OUR PLANS...GOD'S STEPS

In our last post I shared that we were about to begin a two week break in our Habitat building schedule. Several things have happened this past week which have led us to plan out a slightly different path for the second half of our winter here in the south. I will share that a bit later.

We have settled into a nice, small RV Park called Sunny Pines for our two weeks of R&R. It is located right in Sebring. We arrived here on Saturday, Nov. 22, after we broke camp at the Cloverleaf 4H Camp where we stayed during our two week build here. We had the opportunity to break out our bikes and do a little riding at a local state park called Highlands Hammock State Park over the weekend.



The park has a campground, picnic areas, hiking and bike trials as well as a museum about the Civilian Construction Corp, a music performance area and several walking paths which take you out into subtropical areas of the park.



Our plans were to stay at Sunny Pines for our first week and check out some of the local points of interest, like the state park, and then move toward Vero Beach where our next build takes place. Within a couple days we felt that a change was coming our way. The more we experienced the folks at the park and the area, the more we felt that we were to stay here longer so we asked some of the residents if there were any sites open later in the winter. They told us that they understood that the park was all sold out but we went to the office anyhow. The lady in the office told us that there were a couple sites still open so we decided to return here after Christmas to “settle in” to one area for a little different experience.

We will still head to Vero Beach at the end of this week to join a two week Care-A-Vanner build there and then head north for Christmas with our families. After we return, Frannie plans to volunteer at the Habitat Home Store in Sebring part time and I plan to rejoin the local volunteers who work part time with the local Habitat building team we were with last 2 weeks. We may both look for some part time work as well to defray the cost of our site. We’ll share more as it develops. In going through all of this I was reminded of Proverbs 16:9 which says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”

We can, and should, make plans for our lives but we should always be mindful of the Lord’s direction and the “course corrections” He often brings into our plans. As believers we have the promise of His direction. There are lots and lots of verses which remind us of the need to trust God and to know that He will guide us. One of my favorites is Proverbs 3:5,6 : “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” (or “make your paths straight”) I hope that you, too, are really trusting God to “direct your paths”. I’m tellin’ you, He really will.

The park here has many activities scheduled throughout the week for the residents including worship right here in the park on Sunday mornings. We attended worship here last Sunday and enjoyed the “family”.



We joined many at the park for a group Thanksgiving dinner along with 80 other people! The owners provided turkey, ham and dressing while all of the residents contributed other dishes or desserts to complete the meal. It was a nice time where all of us, away from our own families, could join together as a “family” and share a meal to remember the day. It sure was different but it was nice to be with others in a similar situation. As usually happens, we all ate too much and found time for a little nap later in the day.

We will continue to keep you posted as to our “going ons”. We are enjoying the weather down here (upper 60s to mid 70s and sunny) and we receive regular reports about the weather we are “missing” up North. Just a couple days ago our son, Jason, sent us a picture, via his cell phone, of the snow storm he was driving in so we sent him a picture of Frannie, in her shorts, standing next to a lake behind our park. And speaking of Frannie, here she is with another edition of:

“WHAT I LEARNED ON THE ROAD”



Hi all,

Earlier in this article, Bob referred to the Highlands Hammock State Park, and after seeing numerous signs for Hammock Falls, Golf Hammock, etc., I wondered what exactly a hammock was. (no, this isn’t the hammock you sleep in) A hammock is a forest of broadleaf trees surrounded by pinelands or marshes. Now, isn’t that interesting?

God bless you all. We hope you had a great Thanksgiving with family. All of us have so much to be thankful for. We know that we’ll be seeing our family during Christmas but we hope to continue “seeing” you here at our site as we continue “on the road”.