Prayer Room

12 January 2013

We all slept well last night once the street sweeper finished his job cleaning the parking lot.  It was quiet and secure with other campers around us.  What a treat that is – to have a place in nearly every city in America to call home for the night.  My friend Tracy told me that many Walmarts have stopped allowing the overnighting because so many homeless people have now moved into RVs and they were just camping out full time in their parking lots.  She gave a strong warning about people breaking into RVs too, as she says, “desperate times call for desperate measures” and she’s never seen people so desperate in California before.

We were up early and drove to the satellite campus of Bethel Church in Redding before 8am.  Normally their prayer meetings are held at their main campus but some other big event was going on there so it was held north of town a bit and we were some of the first ones there.  Good thing, too, because we wouldn’t have found parking if we’d been any later.  That place was packed.

While Kory and Kaleb were eating breakfast in the RV, I went inside the church and asked how things are set up for the day.  The place was crawling with volunteers, at least a hundred of them strong, and I could hear the worship music going on in the large room behind the doors.

The guy at the info desk told me once they get set up, I fill out a form and wait for my group number to be called.  Groups get taken into a side room where a volunteer explains what happens in the main room – and then we all go into the main room and people on the prayer team come around and pray for people individually.  Afterwards there is another short class on how to continue to “walk in the healing.”

I hadn’t told this guy a darn thing about myself or why we were there, and we really did come mostly for Kory’s heart arteries to be healed, but he assumed I came for my own healing so he then told me, “But you don’t have to wait to be prayed for.  Many people get healed just walking in the doors, as the anointing of God is so strong in this place.  Check yourself out and see if you feel differently.” 

I thought that was so odd he said that, and I wasn’t even thinking of having myself be prayed for, but since he did say that, I thought about my hand.  I’m pretty sure I broke it last June trying to catch myself in a fall down some stairs.  The pain in it has been unbearable if it gets touched in the right spot.  I can’t hold hands with Kaleb or Kory for fear they will hit the nerve that must be damaged.  When I made a fist and straightened out my fingers, the little finger on my left hand just stayed curled up and removed from the other fingers.  It wouldn’t straighten out or cooperate with the motions I wanted it to do.

So when the guy told me to check myself out, I thought that would be a pretty easy test to see if what he said was true.  I made a fist and opened up my fingers, and I was shocked to see my little finger fully cooperating!  And the pain in my hand was gone – there was just a little bruised feeling.  I ran back to the RV to show Kory and Kaleb and right away Kaleb insisted on pulling that finger because he knew how much I’ve been guarding it when he’s around… so he pulled on it and bent it back and forth and I didn’t even flinch!  Hallelujah.  I was healed, no questions asked. 

That was an exciting start to our day.  It sure got the boys up and going so they hurried up with the breakfast and came into the church.  I told the info counter guy about my finger and he asked me to share that with everyone else in the lobby – which I did.

After our initial group meeting, we all just sat in the large room where the band was playing original music, artists were sitting around painting holy spirit inspired art (some of it was incredible), some women were dancing and some were waving large scarves around.  There were a few people lying on the floor covered in blankets but most of the prayer team was moving throughout the space in groups of 3 looking for people to pray for. 

The chairs were set up in clusters, not rows, so it made getting around pretty easy.  Each form people had filled out had a spot for 3 areas that needed prayer.  Kory could have used 10 forms, but we focused on just his heart, his bladder and his arthritis today.  Kaleb even wrote down prayer for his own allergies and his eyesight – as he’d like to not wear glasses.  I got prayed for first and since my hand was already healed I asked for prayer for my knees that seem to go weak from time to time, and for my sugar addiction, which I’d love to be delivered from.  Also, I wouldn’t mind not wearing glasses, so I figured it didn’t hurt to ask God to improve my eyesight, too.

I didn’t feel anything special while they were praying but I did feel by the time I left that place that my knees were stronger and in less pain when I did a deep knee bend, so hallelujah for that. 

The guys that prayed for Kory prayed he’d enjoy the food he eats and that he’d be able to eat the foods he enjoys… so I’m not thinking we’re stopping the vegan life, even if he gets healed, as I like it too much now.  I’m sure Kory heard that prayer as “steaks and potatoes with gravy” but it sounded to me like they were praying for him to adapt to the vegan lifestyle better.

Kory got several visions and words from God while he was praying by himself, and he felt very energized by the experience.  His arthritic hands don’t show any improvement, but if he’s able to do all the volunteer work we have lined up without any ill effects, I’m saying that’s miraculous.  He went running later and still got angina, but I know God did something in him because He is faithful when we ask.

Kaleb really felt a heat going through his sinuses and forehead as the women prayed for him.  He has only sneezed once since they prayed.  He’s been going through about a box of Kleenex a day with all the sneezing and nose blowing he does at times, but I do believe God touched him in that area.  He also felt his eye sight improved somewhat but he’s still wearing his glasses.

It was an interesting and inspiring time to be there and to hear the miracles that were happening around us.  One woman had a fused neck with nearly no mobility, but after she was prayed for she looked like an owl – the way she could move her head around. 

I don’t know why some people get fully healed, some show improvement and some have apparently nothing that happens to them, but I know God is in the healing business, so it’s His call.  We are just obedient to ask and have faith to believe and then praise him no matter what.  I’m so thankful Kaleb got to experience a little bit of the power of God and to see and hear what he saw today, so that alone was worth the journey.

We then had a six-hour drive south from Redding to make it to my friend, Dani’s house.  Her husband Chris took my dinner “order” a few days ago so they made everything according to my specifications, sweet folks that they are.  I did say salmon was OK for one night, as Kory hasn’t had any since the day after Christmas and he’s done quite a bit of exercising in all that time – so it was a treat for sure. - especially with all the driving he’s done to get here.  (Actually, I drove for several hours today and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.)

It feels like coming home when I’m at Dani’s house as this has always been my place of respite.  Whenever I need time away, I come here.  She’s my rock - a dear, dear friend - and it always feels good just to be in her presence. She’s empty nesting now with her two boys gone so she’s happy to have Kaleb here.  I’ve not seen Kaleb warm up to anyone the way he does to Dani, except to my friend Nannette, who died over six years ago.  It amazes me the way Dani engages Kaleb and gets him laughing and talking and carrying on.  I don’t even see that side of him, so I’m sure he appreciates being here, too.  Besides, they have a dog.

Chris, Dani’s husband, is a retired police chief.  We weren’t in his driveway more than an hour before he noticed the tabs on our motorhome were expired!  I don’t even know how that happened as I assumed we would have gotten something in the mail to tell us, but we didn’t.  So right away I looked on line to see if I could pay for them over the internet, and I was a bit surprised that I actually could.  So, technically we are now legal, as I paid them, but we still need the tabs as proof.  I’m hoping they arrive in the mail next week as we are stationary for a while.  I’d hate to drive across country now with that kind of stress on us.

The rising sun this morning turned the horizon a soft pink.  Mount Shasta (top photo) looked like strawberry ice cream as we drove north to Redding.  Then this evening, the setting sun made the horizon a brilliant orange/red.  The sky was blue all day.  I just love God’s color palate/art work and we feel more than blessed to see so much of it each and every day.  It was a good day, too.

California Here We Come!

11 Jan 2013

Wal-Mart has an “open parking lot” policy for all overnighting campers and RVs.  They love having an extra security force on their property and the RVers love having security cameras all around them.  Plus, it’s so handy to pop in and buy whatever is needed for the journey.  It’s a symbiotic relationship I embrace.  However, each city can override Walmart’s desires and force them to put up “no overnight parking” signs. Mostly this comes from business people in the area that want the RVers to stay at their particular campground.  That’s why the Walmart in our own hometown of Mount Vernon posts those sings, since there’s an RV park just across the street.  And in our case last night, my home away from home spot all pre-picked out for our journey, found a bump in the road when we happened upon the same sign in Roseburg.  Time for Plan B.  

We ate dinner in the Walmart parking lot anyway as we were sure no one would complain about the sound of our generator running so we could heat up our leftovers.  I made Kory a “meatless” loaf, potatoes and gravy and he didn’t complain a bit about having it two nights in a row.  It was pretty tasty. 

So after dinner we used my handy-dandy smart phone and checked out the lay of the land around us.  We saw there was a hospital about half a mile away.   We discovered on our last big RV trip (that lasted two years) that hospitals and cemeteries are very quiet places to boondock and no one seems to care.  I guess they assume a person is visiting their loved ones – dead or alive.  So we headed over to the hospital, which happened to be a Veteran’s hospital with it’s own out of the way designated RV parking lot.  We were the only ones there and there were no signs telling us we had to leave by any particular time.  We discovered shortly thereafter that it’s a hang out for the police as they turn out their lights and wait for speeders.  We felt safe and went right to sleep.

11 Jan 2013

The ability to check traffic cameras from the comfort of our RV when we first wake up in the morning, is a pleasure I’m not sure I could have ever even dreamed of.  It was nice to see the roads that lie ahead were mostly bare and dry, but the ones going over the passes looked a bit more daunting to me.  They didn’t phase Kory one bit, so we are now heading south through southern Oregon and on into Northern California for the night.  I’m trusting God with this one because Kory has some alter ego that loves a good challenge when the conditions are dangerous and he’s behind the wheel of a vehicle.

We’ll be driving down McLean Road heading to church on a Sunday morning with dry pavement and blue sky overhead, and Kory will be going five to ten miles an hour UNDER the limit.  I remind him we are late for church and could he please at least go the speed limit.  He reminds me it’s the “limit” – meaning we don’t have to go that fast – and on he drives at a snail’s pace like an old man going to church on a Sunday morning. 

But put him behind the wheel when there is snow, ice or hard rain and wind, and he drives at least ten miles an hour OVER the limit.  It’s like he’s 21 again and loving life on the edge.  The problem is, I don’t.   I may drive a few miles an hour over the limit on any given day, but when the conditions aren’t dangerous, but when they are, I can easily go half speed and still be stressed.  This day is directed by God and covered in prayer and I promise not to yell at Kory as often as I am inclined to.

Later:

We stopped at a rest stop along the freeway and Kory engaged in conversation with a trucker.  He was hoping to ask the guy how he could pray for him, but the guy just kept blabbing on about all the homeless people at the rest stops, begging for food or money.  He said he keeps cases of stews and other canned goods in his truck, just so he has something to give them, as there are so many legitimately hurting people he encounters – not drug addicts or alcoholics like are found in the cities begging – real people just hit hard by the economy.  So, so sad.

We stopped in Medford to gas up.  Kaleb had gotten a $25 gift card to Old Navy for Christmas and there just happened to be that store right next to Costco, so Kory filled up the RV while Kaleb and I did some speed shopping at Old Navy – tax free.  We hit the clearance rack and he got 3 long sleeved t-shirts, a sweater and a polo shirt all the next size up – anticipating a growth spurt in his future - and I used the remaining few dollars to buy two reusable shopping bags and 2 sets of gloves and hats – they were 25 cents each!  So in about ten minutes we spent $25.01 and walked out of the store smiling big time.  I love a good bargain.

The mountains passes in southern Oregon and northern California were white with snow, but fortunately, only one time was the road anything but bare and wet.  I insisted Kory not drive over 30mph as I reminded him that being a good driver also includes making sure all the passengers are comfortable.  And if I’m stressed out, he will be, too.  So we made is on over the mountains in one piece and our marriage is still in tact.  We left the snowflakes behind and entered sunshine in California.  Hallelujah for that.

We had to drive an hour south of our destination in order to meet up with my friend Tracy for dinner in Chico.  I haven’t seen her in at least six years and she’s been through many sad events in all that time.  It was good to see her smiling face and hear how the power of forgiveness has allowed her to now be her ailing father’s caretaker.  She has an incredible spirit.  It was also nice to meet her father and they brought us seven bags of citrus fruit from their garden, so there won’t be any scurvy joining us on this journey, that’s for sure.  We all stuffed ourselves at a Thai restaurant then sat in the RV and chatted away until late in the evening.

Finally we are now spending the night in a Walmart parking lot in Red Bluff.  It’s quiet and out of the way and they said they welcome the overnighters, so here we are.  We just finished an electronic version of Monopoly on Kaleb’s Nook, and it’s an understatement to say it left something to be desired.  Family game nights aren’t quite as dramatic when the computer does all the thinking.

We are so thankful the cold weather is now behind us and we have nothing but sunshine in the forecast.  Tomorrow we check out the prayer rooms at Bethel Church in Redding, and on to have dinner with my best buddy, Dani south of Fresno.  So excited for what the day will bring.

And We're OFF!

Jan. 9, 2013

Less than 2 hours to take off.  I meticulously made lists of all the things I need to do for each day before we go – and then I lost my list.  It’s added a bit more stress than I was hoping for.  Kaleb has been extraordinary in helping clean the house and pack up the RV though, so that took a lot of stress off.  To have him do non-stop chores without a single complaint is miraculous.  We need to do this more often!

Kory went to the dump and prepared the exterior of the RV while I got the inside all loaded down with everything I could possibly think of that we’ll need in the next few months, but it’s a little silly since we’ll probably be sleeping in Wal-mart parking lots and have access to everything we need at the drop of a button.  I managed to get everything from the frig into our tiny RV frig and freezer, so that was the second miracle of the day (only to be trumped by Kaleb’s incredible house cleaning skills.)

We finished cleaning and loading and even had 10 minutes to all sit down and check email before dinner – it was so nice to have those minutes that weren’t rushed.  We ate dinner, cleaned up, then headed on out the door at precisely the moment I had planned.  Then I remembered our Honda van needs to be plugged into a battery charger or it will go dead while we are gone.  So then we were a few minutes late.

Finally, we drove down our driveway and on to Best Road, heading to a prayer meeting at church before we leave town.  Just a few miles into our journey I remembered I forgot my purse at home, so we took the next turn on Bradshaw and headed right back home again – adding 10 unnecessary miles to a very long road trip.  But at least I found my to-do list.  It was in my purse.

I’m so very thankful that God brought my purse to mind before we got too far down the road.  I certainly will need my driver’s license, money and credit cards, so I was praising God all the way to the prayer meeting.

The prayer meeting was awesome – great format and lots of good prayers prayed.  The prayer team even sent us off with a special prayer blessing, so that was just what we needed before we hit the road.  We stopped in Seattle on our way south and Grammy J prayed for us, too.  Now we are sure to be covered in angels all the way to Florida and back again.

My goal was to sleep in the parking lot of Cabelas in Olympia for the night, as they welcome overnighters and even provide a dump station, but with the news reports of possible snow overnight, we drove a little further south of Olympia and are now spending the night at a rest stop since it will be easier to get on and off the freeway from here if it does indeed snow.  I will need my earplugs, however.  But all is good and we are most thankful and excited to see what God will do on this trip.  Hallelujah, we’re off to a good start!

Jan 10, 2013

We all slept well our first night on the road.  It’s so nice that no matter where we go – there we are – all together and HOME.  It was cold this morning but no signs of frost or snow, so the day started with one big Hallelujah from me. 

I can already see I need to develop a morning routine as all our steps must be coordinated so we aren’t climbing over each other.  I’m thankful for the kitchen being in the rear of the motorhome so I could make coffee and instant oatmeal for breakfast while Kaleb got dressed and Kory did his devotions. 

All systems are working great in the RV and already I can feel the difference on this trip from the one Kory and I took for a honeymoon.  I checked my email and Facebook messages before we started driving.  Now that was different.  We may be miles away from home, but we are just as close as a email or phone call.  I like this upgrade very much. 

The one thing I just realized I didn’t pack was paper towels, as I needed one this morning.  When I gave a disappointing report that I’d forgotten to put any in the RV, Kaleb started quoting a line out of the “Hobbit” where Bilbo says, “Wait!  Wait!  We must all turn around! I forgot my pocket handkerchief!”  I thought that was funny, as in the movie, he too was starting on a great adventure.

We are heading to Salem, Oregon today to visit a “friend” in prison.  It was a guy I met in 1976 through an outreach our church did back then.  He’s in prison for life for murder, kidnapping and rape.  Sometimes I get so tired of all the whining he does in his letters, but I still have to be faithful to the words of Jesus that “when I was in prison, you visited me, “ so I stay the course.   

One of the prayer warriors last night was praying for “divine appointments” for us on our journey and it’s already started.  Just north of Portland we stopped at a rest area and there was a young woman holding a sign that said “Family in Need.”  Kory stopped to ask her what her need was and found out she was married and had five kids and they lost their home when both her and her husband lost their jobs.  They were all living in one hotel room in Vancouver and she went out begging everyday while her husband stayed home with the youngest kids and the older ones went to school.  They don’t get enough in unemployment to survive so she’s humbled herself to this point.  It was easy to see she wasn’t the run of the mill beggar, just a woman in desperate need.  Kory prayed for her and she was so thankful for that, she just cried all the way through it.  He gave her a little money and we continued to pray for her as we drove away.  What a humbling start to this trip, when we live in such luxury and to be face to face with such poverty right here in America.

Our prison visit went well.  George is legally blind now from a stroke he had a few years ago.  The stroke was brought on my him not taking his medication for ten days when he was transferred from one prison to the next and not allowed to bring along a thing.  The medicine was for  a condition he got because he no longer has a spleen.  He lost his spleen in prison when he got shot in the gut during a riot and the guards opened fire on the wrong group of people.  To say he’s had his share of tough luck is an understatement, but nothing compared to what he's done to others.  He’s scheduled for a parole hearing in 2016 but I can’t imagine what would happen to him if they ever let him out.  He will be 65 then and totally blind.  He has no where to go and no hope for a job, so it will be interesting to see what God does to take care of him. 

Kaleb sat respectfully through the visit and answered the few questions he was asked.  Kory and I intentionally steered the conversation around what life was like in prison so Kaleb could hear the details. I'm sure Kaleb will never make the kinds of choices that would land him there, but it's good just the same to give him the total picture.

We took advantage of the tax free status in Oregon and stocked up on a few things at Costco and Trader Joes before we left town, then drove two hours south to Roseburg for the night, where we now sit outside a Starbucks in order to catch a wi-fi signal so I can post this update.  Wal-mart is across the street and the parking lot looks like home to me.

Packin' Up and Headin' Out

There is no calm before this storm.  Our house is in full tilt packing up and getting ready to head out.  We are all on hyper mode trying to get every last detail completed.  The ones we haven’t yet thought of, well, hopefully that’ all will be undone.

Our RV is packed and ready to go.  Our house will be cared for while we are gone.  All is right in our world – that is of course unless there is snow in the Siskyous, we get the flu or the motorhome breaks down.  But none of those things will happen as I’m confident we are on a journey with God and he’s posting angels around us as we travel.

Kaleb is excited about our road trip but probably won’t forgive me if it snows while we are away.  We missed the sunny summer this year, and if we get a snowy winter, and we’re not here, I think he’ll be more than a bit peeved.  Like I control those things.  I offered to spend a day up in the mountains with him playing in the snow before we go, but he really likes it when the snow comes to us so we can come inside and warm up between snowball fights.  Such is life.

My latest new is that I’ve been asked to write a second column for the local paper.  The pressure is on.  I’m wondering how I can keep up the Norway column as I’m running out of material, but I’ve felt that way for over a year now and somehow I keep doing it.  If I make it to three years in February I’ll be thrilled.  My editor just wants to keep re-running the old stuff because people really like reading it and no one remembers what they read three years ago.  Or so she thinks.

My second column will be a general interest one – just about life, mothering and homeschooling I guess.  I’ve always wanted to be an Erma Bombeck type, and not just because my last name is similar.  I don’t think I’m as funny as she was though so she’s a tough act to follow.  I’m sure I’ll get plenty of things to write about on our trip.

The first leg of our journey is straight down to California with only a stop in Salem, Oregon to visit a friend in prison.  That guy is a whole other story, but needless to say, Kaleb should experience the “when I was in prison, you visited me” part of the Bible.  He went once before and fell asleep out of sheer boredom and was more than a little ticked he couldn’t bring in a book to read.  It may have been the longest time he’s been without a book in his hand in his life.  And I’m making him do it all over again.

We are stopping in Northern California to go to a healing prayer room for Kory – asking God to help his aging body stay strong (and alive).  Then we’re off to Fresno to have dinner with my best friend and visit her for a day before we check in to Gleanings for the Hungry where we will volunteer for a week packing dried fruits and veggies to be sent to third world countries.  I want Kaleb to experience a 40 hour work week, so it should be interesting.

Kaleb’s had some extended time with various friends before we leave so I hope that carries him over.  His buddy Spencer was here for a few days last week and they cracked me up at the breakfast table quizzing each other on details of the Periodic Table of Elements.  I’m so glad he has a friend that “gets” him as he wouldn’t even be able to tell you what type of sport the Seahawks play.  He’s in his own world, but it’s a good one.

I’ll post as much as I can on our trip, but internet connections might be spotty.  When we are in Norway it takes about two hours out of my day to write the blog and post it, so I’m not sure I’ll have that much time, but I’ll do what I can.  I’m thankful for all the prayers offered on our behalf and I’m trusting God this will be a positive family experience.  It brings back memories already of the two years Kory and I spent traveling in an RV when we first got married.  But we’ll only be passing through 20 states, not all 50.  I just love a good road trip.