tax work, but we did see these cute ducklings on our evening walk to get milkshakes.

Monday, April 30, 2018

Max: I stayed at the sticks and bricks to bushhog the fields before we head out again on NOMADS projects. After going for diesel fuel, airing up the tires and connecting the battery it was off to work. Most of our property is in pine trees but about 10 acres is still open field and has to be cut two or three times a year. I sometimes have company when bushhogging. We have a red-tailed hawk that lives close by and we have a sort of symbiotic relationship. I cut the field short enough for it to see prey more easily and it entertains me while I’m on the tractor. The hawk was not there for most of the day, but after lunch a group of 4 crows were repeatedly diving at the top of one of the large oak trees on the edge of the field, so I knew the hawk was on scene. The rest of the day the hawk did its hunting and the crows harassed it.

A surprise visitor showed up later. As I was just about finished with our field and starting over to cut the small lot behind Aunt Helen’s house, I thought I saw our resident red fox on the edge of the field. A few moments later it came out into the brightly lit mowed area and I saw it was not a fox. It was a lone, and bold, coyote. Unfortunately, the good cameras were in FRED in Tuscaloosa so the only pictures today were from my phone. When I came back to our house after finishing the lot at Aunt Helen’s (and clearing some saplings and privet hedges from the blueberry bushes) the coyote and hawk were still busy hunting. They helped relieve some of the boredom of driving the tractor back and forth, back and forth, back and forth…

Looks like we will have another good blueberry crop this year. Anybody want to pick them if they ripen while we’re gone?

 

Anne:  Max gets bored bushogging back and forth, back and forth, but I had him beat today.  I returned to my first profession, accountant, and worked on family accounting ALL day today.  I did take time to work out this morning and walked the greenway again this afternoon but otherwise, it was accounting all day until 9:00 tonight.  That’s about 14 hours.  YUK!  I do remember why my first degree was in accounting but tonight I really, really, remember why I changed professions.  I do thank God for the ability to do this and for the beautiful day we had today.  Sure will be glad when Max can join me in Tuscaloosa again.

Sunday, April 29, 2018

Wow, May is almost here. It has been a crazy four months. We could have never thought in December that the first four months would be like this. But today was another beautiful day. A little cool with the temperature 48 this morning. When you were in the breeze it was actually a little cool all day but it was nice.

We got to be with our church family at Lester again today.  Even better Randy and Debra also worshiped with us. It was another wonderful time of worship with Barry’s sermon from John 15:1-8. In one section Barry reminded us that what people see in us reveals some sort of profession of faith in Christ. It may be a profession that Christ is not important at all in our lives, or that He is marginal in our lives or that He is central to how we live. But we all make a profession of faith each day with everyone we meet. The question we need to ask ourselves is, can people I associate with each day tell I belong to Christ? We hope so.

After early service, Randy and Debra returned to the mountain to pack and head back to South Carolina. Thankfully they have arrived home safely. We stayed for Sunday School and then on to check in on Aunt Helen and Aunt Jean. They both seemed to be doing well today. Jean was already in the dining room visiting with some other residents when we arrived and Aunt Helen was taking a nap. Helen of course made it to the dining room before lunch was served. It is a blessing that both ladies are happy and pretty content currently.

During the traditional service at Lester today the eight young people who completed confirmation this spring were presented for church membership. Then, as is our custom, this afternoon there was a church picnic at Camp Sumatanga. A couple of the youth were baptized in the cold lake, some others were sprinkled and several people had a remembrance of their previous baptism as a part of the worship service. Another church that was having their church picnic joined Lester for worship and the baptism service. It was another great day for worship.

Tonight Anne is in Tuscaloosa working on things there and Max is at the sticks and bricks planning to spend tomorrow on the bush hog. Only five more days til we are on the road again.