An FYI chronology...

Here is the letter I recently emailed to those on my "update list". If you want this emailed to you, please just let me know! If you click the image, it will bet bigger, and more easy to read. 

Have a great day! 

Thankfully we do not drive a "Compact Car"...

Just a "Well Packed" one!! 

 Notice the car-top carrier... it is loaded down with a bunch of SB's crammed and suctioned with every piece of clothing we figured we could do without for a few days... or weeks!  The inside of the van has more bags and boxes and baskets... and SB's that (unfortunately!) expanded prematurely and may forever be lodged in place until we decide to cut them out!

Hard to say what is going on in their brains right about now. They are doubly homeless in the passed 10 days. We moved out of our house into our camper... and now we have no camper. This is either insanity or following God. I pray it is the latter...!

Chair backs have become coat racks, and seat cushions have become ExTrA cushiony with three and four blankets layered on them! Ma Hayes was snapping all these pictures as Dan and I were only slightly out of our minds preoccupied trying to get it all in and not bust the door hinges at the same time. 

 We drove out without incident... (I whispered that if you were wondering why it is so small.) I am not superstitious but I do believe in opposing forces and am praying for God's favor on us and protection from the wicked one. God wins the war, but we are in these battles through the journey. We pray we are found faithful, following, and believing all along the way.

We may regret vacuum packing some of those clothes...! This is looking to be the trend for the next few days! I know, most of you are enjoying 15" of snow and sub zero wind chill! We will take this in stride, and get out our hoodies and fuzzy slippers!

Stay tuned... I (HOPEFULLY) see another episode of "Flip this Camper"in my future!!

Sp@ce B@gs to the Rescue!

("@" =  a)

Here is our solution to the dilemma of how to cram all of our possessions from a 32 foot camper into our 15 passenger van. While the van is without question quite large... when there are all the bench seats in it as well as 6 people, there is quite a limitation on space! 

We packed up the entire contents of the camper into our van and brought it to the Hayes. Thankfully they have a carport, for while the North is getting feet of snow dumped onto them, we are getting the "warm weather" equivalent... Torrential Rain! We are looking for a new camper but have yet to find the right one. We are leaving Louisiana tomorrow to go to Gulfport, MS, and really need to have a solution to this! 

How to consolidate the clothing and the bedding was the primary issue, and thankfully we have watched enough TV and Sp@ce B@gs commercials came to mind! We got several jumbo XL cube bags, and VOILA! 

Shove, squish, push and SuCk! Darline's little shopvac did the job. 

Slowly but surely the mound of clothing and pillows and blankets and coats vacuumed into hardened, colorful little brick bags. 

Sadly the kitchen supplies wouldn't get any smaller! :)

Literally this was un-passable before. Dan purchased a car top carrier to hold much of the junque, and hopefully it will be secured and ratcheted down well. Also we are hoping it is aerodynamic enough to cut down a little of the wind resistance and scoop the air over the camper when we get one! 

This is what the older guys did while Micah helped me consolidate. Nick and Devin have a 1985 Dodge truck, and Si loves wires and speakers and the guys got a new stereo for Christmas. That is a sure fire recipe for manly bonding time! 

Maybe tomorrow I will post the post packing pictures! This will be interesting, is all I can say! 

Say Good-Bye to the Hornet...

We had traveled over 1500 miles at speeds of 60-70 mph. We were only 50 miles from our destination in Kaplan, Louisiana, stopping at a gas station to fill up one last time for several days. While we drove we had been reading out loud the book "Radical" by David Platt. Amazing read. I was just finishing up a text to our missions pastor updating our journey so far, feeling like we were close enough to do so (What could possibly change so much in an hour?!) also knowing that our cell reception in Kaplan would be minimal at best. This is what the update read:

We hitched the camper up in Buffalo Monday in the frigid cold and have been driving ever since- Praise the Lord for that! Except for some blizzard conditions late last night in Memphis, our travels have been uneventful which is unusual for us! 

We are nearly to the Hayes and are looking forward to the reunion with them. Sunday the 30th begins our first of nearly a dozen meetings and conferences that will bring us through several states and as many weeks of travel. We are thankful for the rest we had over the holidays but are excited to be on the road again. 

We appreciate your continued prayers that we see Jesus every step we take and that our lives reflect him in all we do. As we begin this first week of travel the Lord is making clear he wants us who take HIS name to surrender to his leading and live our lives on purpose for his purpose.

Real, radical, and resting solely in him. To God be all glory! 

Your missionaries to Zambia, 

Dan Jalowiec &  family

~SEND~


The next thing I hear is "Dad!" and I feel a jolt on the van. I look back to see our camper 10 feet behind us and about 6 feet to the left of the van. 

We get out of the van to this initial site. Our bumper hitch was broken and bent, completely ripped off of our van.

As close as possible, this is a recounting of the conversation between me and the Lord throughout the "incident" involving The Hornet.

(we walk out to see the camper...)

Me: "Oh Dear God! HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN!?"
God:  "For my thoughts are not your thoughts," 

(we quickly realize this is no small fender-bender)
Me: "Lord, this is the only home we have right now...!
God: "neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD" Isaiah 55:8

(I don't even know how to answer my children's constant stream of questions)
Me: "God how will this effect my kids?!" 
God: "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, ..."

Me: "Why in the world did this happen?"  
God: "as though some strange thing happened unto you:" I Peter 4:12

Me: "Oh Lord I cannot handle this right now. We have been traveling for three days and I am exhausted." 

God: "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Isaiah 41:10

Me: "God we are so far from home!"
God: "And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; ..."

Me: "And this is our only home until April!"
God: "he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: ..." 

Me: "I have no idea what to do Lord!"
God: "fear not, neither be dismayed." Deuteronomy 31:8

Me: "Will this be able to be fixed?!"
God: "For I have been a shelter for you, ..." 

Me: "Lord what are people going to think?!"
God: "and a strong tower from the enemy." Psalm 61:3

Me: "I cannot see how we are going to get through this one." 
God: "Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: ..."

Me: "Is this really your best plan for us?"
God: "...set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed;"  II Chronicles 20:17

God: "Janice... do you trust me in this?"

Me: "Lord, to whom shall I go? thou hast the words of eternal life." John 6:68

There is so much more to still learn regarding this situation, and for now we are so thankful to be with amazing friends that have gone through so much more than we have. We are ministering to each other in ways that only God could orchestrate. We trailered our other camper over 12,000 miles with not one incident... and thankfully so because it was not insured. We have yet to make the first payment on this camper, and the insurance adjuster has totaled it due to the damage done... at 5 miles per hour. The Lord surely does work in mysterious ways. I am learning to not even try to figure them out. Just walk in the bitty bit of light I have in front of me... and to BE STILL and KNOW THAT HE IS GOD! 

"Flip this Camper"...

The new reality show starring US! We seem to be blessed with the ability to trade up campers. We buy them, use them for a good while, and then sell them for a profit. This wasn't our initial desire, mind you! We had this pop up... 

and while it was wonderful  (we would have never gotten rid of it except our current situation of deputation) it is not at all practical to set one of these up in a Wal Mart parking lot. I am just saying. So we sold it this spring, and bought this... 

... thinking it was absolutely the answer to our prayers! AND it WAS! We thoroughly enjoyed it, and traveled it nearly 10,000 miles since May. We had a few "situations" and "on the go repairs" but all in all it was an amazing camper. All except for the part that- shockingly- it was too small. With these little giants we call sons, it was quite impractical for living in it for 6+ weeks at a time. And the thought of this being our sole dwelling... that just seemed like insanity a very detrimental situation. So we sold it (in the middle of a blizzard and for a profit I might add...!!) and JuSt ToDAY  bought this one... 

YAY!! 

This literally was a gift from God. The dealer is a small little shop in Herkimer, NY. That is where Dan is from- a podunk little town in the center on NY state, but the owner got this little beauty in just a few weeks ago.   

It was a bank repo which means he got it at an amazing deal and passed the savings on to us!

Truly incredible and several thousand dollars less than anywhere else we had looked for a camper like this! A kitchen with counter space!

 And a slide! And a TV cabinet with a built in DVD player and stereo. No TV, but we will make do!

But most importantly... QUAD BUNKS!! A space for each child to call their own- a mini  (and I mean MiNi!) little hideaway for each one of them to spread out curl up and have a little private place. 

We will be taking this on the deputation journey we have planned in January and we will be gone until nearly the beginning of April. I am sure we will have a great many opportunities to use every square inch of this blessing from the Lord... and whether they are interesting or not... I will chronicle them here!

I pray the "Flip this Camper" show only has three episodes... but stay tuned just in case there happens to be a fourth!

Our new camper!

We are looking to upgrade our camper. While it truly is a blessing, we are finding it very difficult to manage the living in it for weeks at a time. While we don't want to go overboard or get into debt, we realize that a dwelling for our family is perhaps one of the most important investments we will make. So in light of that, this is what we have decided to purchase. 

 I think you will agree it is perfect for our young family traveling on the road. While the children are still in school, we need the extra space to conduct classes while on the road. You can imagine how cramped we have been in our current camper. This will provide a much greater level of basic human comfort, and what more would we want? I mean really!

 You can agree, I am sure, that it is just sufficient for our needs. We are on the road 50-60% of our time. We really must make sure the children aren't crammed, stifled, or otherwise overly burdened by our current situation, for they may become bitter or be disillusioned as to this path we are on. After all, God has promised to provide for our needs, and this is just what we think He means.

 As you can see, the interior is much like many of the homes Americans live in. It is our basic privilege as Americans, therefore, to live like this as well, even while on the road.

This is our school room. While it may be a little narrow for many peoples standard, we will make due. I am sure the children will suffer only minimally in this, as we have a very good handle on what is really important. Being thankful for the little things in life. Don't you agree??

S*f*t*R... Pitstop!

We are heading North! ...well not at this exact moment... right now we find ourselves in Brunswick,GA.

A quick stop for gas and a check of the fluid levels revealed a greater need for an oil change than originally thought. Pennzoil to the rescue! Not a problem at all when one has a laptop and wifi! Any detour or unplanned stop is always salved with these two key elements! The only thing that would have made this perfect... DD or Timmies or *Bucks nearby!

Better yet to be close enough to go to Cafe Macchiato! Can't wait!

S*f*t*R... Home Improvements!

If we lived in a less mobile home (which we usually do so I am just a little more familiar with those issues as opposed to these) I know there are issues that regularly come up, small things that require repair and attention etc. So that our "home" is now a 1 ton truck and a 30 ft camper I should expect there to be some maintenance! 

Well, there is a tell tale sign when one has a problem with the... umm... potty pooper loo tank! We have had a rather malodorous wafting coming in more "regular" (ha ha!) frequency, and since we are in the south where the temperatures are still reaching the mid 90's nearly every day, the effect is rather pungent to say the least! We are in GA, and the family we are staying with has quite the supply of tools, so now is as good a time as any to investigate! 

Dan and the guys dropped the tank, and discovered a crack on the shaft that leads to the outlet valve. Basically anytime there was anything in the tank, it would find it's escape with any bump in the road. Little by little... but let me tell you it doesn't take much! While Dan was going to Camper World (we love them ... and they love us too!) there was a significant increase in the minor squeaking of the rear right wheel, and (Surprise Surprise!) the "check engine" light came on...!! Well the light is due to an exhaust issue... emission problems seem to be the choice of the day!! (sorry) So on to the wheel issue... 

 Off with the 8 outer bolts, then on to the 8 inner bolts, some grease pouring out, and voila!

Well, not quite, but they did discover some issues, and Lord willing will have them put back together in short enough time. It is currently 2:00 and we are supposed to leave at 5, so I guess that is the window of opportunity! We thought these were the problem... 

And Todd made a call to a "friend in the business" ... we love those kinds of friends!... and he said they were for our parking breaks, so not as critical as we (HA!! Like I know anything!  "they") thought. I guess those pad thingys are supposed to be the same thickness or something. And I guess it is not good to have oil pouring out of the hole in the hub, and metal shavings are a bad thing too. 

Whatever! Just please get it together by 5:00! We are supposed to meet all the people for dinner! I can update you tomorrow on the progress! 

S*f*t*R... Camper Schooling!

There all kinds of learning curves to this nomadic life called deputation... schooling four kids in grades 11,9,7 and 3 is certainly one of the biggest! I wish we had a PODS that we could pull out of somewhere and set up where every where go! Space is definitely one of the challenges to be sure! 

 Since we have to use all the sleeping areas at night (Savannah gets the table bed, Micah gets the sofa bed), every morning it is a renovation project to get the "sleeping" space into "schooling" space. The guys need the DVD player for math (both are doing a chalkdust program) so they prefer the table.  We are primarily focusing on Math and English while on the road for so many reasons!

We are experiencing geography as opposed to reading about, and formal science will come when we are stationary for a while! Although we are conducting labs while on the road. You would not believe what grows on the surface of a camper floor! And the creatures that take up residence with us, while not terribly threatening, are certainly unlike our upstate household companions. Did you know there are really BiG spiders in the south? And scorpions, and lizards? Yup... Science at it's best!

I also have with me a complete folder of "BarCharts". Literally everything a child would need to know by graduation on so many subjects is available from this source. I have American History, Basic math, Pre Algebra and Algebra, Geometry, English Grammar and Punctuation, US Government, and Anatomy. I could have left all of the books at home and just traveled with this folder. Great resource information!

Even when we are home, the kids do not prefer a traditional school setting. As a "good-behavior" privilege, I used to let them do math on the trampoline outside! Mic is the most "creative"- which may explain his horrible challenged handwriting. We have a table he can use, but as you can see he prefers the couch! Savannah is the late riser, and is barely starting breakfast by the time the guys have (usually!) finished English.

I am sure there are many pro's to this as well. When I think of them I will post it... I am just a little hard pressed to come up with any.

Well, to be fair I can think of one. My house in Spencerport is staying ReaLLy Clean right now!!

Yep, I am always the optimist!!