Tag Archives: SOWERS

Family and Friends, On the Road, Pictures of the Adventure, SOWER Projects, SOWER Projects 2024, The Adventure

Project Potourri

April 25, 2025 steph 1 Comment

Our March SOWER project at Ethnos 360 Aviation (located outside of Douglas, AZ) was unique is so many ways! Here are just ten –

1. We got to help with and attend a wedding!
  It was a small celebration of two widowers who had found love for a second time and we were so honored to be able to share in their joy!
  2. We did not have LIzzie (our RV) with us, and instead stayed in housing on the base.
  We had plenty of room and were very comfortable, even though it was a little weird not having all our ‘stuff’ with us! And we also were a fair ways away from our fellow SOWERs.
  
  We made it work, though – and it did have us closer to where we were working and meeting!
  3. We ladies got to go to a “Ladies Tea”! What a blessing that was!
  
  4. There is a wildlife preserve nearby and we enjoyed the beauty we found there!
  (If you look really hard you can see the flock of Sandhill Cranes to the left of the trees. I mean REALLY hard!)
  4. We also got to do a little exploring with our friends Joe & Kim!
  
  We were looking for Camp Rucker (an Indian War-era encampment) that we never actually found, but we did find some Green. While it wasn’t Vermont-Green, it was still greener than where we had been! And water!!!
  
  And there were trees! Big trees!
  
  It was a fun adventure with good friends!
  
  5. I had my first helicopter ride!!
  
  Probably it will be my last one also – but it was good to check it off the list! (Of course, I had to add it first!)
  6. Lunch with the girls in Tombstone – the town too tough to die!
  
  Super fun to be a little touristy for the day!
  
  7. We watched this older trailer (located just across the street from us) go from this –
  to this –
  
  to this –
  
  After they haul off the debris they’ll be preparing the spot for a new manufactured home for their trainees!
  8. Our work was varied! Along with helping with the wedding prep, we also did some cleaning (both pre-occupants and post occupants)
  
  some Mission Barrel (onsite thrift store!) sorting
  
  (my suitcase may or may not have been a bit fuller on our return trip!)
  and even a bit of sewing!
  
  (We were working on helicopter door covers. Who knew?)

The guys were also working on a variety of tasks – from plumbing

to welding-

to helping with that demolition!

(‘Cause everyone loves some good demo!)
9. After being part of the RV group “Escapees” for twenty years, we finally made it to one of their “Escapades” – a national rally of hundreds of RV’ers (I think there were over 600 units there!) filled with all things RV! We met up with SOWERs who were manning a SOWER informational booth and enjoyed the day connecting with friends and even making a few new ones!

It was a fun Tucson excursion to be sure!
10. And finally – those Arizona skies!

Fabulous.

It was a very special month. We worked with some our closest SOWER friends, and made many new friends along the way! We ventured into a part of the country that we hadn’t been in for many years, and most likely won’t get that way again. We were able to be part of the support team of a global ministry which is striving to bring the Gospel to the multitude of unreached people.

How honored we are to serve in this way!

Thanks for stopping by (especially after such a long time of silence!)-

Pictures of the Adventure, RV Life, SOWER Projects, SOWER Projects 2024, The Adventure

Meanwhile, back at Forest Glen –

November 11, 2024 steph Leave a comment

[I started this post back on 10/29. Yikes! Apparently it’s taking me a little longer than I thought it would to figure out what cupboard is best for the peanut butter! Maybe this week I’ll get this ol’ blog back on track! So let’s start that tonight…]

Although our main focus these days is our little house in Lindale, I realize I never did a final wrap-up of our time at Forest Glen Camp! We were the only SOWER couple on site that month, so mostly we were working together. But I did start the month labeling ALL of their sound system wires and equipment,

and sprucing up their music stands.

But the big project Gary worked on (with some assistance from me when needed!) was helping to finish off the interior of the new camp store!
Our first view –

Step number one – install accent boards on the ceiling.

Yeah – there were a lot of them!! Once the ceiling was done, it was on to the track lighting.

Hang ’em,

wire ’em,

light ’em up!

Thankfully we were not tasked with chalkboard painting that giant black wall, but Gary did spend his last couple of days wielding the floor sander to get the concrete ready for its final finish.

They promised us an “All Finished” photo when that building is open for business – sure hope they follow through!
So it was a good three weeks! We fit in a trip back to Lindale to continue working on the shed floor, were able to accomplish all of our Area Rep annual visits, worshipped with friends, and even enjoyed a meal with a brand new SOWER couple that lived nearby! Lots of pieces to our October puzzle, but I think they all fit together just fine!

Thanks for stopping by – and I hope to see you again soon!

Family and Friends, Pictures of the Adventure, RV Life, SOWER Projects, The Adventure

A Birthday, a Milestone, and an Anniversary

October 15, 2024 steph 6 Comments

We have a lot of things going on this October! On the one hand, this month marks the 20th Anniversary of our very first SOWER project! When we set out in August of 2004 (for our one or two-year adventure) we had already joined SOWERs, planning to do one or maybe two projects as we traveled through the country. We only lasted about six weeks before Gary said to me “Let’s try doing one of those SOWER project things.” And so we signed up for a SOWER project at a small Christian School in the town of Vienna, Georgia.
It was during that first month of service, parked in the high grass behind this circa 1940 public school building, doing not our favorite jobs, where God convicted both of us that THIS was what our RV journey should be about. And so began our hard right (and unexpected) turn into full-time ministry.

Our first group picture –

Since that (dare I say) fateful October twenty years ago, the Lord has led us on an incredible journey. Folks often ask us “What’s your favorite project?” or “What’s your favorite place?” Let’s be honest – North America is a fabulously diverse and beautiful continent! Our travels have taken us to oceans and mountains, plains and valleys, deserts and glaciers. We’ve seen geysers and waterfalls, bison and antelope, architectural masterpieces and natural wonders. But without a moment’s hesitation, I can say that the most impactful and beautiful part of this entire journey has been seeing God at work! He’s working in international ministries (we’ve helped out a few) and He’s working at small camps with more faith than funds (and we’ve been blessed to serve there too!). But more important than that is to see His work in our hearts and in the hearts and lives of the beautiful people that we have been honored to meet and work alongside of and have come to love. Over these years we’ve worked with over 300 SOWER couples and countless other volunteers and ministry hosts that we now count as dear friends and co-workers of the Kingdom. How very blessed we have been!
Which brings me to our Milestone. During these 20 years of being a part of the SOWER Ministy, we have served at 136 different ministries. I believe we had only heard of (maybe) five of those ministries before we arrived to help. Seeing the depth and breadth of God’s kingdom through these ministries has enlarged our view of God – and just how active He is in the lives and hearts of His people! This month, as we celebrate our 20th Anniversary since our first SOWER project, we are also marking our 200th project month. We are so honored that we have been able to serve the Kingdom for so very many years – and at so very many different locations. We can only give God all the Glory for guiding our steps these many years!

Now that we have our little house in Lindale, many friends have asked if we are retiring from SOWERs. Don’t count us out just yet! We are certainly moving away from doing 10 project months a year, but aren’t quite ready to hang up those tools! We are signed up for project #201 in March – at another ‘new to us’ location! We don’t think that God is done with us, and we pray that we will continue to be used for His purposes wherever He may lead us!

But wait – the birthday!! Our littlest Texan turns FIVE today!

Not at all sure where those FIVE years have gone (but then again we feel that way about the last 20 too!) – but we sure want to wish this little cowboy the very happiest of birthdays!! We love you, Deacon!

Thanks for joining us as we celebrate Deacon – and a couple of SOWER milestones!

PS – We’ve been really bad about taking “Group Pictures” when it’s just the two of us on a project. But here is one from this summer – both of us a little grayer (and maybe plumper) but still carrying on!

On the Road, Pictures of the Adventure, RV Life, SOWER Projects, SOWER Projects 2024, The Adventure

Getting an early start on October

September 30, 2024 steph Leave a comment

We left our little house in Lindale Sunday after church, and arrived safely at Forest Glen Camp and Conference Center in Huntsville, TX by early evening. The GPS clocked it as a three hour drive, and I’m happy to report that even though it was in prime Sunday afternoon naptime, we only stopped once for a nap attack! We did it in a solid four!

This is our third time at Forest Glen (a little atypical for us), and although the last time was seven years ago, it still is nice to get reacquainted with the folks – and meet some new friends too! This project is also in our Area Rep group, so we do stop by about once a year just to check and see how things are going. Since we so often do new-to-us projects, it’s nice to occasionally be at some familiar stomping grounds!
As you can see by the map, it’s about 3 hours north to our little house in Lindale (the blue dot) and about 3 hours NW to the kids in Waco (the yellow star). So it’s a nice central location for us!
We’re looking forward to a quiet, but productive, three weeks here!

Thanks for stopping by –

SOWER Projects, SOWER Projects 2024, The Adventure

Cornbread, Kiddos, and Waiting

September 9, 2024 steph 2 Comments

It’s been a week filled with all of those things! First on the waiting – we’ve been told that our new part should be at the mechanics today(Monday), and then it will be on to the repair. So it looks like it might be several more days until we can be reunited. (Quick refresh – the turbo ‘went’ on our motor home, and it is now waiting patiently at a repair shop in Jackson, Ohio. We packed a bag and continued on to our September project at Camp Nathanael in Emmalena, KY, where they have generously supplied us with a room until we go pick-up Lizzie (the RV).) We’ve been blessed with a sweet room –
and in the same building is a lovely common area (where I am sitting and typing at the moment!)

(You can’t see him, but Gary is snoozing on that comfy sofa! ) It’s pretty much like having our own living room! Oh, we miss our house immensely, but it has been such a blessing to have these lovely accommodations while we wait.
And then there are the kiddos! Last week was the beginning of a 5 week stretch of Outdoor Education sessions that are being run by the camp. School children come from the area counties for a day filled with reenactments and demonstrations about what life was like in the “Pioneer Days”.

There are different stations for quilting, butter making, candle making, washing and dying, and barn building to name just a few! This past week was “Kinder Week” so it was a little scaled down – a good option for us new folks! I was helping out in the “General Store”

Which I confess was more 21st Century trinkets than Olson’s Mercantile, but the little ones sure had a great time picking out some treasures!
But aside from being a helper wherever I am needed (maybe quilting next week??), I’ve been making cornbread!

The cornbread is cut into little squares and then a dab of butter (which the kids have actually made!) is put on top and the little squares are distributed at the end of the class.

Since there are approximately 200 kids that come through the program each school day (and there are 20 more days of kids) – that’s a fair bit of cornbread! So I’m trying to get ahead of the curve and plan to have plenty in the freezer since we won’t be here the last two weeks of the program!

Being that I love working in the kitchen and think helping students experience some quilting will be a delight – pretty sure this month will go by quickly.
Now if we could just get our motor home back.
Ah, the waiting…
Happy Monday, all ya’all!

PS – Gary has (of course!) been busy these days also. Heaters, A/C’s, shower floors – you know, Gary stuff. No pictures though, sorry!