Missionary People

  Ahh... I talked to one of our former Pastor's, *and a dear Friend* this morning. What a spark to my day, to hear his voice and a prayer at the end of our conversation.
  Then I saw his youngest child on Facebook. Not a youngster anymore and has been a missionary to Africa. Emily is beautiful outside and more importantly inside.
  Then she posted a story on Facebook about our complaints when around them and I got the impression ... *Don't complain!* We have everything.
  Which in turn let my "Meandering Mind" wander back to the days of traveling with 3 kids and a dog and camping in a pop up camper with tin roof!! 
  In a "small way"... I have tasted of doing without. No Air conditioning, No toilet, No Fridge, No running water, No sinks or tubs or showers. We had our wonderful homemade kitchen cabinet to hold the bare necessities. Plates, cups, silver, sugar, bowls, cooking pans. Dishpans & drainer. Been so long now I can't remember everything.
  The moment we were done setting up, Kathy ran to find the toilet - shower facilites.
Which sometimes was just an outhouse to run to and hope ya made it. (small kids) or go in the bushes. haha   Showers sometimes were none or minimal... Sponge baths in the camper were sometimes done.
   Mike's job was to run and find where we could get water to carry, and IFF there was anything interesting to do/see.
  Little Becky... she took the dog for a walk and held onto her.
  We had gas stove, gas light, and catalytic heater when weather was cold..
  There were many days of wishing for a home shower & toilet.
   But I guess the thing I missed most was never ending running water. We toted water to drink from home.. Toted water to do dishes at the camp, and to wash face & hands in. Remember that jug kids??
   Laundry??? Do laundry?? Better hope the next campground is not this primitive and has a laundry house and GOOD Showers...
   Rain.. Rain on a Tin Roof can be one of 2 things soothing in a gentle rain... and keep you awake time in the down pours.. AND we prayed it would not be raining when we needed to fold up an go... yup roof tilted and rainwater ran off into one of the beds!! Grrrr... oh well move on and tend to it later. 
Or raining hard when you need to run to the Outhouse, across muddy campsites & roads... Another fine mess...
 
   I will never forget those days and the fun we had and fun that Bud could make up. The games we played at the table inside and by the battery light.  What beautiful things we saw in our all our travels.
  Or remembering the time Mike's sleeping blanket got tossed over the catalytic heater and was smoldering good and our little dog woke us up. Scary!! Thanks for FiFi!!
  Then there was the time when just Becky was with us and we went up north to see my brother and he wanted to go fishing. Ok.. Took us to wilderness and left me with Becky, dog, and a revolver to protect ourselves IF a bear came into camp.. Us in a TENT camper ? Well he could get in here easy!!! Afternoon light and some bears did come into camp in daylight...
Yes wild animals around can be very scary & dangerous. Thank God some dog ran him up a tree away from us.. and then he climbed down & left!! IF he would have come near us I probably would not have remembered a thing brother Wayne told me to do... After all I'd never held a gun in my life back then. WHEW!
   Ahhh but for us... our escapades only lasted 2 to 4 weeks at most... and then back to civilization! I would run to the house, put the coffee pot on, Flush toilet! Wash hands and let the water run!! Unload everything, and Wash clothes.. how neat!! "Lights & Running water"  What a treat!
We learned how to be inventive, creative, and appreciative of so much on those trips. OR at least I truly did..

    Our Missionaries do their calling for life in some areas of *real rustic* living and never complain, for the love of people &  joys of seeing someone experience Christ's love and to accept His salvation, procurred on Calvary for EVERYONE!!  yes E V E R Y O N E!!
   Each of us are commissioned to *GO*...
Me at home, around the block, in Lake county, Emily across the world to Botswana!! But we are all to *GO*....
    Go Emily!! Go Mary!! Go YOU!!!

(She got her start here in Griffith, as I remember her coming with daddy to visit Mom Gulley when she was alive. Her 2 sisters came at various times also, either with dad/mom Or the G.A. girls)