With our departure date exactly two weeks from today, we are realizing how much there is to do and how little time there is to do it to make Uriah so that we can all live in it for this upcoming trip. Some of the projects go smoothly, but others are fraught with difficulties, slowdowns, and just plain major mistakes. One of those mistakes was discovered yesterday, and it will likely set us back about a day.
Each of these trials wants to make us discouraged and frustrated. However we serve a God Who knows about every detail of our lives. None of these problems surprise or trouble Him. They simply provide us with ongoing opportunities to grow in our trust of the Lord Jesus.
John, working back near the engine.Doing the messy work--what a great job he does!Anna and Mary painted the covers/cases for our tanks.Tanks
The memory verse on our white board right now is, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
If we are feeling upset, stressed, or angry over these situations those are signals that we are carrying the yoke ourselves rather than yielding to the One we are yoked with Who is stronger and more capable than we are.
Our family is having many chances to see the reality of the application of the following verse in our lives as we press on toward our deadline to have the bus liveable, “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus†(Philippians 4:4-7).
We can rejoice, and we can pray – with every obstacle that comes along, every problem that is faced, and every mistake that is made. That is the path the Lord Jesus gives us that brings rest to our souls.
Would you pray with us through these next two weeks that the Lord will strengthen us physically, give us wisdom for tasks we have never done before, fill our hearts with joy, grow our family’s love for each other – AND have the bus livable and drivable on September 10th?
Cabinets being worked on...Anna and Jesse. Anna has faithfully been helping Jesse with wiring and other jobs.Dad
For those of you who are interested, we are again playing/singing at another church in town: First Baptist Church. It’ll be this Sunday, at 6 p.m.
Blessings, Sarah
First Baptist Church, 6 p.m., Sunday evening, August 30th
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:15-16).
The past week has flown by, and another jam-packed week is approaching. We are on a countdown before our month-long trip (leaving September 10th). Our first stop is Denver, Colorado, September 11th & 12th. We hope to see many of you on this trip (and the trip continues to grow, with new stops being added).
Sarah for the rest
Anna and Jesse have been working hard on wiring.Anna is a great helper to Jesse.Sometimes working in the bus is a tight proposition...Here Dad is crimping wires.Joseph is doing a wonderful job with the cabinets. Mary turned 13 this past week. We enjoyed a family time of celebrating. One of Abigail's new things, which the aunts enjoy asking her due to her cute reaction, "Where is it?!" Yesterday, we began work on our bunk curtains. We have 7 sets of two panels each to make. Lots of sewing to do 🙂 . For those who might think the bunks will get hot with curtains, we've thought of that too. Actually, the guys are ducting air into the bunks! Mom Yards and yards of fabric to sew! Mary has been using a sewing machine my grandma gave us. It's during these kinds of times two machines come in handy.
“The labour of the righteous tendeth to life” (Proverbs 10:16).
It is amazing to think that 35 years ago Dad and Mom were married.
Most of you probably don’t know but Dad and Mom were not raised in the “perfect†home. Dad came from a broken home, and Mom was being raised by parents who didn’t know the Lord Jesus as their Savior yet. It wasn’t until after Dad and Mom were married that they each realized their need of a Savior and repented of their sins. God works in mysterious ways, and even though they were not raised in Christian homes, God has wrought a beautiful work in their lives that is far beyond measure.
We are SO grateful that God has given us such amazing parents. The joy and love they have for each other and the family is inspiring, and their unfailing devotion to the Lord Jesus shines through them.
Mr. and Mrs. Steve Maxwell -- 35 years ago today!35 years ago, amid the deafening crashes of an evening thunderstorm, in a little chapel in Missouri, they became man and wife: never dreaming of all the Lord would do in their lives. Aren't they cute?!
Thirty-five years later…
“He hath made every thing beautiful in his time…” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
Our days have been busy as we hurry to get the bus livable before we leave for our next trip. Every week there are new challenges and obstacles to overcome, but God has given grace through the hurdles, and progress is underway. Joseph is currently building our kitchen and other cabinets, which is adding more of a “homey†spark to the bus. Jesse’s project is getting the electrical side of the conversion figured out, while John fills in the gaps with the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) and other projects. Dad is now gladly joining the boys as he has finished his ministry project. There is much that has been done and much more that needs to be done in the upcoming weeks, but we are grateful that the Lord has allowed us to make so much progress!
This last week was spent in a variety of ways, including music practice for the song we sang at the funeral of our dear friend that passed away. Saturday morning many of us gathered in the basement for a much needed cleanup. Not to mention in the afternoon we compiled Chore books. With Abigail living around the corner, we enjoy her appearances at our house from seeing her on a walk to devotions to when they pop in for music practice – whenever – we greatly enjoy her! The Lord has blessed this past week filling it up to the brim with expected happenings and unexpected, and we look forward to seeing what He has for these next few weeks as we prepare to leave!
Joseph measuring for cabinets that will go above the driver's area.Our kitchen cabinets!John working on the HVAC.Jesse - compiling chore books.Shrinkwrapping!The finished product!Uncle John and Abigail. There are many happy playmates at Grandpa and Grandma's house!Abigail loves dogs, and Honey is no exception! Here Uncle Christopher is helping Abigail feed Honey a treat, and Abigail finds this quite fascinating!
In Christ, Anna
“Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away” (James 4:14).