Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Orange Dreams


What a cute little place!


The other day, a dear fellow took us out to lunch at this cute little place in the fruit growing region of The Orange Works is a converted orange packing place amidst acres and acres of orange groves.  It's a really beautiful restaurant that is only open from 11am to 4pm - just a lunch place - with a very sparse  but delicious sandwich menu.  Most of us ordered the tri-tip sandwich, a slow-roasted marinated beef on a monster bun!  The specialty garlic sauce brought out the flavor of the meat, and the meal came with a bag of chips, a soda, and their daily special flavor ice cream.  That day just happened to be orange or lemon ice cream, so I chose the orange.  It was just like an orange dreamsicle, with a little bit of pulp!  Yum!

Now I'm hungry again!

May your blessings outweigh your burdens, and your burdens be rolled onto Jesus, dear ones!

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

The Human Icicle


This is nothin' compared to how I felt this morning!!


Just in case you think life on the road is all peaches ‘n cream, allow me to lay that myth to rest.  One way in which living in a converted bus is different than living in a home is plainly obvious in the shower.

To start with, all of our plumbing is under the floor of the bus, and that means it is neither heated nor cooled.  It is merely outdoor temperature.  Our water heater can only heat the shower water so many degrees warmer than the water going into it.  So, that makes the shower frustratingly hot in the summer, and cold in the winter. 

Today, another dynamic was added: having to greatly conserve water because we’re running on the tank.  Now, our onboard tank hold 100 gallons of water, which gets us through a whole day’s worth of showers for 6 people plus one load of laundry.  That’s not bad.  And that usually works fine until we get to our destination where we can hook up to a water source…unless something happens and we don’t make it to our destination, like last night.

Everything was going fine until my husband, Iron Stomach Raub, got sick…terribly sick.  The odd thing is, in all the years I’ve known him (which is about thirty-three!) he’s NEVER gotten sick like that.  He’s gotten sick in other ways, but not stomach sick.  Unfortunately, he’s the only driver of this mess, and so we didn’t make it to our destination.  Instead, we spent the night in a Walmart parking lot.

That means that the water which was slated to last for a day has to last for an undetermined amount of time.

But, back to the shower.

This morning, I had to take a shower that used about 1 to 2 gallons of water. 
But to complicate matters, it was cold last night, about 31 degrees.  And our shower room has no heat.

I estimate my water temperature to be about 50-60 degrees, and the shower room air temperature to be about the same, but the floor of the shower room was about 40 degrees.  Add to that, the fact the condensation builds up inside the rooftop vent (35 degrees) and drips down on my back (no longer 98.6 degrees) because there’s only 2 feet worth of space in the shower room.  Yikes!

I think I was an icicle when I got out.  

But I succeeded in only using my allotted amount of water!
Hopefully, My Beloved will be better soon…(like, in the next few hours??) and we can roll along.




Tuesday, November 1, 2011

They may look innocent, but...


See that cement post on the left?  It's not as innocent as it seems!


We got hung up today trying to get the bus into a tight spot to get fuel on our way out of town.  We didn't know the cement post was there until we ran into it, but run into it we did!  I thought it was funny how about half a dozen men came out of nowhere, swarmed around and offered their opinions about what to do.  It was quite a scene; I imagine it probably made some of those guys' day to help us out.  (Excitement is hard to come by in Albany!)  Thankfully, with prayer and a lot of fancy maneuvering on my husband's part, and we were on our way again.  It'll take some buffing to get the blue scrape marks off the side of the bus, but it should come out.


Off we go to Southern California!


Keep rolling on for Jesus, dear ones!


Sunday, October 23, 2011

Watch out for those low sinks!



We passed a few very strange creatures in a field!  I think they're baby llamas!!


It was an uneventful Sunday here in Oregon, where we need to extend our time while my husband has  some very important dental work done.  On our way to church this morning, we enjoyed the beautiful changing leaves and crisp fall weather.  There were also some odd sights that made us smile, like baby llamas!

This buddy keeps those baby llamas in line...

Of course, we know who's REALLY in charge!

We were enthusiastically greeted by church folks as soon as we entered the door!  It was quite a blessing and an encouragement to all of us.  There was such a positive air in the church, and excitement about the things of God.  It was apparent by the signs that were plastered all over the walls:

At church, we were greeted by a sign that has the greatest message about the greatest Pewrson!

It's wonderful to know that we serve a God that can do ANYTHING!   Just like the angel Gabriel said to Mary, "For nothing is impossible with God."  Mary's response is mine, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy will."

Here's a strange thing we often see on the west coast: unisex bathrooms!

After church, we stopped at a burger joint to feed the hungry masses.  While I was there, I noticed the unisex restroom (yikes!).  I don't know about those low sinks with the really strong smelling soap!

Keep rolling on for Jesus, dear ones!

Monday, September 19, 2011

Rolling on...

Looking into the sunshine!
It's been a long and busy week, full of good fellowship and many opportunities.  And since I'm standing on the eve of another busy week, I'm going to fill you in on things and move on.

The weekend before last we were at Mountain Home, Idaho, home of the Mountain Home Air Force Base.  We were able to make some good contacts, some folks who would like us to come back to help them reach onto the base.  We also handed out some Military Editions of John/Romans at a huge fair!

During that weekend, I was also able to get another survey for my upcoming book, for which I am very thankful!

Last week, we stopped by The Dalles, Oregon, and had a meeting at a church there, and I picked up a few more surveys.  The Lord has blessed, and I have about 52 in all now.

I also had a wonderful opportunity to speak to a Ladies' Group on Thursday night, as well as to another ladies' group just this past Sunday morning!  For both, I spoke on the same topic, one of the patterns I see emerging as a result of my survey.  It is a blessing to me to see God working, and I think it was a blessing to the ladies, as well.

Soon the Rolling Raub Ranch will be moving on, headed toward a military project in Canada!  Please pray for continued safety, and especially that we will be used of the Lord to accomplish His purpose.

A cute little friend came to visit us!
Stopping for a little break

Monday, November 1, 2010

Heading Home! Finally....

We are finally heading to our home, which is parked at a collision shop in Gaylord, Michigan. As of Friday last week, the bus is done and the shop got their check, so all we need to do now is show up and pick up our baby. It's going to be late when we get in tonight, maybe around 11:00pm or so, but I know everyone will want to go see it, even if it's cold, dark, and late! It's been almost two months since the accident, and we are going to be sooooo glad to be home again...even if home is only 320 square feet!

The Lord has kindly blessed us, and many people have put us up, or put up with us, as the case may be. We've also been blessed to be in several meetings and some missions conferences, several of which were unplanned - the folks knew we were around and asked us to come. All of these missions conferences have been a tremendous blessing, I love being with missionaries, and it seems that the Lord speaks to my heart more and more with each conference. For all the Lord Jesus has done for us, could it be considered a sacrifice to serve Him? No, not at all...

We have one more missions conference to go before we can head out to the military bases of the east coast. I have been somewhat chaffing at the thought of being stalled in the breadbasket of the nation, but the Lord has used it to help us in many ways. Still, I can't wait to get close to a base and be amongst the folks God has called us to reach.

Continue to pray for us for safety. When we pick up the bus tomorrow, we will still have a lot of glass to clean up, though we did what we could before we left. There will be other repairs to attend to as well, like the front curtain and rod. That will need replaced as soon as possible (nothing like living in a glass house... literally!!) And I feel fairly certain that after two months of sitting idle, something will need to be fixed! Just pray for us as we settle in.

A thought for today:

"The Lord has made everything beautiful in His time..." Each of us struggle with the voices from our past, those voices that tell us that we are stupid, or ugly, or wierd, or whatever. Sometimes a face comes with the voices, and sometimes those voices are alone, taunting us.

Always remember that those voices are sent by Satan to discourage you and make you ineffective for God. You see, if he can make you feel worthless, you will do nothing for God, and he knows it. He is lying to you, telling you, through those hurtful remarks, something that is not true! If we listen to his lies, we will be coming in line with his desires and wishes. As a born-again, blood-bought child of God, He sees only His Son, not our mistakes or shortfalls. He is "blinded by the Son," so to speak.

Praise be to the wonderful Creator, who loves us, made us beautiful through His Son, and helps us erase the lies Satan has emblazoned into our memories. God is so good!

Friday, September 10, 2010

More photos...



Sharon was sitting right in front, holding this laptop. This gives you a bit of an idea of how much glass she was showered by! It has to be a miracle that she did not get one cut!

Here's a look from the inside out. The right windshield got caught against that mirror in the middle, and didn't collapse until we were stopped and everyone was out of the way. The right windshield was stopped by the curtain rod (that thin line going across the top of the window).


The outside - sign and all!



This is the part that took the brunt of the hit - the passenger side middle. Simply amazing that no one was seriously hurt.
I told a friend today that it's hard to get a Christian down. When something happens, they just pop back up and say, "It could've been a lot worse!" "Neither death, nor life, nor angels, principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom. 8:38-39)
AMEN!
By the way, the shop says it will take 3 weeks to fix it. Pray for proper accomodations and guidance as to what to do about our scheduled meetings during this time. Thank you!


Saturday, August 21, 2010

The Ogre of the Rolling Raub Ranch

Driving through Wisconsin, we're having good driving weather and great safety. Good driving weather, to us, is an overcast day, and maybe some light sprinkles. That means we don't roast in our tin oven on wheels! And then, of course, safety means that the white cloud of smoke we saw coming from the trailer we pull really was nothing, and we didn't run into the eighteen wheeler who honked at us as we pulled out. A few close calls here and there, but, as Ma Ingalls says, "All's well that ends well."

We've not been near any military bases within the past week or so, and I really miss it. But, thankfully, the Lord is opening up opportunities to still impact the military for Jesus. A church in Kentucky has taken our ministry on as a project, and they took it upon themselves to work with Bearing Precious Seed in Milton, Ohio to create a beautiful full-color cover for a John-Romans for our ministry. Then, they also paid for production of about 8,000 of them, and called us to ask where to send them. Well, wouldn't you know that the three bases we've just been at are wanting materials to pass out on their bases!! I think it's amazing how God works on one side of the country to bring about the desired effects on the other side of the country, and how God uses His people, poor and dumb as we are sometimes, to put forth His Word! Praise His Holy Name! So, within a few days, there will be some wonderful John/Romans with "Compliments of Eagles' Wings Military Ministry" on the back going out into three different bases across the United States! God is so good.

Family wise, we finished up our second week of school. It's been easy and rough at the same time. Most children are doing great, and one is having some problems. It makes it very difficult for me, because not only do I need to teach Jason second grade and grade four students' worth of papers, but I also have to keep calling back some people to do their work right, or complete their work, etc. I feel like The Ogre of Rolling Raub Ranch, but I have do keep some semblance of discipline amongst the troops.

I've been working bit by bit on my book, though, and I enjoy that. It is difficult, though, because the subject matter is very pertinent. To those of you who are praying for me about that, I want to thank you and ask you to keep it up! It will be a loooong time before it is finished, but I do not intend to let it go.

A verse for today: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." Prov 3:5-6 How much we can trust Him! How faithful He is! How good to know that He wants us to trust Him! May we give ourselves completely to Him, as a living sacrifice.

Friday, August 13, 2010

I'm Back - and that's a threat! :)

It's been a busy time, with meetings and now school has started for us. We are currently parked in the Indianapolis area, but we are moving out today to head to another little town that no one has ever heard of.

It sure was great to see the boys, and to sing with them almost every night of the Jubilee. One of the things I love, I mean love, is to sing with my family. It is the greatest joy of my soul to sing the praises of Him who has done so much for me with the dear ones I love more than anyone on earth. Now, the girls and I have been practicing so that we can get used to singing without the boys, and so we can have a few new songs...just for us.

Today I will try to take Jason back to the dentist, because the spacer that was put on on Saturday is hurting him. Maybe he can file down the rough parts a little.

To those who have started school already, never fear! As the Lord has pulled you through each year until now, He will do it again.

Verse for today: "As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about His people from henceforth even forever." Psalm 125:2 AMEN!

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Opportunities, Interviews, and Overload...

...and our great Loadbearer!

We spent a lot of last week driving from Kansas to Indiana, where we picked up a new air conditioner. (Praise the Lord!) Arriving an hour before sunset, my husband immediately set to work installing it. It took him a few hours, but now we have all our a/c's working again! Most likely, unless you've spent much time living in an RV in the summer (with several other warm bodies), it's hard to realize just how wonderful air conditioning is. I'm so thankful to the Lord for His blessing!

Here in Indiana, we were privileged to be at a church that has a burden to reach Camp Atterbury, a reserve base which is going to be increasing in size considerably. The church is only fifteen minutes away from the base, so we are hoping and praying that someone there will be able to work a ministry.

Now we are at a meeting in southern Indiana. Jonathan and Stephen are coming out to be with us for the week, and we are all simply delirious to see them. We haven't been with Jonathan for a month, and haven't seen Stephen for about four months, so we are all looking forward to visiting with them.

It will be a busy week, however, with meetings every morning and every evening. It is also one of the best meetings I've ever been in, and I've been looking forward to it ever since the Jubilee last year!

Also, I am hoping to interview a bunch of people for my book project. Please pray for me about this, because I feel this is very important, and that this is a prime opportunity to get the information I need. Especially pray that the Lord will give me wisdom as I write, that I will be able to adequately express the principles that I am discovering.

This will make for a very busy week, so I will not be posting for at least a week. Thank you all for your patience!

Verse for today: "From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Thy tabernacle forever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings." (Psalm 61:2-4)

Sometimes it is easy to get overwhelmed, especially with what I call "sensory overload," lots of auditory stimulation going on in the background (or foreground) all the time. Sometimes the greatness of the load we carry is overwhelming, or the pain we face on a daily basis. I thank the Lord that we have a shelter: His great and loving wings, which protect us from the tempest. Thank God for His care for us!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Another Casualty...

We had some good meetings at a church near McConnel AFB. It is a blessing that these past three churches we’ve been in by military bases all want us to come back to help them establish ministries to reach the airmen. One of the main purposes for this trip through here has been to help establish a relationship with the churches, and present them with their options for reaching their local bases. Then, once they understand the possibilities and options, they can pray about it, and the Lord can touch the heart of someone in the church to work the base. It seems like a long, drawn out procedure, but it is necessary to establish a ministry that will last.

Meanwhile, there has been another casualty from the power surge we experienced the other week. Our back air conditioner bit the dust, which is very sad, because it for our bedroom. Our room is about eight feet wide, seven feet long, and the distance from floor to ceiling is about six feet, two inches, so it’s easy to feel claustrophobic. I don’t mind when the air is nice and cool, but when it gets stuffy and hot, it is virtually unbearable. This past Sunday, when it was time for the regularly scheduled Sunday afternoon nap, it had to have been at least one hundred degrees in there! I decided to move, and got into Lydia’s little cubbyhole, after setting up a myriad of fans to direct cool air back to the bedroom. Awhile later, after it had cooled down quite a bit, I checked to temperature, and it read, “90 degrees!”

Thankfully, on Monday, My Beloved took the front a/c, which we don’t use much but still works, and switched it with the back a/c. Whew! I was finally able to sleep Monday night!

Today, we are driving across Kansas. With the heat index somewhere around 105 degrees, I am praying that our generator and air conditioners keep up!

Verse for today: “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:8 We will always have hard times, setbacks, and trials, but our God is stronger than them all! It is not whether we can handle it, but can God handle it. I know He can!

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Could It Be Sacrifice?


We had an uneventful drive up to Wichita, Kansas, yesterday. Those are the kinds of trips I like! I'm thankful to the Lord that the engine did not overheat, and the generator, though it still ran hot, didn't overheat either, largely due to my husband's opening of a bay door while we drove. It's not the prettiest setup, but it works!

Here, we're close to McConnell Air Force Base, and Lord willing, we will be able to ascertain what is going on as far as ministry-wise on the base. Please pray that the Lord will continue to open doors, and that whatever He has in mind for us here would be accomplished. Our desire is to find what God has for us in every situation and fit into His puzzle, in His perfect Will.

As I was laying in bed this morning, a privilege reserved for Saturday mornings, I had this thought:

Serving God without a vibrant relationship with Him is basically sheer slavery. It is a constant drudgery, a painful sacrifice, the endless chore of grinding round and round on the big gerbil wheel of life. There is no light, only a mere dull gray.

However, serving God with a vibrant love relationship with Him is like a wonderful marraige. It is a dream come true in which I am loved for who I am, provided for with the utmost care (even spoiled at times!), and secure in my relationship.

I respond with love, working side-by-side with my soul-mate, the desire of my life. I love what He loves, I want what He wants, and I seek His goals, not my own. It is no sacrifice, only a great desire to be what He wants me to be.

Instead of the rock-hard altar, I lay my soul down the softness of the fragrance of His love.

Could there be any better life than that? Could it be called sacrifice, when I receive all my heart desires, all my life's wishes, and a peace which flows over my being as I serve Him? No, it could not be called sacrifice, it could not be called duty; it is pure delight.

Loved with everlasting love,
Led by grace that love to know;
Spirit, breathing from above,
Thou hast taught me it is so.
Oh, this full and perfect peace!
Oh, this transport all divine!
In a love which cannot cease,
I am His, and He is mine.

How wonderful that I am His, and He is mine!

Thursday, July 8, 2010

It's not always trials and tribulations


...driving down the road toward Kansas



Here we are, in the Wild West...


The Lord allowed us to enjoy a Vacation Bible School this week! They had Bible Man and the Deceiver! Pictured here is the Deceiver...uh, oh, look out! The very best part is that one of the young boys got saved. Praise the Lord!

It was a beautiful ending to a great day - sunset on the prairie.


"When I consider Thy Heavens, oh, Lord, the works of Thy fingers...what is man, that Thou art mindful of him, and the son of man, that Thou visitest him?"

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Driving in the rain...

The Lord graciously provided, through the pastor of the church which had the errant wiring, a new printer and a CPAP machine for my hubby. Now the only thing that needs replaced is the battery charger, which we'll take care of in the next few days. We have determined that, praise God, the air conditioner and refrigerator are both OK! Thanks to those who prayed for us!

We arrived safely in OKC (Oklahoma City) last night, but not without blowing a tire on the trailer. The rain from Alex kinda dampened the tire rescue effort, so eventually it was determined that I would just drive the truck the rest of the way in to lighten the load on the trailer, since it still had three more good tires. Today, we will get a tire and a spare, too.

Strangely enough, when we arrived at the campground, we were unable to shut off the bus engine! We had heard of that happening, and it is not good - I guess these engines can take a fit of "running away" if the situation is just right. My Beloved pulled the battery cable, the fuel lines, and shut off every switch he could think of, and finally the engine starved of fuel and died. Whew! I have a saying, "If it's not one thing, it's another!" I guess that goes for our travels, for sure.

After we get these things squared away, we are heading out for Coffeyville, Kansas, where My Beloved is teaching Sunday School tomorrow morning, and preaching in the evening. Thanks for praying!

It's always interesting and encouraging to see how God will work out every situation we come across as we seek to serve Him. One thing's for sure: (Here's today's verse, folks) "...He is, and He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him!" (Hebrews 11:6) Praise Him in the sunshine, and in the rain as well!


Friday, July 2, 2010

Travel Day!

Today, we are driving to Oklahoma City, on our way to Coffeyville, Kansas. Next week, we hope to arrive at McConnell AFB, but in the meantime, there are some meetings on the way. Today we have about a 3 hour drive, which I'm sure we will stretch out...thankfully, we have everything we need right on board! (I'm always thankful to have water, food, electricity, and a bathroom with us wherever we go!)

Last night, My Beloved went out soulwinning on Shepherd AFB with two very nervous men. They had apparently never done anything like that before, so they had no idea what to expect. My hubby told me that he found out later that one of the men thought they were going to street preach right there on the base! Naturally, he was nervous! (Of course, that would not be a wise way of working on the base...it's a fast ticket to be kicked off!) The mass of humanity was simply amazing, so, they were able to pass our about a hundred gospel flyers within a short period of time. What a blessing! We are praying that the folks we have worked with here will see the opportunity as it really is - a huge, open door, and that they will do whatever it takes to reach the servicemen here.

As for me, today will find me doing the usual: laundry, cleaning, meals, tickling the kids, and trying to work on my latest book project, which is monstrously huge.

Verse for today: "he that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty." Psalm 91:1

A quote from the famous missionary, Milton Martin, "If we don't spend a quiet time with God each day, every decision we make will be in error, so that by the time we are 30 or 40 years old, it will be impossible to serve God!" You young folks, remember that a life is not ruined by one big bad decision, but by many little bad decisions. You don't ruin your life by marrying a jerk, you ruin your life by deciding to even befriend a jerk, because you will never marry someone you barely know. Decide early in life that you will spend time with God daily, and it will set your direction for life!

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

With Opportunity Comes...

The Lord has so kindly blessed us with several open doors at some military bases already. There are folks burdened to reach the military, ready and trained at Dyess AFB in Abilene, as well as some near Shepherd AFB. (Shepherd is a training base, where approximately 1/2 of the Air Force comes through at some point in their career, so it's a very strategic location.) I am very thankful for these open doors!

But, with opportunity always comes adversity. Though our engine and generator did ok during the leg of the journey to Wichita Falls (a special thanks to those who prayed for us - it's not "healed" yet that we know of), we had some trouble when we plugged in to our destination. Apparently the church was wired incorrectly, and we ended up frying some of our appliances! :0 Our printer blew fire (didn't catch, though), and my husband's CPAP machine blew out. Our central air conditioner is not cooling very well, and our refrigerator may not be cooling well, either. Please continue to pray for us as we deal with this new "dilemma!"

Today's verse: "In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength..." (Isaiah 30:15) May the Lord give us the strength to do His Will, not our own, and to do it with confidence, knowing we are perfectly in the center of His Will!

Monday, June 28, 2010

A few more pics...


Here are a few more pictures of the beginning of our trip. We passed a huge oversized load, which was being carried on about 5 trucks. Kids sure did like it! When we finally arrived at our campground and set up camp, the kiddos had to blow off some steam...









Saturday, June 26, 2010

A Few Photos...


Here are a few pics to help you get a feel of what it's like with "Raubs getting on the Road."


Jon is taking pictures of the kids with his new Blackberry before he leaves for work.




Jonathan going to his car...it was really sad to see him drive away, and know that when he came back from work, we would be gone...

I will try to post some more pictures later. At this point, I'm not good at posting pictures, and I don't really have time to do more right now. It's time to make dinner, and the natives are getting restless! :)


Friday, June 25, 2010

"How do you do it?"

We have safely arrived here by Dyess Air Force Base, setting up camp, getting ready to execute Operation Naaman here. Our drive was relatively uneventful, but the engine and the generator were both running very hot, so we had to go slowly. We successfully stretched a 2 1/2 hour drive to about 4 hours. Pray that we can get this situation resolved before too many more miles.

I am often asked, "How do you do it? How do you go travel like you do, and remain sane?" Well, there are several different ways to answer those questions, ( like...maybe I'm not really sane! Lol!) but Ive been thinking a lot about my two main guiding principles. They may not sound like much, but they have been given me by God and have guided me through my Christian life so far. I know, by God's grace, they will lead me on the rest of the way...

1. My husband and I decided a long time ago, perhaps before we were married, that we would not be so attached to any location that we were not willing to go somewhere else if that's what the Lord wanted.

2. I married my husband, not my house or even my children. I enjoy my home, and I love my children, but where God leads my husband, He leads me (and the children still living at home). I love my grandkids, but it would be better for them to have grandparents that are in God's Will than close by and out of God's Will.

So, really, it's not so hard after all. It's simply following what the Lord has shown me so many years ago, and I'm very thankful for God's guidance.

Today's verse: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord..."

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Pulling out Tomorrow!

Yesterday, we loaded up most of the food, the kitchen stuff, and school supplies. I also did a lot of cleaning in the bus, of things I do not normally get a chance to do, like cleaning out the filters of the air conditioners.

Today we are loading all clothes, except for the clothes we are wearing tomorrow. The hardest part is trying to figure out what we will need for the next six months!

Tomorrow is the day set aside for "last minute items" (which I know can be tons!) and for actually pulling out. I don't know why, but when there's a big trip like this, actually leaving can take awhile.

Everybody is excited to be moving into their own spaces in the bus. Each of the kids can decorate their bed area however they want, so that is fun. Soon we will be ready to roll!

My verse for today is: "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might." We need to work hard, because today is THE DAY to get it done!