 Here's another encouraging Titus 2 / Proverbs 31 encouragement to press you on in your works. Let us not grow weary in well doing... Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Well doing goes much further than our household duties (loving God, loving our neighbor, preaching the gospel, walking in holiness and obedience, rebuking, receiving correction etc.) but it does include our every day works as godly women. Are you one? A godly woman born by the biblical gospel that you can test yourself to HERE. Maybe you'll be edified by seeing some works in my part of the world.  Traveling down the gospel road flying gospel signs on the van along the way. I'm going to start out by sharing brother Tupos evidence of his hard work on the van:-) He does such a good job keeping our little van home rolling down the road and saves a lot of money doing it instead of hiring it out.  I asked him to share some of the major work he's done and how much money he saved by doing it himself instead of hiring it out and it adds up a lot.
He definitely has man hands and I say it that way because I think of how God said man will toil the ground in Genesis and in 1 Thessalonians were to lead a quiet life working with our hands (go find those passages and read for yourself and be edified). In years past, most men were hard workers in the physical sense but automation and technology has reduced that down to soft men's hands. I'm not saying that's sinful, it's just something that seems odd to me yet, having grown up in such a physical working culture. The same can be said about women who used to physically work very hard and today there are gadgets to do anything for us, making it a physically easier culture to live in, thereby opening the door for potential laziness. Read 2 Thessalonians 3 as a warning against that. I posted a chickpea tuna salad recipe a while ago and a brother (in van life) made it for himself and shared the pics and I wanted to post them as maybe that will make you smile. See the recipe HERE.
Here's another meal he shared, making pancakes from a mix topped with molasses. What a blessing to have healthy nourishment and a good portion for a physically hard working man.  When we lived in a house, on a homestead, I used to make my own toothpaste and tooth powder from all natural ingredients that I would stock up on and store in the pantry and they would cost pennies.
In van life, after weighing the options on carrying around all the ingredients, taking up much room, I decided to buy some pre-made and what you see cost $12 and will last us about a year. I do have a tube of fluoride toothpaste that we use on occasion as we have found that it does help the enamel on our teeth but mostly we use these. Just a note here, we don't believe in dentist visits every 6 months like they brainwash you into and after all these years of NOT doing it, we haven't had any more problems than if we were. In fact, I have less tooth problems because the dentists don't get to poke or dig around my gums and yank and wiggle all the old fillings in my mouth. We only go to dentists (or doctors) when necessary. That's just what we do, something for you to think about and make your own decisions.  (Ultra soft toothbrush from the dollar store, these are really nice.)  (I still appreciate my detergent sheets, they work great! See an old post HERE about them.) I was blessed to hand wash some clothes, including lots of socks, and hang them to dry in a park. I thought you'd appreciate seeing all the dirt that isn't in them anymore:-) I'm so thankful for clean clothes as it's not a right but a privilege and blessing to have. As we travel, I take a peek at some of the food places we go by to see if there are any really good deals on things that might be relatively healthy.  We've been blessed 2x to find these egg biscuits for an awesome price and also I have buy one get one coupons for filling out their survey, making them impossible to pass up. That lunch cost $1.03 total which is pretty nice considering eggs run about .50 cents each nowdays. I'll admit, biscuits were one of my favorite things to make as they were so fast and easy to whip up to extend any meal. I let all that go for the Lord and He blesses us with them sometimes. Life isn't about food but since we have to eat, I like to share some of my every day duties and rejoicing that goes on within it all.  I made more beggar bags as we come across a lot of people begging on corners so we're prepared with food but more so, the gospel goes out with them. Sometimes we get to talk to them and share more but sometimes we're just driving through the intersection so we make sure there's a gospel card in each one.  We had to stay at a truck stop, which we don't have to do very often, and they had a nice fast food restaurant that has something both brother Tupos and I really like and haven't had for a VERY long time. Before I tell you about what that is, I have to tell you some awesome news! We were at that place a couple weeks before having a cup of coffee and using the wifi when the manager came over to talk to us about our van and the gospel signs. We shared truth, gave her a gospel card and this time when we came in, she got her phone and showed us that she has the gospel card taped to it!  Never know what those seeds will do! Praise God!!! Later that day brother Tupos witnessed to a couple police officers who were reading the cards. After we talked a bit she went back to work and I ordered our dinner which consisted of: 2 big baked potatoes with sour cream and chives (yum and healthy) 1 double hamburger All for $6 total which includes ice, water, wifi, the use of a table to sit at AND a nice level parking spot overnight. That's a well spent $6! (I borrowed the pics below because I forgot to take my own:-) We like to support the places that allow us to park whether it be a grocery store (and we buy our groceries there) or a hardware store (buy something we need for the van or a tool or something) or truck stops (usually have either coffee or a simple food option).  It's incredible how the prices of things have raised but if you're frugal, good deals can most definitely be found. I thought I'd share a little reminder about keeping homes well stocked with needed supplies.  We use these wipes out here on the road for cleaning dishes, freshening up and sometimes wiping the van etc. and they're a really good price but sometimes they're hard to find (because of that good price) so I always try to keep 10-12 packages on hand at all times. I used to do the same when we lived in a house. I made a list of the most used essentials and always tried to keep us stocked up to a base amount and rarely went under it. My base amount was based off having enough to live a couple months without having to buy anymore if something came up in the supply line, stores shut down, sickness etc. I wanted to make sure I had plenty to keep us going and once I built up the stock, I kept my base line and always had what I needed. It may take time (it did for us) to build up that storage of items but if you plan and work the plan, you'll get there. This goes for non edibles and bulk foods, which are much more affordable at larger quantities, like oatmeal, beans, rice, lentils, sugar, flour, spices etc. Just some things to think about and maybe be a reminder. We don't live in fear, we don't live like preppers, we live like saints who use wisdom, amen? I thought you might appreciate seeing other people's little homes. We're currently in Texas in the desert area where there are a LOT of little RV parks. Many people live in their RV's in permanent locations and there are also many people who go south in the winter to the warmer weather and then north in the summer to the cooler weather, rather like the birds do:-) This is the first RV park we've seen with such a nice shelter above. (It gets super hot down here in the summer so that shade is a wonderful thing.) I often say how the worldly people can live simple lives, how much more can a Christian live simple, leaving the lust of the flesh for comfort behind, to go serve Christ.  It's that time again....  I was thinking about gardens as I saw the plants in the green houses and seeds being put out, thinking about the planting / growing season and how it comes and goes but guess what? Planting seeds of truth, through the gospel, is on going without end until our end or the end.  Lotion with lavender essential oil is good for tired, dry hands and feet, sore neck muscles and just overall smells really nice:-) I love lavender on our pillows at night too. I love how the scriptures talk about oils and spices, it's amazing what God has given mankind to use to help us in this physical life.  You older generation might know what that is and I had to take a picture of it:-) I think I had it one time as a child but only because someone gave it to us. We saw that at a dent bent store we stopped at which we were really thankful because there aren't many in this state.  We got all this...  ...for $13.26  Hopefully some of this might be encouraging and helpful to those of you who are keeping your homes and trying to do your best for the Lord. God be praised in all that we do.
Love in Christ, Aman Comments are closed.
|
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed