For the last year, we called a 33′ fifth wheel camper our home. It was something that we really felt like God was calling us to as we prepared to simplify our lives and move to South Sudan. The best part of our camper story, I think, is that we bought it long before we ever knew we’d be moving to Houston for our missionary training. When EV called us and told us what would be required in the months ahead, we felt incredibly blessed that we already had a home on wheels, so the only big transition would be rolling it down to Texas from Indiana.
And that’s just what we did.
We lived very happily at an RV resort here in Houston, convenient to both EV and work, and complete with a pool, lake, and top-notch security. But about a month and a half ago, we again felt the Lord pressing in on us to leave what was comfortable and step out in faith. We really felt led to sell the camper here in Houston instead of spending the money to haul it home and then it not selling and being burdensome. The logistical challenge with that, however, was that we didn’t know when to put it on the market. In Indiana, campers can sit for quite some time before selling, and going off of that, we didn’t want to list it too close to our leave date and have it not sell. The flip side, however, was it selling too fast and us being homeless.
Which is exactly what happened.
But God already had a plan. A friend of mine from work was moving back to her home state at the end of June, and in a random conversation offered to let us stay in her empty apartment here in Houston during this transition time between the camper and Indiana. So we listed our camper and sold it THE NEXT DAY.
Enter into the picture us frantically packing and moving our stuff…and in no way, shape, or form was it an organized move. OH NO. It was several totes crammed full of things, dumped out onto the living room floor, trip after trip. Who knew we could fit so much stuff into a camper?!?
And then on the agreed-upon day, we watched a sweet little family roll our beloved camper home away from us. I am not going to lie…I cried…a lot. We had spent so much time and energy making that place a home, and over the last year we experienced a LOT of life-changing events in that camper. I missed it, and still do, but ultimately we know that this walk of faith means laying EVERYTHING at the feet of Jesus and saying, “My life is in Your hands. Your will be done.”
So, here we are living in an apartment so graciously offered to us. We have no furniture, we are living out of Contico trunks very transitionally, we are eating our dinner on the floor, and we are sleeping on an air mattress. And yet we are full of joy because we know this was God’s plan and it means that we are yet another HUGE step closer to Nasir, South Sudan!!
This is our Jehovah Jireh.
