Grateful Living
Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare.
Psalm 40:5
Psalm 40:5
By Paul & Chris Morrell
Some people said it was a crazy idea – fancy leaving permanent jobs and going out with no known income. Other people said we were very brave to leave everything behind and step into the unknown (although we had done this in 1979 when we packed up, took our two small children, left South Australia and went to live in Papua New Guinea!).
We didn’t feel crazy or brave, but we did believe God was giving us this incredible opportunity to go out and be a blessing to others. Amazingly, God sold our house within one day; we had already taken possession of our caravan, and, as we had to give notice to our employers, friends invited us to camp in their backyard until we were ready to leave.
On 1 June 2004, we were on the road embarking on the fourth most exciting adventure of our lives together; the first was being married to one another, the second, which happened a few years later, was having a relationship with Jesus, the third was going to PNG to live, and now this was the fourth.
People ask how we managed to live together in a 17-foot caravan for 14 years (that’s how long we were on the road) and remain married. Primarily, we are grateful that we like each other…a lot! Secondly, we knew we would be living in a small space and would need to make allowances for one another. Thirdly, it was a shared adventure.
God was so good to us along the way; we worked (doing jobs we had never done before!), house-sat, volunteered, visited friends and relatives and gave them a hand with various projects, and visited lots of different churches. When we worked in a town for a few months, we would find a local church to join; at one time, we even had a life group meeting in our caravan! When we were travelling from one place to another, there was always a church to attend each Sunday.
We are so grateful for the many adventures we have experienced throughout our married life (56 years this year). God’s constant provision and protection have been evident throughout the years, and we thank Him and praise Him for all He has done in our lives.
Some people said it was a crazy idea – fancy leaving permanent jobs and going out with no known income. Other people said we were very brave to leave everything behind and step into the unknown (although we had done this in 1979 when we packed up, took our two small children, left South Australia and went to live in Papua New Guinea!).
We didn’t feel crazy or brave, but we did believe God was giving us this incredible opportunity to go out and be a blessing to others. Amazingly, God sold our house within one day; we had already taken possession of our caravan, and, as we had to give notice to our employers, friends invited us to camp in their backyard until we were ready to leave.
On 1 June 2004, we were on the road embarking on the fourth most exciting adventure of our lives together; the first was being married to one another, the second, which happened a few years later, was having a relationship with Jesus, the third was going to PNG to live, and now this was the fourth.
People ask how we managed to live together in a 17-foot caravan for 14 years (that’s how long we were on the road) and remain married. Primarily, we are grateful that we like each other…a lot! Secondly, we knew we would be living in a small space and would need to make allowances for one another. Thirdly, it was a shared adventure.
God was so good to us along the way; we worked (doing jobs we had never done before!), house-sat, volunteered, visited friends and relatives and gave them a hand with various projects, and visited lots of different churches. When we worked in a town for a few months, we would find a local church to join; at one time, we even had a life group meeting in our caravan! When we were travelling from one place to another, there was always a church to attend each Sunday.
We are so grateful for the many adventures we have experienced throughout our married life (56 years this year). God’s constant provision and protection have been evident throughout the years, and we thank Him and praise Him for all He has done in our lives.
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