Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Total miles traveled so far…

I finally made it to San Diego!!! I decided to postpone seeing the Grand Canyon and visiting the house churches in Las Vegas, NV and Ridgecrest, CA. Four months on the road was starting to wear on me. I think both me and my car needed a rest. :) It has been an amazing adventure. It’s not over yet… I’m not sure how long I will be here in San Diego (Poway, actually). If you’re in the area, give me a call so we can get together. :) Several people have asked me for my address here in San Diego. Please email me (hisprinsess@hotmail.com) and I will send it to you. I don’t want to post it here since it can possibly be seen by anyone.

Thank you to all of you who were praying for me car!!! It was acting up a little on the way to Globe, AZ. I had a mechanic look at it while I was there and he said that it looked good, so the next day, I started my two day trek to San Diego.

I drove from Globe, AZ to Glendale (Phoenix area), to see my great aunt. I hadn’t seen her in 15 years or so. It was great to spend some time with her and her family. I stayed that night with some old friends from San Diego who live in El Mirage (Phoenix area). Charles and Candace have 4 great kids! Candace made us pancakes for breakfast – they were fabulous!!! Candace gave homemade a whole new meaning for me. I know people who make things from “scratch” – but she’s the first person I’ve met who can truly say that! She makes her own flour! I think I saw some wheat stalks in the back yard, but I’m not sure. Pretty impressive! If I ever settle down, I may need to take some lessons from her. :)

So far, I have driven more than 4225 miles! WOW! I still can’t believe it. (even without a GPS!!! MapQuest isn’t perfect, but it got me across the country!)

I moved out of my one bedroom apartment in Maryland at the end of February. I have been living with different families now for 9 ½ months! Since then I have been in 14 different states and stayed with 26 different families (plus 1 former seminary converted into a modest retreat center), 37 different times. I have slept on 19 different beds, 5 couches, 2 aero beds and 1 futon! :) I felt that God was leading me to live in community with others – He has certainly accomplished that! :) More than half of the people I stayed with once I left Maryland, I had never met before! They were friends of friends I got in touch with along my travels. God provided amazingly along this journey!

Thank you to everyone who has taken part in my journey!! Thank you for opening up your home to me, helping me find a place to stay, praying for me, sending me encouraging notes… Thank you again to my family in Maryland who bought me this wonderful laptop and camera! Every time I write these updates, or take pictures of my journey, I think about you! I miss you all. I wish I could visit soon…

A friend of mine is putting together a map of my journey for me (thanks Kari!!) I’ll pass the link on in one of my next updates.

You know that verse that says the Israelites wore the same sandals for 40 years and they didn’t wear out. Please pray for my clothes not to wear out :) (My jeans are looking a bit worn.)

I have spent these last 2 months in San Diego reflecting on my trip, catching up on sleep, visiting the beach, and “detoxing” from the constant need to produce, be busy, or be productive in order to feel of worth. I have also been trying to practice silence and solitude to listen to the Father’s voice better.

A few things God is teaching me (over and over again):
Much of my life these past few months (and years) have been in limbo and plans have changed from one day to the next. I see God teaching me to be flexible and open my eyes to watch Him provide.

After I had packed up my belongings, at the end of February, I went back up to my empty apartment to make sure everything was loaded into the storage bins. As I looked around my now bare apartment, I had an unexpected rush of worry and suddenly felt very alone. Then the next thought that came to me was God gently whispering to me “Kerrie, your life does not consist of your possessions. It is so much more than that, don’t hold on to this, I have something more for you.”

More to come in my next update,
Merry Christmas!!!
Love and miss you, Kerrie

To see pictures from Arizona, click here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=68591&l=59a80&id=672092186
To see pictures from my return to California, click here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=68595&l=65f60&id=672092186