Our Second Week

For week number two, we traveled to the Daytona Beach area and parked in the driveway of the Vince and Jennifer Hoskins family.  The Lord has also put it on their hearts to start a mobile ministry reaching the churched and the unchurched with the gospel while helping those in need.  Please include them in your prayers as they look forward to God's provision with an RV while they minister close to home. 

We were able to do two outreaches in our time together.  For the first one, the families got together and went to Blue Springs, a Manatee sanctuary, and handed out gospel tracts to each person we saw.  This was the first time that I met someone who gave me one of their gospel tracks after I gave them one of mine! 

And the second outreach was focused on the homeless of Daytona Beach.  This area has a very large homeless population as the weather is generally mild and warm this time of year.  We assembled our homeless packs and got our tracts and Bibles together.  One thing you should know about Vince, he is a fun guy with a spiritual gift of helps.  God often uses Vince to help people on the road who are stranded.  So, as you can imagine with a willing heart such as his, the first stop God had for us, was to push a stranded car into a gas station.  Once we were back on our way, we found and ministered to a variety of homeless people.  One couple kept telling us that we just didn't know how much it meant to them.   We also ran across some homeless people in various places who had a desperate immediate need for food and we got them food from nearby fast-food restaurants.  We had opportunity to hand out tracts to those standing in line to get into a soup kitchen.  Upon leaving the Daytona Beach area, we were blessed with boxes of toothpaste, shampoo, and razors from a resort to build more homeless care packs.

I can better understand the letters in the New Testament where Paul and the Apostles mention their deep friendships with those they have ministered to and with.  We are finding out that it is easy to have deep friendships with our co-laborers in God's kingdom.  The Hoskins family was a tremendous help to us both in hosting our family and working on some of our RV needs.   

-Christopher

Pressing Prayer Requests

Our children who are all currently sick

RV for the Hoskins

Wisdom to figure out solutions to the multiple electrical problems we're facing

Ministry Needs

toothbrushes

bars of soap

New Testaments or Gospel of Johns

Gospel Tracts

very small first aid packs (pocket size) 

            One of the things we've come across is the fact that homeless people don't have access to even the most rudimentary medical care, such as a band aid and antiseptic. 

food bars

water bottles

$5 gift cards for fast-food

Training Week

On The Road Family Outreach is now on the road.  First stop was a pastors’ conference in Florida.  We traveled two days and everything went fairly smooth with the RV and trailer.  We did have one electrical fire, but by God’s grace it was a minor incident. 

The pastors’ conference was a great way to receive some encouragement as we enter the domestic mission field.  Gayle Erwin, Poncho Juarez, Bob Coy, Danny Lehmann, and Jim Cymbala spoke on a passion for God, God’s people, and for the lost.  One organization donated to On The Road Family Outreach a portable pulpit.  We will use it this coming Sunday for a sunrise service on the beach. 

 The first morning of the pastors‘ conference, a twister was spotted very close by, heading towards our campsite.  So, we immediately started the week very prayerful, seeking God’s protection.   
Today begins the second part of our training week.  In God’s wonderful plan, He put us in the exact spot where Families on The Road was having their 2011 rally.   This is a rare opportunity to speak with and learn from 16 other families who live full time and homeschool in an RV.  

We are working on plans to do outreaches in Florida before continuing on our route.  One family has offered to let us park in their driveway following the rally. 

We would like to say thank you to all of those people who were instrumental in launching this ministry and helping us get the RV in a safe, workable condition.   We greatly appreciate all those who have been praying for the ministry and for our family.  Please continue to keep us in your prayers. 

(We don’t have internet access at our campsite.  This will slow down our ability to post this week.)

-Christopher

  We have experienced a lot of firsts this week.  And, we’ve already had our first birthday on the road.  Our son turned four on Tuesday.  Christopher’s conference was so close by that he was able to come home for a birthday party during his dinner break. 

Yesterday, the boys saw the Atlantic Ocean for the first time, as well as saw a little crab and founds sea shells.  We have been eating all of our meals and washing dishes outside.   I am going to attempt to give the boys a bath today, wearing their swimsuits in a storage container.  We so appreciate the temperatures down here after such a time working outside, fixing and packing the RV in frigid temps.  I just wish I could mail some warmth to you all back North.     

-Kerry

We're Off!

This is just a quick update to say we woke up in Perry, Georgia today.  We hope to arrive at our first destination later today.

Caleb's set up with all his necessary items.  :)

-Kerry

Just a Week Until We're Off!

                                                                      freeimages.co.uk

Just a week left to get all of our things out of our house and either into the RV or given away.  There are some snow storms coming through the next several days.  Please pray that we will know when to leave and that we will be safe with out any RV problems.  Please pray also that we will have everything done here in time to leave!  We have been blessed with a great family to watch over our house.  We also have found good homes for our dogs, chickens, and guinea fowl.  We are down to one car that we will pull to make quick trips easier.  We're currently trying to figure out how to carry all of the bikes.

Our first week was very much divinely arranged.  Christopher will attend a three day pastor's conference, which is sure to be a big source of encouragement and inspiration.  The very next day, just a few miles away, we will attend a gathering of other families who travel full time, where we are sure to learn a great deal.  We were amazed how this week of training just fell into place. 

 

-Kerry