I was awaken to the voice of Sister Newton yelling “Jimmy, Jimmy, do you want me to call 9-1-1?” I jumped up and headed out to the kitchen to see what was going on. Laura was on the phone, Jimmy had apparently seen someone in the act of stealing something from a neighboring property. Jimmy had kicked into “super hero mode” but was not over there soon enough to “apprehend the villain”. That was an exciting way to start the day. While this was going on, I took the opportunity to pray with Sister Laura for God’s intervention in the situation. Shortly thereafter, Jimmy came back in and told us the story.

After our heartbeats got back to normal, Laura and Jimmy continued where they left off; they had already started preparing breakfast. After we got ready, we joined with them for a “breakfast of champions”; Jimmy made some waffles that the “Waffle House” would envy. Once we finished breakfast, we packed all of our things up, in preparation for our pending departure. Jimmy and I took all of our things back to the coach, while the ladies stayed behind and soon followed us with a casual stroll. I started preparing the coach; there was little to do since we didn’t spend much time in it during our stay.

While I was doing a walk-around of the coach, Jimmy flagged down a couple police officers that were passing by in their cruiser. He was able to report the “shenanigans” of the early morning villain. I cranked up the coach knowing that our visit was coming to an end. When Jimmy came back over to the coach, we took a quick “snapshot” of us with our friends, then went inside and joined together in prayer. We prayed for them, and they prayed for us. After big hugs, they told us about the “shortcut” to highway 30, guided us through the gate, and we were on our way.

It was time for us to head back to San Antonio; our plan was to be back at our home church for Easter “Resurrection Sunday” Services in the morning. We were heading “home”; of course, for RVer’s, “Home Is Where You Park It”, so I’ll say we were heading back to our “home base”. It was about a 6 hour drive for that day. On most occasions, I prefer not to drive that long, but as you have seen, we have been known to “push the limits” now and then to get where we are going. It was a beautiful day for travel as we spent the day on familiar highways that we have traveled many times. As we were getting close to the “home base”, I decided to stop by a campground that is close to our “sticks and bricks” house, to use their waste station to dump our “grey” and “black” tanks. For those that are not familiar with that terminology, the grey tank holds waste water from the sinks and shower, while the “black” tank holds waste from the toilet. For some reason, I can’t get Adriene to help me dump the tanks  We pulled in to Stone Creek RV Park; I thought that I was just there to dump the tanks, but God was still executing His “Master Plan”. I went inside to pay the $5.00 dump fee, and came back out to head over to “finish up”.

After getting the coach maneuvered and in place at the “dump station”; I started my routine to “lighten the load”. Shortly thereafter a pickup truck pulled up to the dumpster behind us, the lady in the truck said to me “Have a Happy Easter”. I returned the greeting, and asked her what she would be doing to celebrate Easter in the morning. Since we were back at our “home base”, I invited her to join us at our home church; when I mentioned the name of our church, she told me that she was familiar with our church; her sister was a member there. She asked if I knew her sister; when she mentioned her sister’s name, I recognized who she was right away. I knew then, that God was up to something, and this was a “divine appointment” that He has set up for us.

​I went to get Adriene from inside the coach, I made introductions, and we began to share the Love of Jesus with her. She had been emotionally hurt, and experiencing the “fallout” from a failed marriage. She afforded us the opportunity to pray with her, rededicating her life to Jesus Christ. She then shared with us that her daughter was also experiencing a “prodigal daughter” experience, and too needed to be reconciled to the Lord and the church. She shared with us that her daughter was gifted in the area of music. We told her that we would be praying for her daughter’s restoration; we celebrated with her for what God was already doing; I went back to finish up my “dumping duties” and Adriene went back inside. After finishing up, I was getting ready to pull off, and the lady was walking in front of the coach to “wave us down”, so we stopped to see what was going on.

While we were preparing to leave, she had called her daughter to see if she would come over to the campground to meet us; her daughter agreed, she was only about 15 minutes away at the time – yes, that was God too. I asked her if the campground provided any type of church service, she said “no, but that would be really nice”. While Adriene continued to minister to her, I went inside the main office to ask them about us providing services to the campground; they were unable to make the decision themselves, but they were receptive and took some of our cards and said that they would pass the offer on to the campground owner. They told me that another campground resident had just asked about a chapel service the day prior. God was really making His presence known to me as I left the office; I parked the coach on the side of the entry road and headed over to a small pavilion where Adriene and the lady were waiting.

Her daughter arrived with her boyfriend, who wasn’t feeling well at the time; her mom introduced us to them. We began to share with them, and tell them about the youth ministry that was offered by our church. We told them that we would put her in contact with our daughter (Alisha) that is now one of the staff members. It was about 5:45; 15 minutes before the youth met, so we invited them to go and visit – they had time to make it. The boyfriend wasn’t feeling well, but he said that he would drop her off if she wanted to go. They decided not to go, but said that they would go another weekend. We took the opportunity to build and altar, and turn that little pavilion into a “house of prayer”; we joined hands and I prayed for the healing of his body, and the healing of their souls. The mom was so excited about what God was doing in her own life and the life of her daughter. We exchanged contact information, and we headed back to our rig, and on our way. That encounter reminded us that when we yield ourselves to God’s work, He will always give us opportunity to share His love – “even at the dump station”.
_____________________________________________________________________________
UPDATE:
The young lady went to the youth service the following weekend, she connected with our daughter, and is now going to services faithfully, with a desire to serve the Kingdom with her gifts and talents. The mom had also informed us of the health challenges that her sister was experiencing; Adriene has since been over to visit with her sister as well.
_____________________________________________________________________________

We got back to our storage facility and our “neighbor” was backing his fifth wheel into place. He was by himself, so I went over to introduce myself and offer assistance. I told him that we had just returned “home” from a ministry trip; he asked, “What type of ministry”  you guessed it; I shared our ministry with him and he told me that he was just coming back to be at his service at his local Lutheran church for Easter morning. I gave him Easter greetings, and gave him a couple of our ministry cards.

God has been faithful, and He has shown us that if we make ourselves available, He would use us – anytime, and anywhere …

​Until next time …

The morning came; we had decided to get an early start on our long travel day back to the Lone Star State of Texas.  At sunrise, we started running our “departure” checklist; I headed outside, and Adriene started inside.  While outside, I took to opportunity to “Build An Altar”, an altar symbolizing the presence of God at our site, and a landmark for others to see as they arrived.  I finished up preparing outside, and Adriene had prepared the “mobile mansion” for travel on the inside.  It was time to “start our engines”; we took the opportunity to pray for God’s blessings over our day; we were soon pulling out of campsite #58.  As we were pulling out, we stopped a couple times to share Easter greetings with other “early risers” and to give them one of our cards.  We hand out lots of ministry cards because, even if we don’t spend an extended amount of time with someone, the cards have our website address on them, and the website will lead them through the Plan of Salvation; allowing them to build an altar of their own.

Our plan for the day was to drive from Crossville, TN to somewhere in Arkansas.  We got back on Interstate 40, heading west.  We continued our travel through the hills of Tennessee; some of the hills slowed us down a little, but that 400 Horsepower Cummins Diesel in the back was doing its job.  It was times like that, when I am glad that we went with a “diesel pusher” this time around.  I also had the opportunity to learn how our HI/LOW engine brake worked.  After climbing those hills, you guessed it, we had to come down some pretty steep grades, and the last thing that you want to do is “ride” your brakes coming down those hills.

Adriene got a kick out of us driving through a tunnel for a short stint.  It wasn’t bad, but it can feel a little claustrophobic driving through there in a “big rig”; it seems like you are about the scrape the wall or the ceiling while driving through there.  For me, short tunnels are better than long tunnels, but I’m glad that she enjoyed it.
Once we got out of the mountains, and back down in the “low lands”, we stopped to get some fuel.  It was then that we decided that we would try and drive all the way to Mount Pleasant, Texas where our longtime friends “Jimmie and Laura Newton” live.  My GPS put us there just before sunset, so I said “let’s go for it”.   While at the fuel stop, Adriene went inside to grab some breakfast; she was wearing her “God Don’t Slack” T-Shirt.  She was able to minister to one of the patrons inside and share that God is not slack concerning His promises (2 Peter 3:9).  As she was coming out, I was sharing our ministry with another truck driver that was getting fuel.  The Lord had previously reminded me that “Truckers” are on the road and often away from “church” on a regular basis; I now leave a card at every fuel pump that we use during our travels.  Maybe, we can “bridge the gap” for them too.  We use truck stops and travel centers to get our fuel because we use diesel fuel and the truck stops have plenty of room to maneuver in and out. 

We got back on the road and set our sights for Mount Pleasant, TX.  Once we made our way into Arkansas, we made contact with the Newton’s; they were just as excited as we were, knowing that we would be able to spend some time together.  We told them of our estimated time of arrival and our excitement continued.  Our initial plan was to park at a campground that is only a mile or two from their home, but they offered to let us park on their property, so we graciously accepted and continued to count down the miles through Arkansas, as we transitioned from interstate 40W onto 30W; making our way back to the great state of Texas. 

​As time went on, we started to do the “sunshade dance”, as the sun was beginning to set right in front of us.  The sunshades in the coach come down pretty low, but there was still the times when the sun was “blinding” us from the sides.  The time finally came, that our exit into Mount Pleasant was coming up quickly.  We gave the Newton’s another call and told them that we were “2 miles out”; they told us that they were coming out to meet us.  As we pulled up to their property, Brother Jimmy was there to open the gate and to help us to back our ministry headquarters in through the side entrance.  We got parked, leveled the coach, and shut it down … We put out the slides to give us more room and told them to “come on in”; the Newton and Allen Reunion commenced.

Our relationship with the Newton’s goes back 30+ years (that just made me feel old); we first met them in Alaska, before we got married.  Adriene knew them even before I did.  Jimmie served as the Head Deacon at our church, and Laura was one of the Missionaries.  They were Godly examples for us as a couple from the early days; we wanted our marriage to look like theirs.

As they came in, we celebrated and “loved on each other” with hugs and greetings.  They asked for a little tour of our “casita” (that doesn’t take long in a 400 square foot home :-) We showed them around, then they told us to “lock it up”, we were headed over to the “Newton Castle”.  God has blessed them greatly, and we celebrate every bit of God’s blessing on their lives.  We went in, they had already had dinner prepared for us.  They really made us feel like “traveling evangelists”, as they welcomed us in to their home, and prepared a meal for us.  As we “broke bread” together, they wanted to hear all about our ministry, and what God had been doing in and through our lives.  We had a great time sharing with them.  They have known us for so long, they said that they knew we would be doing something like this “one day”. 

Well, that day has come, and they celebrated what God was already doing.  We stayed up and talked, and talked, and talked; their hospitality continued as they offered us a guest room to stay in while we were there.  It was getting late, so Adriene and Laura walked over to the coach so that Adriene could pick up a few things for us to use for the night.  When they returned, I stayed up for a little while longer; the long travel day had caught up with me; I headed to bed.  I’m told that my brother Jimmy wasn’t too far behind me and he went to be as well.  Apparently, Adriene and Laura stayed up until about 1 o’clock in the morning; just “chatting”.  Of course, I didn’t find out about that until the following morning.  It was a great day of travel, concluding with a great reunion of “like-minded” souls.  The Allen and the Newton’s were back together again …

We were up an about, enjoying the view from our front panoramic windshield.  That was a very nice little lake/pond that was accented with a water fountain.  The fountain wasn’t on the day prior, so it was a pleasant surprise.  I grabbed our bag of trash and headed to the main office so that I could pay for an additional day.  While there, I was able to share our ministry with the new owner of the park; I also left come cards with him and he thanked me for what we do.  Before leaving, he said that I could throw the trash in the back of his golf cart.  I still took the long way back, because that is the time that I take to pray for the residents and look for ministry opportunities.  No one was out, so I took the opportunity to get a few pictures of the park.

When I got back, Adriene “whipped up” a great breakfast for us, then we headed outside for a while, doing a bit of a “photo shoot”, with the help of our “trusty tripod”.  Our tripod has served us well as we travel.  Dad was going to be a while before he arrived; we expected him around noon or so.  A few other families had arrived into the campground that morning as well.  When I see motorhomes pull in, I see new opportunities for ministry.  Adriene asked me if I was “stalking” the new neighbors.  I don’t “stalk” neighbors, but I am always conscious of the fact that they may need us to come over and “Build an Altar” at their site.

Dad called and said that he would be arriving a little later than expected; he was helping one of his neighbors with their pets while they were out of town.  Dad had also misplaced his cell phone for a while during his traversing back and forth from home to this neighbor’s house.  He was doing some backtracking on his neighbor’s property; come to find out, he found his phone in his own home after all.
 
Dad arrived and he came “bearing gifts”; he brought us a dozen fresh eggs from the chicken coop that they have on their property.  Not only do Dad and Carolyn raise chickens, they have goats, and they foster dogs as well.  They have fostered many dogs over the years; finding great new homes for them and keeping a few of their own.  Carolyn couldn’t make it; she had to work, but we “hung out” outside for a while before we all agreed to go out for lunch.  Over lunch, we continued to reminisce, and enjoy our time together.   After lunch, we made a short trip over the local Walmart Supercenter, to pick up a few things.  We then jumped back in Dad’s “cruiser” and before I realized it, we were on one of the back roads heading towards their house.  Our campground was about 20 minutes from their house, so we had a nice ride.  I sat in the back seat, so Adriene could sit up front with her dad; she loved it, and I was in the backseat snapping pictures.

We actually ended up passing his property, and headed towards the Mennonite community and General Store, that specialized in homemade “everything”.  We had been to that community before, and we love it every time.  On the way, we passed by the nicest “cattle fence” that I have seen; that owner must have invested millions in that fence; he must think very highly of that cattle, or maintaining a reputation of being “over the top” – Wow.  I did leave one of our ministry cards on the bulletin board at the General Store; the Mennonites live a wholesome lifestyle; much like the Amish community, but you never know what impact you could make on someone’s life; every community has prodigal sons and daughters, so I embraced the opportunity.  On the way back, we did stop by Dad’s house, so that he could take care of something before we headed back to campground.  I have great memories of our time staying with them on “the farm”.   My most prominent memory, is when I stayed in their “cabin”, beside the main house.  There was no cell phone service, no internet, and no TV.  That is where I spent a lot of quite time, and was introduced to my love of writing; I have been writing ever since.  I will have to put a picture of that cabin in the first book that I publish; it was the perfect “hideout”, and the venue that launched my newfound passion.

We headed back to the campsite at Springlake RV Resort; hung out inside for a while, as we opened the door and windows while a nice breeze was passing through.  Dad began to share some health challenges that he was experiencing, so we took the opportunity to pray with him, knowing that we serve a God of divine healing.  Dad is a retired “Navy Guy”, so we know how resilient he is; health challenges won’t keep him down for long.  He is the oldest of all of his siblings, so we were loving to hear stories of family members that we hadn’t seen or been in contact with for many years.  Dad can be really comical, so we had a few burst of laughter along the way.

​It was starting to get late in the evening; after seeing the road that Dad would be driving on had no street lights, we knew that it was close to the time that Dad would need to be leaving, and bringing our reunion to an end.  We had a great time with Dad and were already looking forward to the day when we would see him and the family again.  Before he took off, we joined together in a word of prayer.  After hugs and kisses, we thanked him for joining with us and he was back in his “ride”, making his way back home.  We settled in for the evening and celebrated the fact that we were able to stop in for a short visit.

Well, Mom was heading back to work (the church), and we were preparing to head down the road.  After we got all of our things packed up, we had our time in prayer with Mom.  That is always a bit difficult when my visits come to an end; not knowing when we would see each other again.  I loaded everything in the car, and we were on our way back to “Showers”, and our “home away from home”.

When we got back to the “rig”, we loaded all of our things back inside and prepared for “take off”.  I did my usual walk-around, pulled in the slides, and cranked her up.  While the engine was getting to proper operating temperature, and the air pressure adjusting to “drive mode”, we headed into the church because Mom was going to give us a quick tour of the church.  “Showers” is a beautiful facility, and I know that God is pleased at how it is maintained and presented.  We finished up our tour and it was “that time” for big hugs and kisses for Mom.  Our time for departure had come.  Mom had been such a blessing to us during short stay, and we are eternally grateful for her love and support.  Mom took some of our ministry cards, because the Pastor and other members wanted to know more about what God was doing in and through our ministry.  We will certainly be back to Showers, but we will likely park at a local campground next time, rather than the church parking lot; “Destiny” created a bit of a “buzz” parked “over there” :-)

As she normally does when I am leaving her house, Mom stood at the front door waving and blowing kisses as we pulled off.  She always stays there until we are out of her sight.  I know Mom was shedding tears as we left; she has been doing that as far back as I can remember.  I’m so blessed to have a Mom that loves God first, and cherishes her family.  She was my first example that led me to Jesus Christ; I now rise and call her “Blessed” (Proverbs 31:28)

We jumped on highway 64, heading west.  It was time for us to make our way to Tennessee, so that we could spend a little time with Adriene’s Dad (Forrest Powell) and family.  We were on our way to Crossville, Tennessee; which is not too far from where they live in Monterey.  I have very fond memories of our last couple of visits to their “hideout” in the hills of Tennessee.  The first time was during the winter months with our entire family; that is when I really identified my love of writing (more on that later).  The second time, it was just Ariene (my oldest daughter) and I, passing through in a rented Cruise America RV, pulling her car on a U-Haul trailer.  We were on a “College Road Trip”; I was taking Ariene to Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA.  She was in pursuit of her Masters Degree.

I think this was our third time visiting Adriene’s Dad in Tennessee; I’m always excited about spending time with him, especially now that my Dad is no longer with us.  We put in a full day of driving that day.  After a short time on US-64, we jumped on Interstate 40 west for the rest of the travel day.  It was a long 8 hours of driving from Rocky Mount, NC to Crossville, TN, but it was some beautiful scenery along the way; particularly when we got up into the mountains of Tennessee.  We usually don’t drive for extended hours these days, but we wanted to get the Tennessee that night so that we could spend as much time as we could there. 

After a little research, we decided to stay at Springlake RV Resort in Crossville during our stay.  We are always praying that God would direct us to the campgrounds where He wants to use us.  We pulled into the campground during the afternoon, so we still had plenty of daylight hours for getting settled in.  After getting checked-in, the campground host guided us to our site (#58) in his golf cart; he even helped me as I backed my way into our site.  Surprisingly, the campground wasn’t too full.  After we got settled in, we contacted Adriene’s Dad and told him that we were in town; it wasn’t long and we saw Dad pulling into the campground and winding his way around the lake, heading for our location.  We didn’t recognize that it was him until he got close because he was in a new vehicle that we hadn’t seen before.  I was thinking “Nice ride Dad, this would look great being towed behind our motorhome” :-)  We are still in the market for a “dingy – tow vehicle”, so I’ve always got my eye open for the right vehicle, and a great deal.

​It’s always good to see Dad, we were surprised that he was by himself; we were expecting the whole family.  We still had a great visit that evening; we decided that we were going to stay an additional full day so that we had plenty of time to “catch up”, so Dad hung out with us for a while, then headed home for the evening.  We had already planned to get together again in the morning, so we were looking forward to it.

​Monday is Mom’s regular day off now, so we had the opportunity to spend the entire day with her.  She is always up very early in the morning, praying and in God’s Word.  She is a diligent follower of Kenneth Copeland Ministries, so she is able to catch his broadcast in the morning as well.  By the time, we got up, Mom had probably been up for 4 hours.

​Mom has been retired from government service for years; now she volunteers as an administrator at “Showers” the church, working diligently on her own ministry efforts, and writing books.  Yes, she likes to write too J, it’s no surprise that I enjoy writing now.

A few of her books can be found on Amazon and Barnes and Noble:

Master the WORD of the MASTER

Good News Daily

The TEXT Book (A-Z Salvation)

Biblical Texting - A Word From God – AS IS

Usually when I come to visit Mom, she knows that I am coming, so she will have a little “To-Do” list waiting for me on the refrigerator.  Since this visit was a surprise, there was no list, so I spent most of the day helping her with whatever she needed.  I did take the opportunity to go and visit my Pops’ gravesite; he went to be with the Lord in September of 1996.  I always go by for a visit when I come to town; I am a living legacy of all that he imparted in me, so I’m certain to go over and spend a little time celebrating his life when I’m in Rocky Mount.

Later in the afternoon, we took a trip over to Olive Garden for a late lunch; we ran into one of the church members from “Showers” that works there welcoming and seating the patrons.  That was a great meal; I had an Italian style chicken potpie, Adriene had a soup and salad meal, and I forgot what Mom had, but I do know that we had plenty of take-out containers for late night snacks.  Before leaving, we shared our ministry with our greeter and left our card with her, as well as on our table for our waitress.  I always wonder of the impact that we have as God works through us; I’m just glad to be a willing vessel.  We headed back to Mom’s house to enjoy the evening.

Mom thought of a couple other things that I could help her with around the house, so I made a trip over to Lowe’s to pick up a few supplies.  I was wearing my “God’s Got This” T-shirt, which often spawns a conversation with people.  I had the opportunity to share of God’s goodness in Lowe’s, affirming that God has it all in control; then headed back to finish my tasks at Mom’s house.

It was starting to get a little late for Mom, so I checked to see what time we needed to be ready in the morning.  She was heading back to work, and we were continuing our travels (8 a.m. it was).  Mom went to bed; we stayed up a while longer, relaxing, and watching TV until the pillow started calling our name …

Well, the morning started being awaken by a car horn blowing outside of the coach.  Then there was a second set “horn blowing”.  I went to our “living room” window and lifted the shade and window a little, to see who it was.  I didn’t open the shade much because I wasn’t exactly dressed for church at that time :-)   It was about 7 a.m. and one of the church Elders had arrived early, seeing this “random squatter”, parked in the church parking lot.  I yelled out to inform him of who I was, and that I had permission to be there.  The conversation went something like this:

Elder:  We will be starting prayer service here in about an hour (expecting me to pack up and leave)
Me: My name is Robert Allen.  I am Cora Allen’s son and I am here to surprise her; the Pastor knows that I am here.  Please don’t let my Mom know that I am here “It’s A Surprise”.
Elder: OK; Robert Allen, and the Pastor knows that you are here
Me:  Yes Sir, It’s a surprise
Elder: OK (with a thumbs up)
Me: Sir, what time does service start?
Elder: Prayer starts at 8 o’clock, and service starts at 9 o’clock
Me: Thank You (he then drives off)
 
As my Mom tells it, this is how it all went down:
 
My Mom volunteers at the church a few days a week as well as on Sundays, so she too arrives early.  She told me that she was speaking to the Elder and asked him if he had seen “that motorhome parked over there”; “they had better get out of here before service starts, can you go over there and see who it is?”

Elder: I went over there, he said his name was Robert Allen, and the Pastor knows that he is here.
Mom: His name is what?
Elder: Robert Allen, and the Pastor gave him permission to be here.
Mom: “ROBERT ALLEN; THAT’S MY SON”

The excitement started and the “cat was out of the bag” (maybe 10 minutes after I said “It’s a surprise”).  Mom said that she was trying to “keep her cool” because prayer was starting in the sanctuary.  She said that she went in the sanctuary and the Pastor was speaking about how blessed people are; then she hears:

Pastor:  “I know Sister Cora is blessed, her son came to surprise her”

Mom said that she got up, turned around to see if she saw me (not knowing if I had come inside yet); when she didn’t see me, she took off running out of the church.

Greeter:  Sister Cora, where are you going without your coat? (they are very protective of my Mom)
Mom: “I’M GOING TO FIND MY FAMILY”

Next thing I knew, I hear a “pounding” on our door; then another “pounding”.  I opened the curtain to the door, and there she was; out of breath and ecstatic.  I unlocked and opened the door to help her up the steps and into our rig.  Listening to her tell this story, while in shock and catching her breath was hilarious and exciting at the same time; I couldn’t get her to sit down.  The “Surprise” didn’t go off like I had planned, but this was even better, and more memorable.

After a short visit, with hugs and kisses for Adriene and I, Mom ran back into the church and all the way up the pulpit steps as she celebrated.  Once Mom left, we picked up our pace so that we could get in the service.  When we got inside, the usher escorted us up the aisle; Mom had already reserved us some seats on the second row.  We arrived between the services, so we were awaiting the start of the 9 o’clock service.

After a fantastic Praise and Worship Service, the Pastor and his wife acknowledged us a couple of times after the announcements, then he preached a masterpiece on “Patience – The Partner of Faith”.  Following service, we greeted the Pastor and First Lady, took a quick photo, and thanked him for allowing us to park in the parking lot overnight.  As tradition would have it, we were ready to go and get something to eat; we decided that it was a Golden Corral Day (one of Mom’s favorite spots); we hopped in Mom’s car, and off we went.  After “loading up” on some of everything at the buffet, we left a tip and a ministry card, and headed to Mom’s house.  We were planning to stay in the coach during our stay in Rocky Mount, but Mom wouldn’t have it.  Later in the day, we went back over to the coach to pick up a change of clothes and some overnight things and went back to Mom’s house for the evening …

​Mom is off on Monday’s, so we decided to stay until she went back to work … What A Day! …

Good Morning from “Groovy Town”, GA, as the locals would call it; it is actually spelled Grovetown.  We got up and moving around after a good night’s sleep; after morning preparations, we touched base with the Graham’s to see if they were up and about.  It was after 9 o’clock, so we felt comfortable that we were not calling (texting) too early.  They told us to “come on down”, so we headed back to their house; low and behold they were preparing breakfast for us and the family.  Actually, the kids were doing all of the cooking while we sat around the table “chatting”.

It wasn’t too long after we arrived, that Rico and Ashley arrived at the house.  Rico is a young man (now living in Charlotte, NC) that George had taken under his wing quite a few years ago as his mentor.  It was great to see, and hear, the impact that George has made on Rico’s life.  Rico and Ashley are newlyweds, getting married just a few months ago, so between the Grahams, and the Allens, there was plenty of Godly counsel on the blessings (and challenges) of marriage bouncing back on forth across that table.

​Rico is also an Air Force member that will be deploying soon as a Chaplains Assistant.  We had the privilege of sharing some of our military expertise with him as well.  George is currently Active Duty Army (I don’t hold that against him :-), and I am retired Air Force with prior service in the Army, so we could certainly relate to Rico and his new bride, Ashley.

By this time, the aroma of breakfast had consumed the house, and the kids (young ladies actually) were bringing food to the table.  Wow, they were not messing around.  George even pulled out some of his “special blend” sausage from a recent hunting trip, to complement the “spread”.  We had a great time of fellowship, “breaking bread” and communing with our longtime, and newfound friends.  After a while, it was time for Rico and Ashley to head out, so, as I commonly do, I asked if I could pray over them as a couple, and for Rico’s pending deployment; believing that God would use him mightily, and protect him during his absence.

​Our time with the Grahams was winding down as well; it wasn’t too long before we had to prepare ourselves to get back on the road.  As we started to head back up to the coach, George blessed our ministry with some food supplies that we could pass on as the opportunities presented themselves along to way.  We got back up to the coach, took a few photos, and we closed out our fellowship with prayer.  We exchanged hugs with everyone, and thanked them for their hospitality.  They left to go back to the house and get their truck, to lead us out of the neighborhood, and back to interstate 20.  As we approached the highway, George and Kem pulled off; with a couple of “honks” on the air horn, we were on our way, heading east.

By that time, we had already decided that we were going to “sneak in” on my Mom in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.  A trip to visit Mom was long overdue, so we finalized our “strategy” as we made our way through Georgia, and into South Carolina.  I contacted my sister, so that she could check with my Mom, to ensure that she was going to be in town over the weekend (we had to make sure because my Mom likes to travel as well).  I guess the saying is true; “fruit don’t fall far from the tree” :-)  Once I found out that she would be home for the weekend, I knew that our “surprise” was a GO.  Our plan was to travel all the way to Rocky Mount on Saturday, and surprise Mom at church on Sunday morning; we’ll tell you more about that later, but I will say that I contacted my Mom’s pastor to let him know that I was “sneaking in”, and to see if it was OK for us to park “Destiny” in their church parking lot; he gave us a “thumbs up”.

We continued our long travel day; we were listening to “March Madness”, the NCAA Basketball Tournament, on the radio.  Reception was in and out, but we were able catch quite a bit of it and stay current on the standings.  It was a bitter/sweet moment when we came up on “South of the Border”; this is an amazing tourist stop just “south of the border” before you cross the state line into North Carolina.  The place is awesome, but it reminds me of a “bitter” memory of me “accidentally” closing my daughter’s (Alisha) finger in the car door during one of our visits there, many year ago.  It’s “sweet” because I knew that we were closing in on our destination for the evening.

​It wasn’t long and we were transitioning from Highway 20E, onto Highway 95, heading north.  Highway 95N was our final long stretch heading into Rocky Mount.  As the sun began to set, we were pulling in to Rocky Mount, and my Mom’s church (Showers of Blessing Christian Center).  As I pulled in to the parking lot, I noticed that a police officer was parked near the entry; I stopped to inform the officer that I had permission from the Pastor to park in the parking lot.  She gave us the OK and we slowly made our way to the other side of the church where we would be out of the way (so we thought :-)  We got settled in for the night, turned on the generator, and watched some of the “Sweet 16” NCAA Tournament, while eating some dinner.  That was a long travel day, but we were in place for the “Big Surprise” in the morning …

When we arrived at the Vicksburg Walmart, we had planned on running inside to pick up a few things; I walked up to the door, not realizing that the store was dark.  After trying to go inside, an employee informed me that there was no power and they had closed the store for security reasons.  We were not going anywhere for the rest of the evening, while waiting for the storm to pass, so we relaxed and made ourselves comfortable for the night.  If we spend a night in a Walmart parking lot, we always park far away from the entrance, and the main traffic flow.  It rained most of the night, but we still got our rest.  By the time we were up and about, the Walmart had power and reopened.  It was still raining lightly but I went inside to try and find a marker light cover for the top of the coach (I noticed that one had come off the day prior), and I picked up an umbrella as well (a little late, but much needed).  I headed back to the coach and climbed on top of the coach to replace the light cover.  We ate a light breakfast and we were soon back on the highway, heading east out of Vicksburg.

​We spent most of the day in “travel mode”, traveling through Mississippi, Alabama, and in to Georgia.  We decided that we wanted to visit with George and Okema (Kem) Graham and their family in Grovetown, Georgia while we were passing through, so we made contact with them and told them that we were on our way.  The trip was mostly uneventful until we ran into traffic in Atlanta, GA.  We were at a standstill in our lane; I looked in my driver side mirror and noticed that a car was coming up a bit fast on our left.  I quickly realized that car was not going to stop in time; before I knew it (WHAM!); the guy slammed into the back of another vehicle that was sitting still; resulting in a 4 car accident; Yes, right in front of us, causing me to maneuver our 42’ rig around the mess on the highway.  The “guilty party” jumped out of the car and started walking around right after the impact; everyone seemed to be OK when we passed.  We were thinking that guy had to be distracted by something for him not to see the traffic in front of him at a standstill.  We prayed for all  that were involved as we “crept” past the scene.  I thought of stopping, but that would have created a worse situation on the highway; since there was so much help already present, we continued down the road; praying that there was no serious injuries.  Thank you Lord for encamping your angels around us as we travel. (Psalms 91:11)

It was almost dark when we made our way to Grovetown; I was a bit leery about pulling our coach into a neighborhood, but George assured me that there would be enough room for us to park up the street from their house.  Well, after blocking neighborhood traffic 3 ways, at a 4-way stop, and having to make a 12-point turnaround in a cul-de-sac, we parked on the side of the road, just up the street from our friends.  That was interesting; it’s too bad Adriene didn’t have the camera out on that one.  George had come up to meet us at the 4-way stop, so he was able to witness my exercise in “motorhome maneuverability”.  Once we got situated and leveled, we greeted George and headed down the street to the Graham home to see the rest of the family.  Wow, the kids had all grown up since the last time that we saw them; George and Kem had come to visit us in San Antonio a year or so ago.  Our friendship goes back to our time in Alaska, where we all fellowshiping in the same church.

We spent the evening catching up with them; it started getting a little late, but we decided to take a trip to the local Waffle House for a “late night breakfast”.  We had a great time of fellowship, sharing what the Lord had been doing in our lives and ministry.  They too have been building the Kingdom of God as they host “The Family Devotional” on a weekly basis, and serving faithfully in the ministry of their local church.  Their church, by the way, has partnered with us to provide baptisms for new believers in the area (Fresh Anointing House of Worship – Evans, GA)

The evening was far spent, so they dropped us off at “the rig” and we bid them a goodnight, with expectation of seeing them again in the morning.  It was a quiet night, and we slept well, even though we were on the side of a street in the subdivision.  We did hook back up with them the following morning and was able to share our ministry with some other friends of the Graham family as well …

As we most often do, our early mornings in campgrounds include our “Prayer Walk” time.  On this occasion, I went out, while Adriene started preparing the coach for our pending departure.  During my morning walk that morning, God opened up ministry opportunities, as He always does.  As we walk, not only, are we praying for the hearts and minds of the campground residents, but we are also praying that God would lead us to the spiritual needs within the park.  I was carrying our little trash bag, so my first stop was to the trash bin; that is where my first encounter for the morning happened.  I met a lady that was burdened by her inability to find a job; she had been at the campground for some time, looking for work in the area.  I shared our ministry with her and she told me that she was a believer, so I reminded her that Jehovah-Jireh is our provider, and prayed for her strength until her new job manifested.  She thanked me for my willingness to share with her; I gave her one of our cards and continued on my walk …

That was when I came upon man sitting at his picnic table; I greeted him, commending him on the “vintage” camper that he had.  I then began to share that we are a campground ministry.  He was actually reading the Bible on his iPad at the time; he encouraged me to keep doing what we were doing, I encouraged him to stay faithful to the Word of God.  I gave him one of our ministry cards as well, but I knew the God had more instore for that morning.  As I continued my walk, I petitioned God to show me where the need was.  Just a minute or so later, an older lady was crossing my path, while walking her dogs; thank you Lord, this must be her.   I approached her very slowly (remember, the dogs – both mid-sized, and one seemed a little aggressive), and introduced myself to her, she shared her name with me as well and I told her of our purpose for being there.  That is when the need became known; she had health challenges; lost everything, and had moved into a trailer.  I began the share the Word of God with her and asked if I could pray with her; she said “absolutely”, so I reached for her hand “slowly” and began to pray for her needs, both physically, and for her salvation.  I asked her if she had a Bible, she said no, so I went back to our coach and got one of our Bible Drive Bibles to take back to her.  She was so thankful; as I began to walk away I heard her say “Thank You God”, as she walked back into her trailer.

I headed back to our coach, and that is when I met my neighbor, an Army veteran who was traveling with his dad that is battling with cancer.  I shared our ministry with him and he invited me to have a seat with him outside of his coach.  What he needed was a listening ear, and the compassion of a friend; God allowed me to be there at the right time as a fellow veteran, in his time of need.  I prayed for him and his dad, gave him one of our cards, then went back over to our coach to get ready to head out … God had one more surprise in store.  He led me to go over to the main office and ask if they provided any type of Chapel Service at the campground; the lady in the office said no.  I began to share our ministry with her, and asked if I could leave some cards on the front counter for future campground residents; she said that I could, so I went over to “our headquarters” and grabbed a small stack of cards to place in their card holder … Altar to Altar Ministries is now their “Mobile Church” … God is so good … It was then time for us to move on … And There We Built An Altar …

​We continued our journey east on highway 20, through Louisiana, and crossing into Mississippi; the weather was less than desirable.  It was raining, and we started to see bolts of lightning.  We knew that it was time for us to get off of the road, so we decided to spend the evening at a Walmart Supercenter parking lot in Vicksburg, Mississippi …