💖🏡 'Home, Sweet Camper!'🏕

💙🏡 'HABITAT for HUMANITY'S' monthly magazine arrived in the mail yesterday.  So, this morning I'm looking through it. What an awesome ministry it is! 🙏🏼 And, viewing this magazine has triggered a memory for me, of a season in my life, whenever, I, and my little family unit, was "kind of"...homeless! 😏 David had resigned from pastoring his first church - as a full time pastor, after serving there for five years.  Prior to serving at that church, during our first seven years of marriage, God had, lead and placed, us to serve, during different time periods - at four different churches - in various capacities. We were stepping out into full time evangelism, which, we should have done approximately seven years prior!  We surrendered to the ministry the best way that we knew how, at first, however, we didn't surrender immediately to full time evangelism (upon first understanding that God had called him to preach).  Then, whenever, David realized that, God had gifted him as an evangelist, we were basically - too scared to step out, by faith, in obedience!  Our children were also very young (around the ages of four and five), at that time, and with the preceding reasons, in which I've already mentioned, and/or, excuses, rationalizations, and the such, we were deceived, thus, we shrunk back into doubt, disbelief, and, disobedience! 😳 ANYHOO - we had been married twelve years, and, we were FINALLY (after being called into evangelism eight years earlier) determined to obey God's call, and, step out in, faith and obedience, into full time evangelism.  We packed upeverything inside the parsonage, which, we had called home - the previous five years, purchased a trailer, which would be our "home on wheels" (with no land or lot of our own on which to park it), and, a van to pull it. 😳 We "had wheels, and, would travel!" 😚 All four of us were used to living in actual houses, and, had unknowingly "taken this for granted," as many people do - I'm afraid! 😏 Jeremy was about to begin sixth grade, and, Camille (C.C.) was going into fifth.  They were accustomed to going to public, and/or Christian, schools! 😳 I'll possibly write about their school experiences in a future post?! ✏️📝📚 So, most of our belongings went into a storage unit, and, my parents let us store the piano, china cabinet, and, a few other items, in their house. A kind couple (friends) very graciously, boarded our two horses for us (at no charge)! It was a HUGE adjustment for all of us in various ways, to say the least! 😂 We have quite a few funny memories from this experience, and,  stories about which to, reminisce and laugh, now!  C.C. fell out of her bunk bed in the middle of the night - a few times! 😂 It got pretty cold inside that little camper, sometimes. 😬 They were embarrassed about living it every now and then! 😮 They missed the social aspect of going to a public school vs. "home schooling!" 😗 As TRYING as this season of our life was, and, all of these adjustments were, they were nothing in comparison to real homelessness, which, is experienced by many folks, and, is a gigantic problem - around the world! Yes, our home was a camper for around a year, but, unlike lots of vagrant people, were welcomed at the homes of many people, where we could find shelter, if, "push ever really came to shove!"  Living in that camper, and, that overall lifestyle, caused me to think about, once again, the multitude of things of which I had taken for granted in my life, especially, being able to live in "real homes!" Nevertheless, I oftentimes would get sad, whenever, we would see, and/or, visit people, who were living in gorgeous houses!  And, I would doubt that, we'd ever again have a real home - of our own.  All four of us - in our family  - tremendously missed living in a roomier, more private, etc., real house, although, we did our best to make our "lil" camper...home!  And, truly, wherever we were all together was home, because, home is where your heart is, and, our hearts were tied together by our Lord, therefore, we were at "HOME - SWEET - CAMPER!" 😘 However, the following year, God allowed us to purchase five acres of land, and, build a lovely home (with many precious people's help)!  As I write this post, I am sitting in our sweet home, in which, we have lived twenty one years, and, for which, I am greatly appreciative, to the good Lord!  We ended up, after traveling to a bunch of places - living in our camper - while it was parked in the driveway of our house - while it was being constructed.  One day, after the children had left for school (they were back in a public school - where their father had attended - in his hometown), and, David had gone to work, as I attempted to climb out of the bed in the back of the camper, and, get busy, my wonderful back went out on me! 😳 I ended up not being able to get out of the camper!  I had to call the squad, and, ask them to come and get me and take me to the ER!  Anyone who really knows me, knows that it had to be bad for me to call the squad! 😏 Well, it came, and, the emts rescued me!  I was already so humiliated, and then, even more so, whenever, I ended up knowing one of the emts (the lady who treated me personally), and mainly, due to "camper living," and, back pain, I hadn't shaved my legs for a few days!  They were pretty hairy, and, I was REALLY embarrassed!  After examination, I was given muscle relaxers for my back!  Imagine that - my back (and ALL) muscles were all tensed up ("camper living")!!🤣 But, in all seriousness though, that incident, and, countless others, made me contemplate the various plights of the homeless!  The ability to take daily showers - in privacy, sleep in comfy beds (or recliners), and, a myriad of other housing, needs and modern day conveniences, etc., are regularly "taken for granted" by those of us who have them!  We need to help the homeless any way we can (give and/or volunteer in local shelters, soup kitchens, churches, pray for them, etc., etc.)!  Any of us (even you or I) COULD end up in their position (homeless) someday! 😔 With 'Thanksgiving Day' being less than one week away, I suppose that, the 'HfH' magazine arrived at my "home sweet home," right on time (part of God's perfect providential timing), to remind me of the home, in which I, at one time, thought that, I would never have, and, the abundance of blessings, provisions, ETC., with which, my benevolent Father has blessed, me and mine - throughout the years, and, for which - I oftentimes forget!  May we, always remember to be, grateful and thankful (1 Thessalonians 5:18)!!  😌🙏🏼📖🕊✝️🙌🏽💖...👋🏼...until next post...