Fear and Encouragement....

With all the stress of the holidays, I was overtired and that old fear about this trip came back full force. I had been too busy to read through my old journal and we had weathered some discouraging comments. It wasn't long before I was voicing my worries to Bill. Words were spoken back and forth and I had to admit that the fear was eating at me. Bill held me and encouraged me while I cried on his shirt. The next morning, I felt better and started scrolling through my newsfeed on Facebook. I came across a meme that stopped me in my tracks. It was a translation of Judges 18:5-6. "They said to him, “Please ask God if we are going to be successful on our trip.” The priest answered, “You have nothing to worry about. The Lord is taking care of you on this trip.” I had never subscribed to this site and had never seen anything from it before. It was if God were talking right to me.  I was amazed and thankful for the encouragement. A few days later, my daughter sent us a link to a funny segment by Joe McGee. After playing it and having a good laugh, I searched YouTube for more. I found another video and started it up. This one was an hour long and was a mind-blowing sermon! We talked for hours afterward and felt so encouraged. Here is the link to the one we listened to: Joe McGee....Prepare to have your mind blown! 
On another note, Bill received another gift from God on his last ride this past weekend......a brand new pair of Frogg Toggs rain pants....in his size of course! LOL!

So we are back to being fearless and continue to prepare for this trip. Thank-you for reading and please don't hesitate to leave a comment.

Home Away from Home, Interior

Since I have had requests to see the inside of the little camper we bought, we made a trip up to A&L RV Sales. We had the opportunity to meet the owner, Larry Stover. We spent about 20 minutes or so talking with him and found him to be truly a man of character. It seems like we were led there for a reason and we are so thankful for all the men we have met there. We appreciate the encouragement we've received to continue on with this venture. After our conversation we went to our little home away from home to measure up a few things, get some pictures, and sit in it for a little while. I think we'll be very comfortable in it. One of my main concerns was how wide the door was. You see, I found this cute little portable washer online that will keep me out of the laundromats but it is 21 inches square. Guess how wide the doorway is....22 3/4 inches...Whew! Just makes it! The first one, arrived in terrible condition. It looked like it had been thrown off the loading dock and rolled around on the concrete for awhile, then got hit by a truck! LOL! So the replacement is supposed to arrive tomorrow; hope it arrives in one piece. I know, I know, where are the pictures! When you come in the kitchen door, this is what you see:

Look left and you will see the frig:

Turn right and the sofa will be on the left and the dinette on the right. The one slide is on the sofa side and is retracted in this picture.

The door you see in the dinette picture is the door into the bathroom. There's even a place for linens tucked into the corner next to the shower.

The bedroom is at the front end of the camper and has a queen size bed and places to hang clothes.

There are a few small things we want to add or change a bit but overall, we really like this camper. Bill continues to ride every chance he gets and he put on some miles this weekend. Fortunately, we had the foresight to purchase a set of long cycling pants; they have really come in handy during the cold snap we've been having the last couple of days. We both continue to lose a pound here and there and it's nice to be able to fit a little better in my clothes again. Christmas is almost here, can hardly wait!

Gifts from God..

While reading through my old journal, I remembered all the funny things that Bill would find along the road when he was pedaling. Once it was a big roll of insulation, another was an entire case of ketchup and the the funniest one was a brightly colored lady's bra! He also found a brand new white hose that you use to connect to water when you're camping. He carried that bandolier style  for 15 miles until he caught up to us with it. It sure came in handy a few times. The same thing is starting already. Bill was thinking that we needed to buy a chock for the camper to take with us. A few days later, what does he find by the side of the road? You guessed it, a nearly new chock.

He has met quite a few people that think what we want to do is a great idea. Some have given us things to carry on the trip. The latest one was from Joshua.

It's a sticker for the back of our truck or camper that says, "In God We Trust".

We will find a place of honor for it, thank-you Joshua! Please be in prayer for us as we continue to prepare for this trip. I am in the process of starting up with Generosity.com so we can receive donations to help us with the cost of next summer. We will be unemployed during the trip, but bills still need to be paid; so I hope you will consider donating to our efforts. Thank-you for reading and may God bless you all!

Training, Maps, and Calendars

Bill continues with his training, On the weekends, he rides his bicycle outside and during the week he's in his shop on the trainer.

Either way, he works up a sweat and I am very proud of him. I found an old picture of him training back in 1988...December in Wisconsin!

He pedaled back and forth to work then and also trained on the trainer in our basement. Our children took turns holding his feet when he did sit ups and I was afraid. I'm in charge of the bill paying and I couldn't see how we were going to make the trip. I have the same struggle now. But reading the old hand-written journal shows me how God took care of us then and he will this time too. Every once in awhile, the fear creeps in and I have to remind myself to keep holding on. 
We worked on the calendar and the map the other day so we can keep track of speaking engagements and where we will be each day.

Both are new and clean right now. Waiting for that first entry, that first pin to be placed. Bill has been studying American history and things that have gone on before us. So far, this trip will be dedicated to men and women of courage in our nation; the police, firemen, and all the branches of the military. It's so important for the survival of this great nation to be united as one people.  The training and studying continues and I will do my best to be the voice of Twice Across America.

Big News!

Well, about 24 feet big anyway! LOL! We have been shopping around for a pull trailer so that we have a roof over our heads this summer. We made several trips to A&L RV Sales in Johnson City and met a very patient salesman there named Kevin Conen.

He showed us quite a few new and used trailers that would fit our needs and was even flexible when I changed my mind maybe once or twice....;) After talking and praying for a few days, Bill and I decided on one and made an offer based on what we could afford. It was quite a few thousand less than the asking price on the used one we saw and Kevin wasn't sure it would be accepted. He couldn't believe it when the manager came back with an offer only a small amount over ours! I couldn't help it, I gave Kevin a hug. Yeah, I'm a hugger...When we went to pick it up, a gentleman named James Blanton did the walk through with us, answered the many questions we had, and was patient and polite.

Then we had the anti-sway hitch put on and Wes showed us how to connect it up without getting a hernia! LOL!

I definitely don't need another one of those. The manager helped us through all the paperwork and it was ours! A great experience all around. I've been typing out my old hand-written journal from our first trip and when people say "I can't believe...." it's a sure sign that God has had His hand in it. Kevin even gave us a present for the new camper.....the minions have already tried to take them over, but I think the doors are locked from the inside. LOL!

So here is our little home away from home

and if you're looking for a great place to buy an RV, go see Kevin Conen at A&L RV Sales in Johnson City! 

Let the Training Begin!

Bill has been training on his bicycle for several weeks now. The first time out he managed 1/4 mile before he came huffing and puffing back ready to throw the bike into the bushes! On this past Sunday, his goal was 15 miles.....when he arrived back home, he had gone 21 miles including a few hills...(which we have plenty of here in Tennessee by the way). We were both happy and excited at his progress.

Last Thursday, he had a bit of an adventure at work. I'll let him tell it.
"I am in the construction field and am exposed to numerous hazards on a regular basis, but none that are really dangerous, more like things that can hurt you if you are not constantly aware of your surroundings. I was on a project where we had placed some concrete for a walk-way between the house and an addition. A gap was kept between the deck and the concrete walk-way so a transition could be placed once completed. The gap was about the width of a man's foot. I was meeting with the builder and we were all looking up the the contact point of the walk-way when I stepped right into the opening. The depth of the concrete at that point was to my upper thigh. My left leg went right down until my foot contacted the ground below, so I had one leg caught between the deck and the concrete walk-way and the other up on the surface of the concrete. Everyone stopped and looked at me, "Are you okay, is your leg hurt?" Standing in this position with with one leg between the deck and the concrete I looked back at them and said, "Man, I think everything is okay!" I lifted my leg up and all that had happened was I had concrete stain on my pants; not a scratch on my leg, no tears in my pants, nothing. All the guys looked at me and said, "You could have so easily broken your leg!"  I stood there for a moment checking my leg, seeing if I had any pain, nothing. They were all as amazed as I was. The guys I was working with do not know about this trip as of yet, so they had no clue what could have happened had I injured myself. I would not have been able to make this trip." 
Deb here, and as the chief cook and bottle washer around here, I can attest that even the concrete stain washed out of his pants! LOL!

God's call to a task includes His strength and protection to complete it.

A New Adventure Begins!

26 Years ago, my family did a bicycle trip across America. Rather, my husband rode the bicycle and our three children and I rode in our older motor home that we affectionately called the "Figmobile"or the "Big Fig".

The reason behind our trip was simple, Bill rode his bicycle 1 mile for each baby aborted in a day in the United States; 4000 miles. We chose to speak in churches across the country about the historical effects that abortion has on a nation and how it is a moral compass of a country. Abortion almost touched our own family when in our poverty, we briefly considered it as an option ourselves. That led to the discovery that it had been legal in our own country since 1973. we were shocked that it had been going on for so long. 
With that knowledge, it was laid on my husband's heart to do this trip. We had enough money to get to Seattle, our starting point. What happened after that is a story of trust and faith that took us across the United States with lots of adventures along the way.
When the trip was over and we were back home, the boxes of slides were put away in a box and my hand-written journal was placed on the shelf and our busy life raising children and just living, went on. I had always thought that it was the trip of a lifetime and prayed that we had impacted lives. But with the recent state of our country, it has again been laid on my husband's heart to do this again. Our children are grown now and on their own and Bill and I are 26 years older; is this possible to accomplish?
Bill's hobby is woodworking and he has been making extra money building furniture pieces for friends, (though this trip was not planned at the time he was working on these pieces.) We just had enough to buy him a new bicycle and he has started training once again. This blog will follow his training and progress until June when we plan on starting the trip once again. We will be re-tracing our exact route done 26 years ago, leaving on the exact same day. Along the way, I will share excerpts from the original journal along with entries for each day of the current trip. I hope you will all follow along with us, pray for us and even support us in any way you can. Let the adventure begin!