"I am a voice shouting in the wilderness, Clear the way for the LORD's coming!'"



Many friends and family have asked how they can help support us. If you feel led to give please click the button below.


Tuesday, June 1, 2010

This journey begins the summer of 2009 when Jeff and I started praying to God asking him to show us the “TRUTH, the whole truth, and nothing but the TRUTH!!” We had come across some Hopi Indian prophecies which had some similarities to Revelation. We found it interesting but were left a little confused, so that is what prompted us to start praying for the Truth. Just days after that, he began to show us things and do things in our lives that were incredible and we knew only God could do.

One night in June, Jeff was in the shower while I was sitting on the porch. I was watching a thunderstorm and meditating on God. While Jeff was in the shower the presence of God came upon him so strong it brought him to his knees. He was crying and just praising God and telling him he would give all control back over to him. When he stood up he felt a skintight plate of armor come over his entire body and an immeasurable amount of people standing behind him. He did not turn to look for he knew in his spirit they were angels. After that God told him to read Matthew 23. We had been studying the words of Jesus written in Matthew 24 previous to this moment. After that we began going to a bible study that I had been to a few times but not regularly because it was far from home. We knew of it from our best friend and brother in Christ, "Wellie Big Bubbles" Ray Johnson!!

God continued to show us things and made the scriptures come to life. He really showed us that the Bible was in fact His Word. There are so many little stories which had a huge impact during that summer. In meeting a woman God put in our lives, I learned the meaning of a blessing. “A Blessing is treasure stored in heaven!” At this time I was also in summer school, taking two classes on top of learning wisdom from God. So my mind was being overloaded with so many things. By the time summer school was over I was having the feeling that I was not supposed to finish school. I thought it was strange because I had been working so hard for the past 8 years and I was about to start my last semester. I went back and forth on going to school or not so God allowed my mind to become confused and I went to school, exited to be finally finishing the degree I had began in 2001. Throughout the semester I heard a whisper a couple of times to quit school. I was always shocked when I heard it because how and why would God want me to do that? So I said, “God if that is you keep reminding me.” Around the middle of October 2009 I had been studying and practicing my recital music and extremely exited about all of it. I sat down in my chair to read the bible and I began to feel my mind slow down and a numbness come over my body. I knew God was about to speak to me because he had made me feel this before except he did not speak. God spoke and said, “QUIT SCHOOL and TRUST ME.” I thought, “ok” and immediately my flesh began to think of all the worst things that could happen if I did that. He said, “Don’t worry about any of that, I will take care of it all.” So I had been given direct orders from God himself, and I was very exited. So exited I did not even go to sleep that night until 3 a.m. When I awakened the next morning my mind immediately said, “You want me to do WHAT?!!!!!” All day that day I talked to God about what he wanted me to do. I was scared to death and did not want to do it. I told him I must have peace and joy before the day’s end if this was really what he wanted me to do. By the end of the day I had a beautiful peace followed by an insurmountable joy. I thought I was going to explode I was so full of joy!! So the next day I withdrew from my classes and that night Jeff and I drove to the lake and stood on fishermen’s point at Lake Thunderbird and meditated on God and what he was doing in our lives. On the way back to the car Jeff got in the car and I stepped a few feet in front of the car and saw a huge tree surrounded by other trees. All I noticed is how still the tree was, as if it was frozen in time. All the other trees around it were affected by the breeze, but this one tree was not moving. God spoke and said, “Be as still as that tree and wait on me, now go tell your husband what I just said.”

-Jeff here!- As a husband it was very hard to “be still.” On top of being still, God had told me to quit my job. I couldn’t see how we were going to be able to pay bills and live without any source of monetary income. It was a very trying time. One moment Kristin would be freaking out about how we were going to make it and I would be fine. Then the next moment I would be freaking out and she would be fine. I even went back to welding for one day, but God put the kibosh on that in a BIG way. I will tell you more about that later. HE just wanted us to “BE STILL.”

Now about a year prior to all of this, God planted the idea to walk across the country into our minds at the same time, but we were miles apart. At the time we were excited, but not committed. It seemed more like a fun thing to day dream about than a real event. We had a great time watching videos about people walking across america and learned about a lot of interesting folks. We quickly convinced ourselves that there was no way we could do something like that. After all, Kristin was still in school, and I was very busy gigging and teaching. In our minds, it just could not have come from God. So we lost interest. It wasn’t until a few months ago when God brought it back to our attention, and that He was serious about us going.

There were SOOooo many instances where God showed us that he was real and/or taught us a lesson. There is the water bottle story, the jeep story and the tools story to name a few. I am literally writing this in the car on the way to tulsa to give my car to my sister on our way to Delaware. So I won’t try and type those stories right now. I will get them up on here a little later. I do however want to share with you the story about the shoes.

Kristin and I had accepted the fact that we were going on this journey, and were right in the middle of selling off all our possessions. We were excited and dazed all in the same breath. I was also starting to worry about how we were going to survive out there. “How were we going to take care of ourselves and get the things we needed? What if this happens? What if that happens? Are my wilderness skills up to the challenge?” I had a million unanswered questions running through my head and I was frantically gathering knowledge. I got to the point where I prayed to God to just show me what I needed to know.

Kristin and I decided to got eat breakfast early one morning so I got up and we to the bank to get some cash. Coming out of the bank I saw a really nice New Balance shoe in the middle of the road. It was almost brand new and I thought to myself, “man someone is really going to be missing that!” Of course that was about all I thought about it and quickly hurried over to the diner to meet Kristin for breakfast. We ate and then ran errands all day. We went to edmond to order our tent and look at other gear and buy some clothes and what not. We were gone all day. Well that evening after we got back to norman I needed to go over to Lowe’s to get something. Coming out of Lowe’s I saw the other shoe. I thought “weird! someone is really missing those shoes!” But I passed it and went down the road. That is when God told me to turn around and get that shoe. So I did. I didn’t even stop or get out of the car, I just opened the door to the car and swooped it up without stopping. It was a very nice New Balance tennis shoe. It was charcoal grey with red lettering and trim. I said “ok God, let’s go see if the other shoe is where I saw it this morning.” (like he didn’t know :) So I drove back across town and sure enough, that shoe was still right in the middle of the road by the bank where I first saw it that morning. It was like it hadn’t even moved. So I picked up that shoe. I couldn’t believe it, it was an exact match! I had a matching pair of shoes that I found on the same day, ten hours and miles apart from each other and they were almost brand new! Now, we had just bought Kristin a new pair of hiking boots, and these shoes were too small for me. So I said “ok what do I do with these shoes?” I looked up and saw a man sitting in the sliding door of a big van on the side of the road. I knew I was supposed to talk to him so I drove over. I got out of the car with these shoes in hand and asked if he was alright. in the thickest jamaican accent you have ever heard, he told me he was fine. They had ran out of gas and that his friends had gone to get some. Looking at this guy, he had obviously been working hard all day doing some sort of construction. Either tiling or painting or something like that. I looked down and he had on those corduroy house shoes that you see at wal-mart. They were pretty worse for wear too. He had a toe sticking out and they looked pretty well worn. So I asked him if he needed a pair of shoes. He politely declined my offer so I just told him I didn’t need them and set them down on the curb by him. As I turned around to leave he very excitedly picked up the shoes and put them carefully in the van saying, “well maybe I can work in these.” I was overjoyed. I said “God bless you today and God loves you.” As I was driving home I was just thinking about how awesome it was that God hooked that guy up with a really sweet pair of shoes, but God told me that it went deeper than that. He showed me that all of this worry about how I was going to take care of Kristin and myself was just silly. He allowed me to experience how God literally provides for his children, and when I realized that, all my anxieties just fell away.

It has been the most challenging and difficult experience in our lives so far (and we haven’t even started walking yet), but we are willing to do whatever it takes to follow God and his plan for us. We have gotten rid of all of our cars, and our house, and all of our dishes, furniture, tools, and clothes. Basically we are down to our backpacks and a few family heirlooms. I can’t even begin to explain how liberating it is to be free from all of that bondage and literal baggage. If we put to much faith in the things we own they WILL end up owning you. but that is another story for another day.

We will be updating this blog every chance we get and we are eagerly expecting to hear from all of our family and friends along the way. So please leave a comment and tell us what you think. We love you and pray that God keeps you in the palm of His hands until we meet again.


J&K

Walking for the Truth

9 comments:

  1. This will be a great adventure God is putting you on and I can't wait to read more.
    I'll be praying for both of you, your safety, and your 'client's' to be blessed by you in the future.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Read your very first blog. I am so excited for you. I love you two and will keep you in my prayers and thoughts. I have also added your blog site to my facebook acct.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey Kids! I love you and am I so excited for you that you are finally on the road!~ We love you both and will be praying for your safety, your success and your sanitation!:) Talk to you soon.
    love,
    jen

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hey guys,

    I am really encouraged by your "foolish" faith:) If you guys ever pass through Kansas City, that is where I will be moving within the month, so please stop by and see me. Jesus is with you!
    --Andy Dale
    Matt. 11:28-30 :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you guys!! We are about to leave West Virginia. We decided 200 miles from Lewes Delaware that we could not take the car ride anymore!! Have a blessed day everyone!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. As I read your blog, I miss you guys so much!!!. I am so excited about this journey. Thank you so much, you have truely blessed me. GOD has already used you in a mighty way just in my life. By the way please set up that paypal thing, I feel GOD has directed me to support you guys every month.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Good luck and God bless. What an adventure. Please let me know if there is anything we can do along the way - and keep us updated.

    J, Edmond Summit Co.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Jeff & Kristen , I really havent talked to Donna alot about why you were doing this. Reading what is the start to an amazing step of faith is awesome.. You both are in my prayers...

    Shannon Nicholson

    ReplyDelete
  9. ;-)

    Our Father, HE has HIS Way with us in spite of us!

    Father Help! and HE does.......

    ReplyDelete